Place:Asbestos, Richmond, Québec, Canada

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Val-des-Sources, meaning "Valley of the Springs", formerly known as Asbestos, is a town in the Estrie (Eastern Townships) region of southeastern Quebec, Canada on the Nicolet River. The town is the seat of Les Sources Regional County Municipality, formerly known as the Asbestos Regional County Municipality. The town covers an area of 30.25 square kilometres (11.5 sq mi), including land acquired due to the merger of the City of Asbestos with the Municipality of Trois-Lacs on December 8, 1999.

At the 2021 census, 7,088 people resided in the town. It is situated in the centre of a square formed by the cities of Drummondville, Sherbrooke and Victoriaville, and the Nicolet River to the north. It is the site of the Jeffrey mine, which used to be the world's largest asbestos mine, which has long been the town's largest employer, and of the now-closed Magnola magnesium refinery. It was the site of the 1949 Asbestos strike.

Due to the negative connotations of the name Asbestos, discussions took place around whether the town should change its name. A municipal referendum held in October 2020 selected the new name Val-des-Sources. The change came into effect on December 15, 2020.

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