Saint-Eugène, Ontario

Saint-Eugène is a rural, Franco-Ontarian locality situated in the Township of East Hawkesbury in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell in Ontario (Canada). It is on the interprovincial border with Québec, near Highway 417 between Ottawa and Montréal.

Saint-Eugène
Unincorporated community
Saint-Eugène
Saint-Eugène
Location in Ontario
Coordinates: 45°30′N 74°28′W
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
MunicipalityEast Hawkesbury
StatusRural locality
Government
 • MayorRobert Kirby

Geography

The village of Saint-Eugène is located in the St. Lawrence Lowlands. The water for the village is supplied by the Rigaud River, a tributary of the Ottawa River.

The land of Saint-Eugène is crossed from east to west by Labrosse Street (County Road 10), which is the main street of the village. This road goes east towards the Haut-de-la Chute and the village of Rigaud, Quebec.

History

The parish of St. Eugene was founded in 1855.[1]

Aerial photograph of 13 EFTS St. Eugene during the second world war.

From 1940-1945, during World War II, the Royal Canadian Air Force built and operated No. 13 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) as a component of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).[2] Operating Fleet Finch and Fairchild Cornell training aircraft, the flying school was located roughly a kilometre south of town (45°29′17″N 074°28′17″W). The school opened on 28 October 1940 and closed on 19 June 1945. Motorsport took place in the 1950s and 1960s before the airfield was completely abandoned. Today, nothing remains of the airfield but the faint outlines of its overgrown runways.

Politics and administration

St. Eugene is part of the Township of East Hawkesbury.[3] The administrative services of the municipality are all located in Saint-Eugène.[4] The village is in the federal riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell and the provincial riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell.

Economy

The economy of St. Eugene is primarily agricultural. The village has several dairy farms, alongside cows and goats. In addition to agricultural activity there is some local or specialized trade. For example, the Skelly Gallery[5] and the service centre of the credit union in the Valley.[6]

Society

Basic services in the community include the French Catholic elementary school, Curé-Labrosse. Places of worship include the Catholic Church of St. Eugene.[7] The postal code is K0B 1P0.[8] The Community Centre Access St. Eugene, allows local people to become familiar with information technology and communications and have Internet access.[9]

At the starting point of the Prescott and Russell Recreational Trail in St. Eugene, hikers have a pavilion and parking.[10] This trail is 72 km long and occupies the corridor of the old railroad, open all year to cyclists, walkers, riders and snowmobilers.[11]

Culture

The Skelly Gallery exhibits several artists like painters Bernard Gauthier Pugin, John Greenwald, Brenda Kennedy, Freda Pemberton Smith and Odile Stubborn, photographers Mark Greenwald and Robert Slatkoff and sculptors Elizabeth Skelly and Susan Valyi.[5]

Sports

In the winter months, the town has an outdoor skating rink that locals use to play hockey and ice skate.

There is also a baseball field for summer months.

References
  1. St-Eugene church, Saint-Eugene, sur Trekearth, 1 November 2008 (accessed 24 March 2013)
  2. Hatch, F. J. (1983). The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945. Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. ISBN 0660114437.
  3. Gouvernement de l’Ontario, "Municipalités restructurées : Carte de l’Ontario no 5", Ministère des Affaires municipales et du Logement de l’Ontario, 2009 (accessed 23 March 2013)
  4. Canton de Hawkesbury Est, "Administration" Archived 2013-08-31 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 24 March 2013)
  5. (en+fr) "Inkidoo : Art for you, The Skelly Gallery" (accessed 24 March 2013)
  6. Caisses Desjardins du Québec et caisses populaires de l’Ontario, "Caisse populaire de la Vallée : Coordonnées et heures d'ouverture" (accessed 24 March 2013)
  7. "Église de Saint-Eugène". GCatholic.org. GCatholic. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  8. "St-Eugene (East Ontario)", Ontario Rural Routes (accessed 24 March 2013)
  9. "Centre d'accès communautaire de St-Eugène (Ontario) : Accueil" Archived 2013-09-04 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 24 March 2013)
  10. Canton de Hawkesbury Est, "Le maire vous souhaite la bienvenue" (accessed 24 March 2013)
  11. Canton de Hawkesbury Est, "Tourisme" Archived 2015-03-02 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 24 March 2013)
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