Shawinigan
Shawinigan () is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 49,349 as of the 2016 Canadian census.
Shawinigan is also a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) an ...
in the
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. The place is named after its location on a bay of the
Saint-Maurice River
The Saint-Maurice River (french: Rivière Saint-Maurice; Atikamekw: ''Tapiskwan sipi'') flows north to south in central Quebec from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, in the province of Quebec, in Canada. F ...
. For a period of time, it was also known as Belgoville because it faced the
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
of the Belgo Canadian Pulp Company.
The place was incorporated in 1907 as the Village Municipality of Baie-de-Shawinigan, but merged into the City of Shawinigan in 1998.
It is the childhood home of former Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.
Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...
and since 1911 is home to Sacré-Cœur Catholic Church (Sacred Heart), which is located at 17, rue de l'Église.
Mayors
From 1907 to 1998, Baie-de-Shawinigan had its own mayor and its own city council. The mayors were: