Bonne-Espérance, Quebec

Bonne-Espérance
—  Municipality  —
Bonne-Espérance
Coordinates: 51°23′N 57°40′W / 51.383°N 57.667°W / 51.383; -57.667Coordinates: 51°23′N 57°40′W / 51.383°N 57.667°W / 51.383; -57.667
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Côte-Nord
Regional county	Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent
Incorporated	January 1, 1990
Government[1]
– Mayor	Bryce Douglas Fequet
– Federal riding	Manicouagan
– Prov. riding	Duplessis
Area[1][2]
– Total	721.28 km2 (278.5 sq mi)
– Land	646.73 km2 (249.7 sq mi)
Population (2006)[2]
– Total	834
– Density	1.3/km2 (3.4/sq mi)
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
Postal code	G0G 2P0
Area code(s)	418

Bonne-Espérance is a municipality in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec in Canada.

The municipality is made up of the three fishing villages of Rivière-Saint-Paul (St. Paul's River), Middle Bay, and Vieux-Fort (Old Fort Bay),^[3] and was incorporated as a municipality on January 1, 1990.^[1] All three communities are accessible via Quebec Route 138 from Blanc-Sablon to the east only; this road currently ends at Vieux-Fort before commencing again at Natashquan some 300 kilometres (190 mi) west-south-west.

Early History of Bonne Esperance

Bonne Esperance was first known to be inhibited by the Maritime Archaic people. The Maritime Archaic people are probably the ancestors of today’s Innu people. The Maritime Archaic people were on the coast for about 9000 years ago, when the French people saw these people they called them Montagnais, because of the hilly land they lived on. In 1534 Jacques Cartier claimed this new found land for the King of France. They believed that Old Fort Bay as the first capital of North America. They called this new found land “New France”. It is rumoured that Cartier erected the first cross claiming the land in Baie des Rochers, about 15 km away from what is now known as Old Fort Bay, researchers still do not know the exact placement of the cross. In 1702 Augustin Le Gardeur de Courtemanche was granted a large concession by the King of France. It is believed that Courtemanche built a fort in Old Fort Bay, but this fort supposedly burnt down. When France lost the Seven Years War in 1763 “New France” was taken over by Britain.

Demographics

Population trend:^[4]

• Population in 2006: 834 (2001 to 2006 population change: -2.1 %)
• Population in 2001: 852
• Population in 1996: 906
• Population in 1991: 896

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 300 (total dwellings: 315)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 94.6 %
• French as first language: 1.8 %
• English and French as first language: 0 %
• Other as first language: 3.6 %

Economy

One of the main jobs for people in the Bonne Esperance 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 only open during the summer months. This facility employs about 100 people in total. There is also a school board which employs about 25 people that’s including teachers, janitors, secretaries and technicians. There is the municipality which employs about 10 people. There is the Coasters Assonating 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 most of the people leave their community and go to work in both places and they usually leave in the spring and return in the fall. For most of the jobs that end in the fall during the winter months people go on employment insurance.

Communities

In addition to the three villages mentioned below, the municipality also includes the ghost town of Salmon Bay (51°25′27″N 57°36′55″W / 51.42417°N 57.61528°W / 51.42417; -57.61528).

Middle Bay

Middle Bay is a small fishing village located in the eastern sector of Quebec. This village has a population of thirty-two permanent residents, but in the summer seasons more people go to the village to fish. This village was once a port for Basque fishermen who crossed the Atlantic in the 16th century to fish on the Lower North Shore of Quebec. These people came to the village to hunt whale and render their blubber for lamp oil.

There is an Interpretation Centre in Middle Bay, but there are no stores due to the small population of the village. The artifacts in this centre tells the history of the village and shows the red tiles used to cover the roofs of the Basque whalers' shelters. There is also a fish plant in the area in which cod, mollusk, and crab is processed.

Middle Bay's history began with the Basque whalers, but it was not until the 19th that permanent residents began to come to the area from Newfoundland and elsewhere in Quebec. These residents, like the Basques, fished for their food and sold some of the fish to other people from far away villages.

