Classification of municipalities in Quebec

The following is a list of the types of local and supralocal territorial units in Quebec, Canada, including those used solely for statistical purposes, as defined by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and compiled by the Institut de la statistique du Québec

Not included are the urban agglomerations in Quebec, which, although they group together multiple municipalities, exercise only what are ordinarily local municipal powers.

A list of local municipal units in Quebec by regional county municipality can be found at List of municipalities in Quebec.

Local municipalities

All municipalities (except cities), whether township, village, parish, or unspecified ones, are functionally and legally identical.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} The only difference is that the designation might serve to disambiguate between otherwise identically named municipalities, often neighbouring ones.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Many such cases have had their names changed, or merged with the identically named nearby municipality since the 1950s, such as the former Township of Granby and City of Granby merging and becoming the Town of Granby in 2007.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Municipalities are governed primarily by the Code municipal du Québec (Municipal Code of Québec, R.S.Q. c. C-27.1), whereas cities and towns are governed by the Loi sur les cités et villes (Cities and Towns Act, R.S.Q. c. C-19) as well as (in the case of the older ones) various individual charters.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The very largest communities in Quebec are colloquially called cities; however there are currently no municipalities under the province's current legal system classified as cities.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Quebec's government uses the English term town as the translation for the French term ville, and township for canton.{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/clacon/sym_municipalites_an.htm|work=Quebec government|access-date=26 September 2012|title=Stats Quebec|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205053846/http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/clacon/sym_municipalites_an.htm|archive-date=5 February 2012}} The least-populated towns in Quebec (Barkmere, with a population of about 60, or L'Île-Dorval, with less than 10) are much smaller than the most populous municipalities of other types (Saint-Charles-Borromée and Sainte-Sophie, each with populations of over 13,300).{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

class="wikitable"
Abbreviation !French term !English translation !Description !Lists
CT \|{{lang\|fr\|Municipalité de canton}} \|Township municipality \|All or part of the territory of a township (townships were originally only a land surveying feature) set up as a municipality.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of township municipalities in Quebec
CU \|{{lang\|fr\|Municipalité de cantons unis}} \|United township municipality \|Municipality composed of several townships.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of united township municipalities in Quebec
M \|{{lang\|fr\|Municipalité}} \|Municipality \|Territory administered by an authority established under the laws governing municipalities.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of municipalities (not otherwise specified) in Quebec
P \|{{Lang\|fr\|Municipalité de paroisse}} \|Parish municipality \|The territory of a religious parish established as a municipality.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of parish municipalities in Quebec
V \|{{lang\|fr\|Ville}}In most laws, the term "municipalité de ville" is employed, but it is rarely used otherwise. \|Town \|Municipality legally established as a town.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \| List of towns in Quebec
VL \|{{lang\|fr\|Municipalité de village}} \|Village municipality \|Territory of a village established as a municipality separate from a surrounding parish or township municipality.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of village municipalities in Quebec

class="wikitable"

Abbreviation

!French term

!English translation

!Description

!Lists

|{{lang|fr|Municipalité de canton}}

|Township municipality

|All or part of the territory of a township (townships were originally only a land surveying feature) set up as a municipality.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of township municipalities in Quebec

|{{lang|fr|Municipalité de cantons unis}}

|United township municipality

|Municipality composed of several townships.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of united township municipalities in Quebec

|{{lang|fr|Municipalité}}

|Municipality

|Territory administered by an authority established under the laws governing municipalities.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of municipalities (not otherwise specified) in Quebec

|{{Lang|fr|Municipalité de paroisse}}

|Parish municipality

|The territory of a religious parish established as a municipality.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of parish municipalities in Quebec

|{{lang|fr|Ville}}In most laws, the term "municipalité de ville" is employed, but it is rarely used otherwise.

|Town

|Municipality legally established as a town.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

| List of towns in Quebec

|{{lang|fr|Municipalité de village}}

|Village municipality

|Territory of a village established as a municipality separate from a surrounding parish or township municipality.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of village municipalities in Quebec

