Portrait of the MRC of Bonaventure

The regional county of the (MRC) Bonaventure unifies 13 towns and cities and 1 non-organized territory.

  • 3 cities : New Richmond, Bonaventure and Paspébiac
  • 10 towns : Cascapédia–Saint-Jules, Caplan, Saint-Alphonse, Saint-Siméon, Saint-Elzéar, New Carlisle, Hope, Hope Town, Saint-Godefroi and Shigawake
  • 1 non-organized territory (NOT) : Territory of the Bonaventure River

Download the MRC map

Démographie

Population : 18 124  habitants (2023)

Les trois noyaux de la MRC, les villes de New Richmond, de Bonaventure et de Paspébiac, comptent 54,14 % de sa population. Occupant seulement 6 % du territoire, les habitants de la MRC sont principalement installés en bordure du littoral de la baie des Chaleurs.

Territory and economy

Surface : 4 456,57 km2

The MRC of Bonaventure extends for about 90 km along the coastline of the Bay of Chaleur. Its surface is covered (94%) by forests. The exploitation of its coastal waters was the first important economical activity. But now is being replaced by agriculture and forest activities.

For a long time fishing was the main activity, but like the rest of Quebec the tertiary section has gained in importance since the 1970’s.

Hydrography

The waterways of the MRC play an important role. The sea on the south side and the three great rivers make up the hydrographic basins. These rivers are the Grand Cascapedia, Little Cascapedia and the Bonaventure. These rivers and their tributaries are the salmon rivers, which are internationally known.