MONTREAL — The historic village of Calixa-Lavallée is named after the man who composed the Canadian national anthem, so perhaps it's no surprise its residents take their civic duty seriously.

While nearby Montreal reported a voter turnout of 37 per cent in Sunday's municipal elections, more than 78 per cent of the registered voters in the off-island, 500-person South Shore suburb showed up to cast a ballot.

"Citizen participation here is always very strong, and this year was especially remarkable," said Pénélope Larose, the town's general manager.

"We're a small municipality, so people know each other, they take an interest in what is happening, and they get actively involved in community life."

Data released by Quebec's Municipal Affairs Department shows that voter turnout across the

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