Normétal is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Abitibi-Ouest Regional County Municipality. It had a population of 778 in the 2021 Canadian census.

History

In 1923, zinc and copper was discovered near the Calamité River and two years later, the Abana Mine Company obtained the mining rights. The new settlement, formed by families from Saint-Eustache, Portneuf, Bellechasse and the Mauricie, was therefore first called Abana. In 1931, the Normetal Mining Corporation acquired the mine and brought it to full operation six years later. In 1939, the railway and road to Dupuy was completed. In 1945, the place was incorporated, taking the name of the mining corporation whose name in turn is a portmanteau for "northern" and "metal".

In 1949, street lighting was installed in Normétal. In 1950, the mining corporation came under control of Noranda (which became Falconbridge Ltd. and bought by Xstrata in 2006). In 1956, the mine had a peak production of 900 tons of ore per day and employed over 600 persons. In 1961, the town reached a population of 2519, its largest number of residents. But in 1975, after reaching a depth of 8,000 feet (2,400 m), the copper mine closed, resulting in a large exodus of people from the community with many going to the mines of Matagami and Joutel that had just opened. By the following year, the population had dropped to 1455.

The Normetmar Mine closed in 1990. In 2005, work began on rehabilitation of the mine site by removing the tailings and planting vegetation.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Normétal, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1951 1,700 —     1956 2,044 +20.2% 1961 2,519 +23.2% 1966 2,312 −8.2% 1971 2,105 −9.0% 1976 1,524 −27.6% 1981 1,393 −8.6% 1986 1,239 −11.1%	Year Pop. ±% 1991 1,193 −3.7% 1996 1,129 −5.4% 2001 1,019 −9.7% 2006 886 −13.1% 2011 856 −3.4% 2016 808 −5.6% 2021 778 −3.7%
Source: Statistics Canada

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Normétal, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		780		745	5.7%	95.5%		5	0.0%	0.6%		15	200.0%%	1.9%		5	n/a%	0.6%
2016		810		790	7.1%	97.5%		5	0.0%	0.6%		5	n/a%	0.6%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2011		855		850	1.2%	99.4%		5	50.0%	0.6%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%
2006		885		860	13.1%	97.2%		10	n/a%	1.1%		0	0.0%	0.0%		15	40.0%	1.7%
2001		1,015		990	12.4%	97.5%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		25	n/a%	2.5%
1996		1,140		1,130	n/a	97.1%		10	n/a	0.9%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%

Arts and culture

The town of Normétal is the setting of an award-winning movie, The Legacy from filmmaker Bernard Émond (2009), in which a family medicine physician from Montreal takes over the practice of an aging physician in need of respite.

Government

Municipal council (2023):

• Interim Mayor: Ghislain Desbiens
• Councillors: Nestor Dubé, Patrice Morin, Monique Bouchard, Steve Lamoureux, Lise Bégin

List of mayors

The former mayors of Normétal were:

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec