Val Rita

1922
Arrival of the first six pioneer families from Foleyet. At that time there was only the train station and one house. Fred Beaudry was the first to take the lot where now stands the church and the village, the others were Mr. Valère Labrecque, Eugène and Henri Poulin, Victor Lajoie and Edward Harrison.

1926
Foundation of Ste-Rita Parish

1936
Acquisition and development of the cemetery. Before, the remains would be buried in Kapuskasing

1961
6 residents request the incorporation of the Municipality of Val Rita-Harty

  • Joseph Etienne Tremblay
  • Bruno Bourgeois
  • Fernand Couture
  • Maurice Chevalier
  • Vital Ouellette
  • Lorenzo Dagenais

1965
Public hearing in Harty church basement

1965
Request denied: not enough evidence

1970
First meeting of Val Rita-Harty Citizens Committee for the incorporation

1971
Second request for the incorporation of the Municipality of Val Rita-Harty

1973

First municipal election

Reeve:
Joseph Étienne Tremblay acclaimed

Councillors:

  • Marcel Couture
  • Lorenzo Dagenais
  • Laurent Fortin
  • Paul Emile Tremblay

We are now part of the municipal politics.

Harty

1923
Lived trapper Alex Dubreuil. Nearby his place the land of John Morel, arrived in 1923. He was relief officer or direct relief and foreman for the construction path from Harty Pit road to Hearst

1932
Foundation of St-Stanislas Parish

1938
Acquisition and development of the cemetery. Before, the remains would be buried in Kapuskasing

January 12, 1972

A regional development plan sponsored by the province and the city of Kapuskasing was proposed to include Val Rita and Harty in a wider area whose core would be Kapuskasing. The adoption of this plan would have resulted in long-term suppression of Val Rita and Harty communities and all the decisions imperceptibly moved to Kapuskasing.

When the development plan was presented to the population, 144 citizens of Val Rita and Harty went to the scene to protest against the inclusion of their territories in a plan that would stop the development of their community.

At this point, the two communities of Val Rita and Harty saw that they had to stay together to defeat the common enemy, what had become to the Town of Kapuskasing. Despite the petition and the delegation of Val Rita and Harty, the Town of Kapuskasing accepts the management plan as prepared and submits it to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for approval.

The Committee of Citizens of Val Rita and Harty asked the Ministry to withdraw from the plan the Williamson Township, part of Owens Township and part of Idington Township as presented by the Town of Kapuskasing.

The request was granted.

Did you know?

  • In 1922, Val Rita was named Secord which was the first name of the station for the railroad of Val Rita.
  • First municipal election January 15, 1973.
  • The construction of the Municipal Complex was done in 1974 and was supervised by L.J. Fortin Construction.
  • The first library board formed of five members was appointed by municipal council in 1974.
  • The first recreation committee was appointed by municipal council in 1975.
  • In 1983, households in the village of Harty were serviced with a sewage system.
  • Villa Rita opens its’ doors February 8, 1979.
  • In 1984, cable television service is available to Val Rita and in 1989 in Harty.
  • On May 13, 1987, evacuation of the Val Rita village due to a forest fire