The title city ({{langx|fr|cité}} code=C) still legally exists, with a few minor differences from that of ville.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} However it is moot since there are no longer any cities in existence.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Dorval and Côte Saint-Luc had the status of city when they were amalgamated into Montreal on January 1, 2002 as part of the municipal reorganization in Quebec;{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/publications/referenc/pdf/modspec2002-01.pdf|title=

Collection les documents de référence|first=Institut de la Statistique du|last=Quebec|website=gouv.qc.ca|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040630211103/http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/publications/referenc/pdf/modspec2002-01.pdf|archive-date=30 June 2004}} however, when re-constituted as independent municipalities on January 1, 2006, it was with the status of town ({{langx|fr|ville}}) (although the municipal government of Dorval still uses the name Cité de Dorval).{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Prior to January 1, 1995, the code for municipalité was not M but rather SD (sans désignation; that is, unqualified municipality).{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/publications/referenc/pdf/Mod1995_rev.pdf|title=Page est introuvable?|first=Institut de la Statistique du|last=Quebec|website=gouv.qc.ca|access-date=1 May 2018}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=SheriffIsInTown |fix-attempted=yes }}

Aboriginal local municipal units

class="wikitable"
Abbreviation !French term !English translation !Description !Lists
IRI (R) \|Réserve indienne \|Indian reserve \|Territory reserved for Indians under the Indian Act. {{citation needed\|date=August 2022}}{{efn\|name=a\|"A tract of federally owned land with specific boundaries that is set apart for the use and benefit of an Indian band and that is governed by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)."{{cite web \|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/geo012-eng.cfm \|title=Census subdivision (CSD) \|at=Census subdivision types associated with 'on reserve' population\|date=January 3, 2019 \|access-date=August 24, 2021 \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625124439/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/geo012-eng.cfm \|archive-date=June 25, 2021\|publisher=Statistics Canada}}}} \|List of Indian reserves in Quebec
TC \|Terre réservée aux Cris (1-A) \|Land reserved for the Cree \|Territory reserved for the use and benefit of the Cree population. Associated with a Cree village (VC) of the same name.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}}{{efn\|name=b\|"Parcels of land in Quebec set aside for the permanent residence of Cree First Nations of Quebec. Terres réservées aux Cris are adjacent to villages cris. The area of a village cri is set aside for the use of Cree bands, but members of Cree bands are not permanently residing there. Note that a village cri and its adjacent terre réservée aux Cris can have the same name, e.g., the village cri of Waswanipi and the terre reservée aux Cris of Waswanipi."}} \|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec
TI \|Terre de la catégorie I pour les Inuits \|Category I land for the Inuit \|Territory reserved for the use and benefit of the Inuit population. Associated with a northern village (VN) of the same name.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of northern villages and Inuit reserved lands in Quebec
TK \|Terre réservée aux Naskapis (1-AN) \|Land reserved for the Naskapi \|Territory reserved for the use and benefit of the Naskapi (Innu) population. Associated with a Naskapi village (VK) of the same name.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}}{{efn\|name=c\|"Parcels of land in Quebec set aside for the permanent residence of Naskapi First Nations of Quebec. Terres réservées aux Naskapis are adjacent to village Naskapi. The lone area of village Naskapi is set aside for the use of the Naskapi band, although its members do not reside there permanently."}} \|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec
VC \|Municipalité de village cri (Terre 1-B) \|Cree village municipality \|A primarily Cree village with a Cree local authority established by the Cree Villages and the Naskapi Village Act.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}}{{efn\|name=b}} \|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec
VK \|Municipalité de village naskapi (Terre 1-BN) \|Naskapi village municipality \|A primarily Naskapi (Innu) village with a Naskapi local authority established by the Cree Villages and the Naskapi Village Act.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}}{{efn\|name=c}} \|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec
VN \|Municipalité de village nordique \|Northern village municipality \|A village with an Inuit local authority established by the Act respecting Northern villages and the Kativik Regional Government.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of northern villages and Inuit reserved lands in Quebec

class="wikitable"

Abbreviation

!French term

!English translation

!Description

!Lists

IRI (R)

|Réserve indienne

|Indian reserve

|Territory reserved for Indians under the Indian Act.

{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}{{efn|name=a|"A tract of federally owned land with specific boundaries that is set apart for the use and benefit of an Indian band and that is governed by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)."{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/geo012-eng.cfm |title=Census subdivision (CSD) |at=Census subdivision types associated with 'on reserve' population|date=January 3, 2019 |access-date=August 24, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625124439/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/ref/dict/geo012-eng.cfm |archive-date=June 25, 2021|publisher=Statistics Canada}}}}

|List of Indian reserves in Quebec

|Terre réservée aux Cris (1-A)

|Land reserved for the Cree

|Territory reserved for the use and benefit of the Cree population. Associated with a Cree village (VC) of the same name.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}{{efn|name=b|"Parcels of land in Quebec set aside for the permanent residence of Cree First Nations of Quebec. Terres réservées aux Cris are adjacent to villages cris. The area of a village cri is set aside for the use of Cree bands, but members of Cree bands are not permanently residing there. Note that a village cri and its adjacent terre réservée aux Cris can have the same name, e.g., the village cri of Waswanipi and the terre reservée aux Cris of Waswanipi."}}

|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec

|Terre de la catégorie I pour les Inuits

|Category I land for the Inuit

|Territory reserved for the use and benefit of the Inuit population. Associated with a northern village (VN) of the same name.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of northern villages and Inuit reserved lands in Quebec

|Terre réservée aux Naskapis (1-AN)

|Land reserved for the Naskapi

|Territory reserved for the use and benefit of the Naskapi (Innu) population. Associated with a Naskapi village (VK) of the same name.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}{{efn|name=c|"Parcels of land in Quebec set aside for the permanent residence of Naskapi First Nations of Quebec. Terres réservées aux Naskapis are adjacent to village Naskapi. The lone area of village Naskapi is set aside for the use of the Naskapi band, although its members do not reside there permanently."}}

|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec

|Municipalité de village cri (Terre 1-B)

|Cree village municipality

|A primarily Cree village with a Cree local authority established by the Cree Villages and the Naskapi Village Act.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}{{efn|name=b}}

|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec

|Municipalité de village naskapi (Terre 1-BN)

|Naskapi village municipality

|A primarily Naskapi (Innu) village with a Naskapi local authority established by the Cree Villages and the Naskapi Village Act.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}{{efn|name=c}}

|List of Cree and Naskapi territories in Quebec

|Municipalité de village nordique

|Northern village municipality

|A village with an Inuit local authority established by the Act respecting Northern villages and the Kativik Regional Government.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of northern villages and Inuit reserved lands in Quebec

Prior to 2004, there was a single code, TR, to cover the modern-day TC and TK.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} When the distinction between TC and TK was introduced, it was made retroactive to 1984, date of the federal Cree-Naskapi (of Quebec) Act (S.C. 1984, c. 18).{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Territories equivalent to local municipalities

class="wikitable"
Abbreviation !French term !English translation !Description !Lists
NO \|Territoire non organisé \|Unorganized territory \|A territory that has not been organized under a local municipality and is administered directly by a supralocal authority.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of unorganized territories in Quebec

class="wikitable"

Abbreviation

!French term

!English translation

!Description

!Lists

|Territoire non organisé

|Unorganized territory

|A territory that has not been organized under a local municipality and is administered directly by a supralocal authority.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of unorganized territories in Quebec

Submunicipal units

class="wikitable"
Abbreviation !French term !English translation !Description !Lists
A \|Arrondissement \|Borough \|Subdivision of some local municipalities.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of boroughs in Quebec
S-É (EI) \|Établissement amérindien \|Indian settlement \|Village or hamlet the majority of whose population is Amerindian and situated on lands without any particular legal status.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}}{{efn\|name=d\|A place where a self-contained group of at least 10 Indian (Aboriginal) persons resides more or less permanently. It is usually located on Crown lands under federal or provincial/territorial jurisdiction. Indian settlements have no official limits and have not been set apart for the use and benefit of an Indian band as is the case with Indian reserves.}} \|List of Indian settlements in Quebec

class="wikitable"

Abbreviation

!French term

!English translation

!Description

!Lists

|Arrondissement

|Borough

|Subdivision of some local municipalities.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of boroughs in Quebec

