Palmarolle
# Palmarolle

Palmarolle is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality. It covers 117.87 $km^2$ and had a population of 1,386 as of the Canada 2021 Census. It is considered to have the best agricultural land of the entire Abitibi region.

## History

The area began to be colonized in 1911 when the township was surveyed. The completion of the National Transcontinental Railway at La Sarre and Macamic led to further waves of development with the arrival of new settlers in 1916, 1918, and 1929. Following the pattern of other places in the Abitibi, the settlement was named after a historic military figure, François-Charles Bertrand de Palmarole or Palmarolle (1714 ‑ 1760), lieutenant of the La Sarre Regiment and Knight of the Order of Saint Louis. In 1921, the parish was formed and in 1930, the place was incorporated as a municipality.

## Demographics

| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| - | - | - |
| 1931 | 699 | — |
| 1941 | 2,063 | +195.1% |
| 1951 | 2,439 | +18.2% |
| 1956 | 1,875 | −23.1% |
| 1961 | 1,360 | −27.5% |
| 1966 | 1,481 | +8.9% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1971 | 1,325 | −10.5% |
| 1976 | 1,296 | −2.2% |
| 1981 | 1,445 | +11.5% |
| 1986 | 1,457 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 1,571 | +7.8% |
| 1996 | 1,561 | −0.6% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 2001 | 1,527 | −2.2% |
| 2006 | 1,453 | −4.8% |
| 2011 | 1,465 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 1,409 | −3.8% |
| 2021 | 1,386 | −1.6% |

Source: Statistics Canada :

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 595 (total dwellings: 649)

Mother tongue (2021):

* English as first language: 0.4%
* French as first language: 98.6%
* English and French as first language: 0.4%
* Other as first language: 0.7%

## Government

Municipal council (2023):

* Mayor: Véronique Aubin
* Councillors: Josée Aubin, Yan Lavoie, Nicole Hébert-Trottier, Lyne Vachon, Jeanot Goulet, Sabrina Turgeon

List of former mayors:

* Amédée Rodrigue (1930–1934)
* Omer Tousignant (1934–1936)
* Aldephonse Dallaire (1937–1943)
* Robert Pelletier (1943–1945)
* Stanislas Pelletier (1945–1951)
* Emilien Bégin (1951–1964)
* Pierre Aubin (1964–1973)
* Marcel Caron (1973–1997, 2009–2017)
* Pierre Vachon (1997–2009)
* Louisa Gobeil (2017–2020)
* Aline Bégin (interim, 2020–2021)
* Véronique Aubin (2021–present)

## Notable people

* Henri Tousignant (born August 20, 1937), a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons
* Rogatien Vachon (born September 8, 1945), a professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
