Hudson, Quebec Information
Hudson, Quebec, Canada, is a town with a population of 5,088 (2006 Census) on the south-west bank of the lower Ottawa River, in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. Situated about 60 kilometers (37 mi) west of downtown Montreal, many residents commute to work on the Island of Montreal.
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Location and population
Hudson is a municipality within the Montreal Metropolitan Community. Although a rural agglomeration since the early part of the 19th Century, the Town of Hudson was founded in June 1969 by merging the villages of Hudson, Hudson Heights and Como. A relatively wealthy town, Hudson is known for its large, turn-of-the century houses, many of which border the Lake of Two Mountains. A ferry from Hudson takes cars across the lake (a confluence of the Ottawa River) to the village of Oka.
Hudson has been dubbed "the leafy Anglo-enclave", as, unlike the surrounding mainly French-speaking municipalities, Hudson has a majority English-speaking population (65% according to 2001 Census), although many residents speak both languages.
Hudson is near the edge of suburban Montreal to the east, but also surrounded by substantial farming and forest areas to the west. Large lot sizes, enforced by town by-laws, contribute to the relatively large number of trees in the residential areas. Zoning, infrastructure and building development are occasionally controversial subjects, such as when town residents voted against permitting Gheorghe Zamfir to build a concert hall near the edge of town in the 1980s. In 2001, the town won a victory in Canada's Supreme Court, upholding its by-law 207, which bans pesticide use on public and private property for cosmetic (purely aesthetic) purposes.
Although much larger in population, Hudson has been compared to culturally and demographically similar Quebec towns such as the Eastern Townships villages of North Hatley and Brome Lake as well as nearby Senneville. All four municipalities border a body of water (used extensively for recreation year-round) and include a harmonious blend of French and English residents.
The Town is largely upper-middle class and includes professionals, artists and artisans, corporate executives, and a wide variety of entrepreneurs as residents. There are some 140 businesses in town, 50% of which are of an arts and crafts nature.
The Town has three schools, of which two are English (Mount Pleasant Elementary School & Westwood Senior, formerly Hudson High School) and one French (St-Thomas Elementary School), as well as four churches: one Catholic (St-Thomas Aquinas), two Anglican (St-James & St-Mary's), one United (Wyman).
Events and tourist attractions
Tourist attractions of Hudson include:
- The Village Theatre (located in the historical train station)
- Finnegan's antique market
- The Auberge Willow Place Inn restaurant
- Mon Village restaurant
- Greenwood Centre for Living History
- St. James', St. Mary's, Wyman Memorial United and St. Thomas Aquinas churches
- Chateau du Lac (bar in a historic building)
- Bistro Le Maxime
- Tutti Gourmet (famous biscotti and apple strudel)
Notable annual events in Hudson include the Hudson Street Fair, the Hudson Yacht Club Labour Day Regatta, the FruitBowl Regatta (North America's most well-attended youth sailing event), Canada Day festivities, Shiver Fest (a winter carnival), the Turn On The Lights Festival, The Studio Tour, The Home & Gardens Tour, the Santa Claus Parade and (as of 2010) the St. Patrick's Day Parade. The town was also put under the spotlight in a recent taping of the reality television series, Road Hockey Rumble. Residents of the town were selected to play a game of road hockey.
A fixture in Hudson, the Hudson Yacht Club (HYC) is a boating and social club founded in 1909 on the shores of Lake of Two Mountains (Lac des Deux Montagnes). Boasting several hundred members and boats, it has expansive grounds, decades-old trees, multiple sailing programs, and hosts the popular FruitBowl. Now drawing participants from across Canada and into the United States, FruitBowl was established in 1996 for the purposes of attracting young sailors and high quality coaches to Hudson, as a showcase event for youth regattas in Canada. The grounds and shoreline of the Hudson Yacht Club comprise arguably some of the best real estate in Hudson; a testament to the collective vision of the Club's founders. Each Labour Day weekend the HYC opens its property and facilities to hundreds of Montreal-area sailors and revelers for its annual Mount Gay Regatta.
The town gained notoriety in 1991 by becoming the first in North America to ban several forms of lawn and garden pesticides used to kill insects and weeds. The town was sued by two pesticide companies and on June 28, 2001, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the town's favor by a 9-0 vote. The Hudson example spurred many other municipalities and provinces in Canada to enact similar bans of pesticides. The Hudson case is the subject of an upcoming American documentary movie titled A Chemical Reaction by filmmaker Brett Plymale.
