Trois-Pistoles

For other uses, see Trois-Pistoles (disambiguation).

Trois-Pistoles
City
Coat of arms of Trois-Pistoles
Coat of arms
Location within Les Basques RCM
Location within Les Basques RCM
Trois-Pistoles is located in Eastern Quebec
Trois-Pistoles
Trois-Pistoles
Location in eastern Quebec
Trois-Pistoles is located in Canada
Trois-Pistoles
Trois-Pistoles
Trois-Pistoles (Canada)
Coordinates: 48°07′12″N 069°10′48″W / 48.12000°N 69.18000°W / 48.12000; -69.18000[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionBas-Saint-Laurent
RCMLes Basques
Constituted9 March 1916
Government
[2]
 • MayorPhilippe Guilbert
 • Federal ridingRimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata
—Les Basques
 • Prov. ridingRivière-du-Loup–Témiscouata
Area
[2][3]
 • Total9.60 km2 (3.71 sq mi)
 • Land7.63 km2 (2.95 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total3,115
 • Density408.1/km2 (1,057/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016–2021
Decrease 4.0%
 • Dwellings
1,727
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G0L 4K0
Area code(s)418 and 581
Highways R-132
R-293
Websitewww.ville-trois-pistoles.ca
Ferry boat returns to Trois Pistoles from Les Escumins

Trois-Pistoles is a city in Les Basques Regional County Municipality in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River.

A ferry crosses the river to Les Escoumins on the north shore. The port facilities are also used by fishing boats and scuba divers.

The town is the site of the University of Western Ontario's annual French immersion program, which has existed since 1932. It is the oldest such program in Canada.

Just offshore of the town lies Île aux Basques, an island that was used by Basque whalers in the 16th century. The island, part of the surrounding Municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, is a National Historic Site of Canada and is now a migratory bird sanctuary.[4]

The town has hosted the Festival Échofête de Trois-Pistoles, an environmentalism-themed music festival and fair each July since 2002. It is Quebec's largest environmental festival.[5][6]

The town can be reached by Via Rail on the named train The Ocean, between Montreal and Halifax.

The town is said to have been named for a silver goblet worth three pistoles, an old French coin, that was lost in the river in the 17th century.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Trois-Pistoles" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. 28 June 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference mamrot was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference cp2021a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Bonjour Québec.com: Excursions à l'Île aux Basques". www.bonjourquebec.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008.
  5. ^ "Home". echofete.ca.
  6. ^ "Échofête - Festival éco-culturel - Bonjour Québec.com". www.bonjourquebec.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013.