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Rimouski ( ) is a city in
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 ...
, Canada. Rimouski is located in the
Bas-Saint-Laurent The Bas-Saint-Laurent (Lower Saint-Lawrence), is an administrative region of Quebec located along the south shore of the lower Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The river widens at this place, later becoming a bay that discharges into the Atlanti ...
region, at the mouth of the
Rimouski River Rimouski River is a river emptying in Rimouski, on the South shore of St. Lawrence River, in the regional county municipality (RCM) Rimouski-Neigette, in the administrative region of Bas-Saint-Laurent, in Quebec, in Canada. From the border betwe ...
. It has a population of 48,935 (as of
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
). Rimouski is the site of
Université du Québec à Rimouski The Université du Québec à Rimouski (commonly referred to as UQAR) is a public university located in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada with a campus in Lévis. Since its establishment in 1969, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) has granted ...
(UQAR), the
Cégep de Rimouski The Cégep de Rimouski is a post-secondary education institution (cégep: College of General and Professional Education) located in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. History The college traces its origins to the merger of several institutions which bec ...
(which includes the Institut maritime du Québec) and the
Music Conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
. It is also the home of some ocean sciences research centres ( see below).


History

The city was founded by Sir
René Lepage de Ste-Claire René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the feminin ...
in 1696. Originally from
Ouanne Ouanne () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France,Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
region, he exchanged property he owned on the
Île d'Orléans Île d'Orléans (; en, Island of Orleans) is an island located in the Saint Lawrence River about east of downtown Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was one of the first parts of the province to be colonized by the French, and a large percentage ...
with Augustin Rouer de la Cardonnière for the
Seigneurie In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. ''Nulle terre ...
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 1790, when it was sold to the Quebec City businessman
Joseph Drapeau Joseph Drapeau (April 13, 1752 – November 3, 1810) was a seigneur, merchant and political figure in Lower Canada. He represented Northumberland in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1809 to 1810. He was born in Pointe-Lévy, the ...
. The "Maison Lamontagne" was built in 1750 per Marie-Agnès Lepage, granddaughter of
René Lepage de Ste-Claire René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the feminin ...
. It carries now the surname of the family that resided at it in 1844. It is one of the oldest half-timbered houses in Quebec and is within what is now called the District of Rimouski-Est. Today, a boulevard, park and monument at the western entrance of Rimouski bear the name of René Lepage.


The "Red Night"

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.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Rimouski had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


Economy


Health

The largest employer in Rimouski and the region is the Regional Hospital of Rimouski with 2200 employees and 170 doctors. It handles a budget of more than 150 million dollars. Since 2004 the hospital is known as CSSS Rimouski-Neigette. The hospital serves the large majority of patients in the region as far as Gaspé. Several medical specialties are present at the hospital such as cardiology, endocrinology, fertility, gastroenterology, hematology, obstetric-gynecology, neurology, oncology, otorhinolaryngology, orthopedic, pediatric, rheumatology, surgery, and urology. The hospital also has several departments such as emergency, intensive care, and pharmacy. Several medical clinics surround the hospital located on Rouleau Avenue. The CLSC however is located in front of the obstetrics and gynecology clinic on du Gouverneur Street.


Maritime sector

One of Rimouski's primary economic fields is its maritime sector. Around 1900 the port was important for operating mail tenders such as '' HMCS Lady Evelyn'' for transatlantic liners. These could take mail from an arriving ship in the mouth of the St Lawrence, then speed it by rail to Quebec, arriving long before the ship. The town welcomes students at the Institut Maritime du Québec, which offers 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 (ISMER), the Centre de recherche sur les biotechnologies marines and the Centre interdisciplinaire de développement en cartographie des océans. Rimouski is also home to the headquarters of the
St. Lawrence Global Observatory ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
, /sup> 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. A ferry named the ''CNM Evolution'' traverses to Forestville twice daily from May to September. The port operates five berths ranging from 130 to 213 metres in length, with a water depth of 7.3 metres, and is mainly used for the
transshipment Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination. One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g. ...
of salt. The tide station located at Pointe-au-Père serves as the reference point for measuring mean sea level for the
North American Vertical Datum of 1988 The North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) is the vertical datum for orthometric heights established for vertical control surveying in the United States of America based upon the General Adjustment of the North American Datum of 1988. ...
, which is the reference point for determining altitude in North America.


