Carleton-sur-Mer is the fifth largest town of the Gaspésie's south shore, in southeastern Quebec, Canada, located on Route 132, along the Baie des Chaleurs. The town's territory includes the communities of Biron, Caps-de-Maria, Carleton, Robitaille, and Saint-Omer.
History
Tracadigash/Carleton
Around 1756, seven families of exiled Acadians arrived in Tracadigash from Bonaventure and Restigouche, following their deportation from Beaubassin, Nova-Scotia, in 1755. Charles Dugas and Benjamin LeBlanc were the original founders. In 1772, Abbé Joseph-Mathurin Bourg, first accredited Acadien priest, arrived from Quebec City. He conducted the very first census of Tragadigash where he listed the following family names: Allard, Allain, Arseneau, Aubertin, Barriot, Bergeron, Berthelot, Boudreau, Bujold, Comeau, Cormier, Dugas, Francis, Landry, Leblanc, Poirier, Richard; totalling 177 persons. A, later, three page correspondence to the governor, dated 7 April 1784, stated described land use "Endorsed: A list of the inhabitants of Tracadigache and the quantity of land each inhabitant has improved" which averaged 3 to 12 arpents per man. In 1787, American Loyalists found their way to Tracadigash which eventually resulted in the parish changing its name from Saint-Joseph de Tracadièche to Saint-Joseph de Carleton in honour of General Guy Carleton. On October 4, 2000, the municipalities of Carleton and Saint-Omer were reunited after 100 years of separation and the new town thus formed was called Carleton–Saint-Omer. On May 7, 2005, the name was officially changed to Carleton-sur-Mer.
Saint-Omer
After the arrival of the first Acadians in 1756, the territory of Saint-Omer was included in the Parish of Saint Joseph de Tracadièche and had a common history with Carleton. As more of the population shifted west, numbers eventually justified creating a new parish, and in 1899, the Parish of Saint-Omer came to be, approved by the government in 1902. For 100 years, Saint-Omer functioned as a distinct parish and municipality. Its economy depended largely on fishing, agriculture and forestry. Saint-Omer had its own elementary schools but its teenagers attended Carleton's École Polyvalente. On October 4, 2000, the municipalities of Saint-Omer and Carleton were united and named Carleton-Saint-Omer.
The small agricultural and forestry village of Saint-Louis de Gonzague, 8 kilometers north of Saint-Omer, was established by the Government of Quebec to encourage economic development. The Biron section was shut down by the Quebec government in 1972. Five people remained residents of the village to work the land. In 2002, the Gaspé union paysanne held its yearly Fête de l'union paysanne gaspésienne there.
Demographics
Population
Language
Mother tongue:
English as first language: 2.3%
French as first language: 96.3%
English and French as first language: 0.2%
Other as first language: 1.1%
Economy
Carleton's economy relied historically mostly on agriculture, fishing and forest products. The deep water wharf allowed for large international vessels to load lumber. Tourism was, from the very beginnings, a significant aspect of the economy due in large part to its beaches and warm water temperature. The Carleton Wind Farm was commissioned in 2008 and is contributing electricity to Hydro-Québec's grid.
Culture
The École Antoine Bernard high school and its students were the subject of the 2014 documentary film, Guidelines.
The bilingual singer/songwriter Kevin Parent went to high school here at École Antoine-Bernard
