Thetford Mines

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Thetford Mines
City
City centre
City centre
Coat of arms of Thetford Mines
Coat of arms
Motto: Fervet Opus  (Latin)
"Hard Work Prevails"
Location within Les Appalaches RCM
Location within Les Appalaches RCM
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Chaudière-Appalaches
RCM Les Appalaches
Founded 1876
Constituted October 17, 2001
Government[1]
 • Mayor Marc-Alexandre Brousseau
 • Federal riding Mégantic—L'Érable
 • Prov. riding Lotbinière-Frontenac
Area[1][2]
 • City 227.70 km2 (87.92 sq mi)
 • Land 225.97 km2 (87.25 sq mi)
 • Urban 15.10 km2 (5.83 sq mi)
 • Metro[3] 405.92 km2 (156.73 sq mi)
Population (2021)[2]
 • City 26,072
 • Density 115.4/km2 (299/sq mi)
 • Urban 17,046
 • Urban density 1,129.2/km2 (2,925/sq mi)
 • Metro[3] 28,287
 • Metro density 69.7/km2 (181/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016-2021 Increase 2.6%
 • Dwellings 13,059
Demonym(s) Thetfordois, Thetfordoises (Fr); Thetforder (EN)
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) G6G & G6H
Area code(s) 418 and 581
Highways Route 112
Route 267
Route 269
Route 271
Geocode 24 31084
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Thetford Mines (Canada 2021 Census population 26,072) is a city in south-central Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of Les Appalaches Regional County Municipality. The city is located in the Appalachian Mountains, 187 km northeast of Montreal and 79 km south of Quebec City.[5] It is known mostly as the asbestos capital of Canada.[6]

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History

File:Rpcq bien 200692 217724.jpg
First railway station in the township of Thetford was constructed in 1878. Housing today the local Mine Museum, it is the oldest surviving building of Thetford Mines.
File:Moulin King Amalgamate Asbestos 1909.jpg
King's Mill, Amalgamated Asbestos Corp. Ltd, Thetford Mines, QC, in 1909.
File:Lake Asbestos. Grève in spring 1975.jpg
Strikes in spring 1975 at Asbestos (Quebec)

Before European colonization, the Abenaki inhabited the Thetford Mines region.[5] A village was founded in 1876 after the discovery of large asbestos deposits in the area. The village incorporated as Kingsville (named after William King, an important mine owner) in 1892.[5] A few years later, in 1905, Kingsville was renamed after the Township of Thetford in which it was founded, which was named after the town of Thetford in Norfolk, England.

During the 20th century, Thetford Mines became a hub for one of the world's largest asbestos-producing regions. back then being called "Asbestos Capital of the World" and the "City of White Gold". In the boom times, there were seven mines operating in the area, employing 4,000 workers.[7] In 1949 and in 1975, asbestos miners in Asbestos and Thetford Mines began strikes each lasting for almost five months which were the most violent labor conflicts in the history of Quebec.[5]

In 2001 the city expanded to its current boundaries, incorporating the nearby towns of Black Lake, Robertsonville, Pontbriand and Thetford-Sud.

When Canada banned the use of asbestos in schools and homes, after using it for years as insulation, the mines of Thetford Mines largely exported their asbestos to areas such as southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South and Central America.[8] However, in 2012, the city's last mine closed and Thetford Mines has developed other sectors, namely manufacturing.[7]

The city of Thetford Mines is the seat of the judicial district of Frontenac.[9]

Climate

The Köppen–Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as humid continental (Dfb).[10] Winters are very cold and snowy, while summers are warm and rainy when it receives more precipitation.

Climate data for Thetford Mines, Quebec, 1981–2010 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.0
(57.2)		 15.0
(59)		 19.0
(66.2)		 29.0
(84.2)		 31.1
(88)		 32.0
(89.6)		 33.0
(91.4)		 32.8
(91)		 32.0
(89.6)		 26.1
(79)		 20.5
(68.9)		 15.0
(59)		 33
(91.4)
Average high °C (°F) −7.3
(18.9)		 −5.1
(22.8)		 0.4
(32.7)		 8.4
(47.1)		 16.3
(61.3)		 21.3
(70.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 22.5
(72.5)		 17.8
(64)		 10.5
(50.9)		 3.4
(38.1)		 −3.8
(25.2)		 9.0
(48.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −11.6
(11.1)		 −9.5
(14.9)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 3.9
(39)		 11.1
(52)		 16.1
(61)		 18.6
(65.5)		 17.6
(63.7)		 13.2
(55.8)		 6.5
(43.7)		 0.1
(32.2)		 −7.4
(18.7)		 4.6
(40.3)
Average low °C (°F) −15.9
(3.4)		 −13.8
(7.2)		 −8.4
(16.9)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 5.8
(42.4)		 10.9
(51.6)		 13.7
(56.7)		 12.8
(55)		 8.5
(47.3)		 2.6
(36.7)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 −11.0
(12.2)		 0.1
(32.2)
Record low °C (°F) −36.0
(−32.8)		 −35.0
(−31)		 −34.0
(−29.2)		 −19.0
(−2.2)		 −8.3
(17.1)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 3.0
(37.4)		 1.0
(33.8)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −11.0
(12.2)		 −22.2
(−8)		 −34.0
(−29.2)		 −36
(−32.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 107.9
(4.248)		 86.5
(3.406)		 89.1
(3.508)		 88.3
(3.476)		 105.0
(4.134)		 130.0
(5.118)		 133.3
(5.248)		 135.3
(5.327)		 100.2
(3.945)		 112.2
(4.417)		 104.6
(4.118)		 117.2
(4.614)		 1,309.6
(51.559)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 25.9
(1.02)		 15.5
(0.61)		 27.0
(1.063)		 65.7
(2.587)		 102.9
(4.051)		 130.0
(5.118)		 133.3
(5.248)		 135.3
(5.327)		 100.1
(3.941)		 105.6
(4.157)		 70.6
(2.78)		 33.6
(1.323)		 945.5
(37.224)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 82.1
(32.32)		 71.0
(27.95)		 62.0
(24.41)		 23.1
(9.09)		 2.0
(0.79)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 6.6
(2.6)		 34.0
(13.39)		 83.6
(32.91)		 364.5
(143.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2mm) 17.9 14.7 14.3 13.6 15.2 15.6 16.3 14.1 13.4 16.2 17.2 18.6 186.9
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2mm) 3.0 2.5 2.0 11.0 15.1 15.6 16.3 14.1 13.4 15.4 11.0 4.6 126.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 16.0 13.4 11.1 5.0 0.47 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.04 1.8 8.1 15.6 71.4
Source: ECCC[11]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Thetford Mines had a population of 26,072 living in 12,216 of its 13,059 total private dwellings, a change of 2.6% from its 2016 population of 25,403. With a land area of 225.97 km2 (87.25 sq mi), it had a population density of 115.4/km2 (298.8/sq mi) in 2021.[12]

Activities

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Winter

Given the abundance of snow for several months in winter, it is a popular area for snowmobiling and four-wheel drive vehicles as well as for downhill and cross-country skiing.

The city is home to the minor-pro ice hockey team the Thetford Mines Assurancia, who are members of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH). They play home games at Centre Mario Gosselin. Thetford Mines is the only city to have hosted an LNAH team in every season since the league's 1996 inception. The city has ringette and hockey organisations for the youth, and there are yearly tournaments for ringette and minor Hockey players, as well as old-timers hockey tournaments.

Thetford Mines was chosen as a top-five finalist for Kraft Hockeyville for 2009 on the February 21, 2009 Hockey Night In Canada "Hockey Day In Canada" special.

Spring

Spring is maple syrup producing time in the area. The numerous stands of maple trees in the region makes it one of the top maple syrup producing regions in the world. In March and early April, local citizens often make a ritual outing to one of the area's sugar camps (or cabanes à sucre) for sugaring off parties where maple syrup, reduced and thickened by slow boiling, is poured over fresh snow to create a delightful taffy.

Summer

Summer brings a host of other outdoor activities. An abundance of lakes and rivers provide plenty of opportunities for outdoor gatherings and cool refreshment. A series of summer festivals add to the enjoyment of the season, with sporting events, concerts and fireworks.

Autumn

The same maples that produce syrup in spring, provide brilliant displays of colour in autumn.

Media

Two radio stations, CFJO ("O97,3") and CKLD ("Passion-Rock 105,5") serve Thetford Mines. Both stations air programming produced partially in Thetford Mines and partially in Victoriaville.

Notable people

Gallery

  • Downtown Thetford Mines.jpg
  • Downtown Thetford Mines III.jpg
  • Downtown Thetford Mines IV.jpg

  • Asbestos miners in Thetford Mines in the 1920s

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Geographic code 31084 in the official Répertoire des municipalités (French)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thetford Mines (Census agglomeration), Quebec 2021 Census Profile. The census agglomeration consists of Thetford Mines, Saint-Adrien-d'Irlande and Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine.
  4. ↑ Reference number 293447 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (French)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Thetford Mines, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
  6. ↑ A Stadium Reborn in Thetford Mines, stadiumjourney.com
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Canada's Chrysotile Business Is Dying Out, thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
  8. ↑ Worst Places to Live in Canada: Part 11, Thetford Mines, Quebecl, canadianmortgagesinc.ca
  9. ↑ Territorial Division Act. Revised Statutes of Quebec D-11.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

 Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf Kinnear's Mills Saint-Pierre-de-Broughton
Saint-Adrien-d'Irlande Adstock
  Thetford Mines  
Irlande Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine

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