View source for La Baie

{{Short description|Borough of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada}}
{{For|the Canadian department store chain colloquially known as La Baie in French|Hudson's Bay (retailer)}}
{{Redirect|Grande Baie|other uses|Grand Bay (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = La Baie
| native_name = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
| other_name =
| settlement_type = [[Boroughs of Saguenay, Quebec|Borough]]
| image_skyline = Ville de Ville de la Baie.jpg
| image_caption = ''Borough of La Baie (in blue) in the [[Saguenay, Quebec|City of Saguenay]]''
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map = Arrondissements de Saguenay.png
| coordinates = {{coord|48|25|42|N|71|03|44|W|region:CA-QC|notes=<ref>{{Cite cgndb|EITOY|La Baie}}</ref>|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Canada
| subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Province]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Quebec]]
| subdivision_type2 = Region
| subdivision_name2 = [[Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean]]
| subdivision_type3 = City
| subdivision_name3 = [[Saguenay, Quebec|Saguenay]]
| government_type =
| government_footnotes =
| leader_title = Borough president
| leader_name = Éric Simard
| unit_pref = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 262.66 <!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion-->
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use<ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m =
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 19,639
| population_as_of = [[Canada 2006 Census|2006]]
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_note =
| timezone = Eastern
| utc_offset = −5
| timezone_DST = EDT
| utc_offset_DST = −4
| postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... -->
| postal_code =
| area_code = [[Area codes 367, 418, and 581|367/418/581]]
| website = [https://ville.saguenay.ca/la-ville-et-vie-democratique/services-municipaux/bureaux-darrondissement/bureau-darrondissement-de-la-baie La Baie]
| footnotes =
}}
'''La Baie''' ({{IPA|fr|la bɛ}}, {{IPA|fr-CA|la be|label=[[Quebec French|locally]]}}) is one of three [[List of boroughs in Quebec|boroughs]] in the city of [[Saguenay, Quebec|Saguenay]], [[Quebec]], Canada. It was created during [[2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec|Quebec's municipal reorganization]] in 2002. From 1976 to 2001, it was known as the Town of La Baie, a municipality composed of the Grande-Baie, Bagotville and Port-Alfred sectors.
It is located on the bank of the [[Baie des Ha! Ha! (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! Bay]] (French: ''baie des Ha! Ha!'') at the mouths of the [[Ha! Ha! River (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! River]] (French: ''rivière Ha! Ha!'') and the [[Mars River]] (French: ''rivière à Mars''). La Baie was the first colony built in the [[Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean]] region. It was founded by the [[Société des Vingt et un]] who settled the area in 1838. The depth of the banks of the Ha! Ha! Bay's waterways facilitated the rapid development of the region's largest harbour facilities after the [[railways]] were built in 1910.
The borough's main sources of socio-economic development have been the [[Logging industry|logging]] and the [[Pulp and paper industry|pulp and paper]] industries since the nineteenth and twentieth centuries respectively. [[Aluminum]] production began in the early 1980s. After the [[Abitibi-Consolidated]] paper mill, one of the main employers of the borough, shut down in 2004, Saguenay's elected officials decided to invest in La Baie's tourism industry by building and operating a port of call for [[cruise ships]] in 2008.
[[Bagotville Airport]], the main civilian airport in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, is also located in La Baie. The [[Canadian Forces Base Bagotville]], which shares the same airfield, is one of only two Canadian military bases that use the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]]'s [[CF-18]] fighters. The military base is the borough's largest employer.
While [[Chicoutimi]] and [[Jonquière]], the two boroughs that constitute the main urban core of Saguenay, are located close to each other, La Baie is at a moderate distance from the city centre. This has created some unique issues for the borough — for example, while a full-power television or radio station in Saguenay can serve the entire city from a single transmitter without difficulty, La Baie is distant enough from the city's urban core that some low-power broadcasters, such as [[CKAJ-FM]], have had to add separate transmitters to rebroadcast their signals in La Baie.
== History ==
=== Exploration of Ha! Ha! Bay ===
[[File:Semeur la baie.jpg|thumb|left|A monument dedicated to the [[Société des vingt et un]]]]
The Saguenay's [[nomadic]] [[Innu]] tribes once inhabited La Baie. The Chicoutimians lived on the banks of the [[Saguenay River]] well before [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonization]]. Unlike important meeting places like [[Chicoutimi]], Ha! Ha! Bay was far from portages to [[Lac Saint-Jean|Saint-Jean Lake]] (French: ''lac St-Jean'') and was not frequented by [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] or the region's [[French colonization of the Americas|first explorers]].<ref name="Russel">Russel Bouchard and Normand Perron, ''Chicoutimi : la formation d'une métropole régionale'', 1988, 78 pages.</ref>
Although it was not on eighteenth century [[fur trade]] routes,<ref>{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=6}}</ref> Ha! Ha! Bay was used by the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]'s commercial fishing boats at the mouths of the Ha! Ha! (Wissuscoué) and Mars (Vasigamenke) Rivers.<ref name="BouMar10">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=10}}</ref>
In 1828, the [[British Empire|Crown]] mandated land surveyor J.-B. Proulx to explore the bay area; he later reported on its hilly landscapes and logging potential.<ref name="BouMar10" /> Colonization was impossible during this period since the Hudson's Bay Company held exclusive rights to natural resources in the region since 1821,<ref name="BouMar11">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=11}}</ref> a monopoly which would only expire in 1842. It was popular pressure from [[Charlevoix]] and especially [[La Malbaie]] that led to the tenuous beginnings of colonization in the Saguenay region. After an 1829 report<ref name="BouMar11" /> demonstrating the fertility levels of the region's soil, a petition asking for permission to settle the Saguenay region began to circulate in La Malbaie.<ref name="BouMar11" /> The government refused it and ordered further explorations of the region between 1829 and 1836, hoping to find a land link between [[Baie des Ha! Ha! (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! Bay]] and [[Baie-Saint-Paul]]. A second petition was launched in 1835,<ref name="BouMar12">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=12}}</ref> which led to the government and the Hudson's Bay Company to finally cede cutting rights to a company from La Malbaie<ref name="BouMar13">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=13}}</ref> called the [[Société des Vingt et un]].
The company's schooner sailed from La Malbaie on April 25, 1838,<ref name="BouMar16">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=16}}</ref> and made several stopovers along the banks of the Saguenay. After setting up temporary camps near [[Tadoussac]], they built their first sawmill at [[L'Anse-Saint-Jean, Quebec|L'Anse St-Jean]].<ref name="BouMar17">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=17}}</ref> Their goal was to reach Ha! Ha! Bay to build a permanent facility.
