Donnacona | |||
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City | |||
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Motto: Mets l'Épaule à la Roue (Put the shoulder to the wheel) |
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Location within Portneuf RCM. |
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Location in central Quebec. | |||
Coordinates: 46°40′N 71°45′W / 46.667°N 71.750°WCoordinates: 46°40′N 71°45′W / 46.667°N 71.750°W | |||
Country | Canada | ||
Province | Quebec | ||
Region | Capitale-Nationale | ||
RCM | Portneuf | ||
Constituted | January 21, 1967 | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Jean-Claude Léveillée | ||
• Federal riding | Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier | ||
• Prov. riding | Portneuf | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 37.30 km2 (14.40 sq mi) | ||
• Land | 20.02 km2 (7.73 sq mi) | ||
Population (2011) | |||
• Total | 6,283 | ||
• Density | 313.8/km2 (813/sq mi) | ||
• Pop 2006-2011 | 12.9% | ||
• Dwellings | 2,924 | ||
Time zone | EST (UTC−5) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) | ||
Postal code(s) | G3M 1A1 | ||
Area code(s) | 418 and 581 | ||
Highways A-40 |
Route 138 |
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Website | www |
Donnacona is an industrial town located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Quebec City in Portneuf County, Quebec, Canada.
Some people believe the city was named after Donnacona, a 16th-century St. Lawrence Iroquois chief who was taken to France. The chieftain lived further down-river in Stadacona.
It was actually named after the first paper mill erected at the mouth of the Jacques-Cartier River, The Donnacona Paper Ltd. It was located where the Jacques-Cartier River meets the St. Lawrence River. The local paper mill played a key role in creating and quickly developing the local settlement to the point of making Donnacona the most populous urban town in Portneuf County. Economic difficulties affected the lumber and pulp and paper industry and the local factory was sold a number of times. In 2007, Bowater had a debt of $7 billion and merged with Abitibi-Consolidated. The merger was to sell off Abitibi's assets and close its mills for liquidity to settle Bowater's debt. It closed in January 2008. It had employed 240 people manufacturing of 230,000 tonnes per annum of commercial grade paper. The demolition was scheduled to take 12 to 14 months. For three years, the town unsuccessfully tried to find an entrepreneur to restart the industry. Demolition began in March 2011.
Prior to the chartering of Donnacona as a town in 1915, the area was named Pointe-aux-Écureuils. A New France Seigneurie existed under the name of Les Écureuils as a surrounding rural parish municipality prior to its final merge with Donnacona in 1967.