# Sainte-Martine, Quebec

Sainte-Martine (French pronunciation:) is a municipality in Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 5,664. The municipality is made up of a large northern section and a small unattached southern area that was known as the municipality of Saint-Paul-de-Châteauguay until its merger with Sainte-Martine on September 9, 1999.

## History

Sainte-Martine is named in honor of Martina of Rome, martyred in 226. Being already settled and recognize as Sainte-Martine for many years, the status of the municipality was officialized on July 1, 1855, as the parish municipality of Sainte-Martine.
The municipality lost a section of its territory in 1885 for the creation of the parish of Très-Saint-Sacrement. It also lost a sizeable part in 1937 when Saint-Paul-de-Châteauguay split from Saint-Martine to become its own municipality, but it was eventually reattached to Sainte-Martine in 1999.

## Geography
### Communities

In addition to the namesake main population centre, the following locations reside within the municipality's boundaries:
* Laberge (45°17′07″N 73°48′25″W﻿ / ﻿45.28528°N 73.80694°W﻿ / 45.28528; -73.80694﻿ (Laberge, Sainte-Martine, QC)) – a hamlet located along Quebec Route 205 in the north part of the municipality.
* La Ferme (45°19′15″N 73°50′20″W﻿ / ﻿45.32083°N 73.83889°W﻿ / 45.32083; -73.83889﻿ (La Ferme, Sainte-Martine, QC)) – a residential area located along Quebec Route 138.
* Le Domaine-de-la-Pêche-au-Saumon (45°15′15″N 73°47′55″W﻿ / ﻿45.25417°N 73.79861°W﻿ / 45.25417; -73.79861﻿ (Le Domaine-de-la-Pêche-au-Saumon, Sainte-Martine, QC)) – a residential area located along Quebec Route 138.
* Le Méandre (45°14′55″N 73°47′55″W﻿ / ﻿45.24861°N 73.79861°W﻿ / 45.24861; -73.79861﻿ (Le Méandre, Sainte-Martine, QC)) – a residential area located along Quebec Route 138.

## Demographics
### Population

| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1991+ | 3,593 | — |
| 1996+ | 3,678 | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 3,740 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 4,237 | +13.3% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 2011 | 4,966 | +17.2% |
| 2016 | 5,461 | +10.0% |
| 2021 | 5,664 | +3.7% |
+) Pre-merger combined population totals for Sainte-Martine (municipality) and Saint-Paul-de-Châteauguay (municipality). Source: Statistics Canada :

### Language

Canada Census mother tongue - Sainte-Martine, Quebec (+) Pre-merger combined population totals for Sainte-Martine (municipality) and Saint-Paul-de-Châteauguay (municipality). :
| Census | Total | French | French | French | English | English | English | French & English | French & English | French & English | Other | Other | Other |
| Year | Responses | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % | Count | Trend | Pop % |
| 2016 | 5,465 | 5,100 | 15.6% | 93.3% | 215 | 22.9% | 3.9% | 45 | 12.5% | 0.8% | 80 | 45.5% | 1.5% |
| 2011 | 4,950 | 4,680 | 9.0% | 94.54% | 175 | 105.9% | 3.54% | 40 | 300.0% | 0.81% | 55 | 8.3% | 1.11% |
| 2006 | 4,205 | 4,050 | 13.9% | 96.31% | 85 | 37.0% | 2.02% | 10 | 60.0% | 0.24% | 60 | n/a% | 1.43% |
| 2001 | 3,715 | 3,555 | 1.7% | 95.69% | 135 | 22.7% | 3.63% | 25 | 37.5% | 0.67% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.00% |
| 1996 | 3,645+ | 3,495 | n/a | 95.88% | 110 | n/a | 3.02% | 40 | n/a | 1.10% | 0 | n/a | 0.00% |

## Local government

List of former mayors:
* James Perrigo (1845–1847)
* Marc Antoine Primo (1855–1856)
* François Gagné (1856–1860)
* Joseph Taillefer (1860–1862)
* James Wight (1862–1864)
* Charles Mentor Lebrun (1864–1866)
* James McGowan (1866–1875)
* Jean Baptiste Eustache Bergevin dit Langevin (1875–1877, 1880–1883)
* Antonin Hébert (1877–1878)
* Philémon Laberge (1878–1880)
* Jesephat Hébert (1883–1885)
* Médard Cardinal (1885–1887)
* Joseph Hébert (1887–1889)
* Jean-Baptiste Roy (1889–1893)
* Edouard McGowan (1893–1906)
* Joseph Théodore Breault (1906–1907)
* Hospice Desrosiers (1907–1909, 1910–1912)
* Hilaire Bonnier (1909–1910)
* Barnabé Laberge (1912–1914, 1933–1937)
* François Xavier Morand (1914–1915)
* Narcisse Vinette (1915–1916)
* Charles Ulric Bergevin (1916–1917)
* Arthur Laberge (1917–1919)
* Albert Desrosiers (1919–1921)
* Ulric Archambault (1921)
* Louis-Philippe Chaput (1921–1931)
* Nolasque April (1931–1933)
* Joseph-Albert Poupart (1937–1941)
* Wilfrid Morand (1941–1943)
* Arthur Mallette (1943–1944)
* Léo Chèvrefils (1944–1951)
* Léo Desparois (1951–1954)
* Aldéo Huot (1954–1960)
* Edouard Lefort (1960–1965)
* Ronaldo Bélanger (1965–1971)
* Jean-Claude Desgroseilliers (1971–1978)
* Paul-Émile Dionne (1978–1985)
* Joseph-Léo-Gilles-Roméo Myre (1985–1993)
* François Candau (1993–2013)
* Éric Brault (2013–2014)
* Jean-Denis Barbeau (interim 2014)
* Maude Laberge (2014–2021)
* Mélanie Lefort (2021–present)

## Transportation

The Exo du Haut-Saint-Laurent sector provides commuter and local bus services.