Bonne-Espérance () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (Region 09) (, ; ) is an List of regions of Quebec, administrative region of Quebec, on the Quebec-Labrador peninsula, Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, Canada. The region runs along the St. Lawrence River and then the Gulf of St. Lawrence, ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The municipality is made up of the

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

s of St. Paul's River (Rivière-Saint-Paul), Middle Bay (Baie du Milieu), and Old Fort (Old Fort Bay), and was incorporated as a municipality on January 1, 1990. All three communities are accessible via

Quebec Route 138 Route 138 is a major highway in the Canadian province of Quebec, following the entire north shore of the St. Lawrence River past Montreal to the temporary eastern terminus in Kegashka on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The western terminus is in E ...

from

Blanc-Sablon Blanc-Sablon () is a municipality located on the shore of Blanc-Sablon Bay, in the Strait of Belle-Isle, Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent RCM, Côte-Nord, Quebec, Canada. The municipality is made up of the merger of the villages Lourdes-de-Blanc- ...

to the east only; this road currently ends at Vieux-Fort before commencing again at Kegashka some west-south-west.

History

The area was first incorporated in 1963 as part of the Municipality of

Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Côte-Nord-du-Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent () is a municipality in the regional county municipality of Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas, both al ...

, but separated on January 1, 1990, and became the Municipality of Bonne-Espérance.

Early history

Bonne Esperance was first known to be inhabited by the Maritime Archaic people. The Maritime Archaic people are probably the ancestors of today's

Innu The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for ' mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to ...

people, and lived on the coast about 9,000 years ago. When the French met the Innu they called them

Montagnais The Innu/Ilnu ('man, person'), formerly called Montagnais (French for 'mountain people'; ), are the Indigenous Canadians who inhabit northeastern Labrador in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador and some portions of Quebec. They refer to t ...

, because of the hilly land they lived on, however since 1990 the preferred name is Innu.

French colonial history

In 1534,

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

established a short-term storehouse around the modern-day location of Old Fort to help resupply his ship crews. The words "Old Establishment" found on the map of Nicolas Bellin in 1744, would indicate that "Vieux-Fort" is the former site of "Brest", visited especially by

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

and

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

fishermen at the turn of the sixteenth century to hunt whale and render their

blubber Blubber is a thick layer of Blood vessel, vascularized adipose tissue under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds, penguins, and sirenians. It was present in many marine reptiles, such as Ichthyosauria, ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Description ...

for lamp oil. But Brest was later relocated to Brador Bay, where in 1907 a township was created with the same name. In 1702

Augustin Le Gardeur de Courtemanche Augustin le Gardeur de Courtemanche (December 16, 1663 – June 29, 1717) was a Canadian soldier and ambassador from Labrador. Biography Born in Quebec City on December 16, 1663, Augustin le Gardeur de Courtemanche joined the military in 1690, ...

was granted a large concession by the King of France from the

Kegaska River The Kegaska River () is a salmon river flowing on North shore of Estuary of Saint Lawrence. It crosses the unorganized territory of Petit-Mécatina, in the Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region in th ...

(Kegashka) to the Kessessakiou (Hamilton River). In 1702, Courtemanche built a fort on Old Fort Bay to protect the fishermen and trappers he employed to harvest the region's abundance in cod, whale, seal and furs from the hostile

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

. This fort was replaced by Fort Pontchartrain, that Courtemanche built on Brador Bay in 1704. However, in 1714, 800 Inuit attacked the fort and stole everything they could. Courtemanche, planning to strike back at the Inuit to pacify them, died in 1717. His son François Martel De Brouague took over the

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

fishery and managed it profitably through two naval wars between France and England, until his death in 1761.

British colonial history

It was not until the 19th century that permanent residents from

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

and elsewhere in Quebec began to establish the three fishing communities, whose current day inhabitants are largely descended from these people.

Communities

In addition to the three villages mentioned below, the municipality also includes the ghost town of Salmon Bay ().

Middle Bay

Middle Bay () is a small fishing village with a population of thirty-three permanent residents (2016), but in the summer seasons more people go there to fish.

St. Paul's River

The town of St. Paul's River (officially in French: ''Rivière-Saint-Paul''; ) is between the communities of Old Fort Bay and Middle Bay. The population of this village is 100 (2016).

Old Fort

As the name suggests, Old Fort (officially in French: ''Vieux-Fort''; ) has a long history but in 2016 was a town of 234 people.

Demographics

Population

Language

Economy

One of the main jobs for people in Bonne Espérance area is the fishery. There are three fish plants, one located in each of the villages: Middle Bay, St. Paul's River and Old Fort. The fish plants are open during the summer months. This facility employs around 100 people. There is also a school board which employs about 25 people, including teachers, janitors, secretaries and technicians. There is the municipality which employs about 10 people. There is the Coasters Association which employs about 11 people and there are local grocery stores/ businesses that employ a number of people. There is also USL; this is a construction company which operates in Ontario and Alberta. Every year, many of the men leave their community and go to work in both places usually leaving in the spring and returning in the fall. During the winter months, most people who fish, work in the fish plants, and go to work in Alberta and Ontario collect employment insurance benefits.

Local government

List of former mayors: * Lionel Roberts (...–2009, 2013–2017) * Bryce Douglas Fequet (2009–2013) * Roderick Fequet (2017–2021) * Dale Roberts-Keats (2021–present)

Education

St. Paul's River is the only village on the Lower North Shore that has a high school that is not combined with an elementary school. The school was once an elementary and secondary school, but in 2004, it became St. Paul's High School. As well,

Commission scolaire du Littoral The Centre de services scolaire du Littoral is a geographically-based school service centre in Quebec, Canada, with offices in Sept-Îles, Quebec, Sept-Îles and Chevery. Situated along the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the School Board territory consi ...

operates Mountain Ridge School (anglophone) in Old Fort.Schools and centers
."

. Retrieved on September 23, 2017.

References

External links

Lower North Shore Community Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonne-Esperance Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Côte-Nord