# Howick, Quebec

Howick is the third smallest municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in Le Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 850. Situated along the English River in the heart of the Châteauguay Valley, it is approximately 50 minutes southwest of Montreal and 20 minutes north of the Canada–United States border.

## Geography
### Lakes & Rivers

The following waterways pass through or are situated within the municipality's boundaries:
* English River – runs south to north along Howick's southeast boundary

## History

Around 1804, George Ellice, son of Lord Alexander Ellice, built a mill on the west bank of the English River, that became a settlement bearing his name: George's Mill. Circa 1833, the place was known in English as Howick (named after either Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, or his son Henry Grey, 3rd Earl Grey, both known as Viscount Howick), but known in French as Village de la Fourche (French for "Village of the Fork" in refence to the nearby confluence of the Châteauguay and English Rivers).
On October 29, 1915, the Village Municipality of Howick was established when it split off from the Parish Municipality of Très-Saint-Sacrement.
On May 15, 2010, the village municipality changed statutes to become a regular municipality.

## Demographics
### Population

| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1921 | 457 | — |
| 1931 | 471 | +3.1% |
| 1941 | 484 | +2.8% |
| 1951 | 549 | +13.4% |
| 1956 | 560 | +2.0% |
| 1961 | 647 | +15.5% |
| 1966 | 590 | −8.8% |
| 1971 | 575 | −2.5% |
| 1976 | 667 | +16.0% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1981 | 639 | −4.2% |
| 1986 | 621 | −2.8% |
| 1991 | 636 | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 617 | −3.0% |
| 2001 | 580 | −6.0% |
| 2006 | 606 | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 630 | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 778 | +23.5% |
| 2021 | 850 | +9.3% |
Source: Statistics Canada :

### Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Howick, Quebec :
| 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 | 780 | 525 | 32.9% | 67.3% | 225 | 9.8% | 28.8% | 20 | 0.0% | 2.6% | 10 | 0.0% | 1.3% |
| 2011 | 630 | 395 | 9.2% | 62.7% | 205 | 32.3% | 32.5% | 20 | n/a% | 3.2% | 10 | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| 2006 | 600 | 435 | 38.1% | 72.5% | 155 | 35.4% | 25.8% | 0 | 100.0% | 0.0% | 10 | 33.3% | 1.7% |
| 2001 | 580 | 315 | 14.9% | 54.3% | 240 | 6.7% | 41.4% | 10 | 50.0% | 1.7% | 15 | n/a% | 2.6% |
| 1996 | 615 | 370 | n/a | 60.2% | 225 | n/a | 36.6% | 20 | n/a | 3.3% | 0 | n/a | 0.0% |

## Local government

List of former mayors:
* Thomas Gebbie (1915–1919, 1921–1923)
* Egbert G. Mahon (1919–1921)
* Charles Jodoin (1923–1925)
* J. S. Rorison (1925–1927, 1929–1931)
* Oscar Houle (1927–1929)
* Siméon Beaudin (1931–1933, 1939–1941, 1947–1949)
* J. A. Caruthers (1933–1935)
* Napoléon Parent (1935–1937, 1943–1945)
* W. Watson (1937–1939, 1941–1943)
* Syd Stewart (1945–1947)
* W. E. Logan (1949–1951)
* Isidore Jenneau (1951–1953)
* Ralph Reddick (1953–1955)
* Paul Laberge (1955–1957)
* William Brown (1957–1959)
* Léo Parent (1959–1961)
* William McArthur (1961–1963)
* Philippe Brault (1963–1965)
* Clarence Kerr (1965–1967)
* Antoine Meunier (1967–1975)
* Norman Fletcher (1975–1981)
* Roma Myre (1981–1988)
* Arthur Tellier (1988–1993)
* Claude Jodoin (1993–1995)
* Robert Doré (1995–2005)
* Denis Loiselle (2005–2013)
* Richard Raithby (2013–present)

## Transportation

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