Candiac

Candiac is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in the Canadian province of Quebec; it is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River opposite Montreal near La Prairie. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 19,876.HistoryCandiac was created January 31, 1957 when the government of Quebec accepted the request of a Canadian-European investors group, the Candiac Development Corporation. The investors had collected over $4.5 million and bought 2500acre of land from farmers and the neighbouring towns.In its early days, Candiac was home to 320 people who mostly lived near the St. Lawrence River. Most of the inhabitants were either farmers or Montrealers who owned a second residence in Candiac.Candiac was named after Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, who was born in 1712 at Château de Candiac (Vestric-et-Candiac), near Nîmes, in France. Montcalm died at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham at Quebec City in 1759 while defending la Nouvelle-France from the English.Coat of armsMontcalm's heritage and the first mayor, Jean Leman, family's coat of arms were the inspiration for Candiac's coat of arms. The colour red symbolizes charity and justice, two very important values. It is also present in the Leman's coat of arms and is said to honour Montcalm's legacy. The silver cross is a typical French-Canadian symbol that reminds citizens of their French heritage. The stars were taken from the Leman's coat of arms and the towers from Montcalm's. The crown symbolizes the Château de Candiac and the maple leaves symbolize Canada.