Transportation and tourism

The city is served by the municipal
Rimouski Airport Rimouski Aerodrome is a registered aerodrome located northeast of Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. It only handles general aviation and cargo flights. History The aerodrome was constructed in 1927, when the Department of Defence constructed a term ...
(
IATA airport code An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code, or simply a location identifier, is a three-character alphanumeric geocode designating many airports and metropolitan areas around the world, defined by the ...
YXK), which caters to general aviation and cargo aircraft, and by the regional
Mont-Joli Airport Mont-Joli Airport is located north northwest of Mont-Joli, Quebec, Canada. It is the only airport with scheduled service in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. History World War II In the summer of 1940 the Royal Canadian Air Force selected a fla ...
(YYY), 35 km to the east of Rimouski, which caters to commercial passenger aircraft. There are daily passenger flights to destinations in Quebec (Quebec City, Montreal, and others) and
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. Between April and October, the CNM Evolution, a
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
service, operates across the
Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...
between Rimouski and
Forestville, Quebec Forestville is a town in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River along Route 138, approximately southwest of Baie-Comeau. There is a vehicle and passenger ferry service from Forestvil ...
. This ferry is the fastest in the 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 ...
, crossing the river in only 55 minutes. One end of the Nordik-Express line is in Rimouski; other stops (on the North Shore) of this weekly 1150 km-long line are in Sept-Îles,
Port-Menier Port-Menier, Quebec is a small fishing town located on the western end of Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada, part of the L'Île-d'Anticosti municipality. The port village was built during the late 19th century by French chocolate maker Henri Meni ...
,
Havre-Saint-Pierre Havre-Saint-Pierre is a town on Pointe-aux-Esquimaux, which is on the Quebec north shore (Côte-Nord) of the Saint Lawrence River in Canada. Located along Route 138 some east of Sept-Îles, it is the largest town and seat of the Minganie RCM, ...
, Natashquan, Kegaska, La Romaine, Harrington Harbour, Tête-à-la-Baleine, La Tabatière, Pointe-à-la-truite, Blanc Sablon and St. Barbe. All stops are in the Quebec, except St. Barbe, which is in Newfoundland and Labrador. The
Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...
south shore railway passes through town, and there is a
VIA Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...
service three times weekly in each direction, which heads westbound toward Quebec City (Sainte-Foy) and Montreal and eastbound toward Moncton and Halifax. The Orleans Express bus service also serves Rimouski;
Rimouski station Rimouski station is a Via Rail station in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. It is located on Rue de l'Évèché, is staffed and wheelchair-accessible. Rimouski is served by Via Rail's ''Ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the bod ...
is on the main thoroughfare from Quebec City to the maritime provinces. One of the town's main tourist attractions is the
Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père The ''Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père'' is a maritime museum located in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, that displays 200 years of maritime history, and includes the first submarine open since 2009 to the public in Canada, . The second ...
, which features an exhibit on the RMS ''Empress of Ireland'' disaster and the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse. The museum's exhibit on the RMS Empress of Ireland disaster commemorates the loss of 1,012 persons in the most fatal shipwreck in the 20th century, after the infamous ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'' tragedy.


Culture

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 Carrousel international du film de Rimouski is a children's film festival taking place each year in Rimouski, Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadia ...
. 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.


Sports

The town is also enthusiastic about sporting events. The town hosted the
Jeux du Québec The Quebec Games (french: 'Jeux du Québec') is a biennial multi-sport event, held every two years in the Canadian province of Quebec, alternating between the Quebec Winter Games and the Quebec Summer Games. Athletes are strictly amateur only, ...
in 2001 and was the host of the
Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...
Tournament in 2009. Since 1995, the town has been home to a
QMJHL The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...
team, the
Rimouski Océanic The Rimouski Océanic are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The franchise was granted for the 1969–70 season as the Sherbrooke Castors. The Castors played in Sherbrooke from 1969 to 1982 before moving t ...
. Former Océanic players include
Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
,
Vincent Lecavalier Vincent "Vinny" Lecavalier (born April 21, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who is currently a special advisor to hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens. Lecavalier, played seventeen seasons in the National Hockey ...
, Michel Ouellet,
Brad Richards Bradley Glen Richards (born May 2, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Lightning, New York Ra ...
and
Alexis Lafrenière Alexis Lafrenière (, born October 11, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected first overall by the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ...
.


Climate

Rimouski has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Dfb'') with cold, snowy winters and warm, rainy summers.


Municipal council

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 Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...
within Rimouski in 2002, except for Le Bic, which was merged in 2009. The municipal council is composed of the
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
and eleven councillors, each one representing a district. Source: Ville de Rimouski


International relations


Twin towns — Sister cities

Rimouski is twinned with: * Westmount, Quebec, Canada ''(since 1968)''


Notable residents

* Philomène Belliveau (1854–1940), artist, lived and died in Rimouski. * Maude Charron, weightlifter, won the gold medal in 64 kg division at the
2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. * Bernard Voyer, explorer, mountaineer. * Patrick Côté, former UFC fighter and MMA competitor.


See also

* Rimouski Seignory *
Rimouski River Rimouski River is a river emptying in Rimouski, on the South shore of St. Lawrence River, in the regional county municipality (RCM) Rimouski-Neigette, in the administrative region of Bas-Saint-Laurent, in Quebec, in Canada. From the border betwe ...
*
List of cities in Quebec This is the list of municipalities that have the Quebec municipality type of city (''ville'', code=V), an administrative division defined by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy. Note that although the terms "city" and ...
*
Municipal reorganization in Quebec A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the g ...


References


Sources


St. Lawrence Global Observatory

Rimouski, Que - The Canadian Encyclopedia


Further reading

* , a novel relating events of the night of May 6, 1950


External links


City of Rimouski
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Quebec populated places on the Saint Lawrence River Populated places established in 1696