Baie-Comeau, Quebec

Infobox City
name = Baie-Comeau, Quebec
settlement_type = Town
official_name = Ville de Baie-Comeau
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 =
subdivision_type2 = Region
subdivision_name2 = Côte-Nord
subdivision_type3 = Regional county municipality
subdivision_name3 = Manicouagan
subdivision_type4 =
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government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Ivo Di Piazza
leader_title1 =
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established_title = Founded
established_date = 1936
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area_total_km2 = 338.88
area_land_km2 =
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area_urban_km2 = 11.3
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area_metro_km2 = 34856.8
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population_as_of = 2006
population_footnotes =
From StatsCan
population_note =
Population decreased 2.3% from 2001 to 2006
settlement_type = Ville
population_total = 22554
population_density_km2 = 66.6
population_density_sq_mi =
population_metro = 29808
population_density_metro_km2 = 0.9
population_density_metro_sq_mi =
population_urban = 10178
population_density_urban_km2 =
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timezone = EST
utc_offset = −5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = −4
latd= 49
latm= 13
lats= 17
latNS= N
longd= 68
longm= 08
longs= 58
longEW= W
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 12
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postal_code =
area_code = 418
website = [http://www.ville.baie-comeau.qc.ca Baie-Comeau Official Site]
footnotes =

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 22,402 according to the census of 2006. This decrease in population for the past decade is partly explained by the fact that many baby-boomers not born in the city retire then move elsewhere. The absence of 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. [http://www.csestuaire.qc.ca/asp/detComm.asp?id=371&lang=fra&menu=menuPublique] Baie-Comeau is also the seat of Manicouagan Regional County Municipality

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.

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.

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.

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:

ref 1 Only private school in Baie-Comeau ref 2 Formerly known as Polyvalente des Rives ref 3 Only English language school in Baie-Comeau

ports

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

The Centre de ski du Mont-Tibasse is an alpine ski centre located a few kilometers north of the town where it offers twelve slopes. Cross-country skiing is also popular.

* Golf

An 18 holes 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.

References

External links

* [http://www.vikingsbc.com/ Vikings de Baie-Comeau football club]
* [http://www.ville.baie-comeau.qc.ca/ City of Baie-Comeau]
* [http://www.cegep-baie-comeau.qc.ca/ CEGEP de Baie-Comeau]
* [http://www.le-drakkar.com/ Baie-Comeau Drakkar]