Is Bonaventure a good place to live?
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Its strongest subject is safety (B+). Cost of living is another plus (B+). Hazard risk is higher than most (D). Put together, the subjects come to a B overall, ranking #277 of 499 in Quebec. Nationally, it does better than 65% of Canadian towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: C+ for jobs & income and B for walkability.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety is the Sûreté du Québec unit's figure for the whole MRC. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Bonaventure grades
Each subject compares Bonaventure with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Bonaventure stand out
The 3 things Bonaventure does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bonaventure.
On hazards, Bonaventure comes out behind 86% of Canadian towns
One flood study covers the town, by Université du Québec à Rimouski. Radon is higher than usual: a quarter of tested homes in the survey area topped the guideline, against 6.6% for the typical town. Shaking is about as much of a worry in Bonaventure as in most places, at $0.039 a year per $1,000 of building value ($0.030 typical). Bonaventure doesn’t get its own radon tests figures; the ones here come from the Gaspesie - Iles-de-la-Madeleine health region.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 25% | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.039 | $0.14 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Summers stay cool in Bonaventure: July afternoons reach 22.7°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
The thermometer drops below freezing on 175 days a year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (161) and Canadian towns (159). January is the snowiest month, with 71 cm on average. For the wettest month, look to October: 117 mm on average.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 337 cm | 217 cm | 141 cm |
| July afternoon high | 22.7°C | 26.5°C | 25.5°C |
| Precipitation a year | 1,095 mm | 1,041 mm | 883 mm |
| Days with frost a year | 175 | 161 | 159 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (New Carlisle)
Bonaventure gets a B+ for safety
Across the area its police cover, the Crime Severity Index averaged 48 over 2023–25, below both Quebec’s towns (56) and Canadian towns (67). The force’s area logs 11.6 thefts, break-ins and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Nobody publishes Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 for Bonaventure alone, so this card uses the figure for Avignon/Bonaventure MRC.
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 11.6 | 16.6 | 31.2 |
| Crime Severity Index | 48 | 56 | 67 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 75 | 88 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Rent takes less of local pay in Bonaventure than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% of household income
Shelter took 30% or more of income for just over one in ten households, below both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Owners make up 70% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 15% | 18% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 12% | 13% | 18% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.
18% of adults smoke in the health region around Bonaventure, against 12% for the typical Canadian town
By their own account, 56% of adults here are in very good or excellent health, about level with Quebec’s towns (56%) and above Canadian towns (52%). Life expectancy in the region is 79.9 years (81.6 for women, 78.2 for men, 2022/2024). Measured from where Bonaventure’s residents live, the nearest hospital is 17 km away, beyond the typical 3.7 km.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smokers | 18% | 12% | 12% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 79.9 | 82.5 | 81.5 |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 18% | 15% | 17% |
| Very good or excellent health | 56% | 56% | 52% |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities · Health survey and life expectancy: one figure for all of the Région de la Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine
35% of Bonaventure’s residents speak English and French (Quebec’s towns: 44%; Canadian towns: 7.5%)
First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.1% of residents, above both Quebec’s towns (1.5%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). Visible minorities make up 1.9% of the population, below Quebec’s towns (3.5%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 51.5% of Bonaventure
1,405 women and 1,325 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 56% | 62% | 64% |
| 65+ | 30% | 20% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 18% | 19% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 65% | 59% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Commuters in Bonaventure have a short way to work, 20 min on average, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns
93% of commuters drove, close to Quebec’s towns (90%) and above Canadian towns (89%).
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 20 min | 27 min | 26 min |
| Car or van | 93% | 90% | 89% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.
Bonaventure in November: highs near 4°C, lows near −2°C
Precipitation in November averages 101 mm. A typical November adds 22 cm of snow. Over the year, July is warmest at 23°C by day and January coldest at −14°C by night. Hour-by-hour figures come from ECCC’s Bonaventure forecast, on the Weather page.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −4°C | −12°C | 261 mm |
| Spring | 7°C | −3°C | 254 mm |
| Summer | 21°C | 11°C | 273 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | 3°C | 307 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (New Carlisle); the forecast is on the Weather page
The council of Bonaventure is led by its mayor, Pierre Gagnon
In the National Assembly of Québec, Bonaventure belongs to the riding of the same name; who holds it as MNA (Member of the National Assembly, Québec’s legislature) isn’t on an open record, so no one is named.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Bibliothèque Françoise-Bujold is Bonaventure’s public library
It stands 1.5 km from the centre of Bonaventure.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Beaches near Bonaventure: 11 within 5 km
There is no national park within 100 km of the town. The protected share within 10 km is 3.7%, where a typical Canadian town has 2.3%. The closest provincial park is Miguasha National Park (Québec), 60 km from the edge of town.
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 3.7% | 4.9% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 7 | 10 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
Teaching in English: 11 of Bonaventure’s 17 schools
Its 3 km reach takes in 9 elementary schools, 4 secondary schools and 4 schools for every grade, all of Bonaventure’s schooling. The schools around it answer to 2 boards, near Quebec’s towns (2) and lower than Canadian towns (3).
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| École de Belle Anse EnglishIn BonaventureElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| École aux Quatre-Vents (Unité La Balise)In BonaventureSecondary | Secondary | – | French public |
| École de Shigawake--Port Daniel (La Balise) EnglishTeaches in EnglishElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Source note: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school, so there’s no schools grade in Quebec.
1 historic place on the heritage registers in Bonaventure
Homes from before 1961 make up 31% of the stock, above both Quebec’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%).
Historic places by designation · inside the town
| Heritage | Bonaventure | Quebec | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1961 | 31% | 21% | 18% |
Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period
Everything we know about Bonaventure
Famous people from Bonaventure
13 notable people were born in Bonaventure.
Photo credits
Bona Arsenault: Arthur Roy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Françoise Bujold: Bombyx (Michaël La Chance), Public domain · François Miville-Deschênes: FR, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Bonaventure
Town in Quebec
Bonaventure is a municipality in Quebec, read by TownRatings as Statistics Canada draws it: one census subdivision, so its figures cover the whole municipality.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 2,719 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- Quebec
- Census subdivision
- 2405045
Bonaventure’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonaventure | 2,719 | — | B | B+ | B+ | C |
| Saint-Siméon | 1,254 | 8.2 | — | A− | B+ | C |
| New Carlisle | 1,331 | 11 | — | A− | B+ | C+ |
| Paspébiac | 3,132 | 16 | B+ | A− | B+ | B− |
| Caplan | 1,961 | 16 | — | B | B+ | C |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Bonaventure
Who are the people of Bonaventure?
2% of residents belong to a visible minority, against 15% for the median of Canadian towns; 4% have an Indigenous identity and 3% are immigrants.
How old are the people of Bonaventure?
52.4 is the median age, 45.2 the median among Canadian towns; 30% of residents are 65 or over and 13% under 15.
What kind of homes are in Bonaventure?
Mostly 72% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2 people on average, and 39% have just one.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).