page_title: Val-d'Or
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Val-d'Or / History
caption_attribution_description: Diapositive couleur illustrant la rue Centrale de la municipalité de Val-d’Or dans la région administrative de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
context_page_description: Val-d'Or is a city in Quebec, Canada with a population of 32,491 inhabitants according to the Canada 2016 Census. The city is located in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region near La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve.
context_section_description: Gold was discovered in the area in 1923. The name of the town is French for "Valley of Gold." While gold is still mined in the area today, base metals, such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) have become increasingly important resources. The ore is usually found in volcanic rocks that were deposited on the sea floor over 2.7 billion years ago. They are referred to as volcanic-hosted (or volcanogenic) massive sulphide deposits (VMS).
  The city is known for its vast parks, cycle tracks, and forests. Some other attractions include the City of Gold and the mining village of Bourlamaque, which were officially proclaimed historic sites in 1979.
  The city hosted the Quebec Games in 1987.  The local hockey team, the Val-d'Or Foreurs, have played in the QMJHL since 1993, winning the league championship in 1998, 2001 and 2014 to claim a spot in the Memorial Cup. They play at Centre Air Creebec. The Foreurs' mascot is called Dynamit, named after dynamite which was extensively used by the mining industry of Val-d'Or.
  Val-d'Or was once home to CFS Val-d'Or, a Canadian Forces Station.
  In the municipal reorganizations of January 1, 2002, Val-d'Or was merged with the neighbouring municipalities of Dubuisson, Sullivan, Val-Senneville and Vassan.
  The Radio-Canada investigative television program, Enquête, revealed in October 2015 numerous allegations of assault and sexual abuse of local aboriginal women by members of the provincial police, the Sûreté du Québec. The news propelled the town into the national spotlight, causing  Québec's Public Safety Minister, Lise Thériault, to suspend the officers and launch an independent investigation led by the Montréal police force.
caption: Centrale Street in Val-d'Or in 1959
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