Val-d'Or facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Val-d'Or
City
Val-d'Or city
Location within La Vallée-de-l'Or RCM
Val-d'Or Location in Western Quebec
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Abitibi-Témiscamingue
RCM	La Vallée-de-l'Or
Constituted	January 1, 2002
Area
• City	3,979.63 km2 (1,536.54 sq mi)
• Land	3,536.84 km2 (1,365.58 sq mi)
• Urban	25.17 km2 (9.72 sq mi)
• Metro	3,539.98 km2 (1,366.79 sq mi)
Elevation	306 m (1,004 ft)
Population  (2021)
• City	32,752
• Density	9.3/km2 (24/sq mi)
• Urban	25,473
• Urban density	1,011.9/km2 (2,621/sq mi)
• Metro	34,037
• Metro density	9.6/km2 (25/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	0.8%
• Dwellings	15,884
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J9P
Area code(s)	819/873
Highways	Route 111 Route 113 Route 117 (TCH) Route 397

Val-d'Or (/ˈvældɔːr/ VAL-dor, French: [val dɔʁ], locally [val dɑɔ̯ʁ]; meaning "Golden Valley" or "Valley of Gold") is a city in Quebec, Canada with a population of 32,752 inhabitants according to the 2021 Canadian census. The city is located in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region near La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve.

The Algonquin toponym of the town is Ozawaconia Odena.

History

Gold was discovered in the area in 1923. The name of the town is French for "Valley of Gold." While gold is still mined in the area today, base metals, such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) have become increasingly important resources. The ore is usually found in volcanic rocks that were deposited on the sea floor over 2.7 billion years ago. They are referred to as volcanic-hosted (or volcanogenic) massive sulphide deposits (VMS).

The city is known for its vast parks, cycle tracks, and forests. Some other attractions include the City of Gold and the mining village of Bourlamaque, which were officially proclaimed historic sites in 1979.

The city hosted the Quebec Games in 1987. The local hockey team, the Val-d'Or Foreurs, have played in the QMJHL since 1993, winning the league championship in 1998, 2001 and 2014 to claim a spot in the Memorial Cup. They play at Centre Air Creebec. The Foreurs' mascot is called Dynamit, named after dynamite which was extensively used by the mining industry of Val-d'Or.

Val-d'Or was once home to CFS Val-d'Or, a Canadian Forces Station.

In the municipal reorganizations of January 1, 2002, Val-d'Or was merged with the neighbouring municipalities of Dubuisson, Sullivan, Val-Senneville and Vassan.

Geography

Val-d’Or is situated on the Canadian Shield at an elevation of 1100 feet (330m) above sea level. Although its name refers to a valley (“Val”), the city is actually situated on a vast, slightly undulating plain.

Val-d’Or is at the heart of a vast hydrographic network which includes to the north Lake Blouin, the head water of the Harricana River and to the south Baie Carrière, a reservoir which feeds the Ottawa River.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Val-d'Or had a population of 32,752 living in 15,033 of its 15,884 total private dwellings, a change of 0.8% from its 2016 population of 32,491. With a land area of 3,536.84 km² (1,365.58 sq mi), it had a population density of 9.3/km² (24/sq mi) in 2021.

Mother Tongue (2021):

• English: 2.6%
• French: 93.3%
• English and French: 1.1%
• Other only: 2.4%

Economy

Open pit mine in Val-d'Or. Mining forms a major part of its economy.

Air Creebec, a regional airline, has its headquarters in Val-d'Or and the Val-d'Or Airport serves as its hub.

Val-d'Or's proximity to the Abitibi gold belt has made it a large gold producer, being part of a region that produced 45 million ounces of gold since the 1930s.

In 2012, Quebec Lithium Corp. re-opened a lithium mine which had operated as an underground mine from 1955–65, planning to carve an open pit mine over pegmatite dikes. the mine is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Val d'Or, 38 kilometres (24 mi) southeast of Amos, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) km west of Barraute. Access to the mine is via paved road from Val d'Or.

A Canadian National Railway line passes through the community. The Val-d'Or station formerly served CN and VIA Rail Canada passenger trains.

Transit and paratransit services within Val-d'Or are provided by a contractor. Intercity bus service from and to Val-d'Or is provided by Autobus Maheux [fr].

Education

The Centre de services scolaire de l'Or-et-des-Bois operates French-language public schools, while the Western Quebec School Board operates English-language public schools.

The city also hosts campuses of Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue and of UQAT.

Media

Almost all media in Val-d'Or and the nearby city of Rouyn-Noranda serves both cities. Although the cities are far enough apart that radio and television stations in the area serve the cities from separate transmitters, almost every broadcast station in either city has a rebroadcaster in the other city. The only nominal exceptions are the cities' separate Énergie stations, although at present even these stations share the majority of their broadcast schedule.

Notable people

• Yolette Lévy (1938–2018), Haitian-born Canadian politician and activist
• Serge Aubin, hockey player
• Dany Bédar, musician and singer
• Pierre Brassard, actor and comedian
• Lucien Cliche, politician
• Boom Desjardins, singer
• Raôul Duguay, singer and poet
• Sophie Dupuis, director
• Robin L'Houmeau, actor
• Anthony Mantha, hockey player
• Dany Sabourin, hockey player
• Diane Tell, singer
• Pierre Yergeau, writer

See also

In Spanish: Val-d'Or para niños