Mont-Laurier, Quebec, is a charming town nestled in northwest Quebec, Canada. Situated on the banks of the Lièvre River, a tributary of the Ottawa River, Mont-Laurier is known as the "Capital of the Haute-Laurentides". The town's motto, Laurus elationis praemium, translates to "Lift the laurels of reward", and its inhabitants are known as Lauriermontois. As of the 2021 Canadian census, Mont-Laurier boasts a population of 14,180 and serves as the seat of Antoine-Labelle Regional County Municipality and the judicial district of Labelle.
The territory of Mont-Laurier was originally inhabited by the Oueskarinis, a sub-tribe of the Algonquians. European settlers arrived from Sainte-Adèle in 1866, and the area was initially named Rapide-de-l'Orignal (English: Moose Rapids) in 1885 by Solime Alix. This name was inspired by a local legend of a panicked moose making a massive leap at a waterfall on the Lièvre River.
On October 14, 1909, the area was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Mont-Laurier, separating from the Township Municipality of Campbell. The town was named in honour of Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The arrival of the railway from Montreal through the Laurentides in 1909 marked a significant milestone for Mont-Laurier, transforming it into a transit point for passengers and a center for receiving and shipping goods.
In 1950, Mont-Laurier changed statutes and became a ville. It merged with the Township Municipality of Brunet in 1971. The P'tit train du Nord made its last passenger trip to Mont-Laurier on November 13, 1981, marking the end of an era. In 2003, Mont-Laurier merged with the neighbouring towns Des Ruisseaux and Saint-Aimé-du-Lac-des-Îles, but following a 2004 demerger referendum vote, Saint-Aimé-du-Lac-des-Îles left Mont-Laurier in 2006 to be reconstituted as an independent municipality.
Mont-Laurier is located about 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the Ottawa River delta. Its location in the Laurentians places it at an altitude of 244 metres above mean sea level. The town is surrounded by numerous lakes and mixed forests that support hunting, fishing, leisure activities, and the logging industry.
In addition to Mont-Laurier, the municipality also includes the population centres of Lac-Gatineau, Saint-Jean-sur-le-Lac, and Val-Limoges. Mont-Laurier is located roughly at the halfway point of the major roadway from Montreal to Abitibi, Route 117, about 250 kilometres (160 mi) northwest of Montreal. Route 309 follows the Lievre and leads to Gatineau, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario, 216 kilometres (134 mi) to the south.
Mont-Laurier experiences a humid continental climate (Dfb), characterized by significant differences between the warm summers and the very cold winters. Precipitation is high year-round, resulting in significant snow cover in winter.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Mont-Laurier had a population of 14,180 living in 6,698 of its 7,223 total private dwellings, a change of 0.5% from its 2016 population of 14,116. With a land area of 587.42 km2 (226.80 sq mi), it had a population density of 24.1/km2 (62.5/sq mi) in 2021.
The population trend prior to amalgamation was as follows:
As for the mother tongue of the inhabitants:
