It is named after Catherine-Hénédine Dionne, widow of Pierre-Elzéar Taschereau, who owned the two seigneuries from which the territory of Sainte-Hénédine was detached.
History
The parish was first settled in 1852 and became a parish town in 1855.[4]
Demographics
Historical census populations
Year
Pop.
±%
1986
1,226
—
1991
1,225
−0.1%
1996
1,175
−4.1%
2001
1,168
−0.6%
2006
1,073
−8.1%
2011
1,212
+13.0%
2016
1,271
+4.9%
2021
1,440
+13.3%
Source: Statistics Canada
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Sainte-Hénédine had a population of 1,440 living in 544 of its 564 total private dwellings, a change of 13.3% from its 2016 population of 1,271. With a land area of 51.53 km2 (19.90 sq mi), it had a population density of 27.9/km2 (72.4/sq mi) in 2021.[5]
Economy
Most of the residents in Sainte-Hénédine are farmers and mostly focused on dairy farming. A few homes line the main street of the town.
The parish town council consists of 5 councilors and a mayor.[8] As of 2013 the current town council consists of:
Michel Duval - Maire
Réjean Deblois - Conseiller
Clermont Maranda - Conseiller
Pierre Nadeau - Conseiller
Mélissa Leblond - Conseillère
Jean-François Nadeau - Conseiller
Marilyn Roy - Conseillère
The mayor is also a member of the regional county council for la Nouvelle-Beauce.
Services provided by the parish includes:
Recycling and Waste
Fire Services - single fire station
Buildings
The smallest buildings in the parish are residential homes and are two stories tall. Large structures are usually barns and silos on dairy farms. The largest and tallest building in town is the Sainte-Hénédine Church (Église Sainte-Hénédine). This is second church built (first in the 1800s), it was blessed in 1912 and consecrated in 1992.[9]
Transportation
Roads
There are a few key roads within the parish:
rue Principale (Route Sainte-Therese or Rue Desjardin)
The parish has a single elementary school, École la Découverte, with the Commission scolaire de la Beauce-Echemin.[10] For secondary education students are sent to Polyvalente Benoît-Vachon in Sainte-Marie.
Bibliothèque de Quebec has branch in Sainte-Hénédine, Bibliothèque La Détente, providing public library access to parish residents.