Wentworth is a township municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, north-west of Lachute.

Wentworth
Township municipality
Town entrance
Location within Argenteuil RCM
Wentworth Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 45°48′N 74°22′W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Laurentides
RCM	Argenteuil
Settled	1830s
Constituted	July 1, 1855
Government [2]
• Mayor	Jason Morrison
• Federal riding	Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel
• Prov. riding	Argenteuil
Area [2][3]
• Total	95.26 km2 (36.78 sq mi)
• Land	85.03 km2 (32.83 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	682
• Density	8.0/km2 (21/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	28.0%
• Dwellings	802
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J8H 0C7
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Highways	No major routes
Website	www.wentworth.ca

Its population centres are Louisa and Dunany.

Geography

The township is in the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains, not exceeding 487 meters (1,598 ft) above sea level, with a rocky, sandy, gravelly soil that is not conducive to agriculture. However, much of the land was cleared by early Irish settlers for farming and there remains small pockets of pastures along the Dalesville River, especially in the Glen and around the town center. It is dotted with many lakes, such as Curran, Black, McDougall, Rainbow, and most notably Lake Louisa - the largest lake in the Regional County. These lakes attract many cottage vacationers and fishing enthusiasts.[4][5]

The headwater of the Dalesville River, the largest river in Wentworth, begins at the outlet of Barrows Lake on the western edge of the municipality and meanders for approximately 12 km through the municipality.

History

The Gale and Duberger map of 1795 already shows the Wentworth Township, but it was not officially established until 1809.[4] It is unclear if it is named after a village in York County, England, or that it is a tribute to Sir John Wentworth (1737-1820), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1792 to 1808.[5]

Around 1830, a group of settlers composed of Irish and French Canadians, began clearing the rough land with difficulty. In 1845, the Gore Municipality was established, which included the Gore and Wentworth Townships, but it was abolished two years later. In 1855, the Wentworth Township Municipality was formed.[5]

In 1914, a small portion of the Wentworth and Montcalm Townships separated and formed the Municipality of Lac-des-Seize-Îles,[6] and in 1958, Wentworth lost a large chunk of its territory when the Municipality of Wentworth-Nord separated.[7]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wentworth had a population of 682 living in 378 of its 802 total private dwellings, a change of 28% from its 2016 population of 533. With a land area of 85.03 km² (32.83 sq mi), it had a population density of 8.0/km² (20.8/sq mi) in 2021.[8]

Mother tongue:[3]

• English as first language: 40.9%
• French as first language: 52.6%
• English and French as first language: 2.2%
• Other as first language: 2.9%

Local government

List of former mayors:

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2022)

• Marcel Raymond (... –2005)
• Normand Champoux (2005–2009)
• Edmund Kasprzyk (2009–2013)
• Marcel Harvey (2013–2016)
• Jason Morrison (2016–present)

Education

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2017)

The Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord operates French-language public schools.[14]

• École polyvalente Lavigne in Lachute

The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board operates English-language public schools:

• Laurentian Elementary School in Lachute[15]
• Laurentian Regional High School in Lachute[16]

See also

• List of township municipalities in Quebec

References

External links

• Media related to Wentworth, Quebec at Wikimedia Commons