L'Île-d'Anticosti, Quebec

This article is about the municipality. For the island, see Anticosti Island.

L'Île-d'Anticosti is a municipality located on the Anticosti island, between the straits of Jacques Cartier and Honguedo, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Minganie Regional County Municipality, Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada.

L'Île-d'Anticosti
Municipality
L'Île-d'Anticosti Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec
Coordinates: 49°30′N 63°00′W
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Côte-Nord
RCM	Minganie
Constituted	January 1, 1984
Government
• Mayor	Hélène Boulanger
• Federal riding	Manicouagan
• Prov. riding	Duplessis
Area
• Total	9,291.18 km2 (3,587.34 sq mi)
• Land	7,715.99 km2 (2,979.16 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	177
• Density	0.0/km2 (0/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	18.8%
• Dwellings	134
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0G 2Y0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	No major routes
Website	municipalite-anticosti.org

Toponymy

Within the municipality, the main populated area is Port-Menier.

Officially the municipality was formed first in 1902 when Anticosti Island was separated from the County of Saguenay. But since the entire island was privately owned, there was no elected council to preside over the islanders, who were either servants of the landlord or employees of logging companies. Even after the island was owned again by the provincial government in 1974, it took another decade to put a working municipal organization in place. On January 31, 1984, the first council was finally sworn in.

UNESCO's World Heritage

On September 19, 2023, Anticosti was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. It is recognized for its exceptional fossil assemblage representing the first global mass extinction of animal life on Earth.

Located within protected areas free from any industrial activity, the site is endowed with exceptionally well-preserved, abundant and diverse fossil fauna, this Anticosti fauna represents the first mass extinction of animal life on a global scale, 447 – 437 million years ago, at the end of the Ordovician period.

• Vauréal Canyon
• 
  Cliff wall, fall and Vauréal River
• 
  Cliff wall, fall and Vauréal River
• 
  Fossil (probably sponge), in the gravel, at the foot of the wall
• 
  Fossil to be identified, in the gravel, at the foot of the wall

The Vauréal River has its source in Lake Vauréal, it flows 25 km south-northeast, in the eastern part of the island. The salmon goes up the river to the Vauréal Falls, 13 km from the coast, crossing the Vauréal canyon where the river is enclosed between two limestone walls.

Communities

Port-Menier

Main article: Port-Menier, Quebec

The village of Port-Menier is the hub of the island. Its population doubles in the summer with seasonal workers and tourists. The economic mainstays are outdoor tourism and forestry/logging. Services available in Port-Menier include general and grocery stores, gas station, banking, restaurant, and lodging.

Demographics

Population

Canada census – L'Île-d'Anticosti community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	177 (-18.8% from 2016)	218 (-9.2% from 2011)	240 (-14.6% from 2006)
Land area	7,715.99 km2 (2,979.16 sq mi)	7,953.20 km2 (3,070.75 sq mi)	7,892.15 km2 (3,047.18 sq mi)
Population density	0/km2 (0/sq mi)	0.0/km2 (0/sq mi)	0.0/km2 (0/sq mi)
Median age	56.4 (M: 55.2, F: 56.8)	53.0 (M: 55.6, F: 54.2)	47.6 (M: 51.0, F: 46.3)
Private dwellings	134 (total)  97 (occupied)	186 (total)	161 (total)
Median household income	$N/A	$56,704	$N/A

Notes: 2021 and 2011 income data for this area has been suppressed for data quality or confidentiality reasons.
References: 2021 2016 2011 earlier

Historical census data - L'Île-d'Anticosti, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1921 451 —     1931 454 +0.7% 1941 424 −6.6% 1951 743 +75.2% 1956 856 +15.2% 1961 532 −37.9%	Year Pop. ±% 1966 494 −7.1% 1971 419 −15.2% 1976 293 −30.1% 1981 275 −6.1% 1986 335 +21.8% 1991 264 −21.2%	Year Pop. ±% 1996 263 −0.4% 2001 266 +1.1% 2006 281 +5.6% 2011 240 −14.6% 2016 218 −9.2% 2021 177 −18.8%
Source: Statistics Canada

Language

Canada Census mother tongue - L'Île-d'Anticosti, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		180		170	19.0%	94.4%		5	0.0%	2.8%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2016		215		210	10.6%	97.7%		5	0.0%	2.3%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2011		240		235	16.1%	97.9%		5	n/a%	2.1%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2006		280		280	7.1%	100.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%
2001		280		260	1.9%	92.9%		10	n/a%	3.6%		0	0.0%	0.0%		10	n/a%	3.6%
1996		265		265	n/a	100.0%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%

Local government

List of former mayors:

• No mayor 1902–1984 (no municipal organization)
• Raymond Bond (1984–1986)
• Mario Auclair (1986–1988, 1993–2002)
• Jean-Guy Joubert (1988–1989)
• Fernand Tremblay (1989–1990)
• No mayor 1990–1993 (under government supervision)
• Denis Malouin (2002–2005)
• Denis Duteau (2005–2013)
• Jean-François Boudreault (2013–2015)
• John Pineault (2016–2021)
• Hélène Boulanger (2021–present)

Time zone

Anticosti Island is bisected by the 63rd meridian west, and as a result, the eastern part of the municipality is officially within the AST legislated time zone boundary. However, in practice, all of L'Île-d'Anticosti observes the Eastern Time Zone (EST and EDT).

Education

Commission scolaire du Littoral operates St-Joseph School (francophone) in Port-Menier.

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec

External links

• Official website
• Frère Marie-Victorin (1885-1944), Anticosti, land with immense spaces, the sea all around, and a social world of the 1920s gone forever. Anticosti/UdeM archives, 14 photos (French)