| Rimouski | |||
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| — Ville (city) — | |||
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| Motto: Legi patrum fidelis (Fidèles à la loi de nos pères) (Faithful to the law of our fathers) | |||
  Rimouski
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| Coordinates: 48°26′N 68°31′W / 48.433°N 68.517°W | |||
| Country |  Canada |
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| Province |  Quebec |
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| Region | Bas-Saint-Laurent | ||
| Constitution date | January 1, 2002 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Éric Forest (2009–13) | ||
| - Governing body | |||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 335.33 km2 (129.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 42,240 (ranked 107th) | ||
| - Density | 136.91/km2 (354.6/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EST (UTC−5) | ||
| Geographical code | 24 10043 | ||
| People | Rimouskois, Rimouskoises | ||
| Website | Ville de Rimouski | ||
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Rimouski is a Canadian city in the central part of Bas-Saint-Laurent region in eastern Quebec. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Rimouski River, north-east of Quebec City.
The city, whose population was 42,240 in the Canada 2006 Census, offers several tourist attractions. With the new Desjardins-Telus theatre and the expansion of the industrial district to include many department stores, Rimouski has become a major service centre for the region.
Rimouski is a major regional centre and is home of several institutions such as Université du Québec à Rimouski and Cégep de Rimouski. It is the seat for the Rimouski-Neigette Regional County Municipality. It is also the centre of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rimouski. The Saint-Germain Cathedral is the tallest building in the downtown area.
Rimouski is part of Maritime Quebec, a territory which includes the largest group of francophone and bilingual institutions dedicated to ocean sciences and technology in North America. These organizations include the Institut Maritime du Québec (IMQ), the Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER), the Centre de recherche sur les biotechnologies marines (CRBM), the Centre interdisciplinaire de développement en cartographie des océans (CIDCO) and the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute (the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Science Research Centre), based in Mont-Joli.
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Districts
The city is divided in 10 districts:
- District 1 - Sacré-Coeur
- District 2 - Nazareth
- District 3 - Saint-Germain
- District 4 - Rimouski-Est
- District 5 - Pointe-au-Père
- District 6 - Sainte-Odile
- District 7 - Saint-Robert
- District 8 - Terrasses Arthur-Buies
- District 9 - Saint-Pie-X
- District 10 - Sainte-Blandine/Mont-Lebel
- District 11 - Le Bic
In 2002 Rimouski amalgamated with the following communities. (2001 populations)
- Rimouski (31,305)
- Pointe-au-Père (4,171)
- Sainte-Blandine (2,218)
- Rimouski-Est (2,058)
- Sainte-Odile-sur-Rimouski (1,463)
- Mont-Lebel (334)
The city of Rimouski amalgamated the municipality of Le Bic in september 16, 2009.
Municipal Council
The municipal council has one mayor and ten district councillors.
| mandate | fonctions | name(s) |
|---|---|---|
2009 - 2013  |
Mayor | Éric Forest |
| District councillors | ||
| #1 Sacré-Coeur | Marc St-Laurent | |
| #2 Nazareth | Rodrigue Joncas | |
| #3 Saint-Germain | Jennifer Murray | |
| #4 Rimouski-Est | Denise Banville | |
| #5 Pointe-au-Père | Raymond-Marie Murray | |
| #6 Sainte-Odile | Donald Bélanger | |
| #7 Saint-Robert | Christian Tremblay | |
| #8 Terrasse Arthur-Buies | Jean-Yves Beaulieu | |
| #9 Saint-Pie X | Karol Francis | |
| #10 Sainte-Blandine/Mont-Lebel | Bernard Lepage | |
| #11 Le Bic | Claude Gauthier |
History
The city was founded by Sir René Lepage de Ste-Claire in 1696. Originally from Ouanne in the Burgundy region, he exchanged property he owned on the Île d'Orléans with Augustin Rouer de la Cardonnière for the Seigneurie of Rimouski, which extended along the St. Lawrence River from the Hâtée River at Le Bic to the Métis River. De la Cardonnière had been the owner of Rimouski since 1688, but had never lived there. René Lepage moved his family to Rimouski, where it held the seigneurie until 1780 when it was gradually sold to the Quebec City businessman Joseph Drapeau.
Today, a boulevard, park and monument at the western entrance of the Rimouski bear the name of the Sir René Lepage de Ste-Claire.
On May 6, 1950, Rimouski suffered a terrible fire in which 319 houses burned to the ground. This event is known as La nuit rouge (French for Red Night). The fire originated in the Price Brothers Company yard on the left shore of the Rimouski River and quickly crossed the river and spread throughout the city pushed by strong winds, destroying half of the city. No one died in the blaze. Legend has it that a priest sprinkled holy water around the city's cathedral and that the fire would not cross the line. The French-Canadian novel Après la nuit rouge by Christiane Frenette references the events of the fire. The novel was translated into English by Sheila Fischman and will be published by Cormorant Books in 2009 under the title, After the Red Night (ISBN 9781897151143).
Culture
Rimouski has a rich cultural life. Each year, it hosts a jazz festival (Festi Jazz International de Rimouski) and a film festival for children (Carrousel international du film de Rimouski). One of the town's main tourist attractions is the Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père, which features an exhibit on the RMS Empress of Ireland disaster and the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse. The museum commemorates the most fatal shipwreck after the Titanic tragedy in the 20th century.
In November, the town is the host of the yearly Salon du Livre de Rimouski (Rimouski Book Show), the oldest event of the kind in the province of Quebec. It was created in 1964 by a group of women with a passion for literature, who wished to make literature more accessible to young readers. Every year, more than 125 authors from the region and its surroundings participate in the event, and over 300 Quebec Publishers distribute about 75 stands among themselves. Supported by Canada Heritage, the Canada Council of the Arts, the Society of development of the cultural companies of Quebec and the city of Rimouski, the event attracts more than 8000 visitors per year.
Sports
The town is also enthusiastic about sporting events. Since 1995, the town has been home to a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team, the Rimouski Océanic. The team was the Memorial Cup champion in 2000, and was a finalist in 2005. Rimouski has also been the host of the Jeux du Québec during the winters of 1975 and 2001. The town also been the host town for the 2009 Memorial Cup, the MasterCard cup, during the month of may.
Transportation
Between April and October, the CNM Evolution, a ferry service, operates across the Saint Lawrence River between Rimouski and Forestville, Quebec. This ferry is the fastest in the province of Quebec, crossing the river in only 55 minutes. The town can be reached by trains operated by VIA Rail, and by buses operated by Orléans Express. There is also a municipal airport (IATA airport code YXK).
See also
External links
- (French) Ville de Rimouski
- (French) Tourisme Rimouski
- (French) Portail Rimouskiweb
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