=== Bagot Township and the evolution of Grande-Baie and Bagotville ===
[[File:W-Price.jpg|thumb|The "King of Wood" [[William Price (merchant)|William Price]]]]
The [[Société des vingt et un]] arrived in what is now the [[Grande-Baie]] sector on June 11, 1838.<ref name="BouMar17" /> After surveying the forest and assessing its potential, the colonists built the first lock on the [[Ha! Ha! River (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! River]]. In October of that same year, they completed the first [[sawmill]] and created the foundation of what would become Grande-Baie.<ref name="BouMar17" /> The first families arrived during the fall,<ref name="BouMar20">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=20}}</ref> and [[jack pine]] and [[Eastern white pine]] logging operations began in 1839.<ref name="BouMar19">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=19}}</ref> The hydraulic power of the two main rivers, Ha! Ha! and Mars, and the bay's tributaries was used to run several sawmills.<ref name="BouMar19" /> Mars Simard, a resident of [[Baie-Saint-Paul]], opened his own sawmill on the [[Mars River]] and founded Bagotville, the bay's second settlement.<ref name="BouMar20" /> Colonists from Baie-Saint-Paul moved to the new outpost, while those from [[La Malbaie]] preferred Grande-Baie, which had 110 inhabitants in 1839.<ref name="BouMar21">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=21}}</ref>
The Société des Vingt et un began to struggle after it lost two years worth of cutting when [[Log boom|log-booms]] breached in 1840 and 1841.<ref name="BouMar19" /> Their main purchaser, an [[English people|English]] wood merchant named [[William Price (merchant)|William Price]], acquired all of the company's shares in 1842. He also bought the Mars Simard sawmill in 1843,<ref name="BouMar19" /> making Price the owner of every sawmill in lower Saguenay.
The end of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]]'s exclusive lease allowed the lawful colonization of the Saguenay region to begin.<ref name="BouMar24">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=24}}</ref> The territory organized itself independently and Jean-Baptiste Duberg<ref name="NopMor14">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=14}}</ref> was mandated to [[Surveying|survey]] land for the new Bagot Township (named after [[Sir Charles Bagot]])<ref name="NopMar 13">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=13}}</ref> and divide county seats for the new constituency.<ref name="BouMar25">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=25}}</ref> Duberg was also responsible for mapping a road to [[Chicoutimi]] during the summer of 1842, which would eventually become [[Quebec Route 372|Saint-Jean-Baptiste Boulevard and Grande-Baie Nord Boulevard]].<ref name="NopMor14" />
[[File:John kane.jpg|thumb|left|John Kane, the Bagot Township's first mayor]]
The Bagot Township was structurally unique since its population was concentrated in two areas: Bagot Village (Grande-Baie) and Bagot Town (Bagotville).<ref name="NopMor16">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=16}}</ref> John Kane, a land agent originally sent by the government to collect fees for use of Crown lands, became the township's first mayor in 1850.<ref name="BouMar25" /> The [[Province of Canada]] created the counties of Tadoussac and Chicoutimi in 1844.<ref name="BouMar25" />
The region's first school was built between the Ha! Ha! and Mars Rivers to serve the bay's two population hubs.<ref name="BouMar27">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=27}}</ref> The [[Roman Catholicism|clergy]] began to register the population of Grande-Baie in 1842 and Bagotville in 1845.<ref name="BouMar26">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=26}}</ref> On October 15, 1844, the [[Oblates]] arrived in Grande-Baie to found a mission.<ref name="BouMar28">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=28}}</ref> A fire destroyed most of the township in 1846. The parishes of Saint-Alexis-de-Grande-Baie and Saint-Alphonse-de-Bagotville were canonically erected in 1857 and 1861 respectively.<ref name="BouMar31">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=31}}</ref> In 1851, the population around Ha! Ha! Bay reached 2,438; they mostly depended on [[logging]] and [[agriculture]] for their livelihoods.<ref name="BouMar32">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=32}}</ref>
Grande-Baie built its first post office in 1855,<ref name="BouMar33">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=33}}</ref> and was proclaimed a municipality in 1860.<ref name="BouMar31" /> Bagotville became incorporated in 1876 and Grande-Baie followed suit in 1908.<ref name="BouMar31" /> Agriculture began to develop rapidly during the 1850s and focused mainly on cereal production. The blueberry harvest was also an important activity until the arrival of railways in [[Chambord, Quebec|Chambord]] near [[Lac Saint-Jean|St-Jean Lake]] in 1888.<ref name="BouMar35">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=35}}</ref>
An economic downturn occurred during this period and demand decreased for Saguenay [[timber]].<ref name="BouMar35" /> In 1856, there were twenty-six small sawmills around the bay, in addition to the main ones on the Ha! Ha! and Mars Rivers.<ref name="BouMar34">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=34}}</ref> The slowdown during the 1870s led many mills to shut down or convert from [[pine]] to [[spruce]].<ref name="BouMar35" /> Even though the logging industry experienced difficulties, the [[dairy industry]] flourished; by 1894, the number of cheese factories had increased to six.<ref name="BouMar36">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=36}}</ref>
[[Quebec Route 381|St-Urbain Road]] was opened in 1870 and connected Grande-Baie to [[Baie-Saint-Paul]].<ref name="BouMar3738">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|pp=37–38}}</ref> [[Telegraphs]] linked the two towns in 1880.<ref name="BouMar33" /> In 1859, the first [[jetty]] was built on Ha! Ha! Bay in Bagotville.<ref name="BouMar39">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=39}}</ref> Three years later its first [[quay]] was built, which was later purchased by the Canadian government in 1876.<ref name="BouMar39" /> Bagotville's marine facilities, which were mainly used by [[Canada Steamship Lines]], added a [[shipyard]] in 1853.<ref name="BouMar39" />
=== Industrialization of Port-Alfred and the development from 1900 to 1976 ===
{{Main|Bagotville Airport}}
[[File:JEA Dubuc.jpg|thumb|Businessman and politician [[Julien-Édouard-Alfred Dubuc]]]]
The Saguenay region experienced a new phase of economic development after the arrival of railways in [[Chicoutimi]] in 1893.<ref name="BouMar40">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=40}}</ref> Journalist Joseph-Dominique Guay and banker [[Julien-Édouard-Alfred Dubuc]] founded the [[Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi]] in 1898. Because its activities soon became too extensive for Chicoutimi's port facilities, the company's directors decided to build a loading port on the [[Baie des Ha! Ha! (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! Bay]] to ship [[Pulp (paper)|pulp]].<ref name="BouMar44">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=44}}</ref> The Ha! Ha! Bay railway was built in 1909 to facilitate transport to the quay in Bagotville. The first train shipment was on December 13, 1910.<ref name="BouMar42">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=42}}</ref>
Some sawmills had difficulty staying afloat before the arrival of large industry. Price Sawmills, the largest on both the Ha! Ha! and Mars Rivers, closed their doors in 1904 and 1912 respectively.<ref name="BouMar35" /> However, other sectors of the forest industry were booming. From 1902 to 1913, the Battle Island Company operated a pulp debarking factory in Anse-à-Benjamin.<ref name="BouMar34" />
Several municipal infrastructure projects were built in the 1910s. Bagotville's first water system was completed in 1913. Soon [[macadam]] was used to pave the roads around Bagotville's Saint-Alphonse Church.<ref name="BouMar39" /> In 1915, the municipal council adopted a by-law that implemented the use of electric lights. [[Quebec Route 381|Highway 381]] was opened that same year.<ref name="BouMar38">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=38}}</ref>
[[File:Ha! Ha! Bay sulfites.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi]]'s Ha! Ha! Bay Sulphite plant, Port-Alfred, 1918]]
Plans for a chemical pulp plant on Ha! Ha! Bay were drawn up by the Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi in 1914.<ref name="BouMar44" /> The company's director, J.-É.-A. Dubuc, travelled to [[Europe]] to attract capital. Although he found investors in [[England]], the volatility caused by [[World War I]] delayed investment until 1916.<ref name="BouMar44" /> Ha! Ha! Bay Sulphite Company Limited was founded that very year to make the chemical pulp plant a reality. Two hydroelectric power stations were built on the Ha! Ha! River to supply the plant. In 1917, the company purchased two lots from Grande-Baie totalling five square kilometres.<ref name="BouMar44" /> Construction of the Port-Alfred plant began on June 12, 1916, and was completed August 30, 1917. On December 4 of that same year, the Saint-Édouard Parish was founded in Port-Alfred just prior to a formal request to separate the plant's land from Grande-Baie on December 29.
The plant began operating on April 18, 1918. Four days later, the village of Port-Alfred was founded. In 1918, Bagotville organized its own police force. [[Industrialization]], [[urbanization]], and the construction of over fifty homes in Port-Alfred officially changed the new village's status and it became Ha! Ha! Bay's first town on September 5, 1919. Bagotville obtained the same status on January 7, 1920.
Since the beginning of the 1910s, the bay area's population had doubled to 6,600 by 1921.<ref name="BouMar43">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=43}}</ref> Meanwhile, the pulp and paper industry suffered a crisis of overproduction, leading to the rapid bankruptcy of the Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi and the disposal of the Ha! Ha! Bay Sulfite Company on June 30, 1922. It was succeeded by the Bay Sulfites Company Limited, which was also disposed in 1923.<ref name="BouMar45">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=45}}</ref>
[[File:Hotel de ville port alfred-QC.jpg|thumb|The old Port-Alfred Town Hall, which was built during the Great Depression]]
On July 26, 1924, the Port-Alfred Pulp and Paper Corporation acquired the plant and began converting its production from chemical to paper pulp in 1925.<ref name="BouMar45" /> [[Alcan]] purchased Port-Alfred's port and rail facilities in 1926 after the disposal of the Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi. The docks were converted so they could load [[bauxite]] for the new [[aluminum smelter]] in [[Arvida, Quebec|Arvida]].<ref name="BouMar4849">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|pp=48–49}}</ref>
The community continued to grow despite the economic difficulties of the Canadian [[pulp and paper industry]] in 1928.<ref name="BouMar44" /> Canada Power and Paper Corporation acquired the Port-Alfred mill and suspended its activities on October 31, 1930.<ref name="BouMar46">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=46}}</ref> In 1927, the increasing population led to the opening of new schools in Port-Alfred such as the Bagotville Boys' Academy (French: ''Académie des garçons de Bagotville'') and the Saint-Édouard College (French: ''Collège Saint-Édouard'').<ref name="BouMar47">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=47}}</ref> The newly created Consolidated Paper Corporation bought the Port-Alfred paper mill on August 28, 1930, and reopened it on June 8, 1932.<ref name="BouMar46" /> The mill was closed again from 1933 to 1934, which was followed by seventy years of stability. Another [[forest industry]] company, the Scieries Saguenay, opened a plant in Bagotville in 1935.<ref name="BouMar4647">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|pp=46–47}}</ref>
The [[Great Depression]] led to the construction of public works like the Port-Alfred and Bagotville Town Halls.<ref name="BouMar45" /> Many bay area residents turned to agriculture during this period of economic uncertainty.<ref name="BouMar5253">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|pp=52–53}}</ref> [[Desjardins Group|Credit unions]] were established in Grande-Baie in 1927, Port-Alfred in 1933, and Bagotville in 1936.<ref name="BouMar47" /> In addition to the maritime traffic in Alcan's Port-Alfred port facilities, Bagotville's quay became [[Canada Steamship Lines]]' water terminal in the [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean|Saguenay region]] from 1930 to 1938.<ref name="BouMar49">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=49}}</ref>
During the [[Second World War]], the [[Canadian government]] and the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] trained pilots and built several bases including one in Bagotville in 1942. The base was responsible for training pilots and protecting the Arvida aluminum smelter and the regions' dams until October 1944. The base was shut down in 1945.<ref name="BouMar56">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=56}}</ref> In 1945, [[Bagotville Airport|Bagotville's civilian airport]] was run by [[Canadian Pacific Air Lines]].<ref name="BouMar57">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=57}}</ref>
[[File:Bagotville130.jpg|thumb|left|110th [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] Squadron, Bagotville, 1942]]
From 1946 onward, new services such as [[public transportation]] linked Ha! Ha! Bay communities from the Bagotville terminal. The Voice of La Baie (French: ''La Voix de la Baie'') newspaper began publication in 1948.<ref name="BouMar60">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=60}}</ref> The uneven expansion and development of the bay's three urban centres and two rural sectors led to the first municipal mergers in 1953. The Village of Grande-Baie was absorbed by Port-Alfred.<ref name="BouMar54">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=54}}</ref> That same year, the new Saint-Marc-de-Bagotville Parish was established in Bagotville. Nearly a decade later, Notre-Dame-de-La-Baie Parish was founded in Port-Alfred in 1967.<ref name="BouMar56" /> The Ha! Ha! Bay Hospital (French: ''Hôpital de la baie des Ha! Ha!'') opened its doors in 1970.<ref name="BouMar61">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=61}}</ref>
The [[Cold War]] led to the reopening of the Bagotville military base in July 1951. Four chase squadrons were stationed there, including the 413th<ref name="RCAF413">[http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/14w-14e/sqns-escs/page-eng.asp?id=428 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron (TRS)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827123025/http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/14w-14e/sqns-escs/page-eng.asp?id=428 |date=2012-08-27 }} Department of National Defense, 2008. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> and [[No. 414 Squadron RCAF|414]]th<ref name="RCAF414">[http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/3w-3e/sqns-escs/page-eng.asp?id=1329 414 Electronic Warfare Squadron (EWS)] Department of National Defense, 2011. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> until 1953, the [[440 Transport Squadron|440]]th<ref name="RCAF440">[http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/17w-17e/sqns-escs/page-eng.asp?id=413 440 "Vampire" Transport Squadron] Department of National Defense 2011. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> until 1957, and the [[No. 432 Squadron RCAF|432]]nd<ref>[http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/v2/hst/page-eng.asp?id=726 432 All Weather Fighter Squadron] Department of National Defense 2008. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> until 1961. Their mission was to intercept any intrusion in the Canadian northeast. In 1962, the [[425 Tactical Fighter Squadron|425th squadron]] was stationed in Bagotville with [[CF-101 Voodoo]] interceptors. It was responsible for protecting the 22nd NORAD.<ref name="BouMar56" /> In 1958, [[Air Canada]] and [[Québec Air]] began scheduling flights from [[Bagotville Airport]].<ref name="BouMar57" />
Municipal mergers in the Ha! Ha! Bay became an increasingly pressing issue and was the most important intermunicipal political debate of the 1960s.<ref name="BouMar55">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=55}}</ref> Bagotville and Port-Alfred's mayors, Hervé Tremblay and Laurier Simard, strongly opposed each other on the issue.<ref name="BouMar55" /> It was ultimately the [[Quebec government]] that forced the merger in 1974 with the Act Concerning Certain Outaouais and Upper Saguenay Municipalities (French: ''Loi concernant certaines municipalités de l'Outaouais et du Haut-Saguenay''). The letters patent were issued December 10, 1975, for the merger on January 1, 1976.<ref name="BouMar55" />
=== Town of La Baie (1976–2001) ===
[[File:Ville de la Baie Logo.svg|thumb|The former Town of La Baie's logo]]
The Town of La Baie was founded on January 1, 1976. It was the result of the merger of the Towns of Bagotville and Port-Alfred and the [[Parish municipality (Quebec)|Parish Municipalities]] of Grande-Baie and Bagotville. Since the first municipal elections were only scheduled for November 1977, a temporary municipal council was appointed. The leaders of the merged municipalities sat on an administrative council; city hall alternated between the mayors of Bagotville and Port-Alfred.<ref name="BouMar55" /> After the 1977 elections, Laurier Simard, the former mayor of Port-Alfred, became the Town of La Baie's first mayor.
The Grande-Baie aluminum smelter was built between 1977 and 1982. [[Alcan]] spent nearly a billion dollars building the plant that opened on September 15, 1981.<ref name="BouMar59">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=59}}</ref> The [[Saguenay Fjord National Park]] was created in 1983 to open the [[Saguenay Fjord]] to tourists.<ref name="BouMar65">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=65}}</ref> That same year, the relocation of the Port of Chicoutimi to Grande-Anse began, moving the port from [[Baie des Ha! Ha! (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! Bay]] to the [[Saguenay River]]. The Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal was inaugurated in October 1986.<ref name="BouMar63">{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988|p=63}}</ref> The [[CFB Bagotville|Bagotville military base]] put its first [[CF-18]]s in operation in December 1984.<ref name="BouMar56" /> These planes replaced the CF-101 Voodoos that had been used since the 1960s.
For La Baie's celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the first colony in [[Grande-Baie]], the ''Théâtre du Palais municipal'' presented the first season of the historical extravaganza called The Amazing History of a Kingdom (French: ''La Fabuleuse Histoire d'un royaume''). On November 25 of that same year, [[Quebec]] was hit by the [[1988 Saguenay earthquake|Saguenay earthquake]], measuring 6.25 on the [[Richter magnitude scale]].<ref name="UDS">[http://bilan.usherbrooke.ca/bilan/pages/evenements/3403.html Tremblement de terre au Québec] Université de Sherbrooke. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref>
==== Saguenay Flood ====
{{Main|Saguenay Flood}}
[[File:Pyramide des Ha! Ha!.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Ha! Ha! Pyramid]], a monument commemorating the 1996 Saguenay Flood]]
From July 18 to 21, 1996, a major [[Low-pressure area|depression]] resulted in 260&nbsp;mm of rain falling within a fifty-hour period on the [[Laurentides Wildlife Reserve|Laurentian Wildlife Reserve]] and the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. The soil, which was already oversaturated after a particularly rainy month, could not absorb the excess water from the [[Saguenay River]]'s drainage basins. The heavy rainfall rapidly increased the discharge from the Ha! Ha! Bay's tributaries' river basins and other Saguenay waterways. The first signs of disaster appeared on the night of July 18 to 19. Land erosion caused a house in Grande-Baie to be ripped apart and sewers located near the banks of the Ha! Ha! River began to back up. The Ha! Ha! and Mars Rivers' discharges quickly became dangerous and blocked access to the bridges that crossed them. The situation was at its lowest point when a dam on [[Ha! Ha! Lake]] ruptured and washed away central Grande-Baie.
La Baie, and especially the Grande-Baie sector, was the town that was the most heavily hit by the Saguenay Flood. Fifty million dollars were required to rebuild public infrastructure and an additional thirty million were needed to stabilize the Ha! Ha! and Mars riverbanks. The railways were heavily damaged, which paralyzed the city's economy, cut off drinking water supplies, and isolated areas east of the Mars River. Transportation to lower Saguenay was impossible, leaving sectors of Port-Alfred and Grande-Baie completely isolated.<ref name="MuséeFlood">[http://www.museedufjord.com/inondations/saguenay_eng/impacts_labaie_eng.htm The Impacts in the District of La Baie] Musée du Fjord. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref>
Reconstruction of the Grande-Baie sector and the development of the commemorative Ha! Ha! Park began in 1997. The [[Ha! Ha! Pyramid]] was built in 1998 and officially inaugurated in 2000.<ref name="PyramidPres">[http://www.arts-ville.org/media/upload/fichiers/saguenay_07.pdf ''Les Arts et la ville'' Contest Presentation - Ha! Ha! Pyramid] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184642/http://www.arts-ville.org/media/upload/fichiers/saguenay_07.pdf |date=2016-03-03 }} City of Saguenay. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref>
Uniboard built the Panneaux MDF La Baie Inc. plant in 1997, which made medium-density fibreboard out of wood residue.<ref name="LogSaw">[http://www.forestnet.com/archives/March_02/engineered_wood.htm Logging and Sawmilling Journal - March 2002 - Engineered Wood: Environmental Asset] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913145729/http://forestnet.com/archives/March_02/engineered_wood.htm |date=2015-09-13 }} Logging and Sawmilling Journal 2002. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> In 2001, rumours about the [[Abitibi-Consolidated]] mill in Port-Alfred shutting down began to surface after eighty-nine people were laid off.<ref name="Deslauriers">Roger Deslauriers. ''La Baie, usine de Port-Alfred, La ténacité des travailleurs devant Abitibi-Consolidated''. [http://www.lemondeforestier.ca/%7CLeLe Monde forestier Le Monde Forestier] March 2004. Consulted 2008-12-16.</ref>
As 2002 approached, the Town of La Baie began opposing the Quebec government's plan for [[2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec|municipal mergers]] after the Department of Municipal Affairs published a white paper called Municipal Reorganization: Changing the Way We Do Things to Better Serve Citizens (French: ''La Réorganisation municipale: changer les façons de faire pour mieux server les citoyens'') on April 25, 2000. Some of La Baie's elected officials expressed opposition to the imminent municipal mergers in the Saguenay region by joining [[Laterrière, Quebec|Laterrière]] in refusing to sit on transition committees.<ref name="Bouchard">Denis Bouchard. "Toujours la politique de la chaise vide à La Baie." ''Le Quotidien'', August 4, 2001.</ref> Despite this, the mergers were officialized and the November 25, 2001, municipal elections for borough representatives were held for the new [[Saguenay, Quebec|city of Saguenay]].
=== City of Saguenay and the La Baie Borough ===
{{Main|Saguenay, Quebec}}
[[File:Villesaguenay.svg|thumb|left|City of Saguenay logo]]
La Baie was merged into the City of Saguenay on January 1, 2002.
[[File:Port d'escale La Baie.jpg|thumb|Construction of the A-Lepage Quay's port of call]]
Despite everything that was proposed and done to keep the [[Abitibi-Consolidated]] mill open in Port-Alfred, it was temporarily shut down on December 10, 2003, as part of a major restructuring plan. It was officially closed on January 26, 2004;<ref name="RadCanUsine">[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/mauricie/2008/02/11/004-belgo-port-alfred_n.shtml L'expérience de l'usine Port-Alfred]. [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|Radio-Canada]]. 12 February 2008. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> 640 jobs were lost.<ref name="Castonguay">Alain Castonguay, "Des fermetures d'usines au Témiscamingue - Encore plus de chômeurs au Saguenay." [http://www.lemondeforestier.ca/ Le Monde Forestier]. February 2004. Consulted 2008-12-16.</ref> Having learnt from its difficult and costly experience while trying to save the [[Gaspésia]] paper mill, the [[Quebec government]] withdrew from plans to reopen the plant in 2005.<ref name="RadCanGaspésia">[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/saguenay-lac/2005/11/07/006-bechard_port-alfred.shtml Québec ne veut pas faire de Port-Alfred une autre Gaspésia]. Radio-Canada. 7 November 2005. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> The mill was demolished in 2006.
Two years after the mergers, the Quebec government allowed merged municipalities to hold public consultations starting on May 16, 2004, to organize demerger [[referendums]] to be held on June 20, 2004.<ref name="RadCanDemergers">[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/special/nouvelles/Defusions_Saguenay/200405/16/001-registres-dimanche.shtml Défusions : ouverture des registres] Radio-Canada. 16 May 2004. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> Although La Baie was the centre of demerger support in Saguenay at the time, demerger support was not widespread enough to affect the borough's status. By the May 21, 2004, deadline, only fifty of the required 1,502 signatures were missing to hold a referendum.<ref name="RadCanSag">[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/special/nouvelles/Defusions_Saguenay/200405/21/001-def-20-05-04-sag.shtml Saguenay pourra aller de l'avant]. Radio-Canada. 16 May 2004. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref>
Since its creation in 2002, the City of Saguenay, Promotion Saguenay, and the Quebec government have worked together to increase tourism in the La Baie Borough by building port facilities for [[cruise ships]]. Originally, these groups had planned to develop Port-Alfred's Powell Quay and the Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal and set up a shuttle service. However, it was eventually Bagotville's Algélias-Lepage Quay that was selected for the installation of cruise ship facilities because of the shorter disembarkation distance and increased safety for the boat passengers.<ref name="BAPE-Lepage">Promotion Saguenay. [http://www.bape.gouv.qc.ca/sections/mandats/quai_lepage/documents/PR3-2.pdf Aménagement d'un port d'escale au quai A.-Lepage - Étude d'impact sur l'environnement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171744/http://www.bape.gouv.qc.ca/sections/mandats/quai_lepage/documents/PR3-2.pdf |date=2016-03-03 }}. March 2006. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> After the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (French: ''Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement'') held consultations, work began in August 2007<ref name="RadCanEBC">[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/saguenay-lac/2007/08/17/003-ebc_quai_escale.shtml La firme EBC est choisie]. Radio-Canada. 17 August 2007. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> despite a small opposition movement to the project in 2006.<ref name="RadCanOppo">[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/saguenay-lac/2006/12/22/001-registre.shtml Le projet pourra aller de l'avant]. Radio-Canada. 22 December 2006. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> The quay welcomed its first ships in September 2008.<ref name="RadCanBoat">[http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/saguenay-lac/2008/09/09/003-croisieres_n.shtml Un premier bateau à La Baie]. Radio-Canada. 9 September 2008. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref>
== Geography ==
{{Main|Saguenay, Quebec}}
=== Territory ===
[[File:Ville de la baie.svg|thumb|left|The urban core of the La Baie Borough]]
[[File:Ha! Ha! sud-est.jpg|thumb|The southeast bank of Ha! Ha! Bay (Grande-Baie)]]
La Baie is located in the eastern part of the [[Saguenay, Quebec|city of Saguenay]]. It lies between upper and lower Saguenay and surrounds [[Baie des Ha! Ha! (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! Bay]]. The borough borders the [[Saguenay River]] to the north, [[Saint-Félix-d'Otis, Quebec|Saint-Félix-d'Otis]] to the east, [[Ferland-et-Boilleau, Quebec|Ferland-et-Boilleau]] to the southeast, La Zec Mars-Moulin to the south, the [[Laterrière, Quebec|Laterrière]] sector to the southwest, and the [[Chicoutimi]] Borough to the west.
La Baie is {{convert|262|km2|abbr=on}} or 23% of Saguenay's total area. The urbanized zone is located on the mouths of the Ha! Ha! and Mars Rivers. Urbanized areas cover only a small part of the bay area and the neighbouring plateaus.
Like the [[Saguenay Fjord]]'s steep relief, altitude rises sharply from the bay's shores, particularly on the northwest banks. Overlooking the bay, the Centennial Cross (French: ''Croix du centenaire'') is {{convert|200|m|abbr=on}} from the shore and is located on the des Écorceurs Cove at an altitude of {{convert|170|m|abbr=on}}. On the other side of the bay is [[Mount Bélu]], which has an altitude of {{convert|200|m|abbr=on}}. The town's outskirts stretch along a [[fluvial terrace]] down the Ha! Ha! and Mars Rivers toward [[Chicoutimi]] and [[Laterrière, Quebec|Laterrière]] and go all the way to the [[Laurentian Mountains|Laurentians]]. The [[plateaus]] to the east and southeast are flat enough for both agriculture and large infrastructure such as the [[Bagotville Airport]] and the Grande-Baie aluminum smelter.
The borough's soil is clayey like much of the Saguenay region because of river-ice deposits in the ravines that face the bay. There are seventy-one scars from old [[landslides]] in the La Baie Borough's urban core.<ref name="Landslides">[http://wwwdsa.uqac.ca/glissements/labaie.htm La Baie Landslides] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627060852/http://wwwdsa.uqac.ca/glissements/labaie.htm |date=2007-06-27 }} Applied Sciences department, [[Université du Québec à Chicoutimi]]. 1999. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref>
=== Climate ===
[[File:Baie Ha! Ha!.jpg|thumb|left|Ha! Ha! Bay and the des Écorceurs Bay in the wintertime]]
Like most cities alongside the [[Saguenay River]] and east of [[Lac St-Jean|St-Jean Lake]], La Baie has a [[continental climate]] that is milder than the surrounding [[Laurentian Plateau]]. La Baie has an average annual temperature of {{convert|2.3|C}} with temperatures varying between {{convert|-44|and|36|C}}.<ref name="Climate">Étienne Troestler. [http://www.encyclobec.ca/main.php?docid=332 Le climat au Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008092153/http://www.encyclobec.ca/main.php?docid=332 |date=2007-10-08 }}. ''Enclyclobec''. 13 November 2002. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> Even though it is located on the same latitude as warmer European cities such as [[Paris, France|Paris]] or [[Vienna, Austria|Vienna]], La Baie has long, cold winters and short, mild summers.
The borough receives an average of {{convert|660|mm|abbr=on}} of rain and {{convert|340|cm|abbr=on}} of snow annually. July is the rainiest month while February is the driest. Skies are overcast 60 to 65% of the time; the borough has an average of 1,720 hours of sunshine per year.
During the winter, the average thickness of the ice on Ha! Ha! Bay is {{convert|75|cm|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/fjord/english/home_e.html Saguenay Fjord - Virtual Museum]. Virtual Museum of Canada. 30 September 2002. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> Icebreakers keep the Saguenay River open for ships until Port-Alfred, where tides can reach up to {{convert|6|m|abbr=on}}.
{{Weather box
|location = Bagotville, Quebec (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–present)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|Jan maximum humidex = 14.7
|Feb maximum humidex = 13.4
|Mar maximum humidex = 21.1
|Apr maximum humidex = 31.0
|May maximum humidex = 40.6
|Jun maximum humidex = 43.2
|Jul maximum humidex = 43.9
|Aug maximum humidex = 43.2
|Sep maximum humidex = 40.8
|Oct maximum humidex = 30.7
|Nov maximum humidex = 25.5
|Dec maximum humidex = 12.9
|year maximum humidex =
|Jan record high C = 15.2
|Feb record high C = 13.6
|Mar record high C = 25.2
|Apr record high C = 30.4
|May record high C = 34.4
|Jun record high C = 36.3
|Jul record high C = 38.4
|Aug record high C = 36.1
|Sep record high C = 33.3
|Oct record high C = 28.3
|Nov record high C = 23.6
|Dec record high C = 14.4
|Jan high C = -9.7
|Feb high C = -7.4
|Mar high C = -0.7
|Apr high C = 7.4
|May high C = 16.6
|Jun high C = 22.3
|Jul high C = 24.5
|Aug high C = 23.4
|Sep high C = 18.2
|Oct high C = 9.9
|Nov high C = 2.3
|Dec high C = -5.1
|year high C =
|Jan mean C = -15.1
|Feb mean C = -13.1
|Mar mean C = -6.3
|Apr mean C = 2.1
|May mean C = 10.2
|Jun mean C = 16.0
|Jul mean C = 18.7
|Aug mean C = 17.6
|Sep mean C = 12.6
|Oct mean C = 5.7
|Nov mean C = -1.5
|Dec mean C = -9.5
|year mean C =
|Jan low C = -20.4
|Feb low C = -18.7
|Mar low C = -11.8
|Apr low C = -3.2
|May low C = 3.7
|Jun low C = 9.6
|Jul low C = 12.9
|Aug low C = 11.8
|Sep low C = 6.9
|Oct low C = 1.4
|Nov low C = -5.4
|Dec low C = -13.9
|year low C =
|Jan record low C = -40.6
|Feb record low C = -43.3
|Mar record low C = -33.6
|Apr record low C = -24.4
|May record low C = -10.4
|Jun record low C = -2.6
|Jul record low C = 0.9
|Aug record low C = 0.8
|Sep record low C = -6.7
|Oct record low C = -12.2
|Nov record low C = -25.6
|Dec record low C = -39.5
|Jan chill = -55.0
|Feb chill = -54.8
|Mar chill = -44.9
|Apr chill = -34.3
|May chill = -19.5
|Jun chill = -7.2
|Jul chill = 1.7
|Aug chill = -1.3
|Sep chill = -9.6
|Oct chill = -16.6
|Nov chill = -32.9
|Dec chill = -51.2
|year chill =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 57.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 48.3
|Mar precipitation mm = 57.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 61.4
|May precipitation mm = 77.7
|Jun precipitation mm = 88.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 112.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 100.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 101.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 91.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 66.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 64.4
|year precipitation mm =
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 19.0
|Feb precipitation days = 15.5
|Mar precipitation days = 15.2
|Apr precipitation days = 14.6
|May precipitation days = 15.2
|Jun precipitation days = 14.7
|Jul precipitation days = 16.7
|Aug precipitation days = 16.3
|Sep precipitation days = 15.1
|Oct precipitation days = 17.5
|Nov precipitation days = 18.2
|Dec precipitation days = 20.0
|year precipitation days = 198.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 6.5
|Feb rain mm = 5.7
|Mar rain mm = 13.8
|Apr rain mm = 39.9
|May rain mm = 77.6
|Jun rain mm = 88.0
|Jul rain mm = 111.8
|Aug rain mm = 91.2
|Sep rain mm = 102.6
|Oct rain mm = 77.0
|Nov rain mm = 37.8
|Dec rain mm = 11.8
|year rain mm =
|Jan rain days = 1.7
|Feb rain days = 1.7
|Mar rain days = 3.7
|Apr rain days = 9.8
|May rain days = 14.8
|Jun rain days = 14.9
|Jul rain days = 16.6
|Aug rain days = 15.5
|Sep rain days = 16.1
|Oct rain days = 15.4
|Nov rain days = 8.6
|Dec rain days = 3.2
|year rain days = 122.1
|snow colour = green
|Jan snow cm = 64.8
|Feb snow cm = 55.3
|Mar snow cm = 45.6
|Apr snow cm = 24.1
|May snow cm = 3.4
|Jun snow cm = 0.0
|Jul snow cm = 0.0
|Aug snow cm = 0.0
|Sep snow cm = 0.1
|Oct snow cm = 8.3
|Nov snow cm = 46.6
|Dec snow cm = 73.4
|year snow cm =
|unit snow days = 0.2 cm
|Jan snow days = 19.1
|Feb snow days = 15.4
|Mar snow days = 13.1
|Apr snow days = 7.2
|May snow days = 1.1
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.07
|Oct snow days = 3.5
|Nov snow days = 13.7
|Dec snow days = 19.6
|year snow days = 92.8
|Jan humidity = 75.4
|Feb humidity = 72.9
|Mar humidity = 64.5
|Apr humidity = 55.3
|May humidity = 48.2
|Jun humidity = 50.6
|Jul humidity = 56.0
|Aug humidity = 56.3
|Sep humidity = 60.7
|Oct humidity = 65.9
|Nov humidity = 76.5
|Dec humidity = 79.1
|year humidity =
|source 1 = Environment Canada<ref name = ECCC>
{{cite web
|url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1991_2020_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=83000000&dispBack=0
|publisher = Environment and Climate Change Canada
|title = Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020
|access-date = September 26, 2023
}}
</ref>(rain/rain days, snow/snow days, humidex, wind chill, humidity 1981–2010)<ref>
{{cite web
|url = https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnName&txtStationName=bagotvi&searchMethod=contains&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=5889&dispBack=1
|publisher = Environment and Climate Change Canada
|title = Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010
|access-date = September 26, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}
== Demographics ==
{{historical populations
| title = Around Ville de La Baie<ref>{{harvp|Bouchard|Martin|1988}}</ref>
| cols = 2
| 1839 | 110
| 1851 |2438
| 1861 |3142
| 1871 |2902
| 1881 |3328
| 1891 |3159
| 1901 |2787
| 1911 |3644
| 1921 |6599
| 1931 |8201
| 1941 |10447
| 1951 |13096
| 1961 |18583
| 1971 |19801
| 1981 |20935
| 1991 |20995
| 2001 |19940
| 2006 |19639
| source = 1991-2006<ref name="Portrait" />
}}
The La Baie Borough is the fourth largest urban centre in [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]] (after [[Chicoutimi]], [[Jonquière]], and [[Alma, Quebec|Alma]]) with 7% of the region's total population. Over half of the region's population lived there before 1860. Upper Saguenay and [[Lac Saint-Jean|Saint-Jean Lake]] were settled later and experienced much faster rates of population growth. The population of La Baie was soon surpassed by [[Chicoutimi]], which eventually became the region's capital.
