Baie-Comeau, Quebec
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Baie-Comeau, Quebec | |
| — Ville — | |
| Ville de Baie-Comeau | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Quebec |
| Region | Côte-Nord |
| Regional county municipality | Manicouagan |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Ivo Di Piazza |
| Area | |
| - Ville | 338.88 km² (130.8 sq mi) |
| - Urban | 11.3 km² (4.4 sq mi) |
| - Metro | 34,856.8 km² (13,458.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2006) From StatsCan |
|
| - Ville | 22,554 |
| - Density | 66.6/km² (172.5/sq mi) |
| - Urban | 10,178 |
| - Metro | 29,808 |
| - Metro Density | 0.9/km² (2.3/sq mi) |
Population decreased 2.3% from 2001 to 2006 |
|
| Time zone | EST (UTC−5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| Area code(s) | 418 |
| Website: Baie-Comeau Official Site | |
Baie-Comeau, Québec (2006 city population 22,554; UA population 10,178; CA population 29,808) is a town located approximately 420 kilometers north-east of Québec City in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Québec, Canada. Its population was 25,554 at the 1996 census, and 23,079 according to the census of 2001. This slight decrease in population in the last decade is partly explained by the fact that many baby-boomers retire then move elsewhere, often looking for warmer temperatures.[citation needed] The absence of a university and many college-level courses forces young people to get their education elsewhere; there are few employment opportunities which drives migration to the larger urban areas of Montréal or Québec City.[citation needed] Baie-Comeau is also the seat of Manicouagan Regional County Municipality
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Baie-Comeau is located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River and of the Manicouagan River, which is home to several hydroelectric dams. The most important Manicouagan hydroelectric dam is Manic 5 located about 230 kilometers north of Baie-Comeau. Those dams are owned by Hydro-Québec and they create the Manicouagan Reservoir. The town was named after Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau, a local naturalist and was founded in 1936 by Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The region is a major center of lumbering for the pulp and paper industry, owned by Abitibi Consolidated, as of October 2006. Alongside hydro-electricity and the paper industry, an aluminum plant has fed the employment for decades.
In June 1982, Baie-Comeau was merged with the small town of Hauterive located about 6 kilometers west of Baie-Comeau. The eastern sector of Baie-Comeau is now known as Marquette, while the western sector of Baie-Comeau is entitled Mingan. They are separated by the 4 km long boulevard Pierre-Ouellet.
Baie-Comeau native Brian Mulroney was elected Prime Minister of Canada in 1984, serving in that office until his 1993 resignation.
[edit] Location
The town is located on Route 138 about 100 kilometers east of Forestville and about 230 kilometers west of Sept-Îles. A ferry service also links the town to Matane on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The town is also connected to Route 389, which leads to Manic 5, the town of Fermont, and the region of Labrador, part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Baie-Comeau is also connected to the rest of Canada by the Baie-Comeau Airport, served by Air Canada.
[edit] City Council
The Baie-Comeau city council consists of the mayor of Baie-Comeau and eight elected city councilors, four from each of the two sectors of town.
The current mayor of Baie-Comeau is Ivo Di Piazza, who was elected by acclamation on October 11, 2002. He was re-elected in the fall of 2005 for a four year term.
[edit] Education
Baie-Comeau is home to several French language public elementary schools, two French language public high schools, one French language private high school, and one English language public school that includes both the elementary and high school level of education.
The town is also home to one French language CEGEP called the CEGEP de Baie-Comeau.
List of schools in Baie-Comeau:
| School Name | Level | Sector |
| École Bois-Du-Nord | Elementary | Western |
| École Boisvert | Elementary | Eastern |
| École Jean-Paul II Template:Ref 1 | High School | Eastern |
| École Leventoux | Elementary | Eastern |
| École Mgr-Bélanger | Elementary | Western |
| École Saint-Coeur-de-Marie | Elementary | Western |
| École Serge-Bouchard Template:Ref 2 | High School | Western |
| École Trudel | Elementary | Western |
| Polyvalente des Baies | High School | Eastern |
| Baie-Comeau High School Template:Ref 3 | Elementary and high school | Eastern |
Template:Ref 1 Only private school in Baie-Comeau Template:Ref 2 Formerly known as Polyvalente des Rives Template:Ref 3 Only English language school in Baie-Comeau
[edit] Sports
The 1993 Quebec Winter Games were played in Baie-Comeau.
Many different sports are played in Baie-Comeau:
- Hockey
Baie-Comeau is home to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, an ice hockey team playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League since 1997. The team plays in the Centre Henry-Leonard located in the eastern sector of the town.
- Skiing
Skiing is a very popular sport in Baie-Comeau. The Centre de ski du Mont-Tibasse is an alpine ski centre located a few kilometers north of the town. It offers twelve slopes. Cross-country skiing is also popular.
- Golf
An 18 hole golf course is available in the western sector of the town. It is a semi-private golf club and is open for most of the summer. Founded by local resident Mark Kerr, the course involves golfing on Baie Comeau's sandbars at low tide.
- Swimming
The two major high schools of the city each offer an indoor swimming pool and are open to the public year round. Two outdoor swimming pools are also available to the public. These are open from the end of June until the middle of August each summer.
Some beaches are also available in the summer. One of them, the Plage Lac Aber, is on the shore of the lake that bears the same name. The beach offers many other activities such as tennis and volleyball. There are other beaches are along the shore of the St. Lawrence river such as: The Plage Champlain and the Plage Pointe-Lebel, among others.
- Tennis
Several outdoor tennis courts are available to the public in the different parks across town. They are open for most of the summer.
- Football
The Baie-Comeau Vikings represent the Polyvalente des Baies in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean League. The team won championships in the eastern Quebec circuit in 2003, 2004 and 2006, and were finalists in 2005.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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