The Town of Pincourt has celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2020.

A committee of elected officials and employees was set up to organize festivities to mark the occasion and retained the idea of holding a call for projects.

For the occasion, the Société d'histoire et de généalogie de l'Île Perrot dug through its archives in search of some little historical treasures that tell the story of the town’s early days.

Are you interested in the town' s history? Check out the following sections divided in three time frames.

• 1754 to 1950 - From “côte de Pincourt to village"

  After the members of the First Nations, it was the voyageurs’ turn to paddle the Ottawa River and visit Pincourt as early as the 17th century. They would stop near the Quinchien rapids, near Île aux Pins, probably for the fur trade. At the time, Île Perrot was a pine-forested seigneury.

  In 1754, one of these travellers, the seigneur Jean-Baptiste Leduc granted land near Pointe-au-Renard to Joseph André dit St-Amant. This tip of land was commonly known as Pointe à la Barbue, since it was known as a great spot to catch catfish.

  Gradually, newcomers settled along the Ottawa River, near the Dorion and Vaudreuil crossings. They travelled along a trail called the "côte de Pincourt" because, at the time, a “côte” referred to a small trail or shortcut.

  Several artisans later built their homes on small lots near the crossing sites: Dorion's miller, an innkeeper (1), a weaver, a shoemaker (2), a cooper, two blacksmiths and a few merchants. 

  Milestones

  1855: Railway track construction

  1872: The first school opens

  1929: Addition of a chapel to the school (3)

  Up to 1925: Ferry operations (to and from Dorion and Vaudreuil) by the Daoust, LaFlèche, Rousseau and Sagala families (4)

  1949: Creation of the Pincourt Public Security Department

  1950: Pincourt has about 500 year-round residents.

  
  1 - Auberge du village

  
  2 - Cordonnerie O. Ménard

  
  3 - Chapelle-école

  
  4 - Passerelle en bois du CN

  
  4 - Chaland des LaFlèche

• 1950 to 1960 - From village to municipality

  In 1948, the village of Pincourt was briefly a municipal entity, after the separation and incorporation of the municipality of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot with Île-Perrot-Nord (now called Île-Perrot).

  This union lasted a little more than a year until the Pincourt councillors asked surveyor W. E. Lauriault to determine the boundaries of a future municipality. Their idea was to secure a charter for this territory (effective January 1, 1950). 

  The 1950s saw the fledgling municipality rapidly acquire new buildings, infrastructures and public services that would guide its development to this day. Consequently, its population quintupled in ten years.

  Census

  1951	521 residents
  1961	2,698 residents

   

  Milestones

  1951: Installation of street lighting and the first traffic light at the corner of Duhamel Road and Metropolitan Boulevard.

  1952: Development for a new street parallel to Duhamel Road that would become Cardinal-Léger Boulevard. Approval for the opening of Saint-Paul Street (5th Avenue), Trottier Street (6th Avenue), Bois-Dormant Street (7th Avenue), G. Bernard Street (8th Avenue), J. Thibault Street (9th Avenue) and 10th Avenue (near Hamel Restaurant). (1)

  1952: Construction and opening of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Catholic Church. From 1953 to 1958, town council meetings were held in the basement of the church. A classroom opened in the sacristy around 1954. (2) 

  1954: Establishment of the Village of Pincourt School Board. A total of 174 children attend the little Notre-Dame-de-Lorette school in the church sacristy in overcrowded classrooms.

  1956: Pincourt obtains its official mail delivery designation from Canada Post, separate from Dorion.

  1956: The Town Council planned the municipalization of sewer and water services hitherto administered by Public Service Utilities, a private company. The by-law took effect in November 1960 and provided for the purchase of the private utility and the construction of a water treatment plant.

  1956: Opening of the first playground near the new school on Colson Street (now Lussier Street).

  1958: Opening of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Elementary School. Designed by architect Jean Damphousse, the 12-classroom school, built by City Constructions Ltd., was inaugurated by Bishop Langlois during a gala banquet. (3)

  1958: Opening of the Presbyterian Church of Île-Perrôt, the first large Presbyterian church west of Montreal. (4)

  1959: City Hall moved to 442 Duhamel Road. (5)

  
  1 - Cardinal-Léger Boulevard towards 5th Avenue (1964)

  
  2 - Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Church construction

  
  3 - Opening of the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Elementary School

  
  4 - Construction of the Presbyterian Church of Ile Perrot

  
  5 - Town Hall at 442 chemin Duhamel

• 1960 to 2020 – Pincourt, the town

  After obtaining its town status in 1960, the Pincourt territory rapidly urbanized. Successive town councils worked hard to establish a wide variety of services for an ever-growing population.

  In the 1961 census, Pincourt had a population of 2,685, compared to 14,558 in 2016. Much of this remarkable growth can be attributed to the local authorities' vision of the future. Throughout this period, they maintained a constant pace to offer Pincourt residents a rich and varied living environment adapted to their needs.

  Milestones

  1963: Inauguration of the Marion-Walker wastewater treatment plant

  1965: Establishment of the Pincourt municipal library in a former pumping station

  1978: Establishment of the Parks and Recreation Department, which has become the Pincourt Recreation and Community Services Department.

  1980: Construction of low-cost housing on Duhamel Boulevard by the Société d'habitation du Québec

  1980: Inaugural Firemen’s Day

  1982: Inauguration of the fire station

  1986: Adoption of the “Pincourtois” demonym

  1995: Launch of a first responder service

  1996: Construction of the Omni-Centre

  2003: Opening of the Chêne-Bleu High School and Library

  2010: Opening of the Desjardins Kiosk at Olympique Park

  
  1 - The library in the old pumping station.

  
  2 - Résidences Sénéchal (low-cost housing)

  
  3 - Construction of the Omni-Centre

  
  4 - Chêne-Bleu High School

  
  5 - Desjardins Kiosk, at the Olympique Park