The La Baie Borough lost 6.5% of its population between 1991 and 2006.<ref name=Portrait>[http://ville.saguenay.ca/pdf/industriecommerce/Portrait_socio-economique_Saguenay_2007.pdf Portrait socio-économique de Saguenay]{{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110224112054/http://www.ville.saguenay.qc.ca/pdf/industriecommerce/Portrait_socio-economique_Saguenay_2007.pdf |date=2011-02-24 }}, CLD de la Ville de Saguenay et Promotion Saguenay, 2007. Consulted 2009-02-06</ref> It experienced the largest demographic decline of the [[Saguenay, Quebec|city of Saguenay]]; the entire city lost 4.4% of its population during the same period. Even though the [[Abitibi-Consolidated]] mill closed in 2003, the population decline has slowed since 2001. The population decreased by 5.3% from 1996 to 2001 and by 1.5% from 2001 to 2006.<ref name="Portrait" /> La Baie also contains the city's youngest families.<ref>[http://ville.saguenay.ca/pdf/maville/PFM_Consultations.pdf City of Saguenay - ''Consultations sur le projet de politique familiale municipale à Saguenay'']. 2007. Consulted 2008-11-13.</ref>
It is the most sparsely populated Saguenay borough with 75 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="StatsCan">[http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html Statistics Canada 2006 Census] Combination of the [http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/map-carte/pdf/CT_SR-DA_AD/2011-92147-408-016000-00.pdf 40800160.00], [http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/map-carte/pdf/CT_SR-DA_AD/2011-92147-408-016100-00.pdf 40800161.00], [http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/map-carte/pdf/CT_SR-DA_AD/2011-92147-408-016200-00.pdf 40800162.00], and [http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/map-carte/pdf/CT_SR-DA_AD/2011-92147-408-016300-00.pdf 40800163.00] Census tracts of the 2006 Census, or the territories of the former Town of La Baie and the La Baie Borough of the City of Saguenay</ref> According to the 2006 census, it had 19,639 inhabitants,<ref name="Portrait" /> 7,755 households,<ref name="StatsCan" /> and 5,635 families.<ref name="StatsCan" /> The most densely populated sector is Port-Alfred with 117.4 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="StatsCan2">[http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html Statistics Canada 2006 Census] Census tract [http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/map-carte/pdf/CT_SR-DA_AD/2011-92147-408-016200-00.pdf 40800162.00], the Port-Alfred sector of the city of Saguenay</ref>
According to [[Statistics Canada]], 97.4% of the population is [[French-speaking Quebecer|francophone]] and 0.7% of the population is [[English-speaking Quebecer|anglophone]].<ref name="StatsCan" /> Immigrants make up less than 1% of the population.<ref name="StatsCan" />
In 2006, 9.9% of the population over the age of fifteen had a university diploma ([[Bachelor degree|bachelor]]'s or [[Graduate school|higher]]), 38.8% had a [[CEGEP]] diploma, and 18.8% had a [[high school]] diploma. In 2001, 32.4% of the population over the age of fifteen had not completed high school, which is the highest percentage of all three of Saguenay's boroughs.<ref name="Portrait" />
The average per capita income is $24,107. The average household income is $50,119.<ref name="StatsCan" /> The sector with the highest per capita income is Grande-Baie at $28,319,<ref name="StatsCan3">[http://www.statcan.gc.ca/start-debut-eng.html Statistics Canada 2006 Census] Census tract [http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/geo/map-carte/pdf/CT_SR-DA_AD/2011-92147-408-016300-00.pdf 40800163.00] which corresponds to the Grande-Baie sector of Saguenay</ref> and the sector with the lowest is Port-Alfred at $21,462.<ref name="StatsCan2" />
{{alternating rows table|class=wikitable}}"
|+ Sociodemographic profile in 2006<ref name="StatsCan" />
|-
! Indicator:||La Baie||Saguenay (city)|| Quebec
|-
|Men (%)||align=center|49.6||align=center|48.7||align=center|48.9
|-
|Women (%)||align=center|50.4||align=center|51.3||align=center|50.1
|-
|Median age||align=center|42.7||align=center|43.5 ||align=center|41.0
|-
|Population less than 15 years old (%)||align=center|15.9||align=center|15.2||align=center|16.6
|-
|Population 16 to 64 years (%)||align=center|69.9||align=center|69.4||align=center|69.1
|-
|Population 65 years and over (%)||align=center|14.2||align=center|15.4||align=center|14.3
|-
|Income per capita (CAD$)||align=center|24,107||align=center|23,288||align=center|24,430
|-
|Poverty rate<ref>Percentage of people living below the low income cutoff</ref> (%)||align=center|10.5||align=center|14.5||align=center|17.2
|}
== Borough ==
[[File:La baie Saguenay.png|thumb|Since 2002, La Baie has been a borough of the City of Saguenay]]
The La Baie Borough, which was created on February 18, 2002, accounts for 3 of 19 electoral districts and 13.3% of the city's voters.<ref name="MAMROT">Ministère des affaires municipales et des régions du Québec. [http://www.mamrot.gouv.qc.ca/pub/organisation_municipale/historique/reorganisation_loi170/decret-ville-de-saguenay.pdf Décret pour la constitution de ville de Saguenay]. 2000. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref> It is governed by a [[borough council]] that elects a president who also serves as one of three municipal councillors. The borough's director and [[clerk of court]] hold the other two municipal council seats. Council meetings are held once a month and are open to the public. They are held at the La Baie Borough Office in the Bagotville sector, which once housed La Baie's town hall.<ref name="Conseil">[http://ville.saguenay.ca/fr/administration-municipale/conseils-municipaux-et-darrondissement/organisation-et-role City of Saguenay - Municipal and Borough Councils]. Consulted 2012-01-24.</ref>
The La Baie Borough Council oversees [[urban planning]], [[traffic flows]], [[snow removal]], the [[Road|road system]], [[firefighting]], [[Socioeconomic development|socioeconomic]], [[Community development|community]], and [[cultural development]], [[parks]], and [[recreation]] around the Ha! Ha! Bay.<ref name="Conseil" />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| City of Saguenay Mayor || Josée Néron
|-
| Borough President || Éric Simard
|-
| Municipal Councillor District 13 || Raynald Simard
|-
| Municipal Councillor District 14 || Éric Simard
|-
| Municipal Councillor District 15 || Martin Harvey
|}
=== Administrative history ===
====Administrative history of Ha! Ha! Bay communities from colonization until today====
{{Gallery
| height = 120 |width=120 |align=center
|File:Lbmap1.png |alt1=Map of the town in 1837|From 1837
Colonization was divided into two major areas: Grande-Baie and Bagotville.
|File:Lbmap2.png |alt2=Map of the town in 1855 |1855
Bagot Township was created; Grande-Baie became the county town and Bagotville was given a secondary status.
|File:Lbmap3.png |alt3=Alt text |1860
The Saint-Alexis-de-Grande-Baie parish municipality was canonically erected; the Bagot Township was governed from Bagotville.
|File:Lbmap4.png |alt4=Alt text |1876
Saint-Alphonse-de-Bagotville was canonically erected; Bagotville became a village.
|File:Lbmap5.png |alt5=Alt text |1908
Grande-Baie became a village.
