Curious to discover a suburb with a unique founding story? That’s Candiac. Candiac is a suburb of Montreal. It sits on the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Look across the water. There lies Montreal near La Prairie.
Candiac’s story began on January 31, 1957. The Quebec government approved a request. It came from a Canadian-European investor group. They called themselves the Candiac Development Corporation. This group had raised over $4.5 million. They bought 2,500 acres of land. Farmers and neighboring towns sold their property.
In its early days, Candiac was small. Only 320 people called it home. Most lived near the St. Lawrence River. They were farmers or Montrealers. These Montrealers used Candiac as a second residence.
Candiac owes its name to Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. He was born in 1712. His birthplace was the Château de Candiac. It was located in Vestric-et-Candiac. This is near Nîmes in France. Montcalm fought for France. He died at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. The year was 1759.
The Candiac coat of arms tells a story too. It combines Montcalm’s heritage and the first mayor’s family history. Jean Leman was the first mayor. The color red symbolizes charity and justice. These were important values. Red also appears in the Leman family coat of arms. It honors Montcalm’s legacy. The silver cross represents French-Canadian heritage. Stars come from the Leman coat of arms. Towers represent Montcalm’s heritage. Maple leaves symbolize Canada. The crown represents the Château de Candiac.
Candiac’s floral emblem is the Campanula carpatica. It is better known as White Clips.
In 2021, the population was 22,997.
Getting around Candiac is easy. The Exo Le Richelain sector provides bus services. Exo commuter trains connect Candiac to downtown Montreal. The trains go to Lucien-L’Allier station.
The City of Candiac has four main municipal buildings. These include the Hotel de Ville which is the city hall. There is also the Centre Roméo-V.-Patenaude. It was renovated in 2005. The Centre Frank-Vocino was the old library. Now, it is the Ideal Club meeting area. Finally, there is the Centre Claude-Hébert. This is the new restored library.
Candiac continues to grow and evolve. It blends its historical roots with modern suburban life.