St. Paul's River

The town of St. Paul's River is located on the Lower North Shore of Quebec. It is a part of the municipality of Bonne Esperance. It is between the communities of Old Fort Bay and Middle Bay. The population of this small village is 468 (2007). 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. The elementary school is about 15 minutes away, in Old Fort Bay.

Some things often done in the summertime in St. Paul's River are fishing, berry picking, whale watching, hiking up Miss Brodie's Hill or walking on the shoreline boardwalk. In the winter, snowmobiling, ice fishing and going to winter cabins are the main activities. St. Paul's River has a Winter Carnival every winter, along with a hockey tournament.

Old Fort Bay

In the village of Old Fort Bay there are many different places to go sightseeing. You can get a beautiful view from the ridge which is located on the hill behind the whole village.The ridge has a few houses upon it where there are two places to go sightseeing. In front of the village is the breakwater which gives easy access to the bay. There is a small hiking trail up on the ridge where you can go. On the big hill you can get an amazing view of every single house in the bay. The hike is about 45 minutes up the hill and 30 minutes back down. You can easily find the locations all over the bay. Where the sites are there are benches, and a small bulletin board to provide some information about the history of Old Fort Bay. Visitors can go for about a 45 minute boat ride to see the islands or go fishing with a fishing rod for trout. Napetipi is about an hour and a half boat ride away. Behind the hill are First Pond, Second Pond, and Old Fort Lake where there is a fishing lodge. There is a store by the name of Chez Nellie's, and a nice gift shop which also has house appliances. The name of the gift shop is Dwight's General Store.

Tourism in St Paul's River

St Paul's River is a place to come and see, you can stay at Auberge Riverside Inn. There are so many things you can discover like go take a boat ride to the islands and discover what happened and who lived there before. There is a small fishing area and hunting for wildlife. On your way here from Blanc Sablon you can stop at St Paul's River lookout and look at the view of St Paul's village, there are picnic tables and benches there to sit and relax. St Paul's is a very nice place to stay and there are very nice people. In the fall you can have festivals, hike and go camping, and have fun. In the winter you can drive on skidoo, go ice fishing, camp at a cabin or have a campfire in the snow.

Sightseeing in St. Paul's River

St. Paul's River is a nice little village in Basse-Cote-Nord, in the province of Quebec. There are a lot of places in this old town where a lot of sightseeing can be done. As soon as you enter the village, there is a little ridge on the outskirts of town where you can see pretty much the whole town, except for the back of the town. You can go up to the tower, which is also quite a view because it is so tall, and get a great look at the back of the town, where you see the houses that were blocked by the houses in front. If you go to the front of the village and get a good look at all the boats in the front of town and the wharf with hills in the back. The memorable monument is also a good sight to see, with the flags behind it. It is pretty tall. The purpose of the monument is to represent the soldiers who fought in World War Two from Bonne Esperance

Sports and recreation

There are many kinds of sports going on in Bonne Espérance. In St Paul's River there is cross country (long distance run), baseball games, volleyball, Four on Four Hockey Tournaments, Carnivals, Track and Field Meets and much more.

There are many hockey tournaments on the Lower North Shore and one of the teams that participates in these tournaments is the St. Paul's Kings, that won the 07/08 season by beating the Blanc Sablon Chiefs in the final game.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Bonne-Espérance" (in French). Répertoire des municipalités. Gouvernement du Québec, Ministère des Affaires Municipales, Régions et Occupation du territoire. http://www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca/cgi-bin/repert1.pl?region=&mrc=&geo=98010&muni=. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Bonne-Espérance community profile". 2006 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. 2007-03-13. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=2498010&Geo2=PR&Code2=24&Data=Count&SearchText=Bonne-Espérance&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
3. ^ Lavallée, Claudia (2004-10-12). "A Summer in Bonne Esperance". CITIZENShift. National Film Board of Canada. http://citizen.nfb.ca/node/6790&dossier_nid=1090#. Retrieved 2008-08-27. 
4. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census

External links

• Lower North Shore Community Web Site