Jonquière, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Jonquière was a city on the Saguenay River
in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
region of Quebec
, Canada, near Chicoutimi. In 2002, Jonquière became an arrondissement, or borough, of the merged city of Saguenay
.
Jonquière was created as a result of the 1975 amalgamation of three cities: Jonquière, Kénogami, and Arvida
. Much of Jonquière's development owed its strength to the Price family, who ran a pulp and paper
factory in Kénogami. Today that pulp and paper factory is owned by Abitibi-Consolidated. Arvida is the home of an aluminium
plant owned by Rio Tinto Alcan
.
The Rivière aux Sables runs through the centre of Jonquière. In the summer of 1996, significant damage to the city's buildings was caused by extensive flooding.
to settle on the Rivière aux Sables. It was named after the Marquis de La Jonquière, governor of New France from 1749 to 1752.
Growth came from the construction of pulp and paper mills at the beginning of the 20th century. Between 1925 and 1928, the world's largest aluminum plant was built along with the city Arvida (then a separate town). In 1942, to supply power to the plant, Alcan built a hydroelectric station at Shipshaw that was the largest in the world at that time. Jonquière, Arvida, and Kénogami were amalgmated into a single city, Jonquière, in 1975. Jonquière was the host city for the Quebec Games in the winter of 1976, and also for the Canoe/Kayak World Championships in slalom and whitewater racing, in 1979.
Jonquière is probably best known in the United States as a result of the local Wal-Mart
store which attempted to unionize
and was closed down shortly thereafter. The official reason for this shutdown was "financial problems."
The metal
band Voivod
formed in Jonquière.
Saguenay River
The Saguenay River is a major river of Quebec, Canada.It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east, and passes the city of Saguenay. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River at Tadoussac....
in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is a region in Quebec, Canada. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region...
region of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada, near Chicoutimi. In 2002, Jonquière became an arrondissement, or borough, of the merged city of Saguenay
Saguenay, Quebec
Saguenay is a city in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City....
.
Jonquière was created as a result of the 1975 amalgamation of three cities: Jonquière, Kénogami, and Arvida
Arvida, Quebec
Arvida is a settlement of 12,000 people in Quebec, Canada, that is part of the City of Saguenay. Its name is derived from the name of its founder, Arthur Vining Davis, president of the Alcoa aluminum company ....
. Much of Jonquière's development owed its strength to the Price family, who ran a pulp and paper
Pulp and Paper
Pulp and Paper is the name of the largest United States-based trade magazine for the pulp and paper industry. See also: Paper engineering, Pulp and Paper Merit Badge...
factory in Kénogami. Today that pulp and paper factory is owned by Abitibi-Consolidated. Arvida is the home of an aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
plant owned by Rio Tinto Alcan
Alcan
Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. is a Canadian company based in Montreal. It was created on November 15, 2007 as the result of the merger between Rio Tinto PLC's Canadian subsidiary, Rio Tinto Canada Holding Inc., and Canadian company Alcan Inc. On the same date, Alcan Inc. was renamed Rio Tinto Alcan Inc..Rio...
.
The Rivière aux Sables runs through the centre of Jonquière. In the summer of 1996, significant damage to the city's buildings was caused by extensive flooding.
History
Jonquière was founded in 1847 by Marguerite Belley, who came from La MalbaieLa Malbaie, Quebec
La Malbaie is a municipality in the Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, situated on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Malbaie River...
to settle on the Rivière aux Sables. It was named after the Marquis de La Jonquière, governor of New France from 1749 to 1752.
Growth came from the construction of pulp and paper mills at the beginning of the 20th century. Between 1925 and 1928, the world's largest aluminum plant was built along with the city Arvida (then a separate town). In 1942, to supply power to the plant, Alcan built a hydroelectric station at Shipshaw that was the largest in the world at that time. Jonquière, Arvida, and Kénogami were amalgmated into a single city, Jonquière, in 1975. Jonquière was the host city for the Quebec Games in the winter of 1976, and also for the Canoe/Kayak World Championships in slalom and whitewater racing, in 1979.
Jonquière is probably best known in the United States as a result of the local Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
store which attempted to unionize
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
and was closed down shortly thereafter. The official reason for this shutdown was "financial problems."
The metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Voivod
Voivod (band)
Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...
formed in Jonquière.
Residents of note
- NHL hall of famer Pierre PilotePierre PiloteJoseph Albert Pierre Paul Pilote is a former professional ice hockey defenceman. After playing junior hockey for the St. Catharines Teepees in the Ontario Hockey Association, Pilote played minor professional hockey for the Buffalo Bisons in the American Hockey League. Pilote played 890 games in...
- Singer-songwriter Annie VilleneuveAnnie VilleneuveAnnie Villeneuve is a French Canadian pop singer-songwriter. She participated at the first season of Star Académie in 2003. She also sang the French and the bilingual official song of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, I believe/J'Imagine....
- Heavy metal band VoivodVoivod (band)Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...
Mayors
- Jean Allard ( - January 20, 1868), (1872–1876) and (February 5, 1894 - August 26, 1895 Death)
- Camil Gagné
- Francis Dufour (1975–1985) (Arvida 1967 - 1975)
- Gilles Marceau
- Marcel Martel ( - November 7, 1999)
- Daniel GiguèreDaniel GiguèreDaniel Giguère was the unsuccessful Liberal Party of Canada candidate for the Canadian federal election, 2004 in the riding of Jonquière—Alma...
(November 7, 1999 - February 18, 2002)
External links
Borough Council of Jonquière- Municipality of Jonquiere (Archive) Municipality of Jonquiere (Archive)
- "Giant of the North" Popular Mechanics, December 1943, article on the crash program to create the Shipshaw hydroelectric project