Shawville, Quebec
Shawville is a village in the
Pontiac Regional County Municipality in western
Quebec, approximately 75 km west of
Gatineau. Its population in
2001 was 1,582. [
1]
An overwhelmingly
anglophone (with 85 per cent of its residents listing English as their first language in the
2001 Census [
2]) and
Protestant (75 per cent [
3]) community in a province that is overwhelmingly French-speaking and
Catholic, Shawville has been the site of several conflicts between local shopkeepers and the
Office Québécoise de la langue française over the province's language laws.
Characterized by its red-brick buildings and friendly people, Shawville is home to an elementary school, a high school, and the regional hospital. Its businesses are mostly small and family run. The
Shawville Fair, held the first weekend in September, is the town's major event; in recent years, it has drawn headline entertainers such as
Terri Clark, Stompin'
Tom Connors, and
Paul Brandt, with attendance at around 50,000.
Famous people from Shawville include the Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators
Bryan Murray and David J. Thompson.
*
The Village of Shawville (official site)
