The Council of the Corporation of the parish of Saint-Aimé is happy to contribute to this souvenir album, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the canonical creation (of the parish).
Not wanting to recreate the history of St-Aimé, we want meanwhile to underline certain historical facts concerning the formation of the first council at Saint-Aimé. According to the Municipale Act of 1841, and before the Council of the Richelieu County was organized, the parish of Saint-Aimé had established its own municipal council dating from October 13, 1845 but nothing was found in the municipal archives regarding the fact and actions of the first council. According to the Municipal Acte, amended in 1855, the parish of Saint-Aimé was created as a corporation in autumn of 1857 and carried out its first elections: Jean-Baptiste Pétrin dit House (farmer from the St-Yves Road, on the north corner of the route) was elected Mayor; the following were councilmen, Antoine Fourquin-Léveillée, Michel Mathieu, Antoine Baudreau, Jean-Baptiste Giguère, Joseph Deguire-Desrosiers and Isidore Boiteau. The Council of the Corporation of the Parish of Saint-Aimé first met in regular council meeting on 5 October 1857, after having nominated Jean-Baptiste Bernardin as secretary-treasurer. The council had the following powers: levy taxes, appoint a surveyor of roads and bridges, name the council meeting location, adoption of regulations, nomination of a justice of the peace, granting of a license to cross over between the village and the fiefdom of St-Charles.
In addition, with the goal of establishing solemnity to the official acts of the council, it was resolved, on 23 May 1859, to have a municipal seal withte title: "Corporation of the Parish of Saint-Aimé" with an emblem representing a pot of flowers and a maple leaf; a resolution was most probably never enacted snce no one seems to remember such a seal. Meanwhile, respecting the wish of the promotors, a master of heraldic art created with some modifications, the coat-of-arms of the Parish of Saint-Aimé, which was as follows: "Split in two parts, in the top silver part a maple leaf; on the second, bottom part, a golden rose on a stem".
We wish to highlight that these historical facts were gathered into the history of the Seignory of Massue of the Parish of Saint-Aimé by Ovide M.H. Lapalice. We wish to honor on this occasion the members of the first Council.
We wish also to honor the members of all the preceeding councils. Here is a list of the Mayors of the Parish of Saint-Aimée.
(See above for the list)
The caption under the photo reads: The meeting hall of the Parish Council of Saint-Aimé.
Translated by Norm Léveillée