Témiscaming | |
|---|---|
 The mill on the Ottawa River at Témiscaming | |
| Motto: Vive la Forêt ("Long Live the Forest") | |
 Location within Témiscamingue RCM | |
  Témiscaming Location in western Quebec | |
| Coordinates:46°43′N79°06′W / 46.717°N 79.100°W /46.717; -79.100[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Abitibi-Témiscamingue |
| RCM | Témiscamingue |
| Settled | 1880 |
| Constituted | March 26, 1988 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Alain Gauthier |
| • Federal riding | Abitibi—Témiscamingue |
| • Prov. riding | Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue |
| Area | |
• Total | 862.89 km2 (333.16 sq mi) |
| • Land | 710.84 km2 (274.46 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 240 m (790 ft) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 2,368 |
| • Density | 3.3/km2 (8.5/sq mi) |
| • Pop (2016–21) |  2.6% |
| • Dwellings | 1,407 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code | 819 |
| Highways |  R-101 |
| Website | www |
Témiscaming (French pronunciation:[temiskamɛ̃ɡ,-miŋ]) is a city located at the south end ofLac Témiscamingue on the upperOttawa River in theTémiscamingue Regional County Municipality of westernQuebec, Canada. Also nearby isLake Kipawa.
It is the administrative headquarters of theAlgonquin Nation Wolf LakeFirst Nationsband government.
The Ottawa River had long been used by Indigenous peoples, colonial explorers,coureurs des bois, and missionaries as transportation route through the region. Some of the notable travellers passing by Témiscaming wereRadisson anddes Groseilliers,Saint-Lusson,Charles le Moyne andPierre Le Moyne, andChevalier de Troyes. A small chapel had existed there for the trappers and fur traders en route to Ottawa.[1][4]
The area began to be developed circa 1850 when forestry companies began logging the land. Some of these logging crews had brought their families, and together with some pioneer families, they had formed a settlement of about 13 families by 1880. It was originally called "Long Sault", taken from the name of the rapids on the Ottawa River at this place. From 1884 on, Long Sault became an important stopover for colonists travelling upstream to Lake Timiskaming, leading to the construction of a hotel, wharves, stores, and a railroad toMattawa. On August 12, 1886, the first train arrived at Long Sault, also called Gordon's Creek by then.[4]
In 1888, the Municipality of Témiscaming was officially incorporated. Its name, also spelled Témiskaming, was taken fromLake Timiskaming and in turn came from theAlgonquintim ("deep"), andkami ("open water").[5] In the fall of that same year, Alex Lumsden built a sawmill on Gordon Creek and the settlement came to be known as Lumsden's Mill. Around 1909 work began on the dam across the Ottawa River.[1][4]
The place experienced major growth when the Riordon Pulp and Paper Company built the Kipawa Mills pulp and paper mill there in 1918. It bought the Lumsden Mill as well as all the property in Long Sault. For all the construction workers and mill employees, a new town was built, designed according to a Garden City plan by Scottish architectThomas Adams.[6][7]
In 1920, Témiscaming gained town status under the name "Kipawa" but the name was replaced by the original name the following year. On paper, there was a municipal council, but in reality, Témiscaming was acompany town. TheCanadian International Paper Company, that had bought out the Riordon Company in 1925, had total control by owning every property, appointing the mayor and council members, and even applying the law. No municipal elections were held for 35 years.[1][7]
On November 1, 1935, amagnitude 6.1 earthquake had its epicentre approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Témiscaming. In 1936, theroad between North Bay and Témiscaming was completed. In 1956, the Canadian International Paper Company declared Témiscaming as an "open town" and sold all its infrastructure. W.N. Irwin became the town's first mayor elected in a municipal election.[7] In 1972, when the company decided to close the mill, the employees formedTembec to take over the operation of the mill.
In 1988, the Municipality of Letang (incorporated in 1980) was merged into Témiscaming.
| Climate data for Témiscaming (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1910–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.4 (57.9) | 14.0 (57.2) | 27.3 (81.1) | 30.6 (87.1) | 33.9 (93.0) | 36.7 (98.1) | 40.0 (104.0) | 36.1 (97.0) | 34.4 (93.9) | 28.9 (84.0) | 22.6 (72.7) | 16.0 (60.8) | 40.0 (104.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −6.3 (20.7) | −4.3 (24.3) | 1.9 (35.4) | 9.3 (48.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 25.5 (77.9) | 24.1 (75.4) | 19.4 (66.9) | 11.6 (52.9) | 4.0 (39.2) | −2.6 (27.3) | 10.3 (50.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −11.2 (11.8) | −9.8 (14.4) | −4.0 (24.8) | 3.7 (38.7) | 10.9 (51.6) | 16.5 (61.7) | 19.6 (67.3) | 18.7 (65.7) | 14.2 (57.6) | 7.5 (45.5) | 0.5 (32.9) | −6.5 (20.3) | 5.0 (41.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −16.0 (3.2) | −15.2 (4.6) | −9.8 (14.4) | −2.1 (28.2) | 3.9 (39.0) | 10.1 (50.2) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 3.4 (38.1) | −3.0 (26.6) | −10.2 (13.6) | −0.3 (31.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −40.0 (−40.0) | −43.9 (−47.0) | −36.1 (−33.0) | −24.4 (−11.9) | −8.9 (16.0) | −2.8 (27.0) | −1.1 (30.0) | −0.6 (30.9) | −5.6 (21.9) | −11.1 (12.0) | −23.3 (−9.9) | −39.4 (−38.9) | −43.9 (−47.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 62.7 (2.47) | 47.5 (1.87) | 64.5 (2.54) | 65.9 (2.59) | 72.8 (2.87) | 93.0 (3.66) | 103.4 (4.07) | 96.8 (3.81) | 100.0 (3.94) | 82.0 (3.23) | 79.3 (3.12) | 69.0 (2.72) | 937.0 (36.89) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 9.6 (0.38) | 7.2 (0.28) | 31.2 (1.23) | 55.0 (2.17) | 71.7 (2.82) | 93.0 (3.66) | 103.4 (4.07) | 96.8 (3.81) | 99.9 (3.93) | 79.9 (3.15) | 51.6 (2.03) | 18.2 (0.72) | 717.5 (28.25) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 53.1 (20.9) | 40.3 (15.9) | 33.3 (13.1) | 10.9 (4.3) | 1.2 (0.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.1 (0.8) | 27.3 (10.7) | 51.0 (20.1) | 219.3 (86.3) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 17 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 177 |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 116 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.2 cm) | 16 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 68 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 15:00 LST) | 73.7 | 63.2 | 53.3 | 49.1 | 48.0 | 53.8 | 52.6 | 55.7 | 60.2 | 64.0 | 72.4 | 75.9 | 60.2 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 81.9 | 108.3 | 147.2 | 176.1 | 255.6 | 207.1 | 250.1 | 226.9 | 141.2 | 100.2 | 59.8 | 65.6 | 1,790 |
| Source:Environment and Climate Change Canada (precipitation/rain/snow 1961–1990, and sun 1951–1980)[8][9][10] | |||||||||||||
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Témiscaming had a population of2,368 living in1,114 of its1,407 total private dwellings, a change of-2.6% from its 2016 population of2,431. With a land area of 710.84 km2 (274.46 sq mi), it had a population density of3.3/km2 (8.6/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
Mother tongue (according to the2021 Canadian census):[3]
Historical census populations – Témiscaming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Population counts are not adjusted for boundary changes. Source: Statistics Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 487 | — |
| 1981 | 512 | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 475 | −7.2% |
| In 1988, Letang was dissolved and merged into Temiscaming. Source: Statistics Canada | ||
In 2014, on the American late-night talk showConan, Canadian comedianNorm Macdonald told a fictional story about a person, Jacques de Gatineau (previously named Jacques de Gautier, until he "grew"), who was supposed to have come from Témiscaming, Quebec. The clip is uploaded to the official Conan O'Brien's "Team Coco" channel on YouTube as "The Most Convoluted Joke Ever", where it has been seen more than 6.7 million times, as of January 2026.[11]
From the 2007-2011, Témiscaming is the home of theTemiscaming RoyalsJunior "A"ice hockey team of theOntario-basedNorthern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Since 2011, the city of Témiscaming has a team called theTemiscaming Titans, ajunior ice hockey team that are members of theGreater Metro Junior Hockey League.
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List of former mayors:
CKVM-FM, a community radio station based inVille-Marie has a retransmitter in Témiscaming.
TheTem Times was the city's first newspaper (officially categorized as a country weekly) which ran from 1950 through to 1972.[12] Produced on aGestener by local townspeople who were members of the Temiskaming Debating Club, and subsidized by theCIP, the circulation at its height was estimated at 1,000.[13] Gord McCulloch, who edited the paper for twenty-two years, went on to become a district editor and columnist forThe North Bay Nugget.[14]
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 Subdivisions ofTémiscamingue Regional County Municipality | |
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