Brownsburg-Chatham () is a municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality.
Economic activities include agriculture, tourism and the manufacture of explosives. It is the hometown of late Montreal Canadiens defenceman Gilles Lupien.
History Chatham Township was established in 1799, and named after English Statesman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778). Mostly populated by rich American Loyalists, its post office opened in 1829 and the township municipality was formed in 1845. By the mid-19th century, there were a few hamlets including Dalesville, Brownsbury, and Starneville.
In 1818, Major George Brown, born in England, was granted by the government land on the West River (Rivière de l'Ouest). Together with pioneers Daniel Smith and Captain A. L. Howard, he was able to breathe life into the local industry during the 1820s. George Brown built, among other achievements, a sawmill and gristmill which contributed to the economic growth of the region and led to the formation of Brownsburg village which was named after him. In 1854, the Brownsburg Post Office opened. Later in the third quarter of the 19th century, a major arms factory run by the Dominion Cartridge Company was the major local industry.
In 1935, the Village Municipality of Brownsburg was officially established by separating from the Township Municipality of Chatham.
On October 6, 1999, Brownsburg was rejoined with Chatham and the new Municipality of Brownsburg-Chatham was formed. On July 6, 2002, the municipality changed its statutes and became the Town of Brownsburg-Chatham.
Geography Brownsburg-Chatham is located along the Ottawa River, just west of Lachute, and includes the communities of Brownsburg, Cushing, Dalesville, Greece's Point, Pine Hill, and Saint-Philippe.
Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brownsburg-Chatham had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Canada Census Mother Tongue - Brownsburg-Chatham, Quebec Census Total Year Responses Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % Count Trend Pop % 5,870 2.4% 81.1% 1,035 0.5% 14.3% 145 107.1% 2.0% 170 3.0% 2.3% 5,730 0.1% 81.9% 1,030 10.0% 14.7% 70 33.3% 1.0% 165 13.8% 2.4% 5,735 7.9% 80.4% 1,145 7.9% 16.1% 105 47.6% 1.5% 145 40.0% 2.0% 5,280 0.8% 79.8% 1,055 4.5% 15.9% 55 59.3% 0.8% 230 58.7% 3.5% 5,320 1.7% 79.9% 1,105 6.8% 16.6% 135 29.6% 2.0% 95 0.0% 1.4% 5,230 n/a 79.2% 1,185 n/a 17.9% 95 n/a 1.4% 95 n/a 1.4%
Government The city council meetings are available online since February 2, 2016.
List of former mayors:
Lise Bourgault (2003–2009) Georges Dinel (2009–2013) Serge Riendeau (2013–2017) Catherine Trickey (2017–2021) Kévin Maurice (2021–present)
Education The Centre de services scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord operates French-language public schools. École primaire Bouchard École primaire St-Philippe École polyvalente Lavigne in Lachute"Trouver une école ou un centre." Commission scolaire de la Rivière-du-Nord. Retrieved on September 24, 2017. For attendance boundary information, click "Par bassin d'école"
The Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board operates English-language public schools: Laurentian Elementary School in Lachute serves almost all areas"LAURENTIAN ELEMENTARY ZONE ." Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. Retrieved on September 16, 2017. Grenville Elementary School in Grenville serves a small section of Chatham"About Us." Grenville Elementary School. Retrieved on September 17, 2017. Laurentian Regional High School in Lachute serves all areas"LAURENTIAN REGIONAL HS ZONE ." Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board. Retrieved on September 4, 2017.
See also List of anglophone communities in Quebec List of cities in Quebec
References
External links
Ville de Brownsburg-Chatham (French and English)