Mitis

The portrait biophysics

Geology

As a whole, the territory present of the sedimentary and metamorphic rock formations folded and the relief include/understand three great geomorphological formations. In edge of the littoral, one finds at certain places, of the pieces of the lowlands of the St. Lawrence. Immediately in the south, it there at the zone of buttress made of marine clay terraces covered with gravel and silts. This band in steps ensures the transition between the lowlands from the St. Lawrence and the Appalachian plate. The zone of buttress as that of the lowlands of the St. Lawrence occupy a space reduced in edge of bank of the river. Their width decreases as one moves towards the east: approximately 7 kilometers with Holy-Luce, whereas it reaches less than 2 kilometers with Mongrel-on-Sea. It is on this coastal strip that one finds the best agricultural grounds of the MRC as well as the strongest urban concentrations. The valleys Mitis and Neigette would have been invaded by sea waters of Goldthwait. This would explain why one finds, to the height of the municipalities of Saint-Donat, Holy-Angele-with-Mérici, Saint-Joseph-with-Lepage and Saint-Octave-of-Mongrel, of the grounds made up of common excavations of marine origin. The composition of these grounds is favorable to the agricultural activities. In the south of the MRC, in the municipalities Heights, of Saint-Charles-Garnier, the Redemption and in the not organized territories, the rock levels at many places and the movable deposits that one finds there are low thickness. The relief there is broken and includes/understands many lakes.

Hydrography

The hydrographic network of the territory is mainly marked by the Mitis river. Its basin of drainage adds up a surface of 1.828 km. Its principal affluents are the rivers Mistigougèche and Neigette. One finds two hydroelectric stations on the Mitis river. In order to ensure the regular food of these power stations, Hydro-Quebec maintains three stoppings on the Mitis river and one with the head of the Mistigougèche river. One finds few lakes of great dimension on the territory. The lakes Mitis (21 km) Mistigougèche (7 km) and Water-Dead (4 km) are largest.

Climate

The territory mitissien enjoys a wet continental climate due to the influence of the estuary of the Fleuve the St. Lawrence. The interior of the grounds offers a climate somewhat different because of the distance from the littoral as well as difference in altitude. Thus, the temperatures of summer are generally the same one with Mount-Pretty as with Saint-Charles-Garnier, on the other hand, the winter, the temperatures are appreciably less cold with Mount-Pretty, on the edge of the river. In spite of the maritime influence, the MRC of Mitis on average receives less precipitations than the area of Quebec (945,2 mm with Mount-Pretty, against 1218 3 in Quebec)

The demographic portrait

History of the settlement

The first occupants of the territory were the Malécites which came to fish the Anguille and the Saumon with the mouth of the Mitis river. This river was the bond between the river and their usual territory located in the area of the Baie of Heats. In 1689, the first seigniory of the territory was yielded by the governor of the time to Sieur François Pachot, merchant of Quebec. This last establishes its stronghold in edge of the Mitis river. The Pachot field extended on one thousand and half broad from each with dimensions from the river and on three miles, from the mouth towards the highlands. In 1693, one second seigniory located all around the lake Mitis, was conceded by the governor Frontenac with his godson. This forever inhabited seigniory. In 1696, Frontenac granted a new seigniory Louis Lepage and Gabriel Thivierge, his/her son-in-law. This new seigniory was located at the west of the Pachot seigniory. In spite of the granting of these seigniories, it is only towards 1790 that colonization starts for good on the territory mitissien. At that time, the first clearers coming from the old parishes of Kamouraska, and Three-Spray founded the municipalities of Holy-Luce and Holy-Flavie. In 1830, some families of peasants opened the 3rd rank of Mongrel which will become in 1855, the parish of Saint-Octave-of-Mongrel. Already at that time several mills with flour and saw were on the territory. Large-mongrel was then an important maritime station. One found a quay, still visible there nowadays, with the mouth of the river Mitis, a mill with flour and a saw mill along Brand brook. About 1880, the railroad makes its arrival in the area supporting the expansion and the development of Price, Holy-Flavie-Station (today Mount-Pretty) and of Holy-Luce-Station (today the Luceville sector of Holy-Luce). With many regards, the settlement of Mitis seemed finished with the beginning of the year 1920. However, the economic crisis of 1929 pushed the government with launching a new colonization campaign. The agro-forest parishes, of the Redemption and Saint-Charles-Garnier were thus created. This population growth lasted about thirty years. As from the Sixties, the population mitissienne undergoes an important fall of its population to the profit of the great urban centres.

The economic portrait

The economy of the MRC of Mitis is based mainly on the primary sectors and secondary (forestry development, agriculture and transformation of the woody matter). In 2001, the territory of the MRC counted 16.055 15 year old inhabitants and more and 45,8% of this population had an employment. The activity ratio, which measures the proportion of the occupied people and the unemployed in the search of an employment, was of 54,2%. This rate is low compared to that of Quebec, which accounts for 64,2%.

The primary sector

The employment connected to the exploitation of the natural resources is proportionally more numerous in the MRC than in the whole of Quebec. In 2001, the workers of this sector occupied 11,1% of employment in the MRC against 3,9% for Quebec. The forest proves to be, by far, the most important resource of the territory of the MRC. It constitutes industry besides first several municipalities and generates a great number of employment. The forest activity dominates over the other activities, compared to its full value in processed products. Agriculture also plays a very important part on the level of economic development, with incomes of about 32 million dollars in 1997. This same year, 311 agricultural companies got direct use with 378 people.

The secondary industry

The secondary industry gathers 1.440 workers, that is to say 17,9% of the workers of the MRC, which is lower than the Québécois rate which is established to 22,2%. Alone, the five factories of sawing (Bowater Inc., Cedrico, Lulumco, Felix Huard and Bois BSL) employ 410 workers machines some (4). The MRC counts four principal industrial sectors: the forest, construction, agriculture and thefood one and finally, terrestrial transport facilities. One finds there also a foundry which recovers metals and one second life gives them.

The tertiary sector

The tertiary sector gathers 5.708 people, that is to say 71,0% of the workers of the MRC. The majority of this employment are localized with Mount-Pretty. It should be noted that it is in this municipality that one finds the Center mitissien Community health and services, the general-purpose school and the majority of the governmental offices.

Municipalities of the MRC of Mitis

Cities

Municipalities

Large-Mongrel
the Heights
Padoue
Holy-Angele-with-Mérici
Holy-Luce
Saint-Gabriel-with-Rimouski

Village

Price

Municipalities of parish

the Holy-Flavie Redemption
Saint-Charles-Garnier
Saint-Donat
Holy-Jeanne-in Arc
Saint-Joseph-with-Lepage
Saint-Octave-of-Mongrel

Not organized territories

Lake-of-Water-Dead Lake-with-the-Crosses

MRC and equivalent territories bordering

External bond

Official site Mitis

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