| Rimouski | |||
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| — City — | |||
| City of Rimouski – Ville de Rimouski | |||
| The "Salle Desjardins-Telus" | |||
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| Motto: Legi patrum fidelis (Fidèles à la loi de nos pères) (Faithful to the law of our fathers) | |||
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Rimouski
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Quebec | ||
| Region | Bas-Saint-Laurent | ||
| Constitution date | January 1, 2002 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Éric Forest (2009–13) | ||
| • Governing body | |||
| • MNAs | |||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 257.79 km2 (99.5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006)[1] | |||
| • 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.rimouski.qc.ca | ||
Rimouski is a Canadian city located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region at the mouth of the Rimouski River. With it's population of 42 240 (as of 2006) and the many touristic, cultural and industrial attractions, it is one of the greatest city in the region.
Rimouski classifies itself as a “Students city” thanks to the many educational instutions, such as the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), the Cégep (wich includes the Institut Maritime du Québec (IMQ)) and the Music Conservatory. It's also the home of some important ocean sciences research center.
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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.
The "Maison Lamontagne" was built in 1750 per Marie-Agnès Lepage, grand-daughter of the Lord René Lepage, it carries now the surname of the family which resided at it in 1844. It is one of the oldest half-timbered houses in Quebec and is located within what is now called the District of Rimouski-Est.
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 severe 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 city is divided into 11 districts. Six of those districts (Pointe-au-Père, Sainte-Blandine, Rimouski-Est, Sainte-Odile-sur-Rimouski and Le Bic) were small communities but were merged within Rimouski in 2002, except for Le Bic, which was merged in 2009. The municipal council is composed of the mayor and eleven councillors, each one representing a district.
| mandate | fonctions | name(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–2013 | Mayor | Éric Forest |
| Districts | ||
| #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 |
One of Rimouski's primary economy field is the maritime sector. Welcoming students at the Institut maritime du Québec (IMQ), which offer exclusively marine-related programs of studies. Rimouski is also the home of many marine research centres, such as the Institut des sciences de la mer, the Centre de recherche sur les biotechnologies marines (CRBM) and the Centre interdisciplinaire de développement en cartographie des océans (CIDCO).
Rimouski is also home to the headquarters of the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO) [2], an inter-institutional group seeking to provide, through its Internet portal, an integrated and rapid access to data and information concerning the global ecosystem of the St. Lawrence, in order to promote sustainable management.
Rimouski has an active cultural life, being the host of the festivals like Festi Jazz International since 1982, the Grandes fêtes du St-Laurent, a familial musical event taking place the first week-end of July and an international films festival, the Carrousel international du film de Rimouski.
In November, the town is the host of the yearly Salon du Livre de Rimouski, 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.
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.
There is a municipal airport (IATA airport code YXK) that serves only for merchandise. 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 is also enthusiastic about sporting events. Since 1995, the town has been home to a QMJHL team, the Rimouski Océanic. The town hosted the Jeux du Québec in 2001 and was the host of the Memorial Cup Tournament in 2009.
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