Demographics
Population
Population trend[6]
| Census | Population | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 5,088 | 6.1% |
| 2001 | 4,796 | 0.0% |
| 1996 | 4,796 | 0.7% |
| 1991 | 4,829 | N/A |
Language
Mother tongue language (2006)[4]
| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| English only | 3,365 | 66.18% |
| French only | 1,100 | 21.63% |
| Both English and French | 120 | 2.36% |
| Other languages | 500 | 9.83% |
Government
Municipal council
The Quebec Cities and Towns Act requires all towns the size of Hudson to have a municipal council of six councillors and one mayor, elected by the local population every four years. The mayor is elected by all Hudson residents, while the town is divided into six wards to elect the councillors. Given the small size of the town, council seats are often won by acclamation. The current mayor is Michael Elliott (since 2009), who succeeded Elizabeth Corker, who served from 2004 to 2009. Council meets once per month in the Stephen Shaar Community Centre, named after the mayor who served until 2004 (and presided over its construction). Municipal administrators work in the Town Hall. Town council is responsible for things such as water supply, local road maintenance, zoning, construction permits, and administration of parks. Some responsibilities, such as regional planning, is shared with the county. Council receives its revenues through property taxes, which it establishes. The town maintains its own volunteer fire department and a local patrol to enforce municipal by-laws.
| Mayor |
|---|
| Michael Elliott |
| Councillor | District |
|---|---|
| Robert Spencer | #1 Como |
| Jacques Nadeau | #2 Hudson - East |
| Tim (Hank) Snow | #3 Hudson – Center |
| Louis Thifault | #4 Fairhaven |
| Diane Piacente | #5 Heights - East |
| Madeleine Hodgson | #6 West |
Infrastructure
Transportation
A single street, Main Road, traverses Hudson east to west, while the southern border of the town mainly runs along Quebec Route 342 (also known as Boulevard Harwood). Although many residents commute by automobile, a commuter train to Montreal (Vaudreuil-Hudson Line) stops in Hudson once per day in either direction. As of February 5, 2007, a shuttle bus service operated by CIT La Presqu'Île was launched to move people about within the immediate area, to the campus of John Abbott College CEGEP, or to the Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue train station.[8]
During the spring, summer and fall, a ferry links Hudson with Oka, Quebec, 2 kilometers across the Ottawa River.[9] During the winter months, a tolled ice bridge allows vehicular traffic between the two towns.[9]
Water and sewage
Hudson has a municipal water and sewage system. The sewage system was built in the first decade of the 21st century and serves the central area of town. It is relatively common for houses outside the central area to use well water and/or a septic tank.
Municipal facilities
The town operates the Stephen Shaar Community Centre, teen centre (in the lower level of the community centre) and a municipal swimming pool. The town also has a number of parks, including St. Thomas Park (soccer fields behind the swimming pool), Thompson park (lakeside soccer fields), Benson Park (with a softball field, children's playground with outdoor hockey and skating rinks), and Sandy Beach.
Notable people from Hudson, Quebec
- John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, New Democratic Party Leader
- Jean-Paul L'Allier, Former mayor of Quebec City
- Matthew Lombardi, Hockey Player for Phoenix Coyotes
- Patrick Watson, Musician, best know for 2007 single "The great escape"
- Vanessa Lengie, Actress, best known for "Are you afraid of the dark" and "Popular Mechanics For Kids"
References
- ^ a b Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Régions: Hudson
- ^ Parliament of Canada Federal Riding History: VAUDREUIL--SOULANGES (Quebec)
- ^ Chief Electoral Officer of Québec - 40th General Election Riding Results: VAUDREUIL
- ^ a b c Statistics Canada - Hudson 2006 Community Profile: Hudson, Quebec
- ^ Official Transport Quebec Road Map
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
- ^ Hudson Town Council website
- ^ Shuttle buses should ease Hudson residents' travel woes
- ^ a b "Hudson-Oka ice bridge opens". The Gazette. 2009-01-22. http://www.westislandgazette.com/news/5640. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
External links
- Town of Hudson official site
- Quebec Cities and Towns Act
- The Hudson Historical Society
- Greenwood Centre for Living History
- Hudson Yacht Club
- Annual Hudson Street Fair
| Ottawa River / Saint-Placide | Ottawa River / Seasonal ferry to Oka | |||
| Rigaud | Vaudreuil-Dorion | |||
| Hudson | ||||
| Vaudreuil-Dorion (west) | Saint-Lazare |
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Coordinates: 45°27′N 74°09′W / 45.45°N 74.15°W
Categories: Cities and towns in Quebec | Quebec communities with significant anglophone populations | Incorporated places in Montérégie
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