Buckingham, Quebec

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Buckingham, Quebec was a city located in the Outaouais region of the province of Quebec. Since January 1, 2002, it has been part of the amalgamated city of Gatineau which combined 5 former municipalities, including Masson-Angers, Buckingham, Hull, Aylmer and Gatineau, into a single entity. The 2006 population according to the 2006 Census is 22,078 [1]

It is located along the Du Lièvre River, one of the main tributaries of the Ottawa River, which was frequently used for the transportation of lumber during the 19th and 20th centuries. The name comes from a county located in England.

Contents 1 History 1.1 First years 1.2 The launch of the lumber industry 1.3 The MacLaren dynasty 1.4 Former Amalgamation 1.5 Development 1.6 Amalgamation with the city of Gatineau 1.7 Chateau dairy 1.8 Buckingham en Fete 2 Other facts 3 See also 4 External link 5 References

[edit] History

[edit] First years

It was in 1799, that land in this area was granted to John Robertson, a former member of a British regiment. The first people settled in Buckingham in 1823 and the first mill was built. More people would move to Buckingham in the years that followed. ^[1]

[edit] The launch of the lumber industry

In 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte initiated a continental blockade which forced Great Britain to look to other sources for importing lumber. Soon, large wooded areas were discovered in Upper Canada, including the area that would become the Outaouais region. The lumber industry would be central to the region's economic development for over a century with wood pulp continuing to be important for several decades afterwards. It was only in 1837 that the first sawmill was built by the Bigelow group.

[edit] The MacLaren dynasty

Source: ^[2]

Throughout its history, the city of Buckingham's economy has been dominated by the MacLaren dynasty, which controlled several spheres of activities.

The MacLaren family, who have resided in the region since 1840, have dominated the lumber industry in the Outaouais for over a century. It was in 1864, that James MacLaren launched the family's activities in Buckingham by building a sawmill. The company became J. MacLaren & Co. and later the James McLaren Company Limited. James' two brothers later acquired the company after his death in 1892 and then launched a match company in Buckingham in 1894 which was incorporated a year later. The MacLarens later gained control of the hydroelectricity market in the community and also real estate development and sports facilities. The company would build a hydro dam along the Du Lièvre River, just north of Buckingham, at the start of the Great Depression. They would later built another one near Masson during the 1950's.

In 1902, the MacLaren group added the wood pulp industry to its activities by building a mill. They would later expand there activities across the region, adding mills in Masson, Mont-Laurier and Thurso located not to far from the Du Lièvre River. The Buckingham mill would close shortly before 1960.

In 1906, a labour strike at one of its mills turned violent as anti-strike members fired gunshots into the crowd killing two protesters. This conflict was among one of the most famous labour disputes in Quebec during the 20th century.

In the last quarter of the 20th century, the MacLaren companies began their decline, selling some assets to Noranda Inc. in the early 1980's.In 2000, the company sold its remaining assets to Nexfor a Toronto-based institution.

Today, the MacLaren dynasty still retains its legacy, with a street and a park named after them. However, because of the 1906 labour dispute and incidents, union groups such as the FTQ demanded that the city change the name of the street to Rue du 8 octobre 1906 (October 8, 1906 street) in honour of the victims of the shooting. Many citizens were opposed to the change and launched a petition of their own to prevent the change. ^{[3] [4]}

[edit] Former Amalgamation

From 1975 to 1980 the township of Buckingham, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, L'Ange-Gardien, Buckingham-Sud-Est, Buckingham-Ouest, Angers, and Masson were amalgamated.

[edit] Development

Population growth has been relatively slow because of its location about 30 kilometres away from downtown Ottawa. However, due to suburban growth and amalgamation of the town in 2002, several residential developments were created and the population increased. Buckingham is becoming more of a suburban town while still keeping its traditional characteristics in the centre-town area.

[edit] Amalgamation with the city of Gatineau

On January 1, 2002, the city of Buckingham with its 12,000 residents became part of the new city of Gatineau. This was part of a massive merger movement created by the Parti Quebecois' Bill 180, which was introduced in 2000 by Municipal Affairs Minister Louise Harel after studies conducted by public agents.

In 2003, the Quebec Liberal Party, with Jean Charest as the leader won the 2003 provincial elections and promised a referendum would be held for the possibility of demerging municipalities. The referendum was held on June 20, 2004, but the majority of the population voted against the demerger and Buckingham thus remained part of the city of Gatineau.

[edit] Chateau dairy

The dairy industry was also a major economy asset in the community with Le Chateau having some of its operations in Buckingham. However, in 2006, Agrodor, a Saguenay-based company which owns the Chateau brand announced the shut-down of its operations in the Outaouais. The local business sector had launched measures to save the company which has operated in the region since 1943. ^{[5] [6]}

[edit] Buckingham en Fete

Each year since 1991, during the month of July, the Buckingham sector hosts Buckingham en Fete, its biggest annual event, which is held in the town's MacLaren Park. Several well-known artists in Quebec and in Canada including Eric Lapointe, Marjo, Jean Leloup La Chicane, Amanda Marshall and April Wine have performed over the years at the festival. However, due to financial difficulties, the festival nearly disappeared. According to the festival's website the 17th edition in 2007 is still expected to go underway as planned. ^[7]

Over its history, the festival has received numerous distinctions and awards both regionally and provincially.

[edit] Other facts

• Public Transit is provided by the Société de transport de l'Outaouais with an interzone route (Route 98) serving from the community towards Ottawa and another regular that serves from Masson-Angers to Les Promenades de l'Outaouais via Buckingham (Route 96). While, previously service was very limited outside peak hours, it was improved during weekdays, evenings and even there is Sunday service.

• Most of the commercial zone is located along its main street Avenue de Bukingham (formely rue Principale) which is also Quebec route 315 (previously Quebec route 309). However, the Larose outdoor/indoor market located in the Masson-Angers sector is the most popular shopping and commercial area for Buckingham residents.

• Buckingham is home to one high-school École secondaire Hormidas-Gamelin and one hospital, the Centre hospitalier du Vallee de la Lievre.

• Buckingham is part of the provincial riding of Papineau (as it is located near the Papineau region and the federal riding of Pontiac.

• The city of Gatineau conducted major construction projects in order to revitalize Avenue de Buckingham and the centretown area as well as the sector's only bridge, the Brady bridge.

• In 2005, the Quebec government started the Quebec Autoroute 50 expansion project towards Lachute. The first phase was a Buckingham by-pass and connects a relocated Quebec route 309 to the new Autoroute segment.

[edit] See also

• Gatineau, Quebec
• Municipal reorganization in Quebec
• Neighbourhoods of Gatineau

[edit] External link

• History of Buckingham, Quebec
• Site of Buckingham en Fete

[edit] References