Rimouski, Quebec

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Rimouski is a Canadian city (ville) on the western part of Gaspésie Peninsula in eastern Quebec, located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Rimouski River.

This town, with a population of 41,549 in 2001, 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.

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Rimouski is a major regional centre and is home of several institutions such as Université du Québec à Rimouski and CEGEP de Rimouski. It is the seat for the Rimouski-Neigette Regional County Municipality.

Rimouski is part of the 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), and the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute (the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Science Research Centre), based in Sante-Flavie.

1 General
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2 History
3 Culture and Sports
4 External links

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General

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Legi patrum fidelis - Fidèles à la loi de nos pères - Faithful to the law of our fathers

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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 Ile d'Orleans with Augustin Rouer de la Cardonnière for the Seigneurie of Rimouski, which extended along the Saint 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 Rimouski. 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.

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Culture and Sports

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 its main tourist attractions is the Musée de la mer (Museum of the Sea), which is centred on the 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.

Sports are also very popular. Since 1995, the city is home to the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, who were the Memorial Cup champions in 2000 and finalists in 2005. Rimouski was the host of the Jeux du Québec as well, during the winter of 1975 and 2001.

There is a ferry service which crosses the river to Forestville, Quebec on the north shore. The city can also be reached by train on VIA Rail. There is also a municipal airport (IATA airport code YXK).

In 2002 Rimouski amalgamated with the following communities. (2001 populations)