S-É (EI)

|Établissement amérindien

|Indian settlement

|Village or hamlet the majority of whose population is Amerindian and situated on lands without any particular legal status.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}{{efn|name=d|A place where a self-contained group of at least 10 Indian (Aboriginal) persons resides more or less permanently. It is usually located on Crown lands under federal or provincial/territorial jurisdiction. Indian settlements have no official limits and have not been set apart for the use and benefit of an Indian band as is the case with Indian reserves.}}

|List of Indian settlements in Quebec

There is also a different kind of submunicipal unit, unconstituted localities, which is defined and tracked not by the Quebec Ministry of Municipal Affairs but by Statistics Canada.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Supralocal units

class="wikitable"
Abbreviation !French term !English translation !Description !See also
ARg \|{{Lang\|fr\|Administration régionale}} \|Regional government \|Regional civil administration of a large, sparsely populated area representing Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents alike.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|Kativik Regional Government
CM \|{{Lang\|fr\|Communauté métropolitaine}} \|Metropolitan community \|Administration bringing together the municipalities of a metropolitan area, larger than an urban agglomeration and not necessarily a multiple of RCMs and TEs.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal Communauté métropolitaine de Québec
MRC \|{{Lang\|fr\|Municipalité régionale de comté}} \|Regional county municipality (RCM) \|A territory comprising municipalities and sometimes unorganized territories, governed by an authority determined by law.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec
TÉ \|{{Lang\|fr\|{{Lang\|fr\|Territoire équivalent à une MRC}}}} \|Territory equivalent to an RCM \|A statistical unit created to cover areas of Quebec not belonging to an RCM.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}} \|List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec

class="wikitable"

Abbreviation

!French term

!English translation

!Description

!See also

ARg

|{{Lang|fr|Administration régionale}}

|Regional government

|Regional civil administration of a large, sparsely populated area representing Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal residents alike.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|Kativik Regional Government

|{{Lang|fr|Communauté métropolitaine}}

|Metropolitan community

|Administration bringing together the municipalities of a metropolitan area, larger than an urban agglomeration and not necessarily a multiple of RCMs and TEs.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal
Communauté métropolitaine de Québec

MRC

|{{Lang|fr|Municipalité régionale de comté}}

|Regional county municipality (RCM)

|A territory comprising municipalities and sometimes unorganized territories, governed by an authority determined by law.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec

TÉ

|{{Lang|fr|{{Lang|fr|Territoire équivalent à une MRC}}}}

|Territory equivalent to an RCM

|A statistical unit created to cover areas of Quebec not belonging to an RCM.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

|List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec

References

Notes

{{Reflist|refs=

[http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_27_1/C27_1_A.htm Municipal Code of Quebec] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_27_1/C27_1.htm French])

[http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_19/C19_A.htm Cities and Towns Act] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_19/C19.htm French])

}}

External links

; Quebec provincial legislation

[http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/ShowDoc/cs/O-9 An Act respecting municipal territorial organization] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/O_9/O9.html French])
[http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/ShowDoc/cs/V-6.1 An Act respecting Northern villages and the Kativik Regional Government] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/V_6_1/V6_1.htm French])
[http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/ShowDoc/cs/V-5.1 The Cree Villages and the Naskapi Village Act] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/V_5_1/V5_1.htm French])
[http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=//A_6_1/A6_1_A.htm An Act respecting the Cree Regional Authority] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=//A_6_1/A6_1.htm French])
[http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/A_33_1/A33_1_A.html An Act respecting Cree, Inuit and Naskapi native persons] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/A_33_1/A33_1.html French])
[http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/R_13_1/R13_1_A.html An Act respecting the land regime in the James Bay and New Québec territories] (also in [http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/R_13_1/R13_1.html French])

; Federal legislation

[http://lois-laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-45.7/ Cree-Naskapi (of Quebec) Act (S.C. 1984, c. 18)] (also in [http://lois-laws.justice.gc.ca/fra/lois/C-45.7/ French])

; Other

[https://web.archive.org/web/20101219230415/http://www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca/repertoire-des-municipalites Répertoire des municipalités] (look up the entry for any municipality)
[http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/normes-procedures/terminologie-geographique/entite.aspx Liste complète des types d'entités et leurs définitions] (Commission de toponymie)

Category:Local government in Quebec

Category:Types of populated places