|File:Lbmap6.png |alt6=Alt text |1917-1920
The Village of Port-Alfred was created within Grande-Baie's territory in 1917. Port-Alfred became a town in 1919 and Bagotville become one in 1920.
|File:Lbmap7.png |alt7=Alt text |1953
The Town of Port-Alfred absorbed the Village of Grande-Baie.
|File:Lbmap8.png |alt8=Alt text |1976
The Towns of Port-Alfred and Bagotville and the Saint-Alphonse-de-Bagotville and Saint-Alexis-de-Grande-Baie parish municipalities merged and became the Town of La Baie.
|File:Lbmap9.png |alt9=Alt text |2002
The Town of La Baie became the City of Saguenay's La Baie Borough after the merger with Chicoutimi, Jonquière, Laterrière, Shipshaw, Lac-Kénogami, and Canton-Tremblay.}}
=== Mayors of La Baie since 1855 ===
{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
|-
! colspan=60 | Mayors of La Baie since 1855
|-
| colspan=60 style="text-align:center;" |Bagot Township (1855)
|-
| colspan=60|(1851–1860) John Kane
|-
| colspan=24 style="text-align:center;" |Bagot Township
| colspan=36 style="text-align:center;" |Parish of Grande-Baie (1860)
|-
| colspan=24|1859-1871 Abel Tremblay
1871-1872 Onésime Côté
<br />1872-1873 Thomas Tremblay
<br />1873-1875 J.-Aimé Gravel
<br />1875-1876 Abraham Tremblay
| colspan=36 rowspan=3|<br />1860-1868 John Kane
1868-1870 Frédéric Fortin
<br />1870-1872 Louis-Joseph Forcade
<br />1872-1878 Philibert Gagnon
<br />1878-1881 Tite Dufour
<br />1881-1884 Louis-Didier Tremblay
<br />1884-1886 Johnny Savard
<br />1886-1889 Philippe Lavoie
<br />1889-1892 Auguste Lavoie
<br />1892-1893 Ernest Lavoie
<br />1893-1896 Louis Tremblay
<br />1896-1899 Johnny Savard
<br />1899-1903 L.-D. Tremblay
<br />1903-1908 Pitre Grenon
|-
| colspan=12 style="text-align:center;" |Parish of Bagotville (1876)
| colspan=12 style="text-align:center;" |Village of Bagotville (1876)<br /> Town of Bagotville (1920)
|-
| colspan=12 rowspan=7|1876-1878 Adolphe Tremblay
1878-1880 Omer Bouchard
<br />1880-1884 Gehu Perron
<br />1884-1885 Didyme Bouchard
<br />1885-1887 Pierre Paradis
<br />1887-1889 Joseph Bluteau
<br />1889-1892 Firmin Paradis
<br />1892-1898 Alfred Boivin
<br />1898-1907 Didyme Bouchard
<br />1907-1908 Pitre Gaudreault
<br />1908-1910 Herménégilde Girard
<br />1910-1913 Joseph Simard
<br />1913-1914 Xavier Villeneuve
<br />1914-1916 Philippe Simard
<br />1916-1917 Ben Maltais
<br />1917-1919 Alfred Boivin
<br />1919-1927 Xavier Bouchard
<br />1927-1933 Philippe Simard
<br />1933-1947 Alfred Tremblay
<br />1947-1955 Edouard Larouche
<br />1955-1957 Edgar Tremblay
<br />1957-1959 Louis-Joseph Simard
<br />1959-1962 Edgar Tremblay
<br />1962-1965 Anatole Simard
<br />1965-1968 Edgar Tremblay
<br />1969-1975 Jean-Baptiste Larouche
| colspan=12 rowspan=7|1876-1879 J.-Aimé Gravel
1879-1880 Alfred Potvin
<br />1880-1883 Onésime Côté
<br />1883-1888 J.-Aimé Gravel
<br />1888-1892 Elzéar Boivin
<br />1892-1893 Wilfrid Lévesque
<br />1893-1894 Wilfrid Côté
<br />1894-1896 Agésilas Lepage
<br />1896-1897 Pierre Chayer
<br />1897-1899 Abel Tremblay
<br />1899-1904 Wilfrid Côté
<br />1904-1905 Pitre Gauthier
<br />1905-1906 Hector Harvey
<br />1906-1908 J.-Emile Tremblay
<br />1908-1914 Wilfrid Lévesque
<br />1914-1916 Stanislas Minier
<br />1916-1917 Louis-Joseph Lévesque
<br />1917-1922 Pierre Chayer
<br />1922-1924 Odina Simard
<br />1924-1932 Louis-Joseph Lévesque
<br />1932-1933 Thomas-Louis Villeneuve
<br />1933-1937 Georges-Henri Lavoie
<br />1937-1939 J.-Louis Desbiens
<br />1939-1943 Georges-Henri Lavoie
<br />1943-1945 J.-Théo Tardif
<br />1945-1949 Georges-Henri Lavoie
<br />1949-1966 J.-C. Lévesque
<br />1966-1975 Hervé Tremblay
|-
| colspan=24 style="text-align:center;" |Village of Grande-Baie (1908)
| colspan=12 style="text-align:center;" |Parish of Grande-Baie
|-
| colspan=24|ttt
| colspan=12 rowspan=5|1908-1914 Henry McNicoll
1914-1917 Omer Lavoie
<br />1917-1919 Johnny Lalancette
<br />1919-1925 Méridé Minier
<br />1925-1927 Johnny Lalancette
<br />1927-1935 Méridé Minier
<br />1935-1941 Philippe-Auguste Lavoie
<br />1941-1942 Georges Simard
<br />1942-1945 Joseph Dufour
<br />1945-1949 François Gagnon
<br />1949-1951 Joseph Dufour
<br />1951-1953 Liguori Bergeron
<br />1953-1956 Pierre-Alphonse Tremblay
<br />1956-1959 Adrien Simard
<br />1959-1968 Adrien Tremblay
<br />1968-1975 Adrien Simard
|-
| colspan=12 style="text-align:center;" |Village of Port-Alfred (1917)<br />Town of Port-Alfred (1919)
| colspan=12 style="text-align:center;" |Village of Grande-Baie
|-
| colspan=12|(1917-) Adélard Grenon
| colspan=12 style="text-align:center;" |Port-Alfred (1953)
|-
| colspan=24 style="text-align:center;" |Town of Port-Alfred (1953)
|-
| colspan=24|(19..-1976) Laurier Simard
|-
| colspan=60 style="text-align:center;" |Town of La Baie (1976)
|-
| colspan=60| (1976–1980) Laurier Simard
(1980–1984) Claude Richard<br />(1984–1988) Gérard-Raymond Morin<br />(1988–1997) Claude Richard<br />(1997–2002) Réjean Simard
|-
| colspan=60 style="text-align:center;" |Borough of La Baie (2002)<br />''(Borough presidents)''
|-
| colspan=60|(2002–2008) Serge Simard, [[Jean Tremblay]]
(2008–2009) Jean-Eudes Simard, [[Jean Tremblay]]
<br />(2009–2013) Jean-Eudes Simard, [[Jean Tremblay]]
|(2013–2017) François Tremblay, [[Jean Tremblay]]
|(2017–2021) Éric Simard, [[Josée Néron]]
|-
|}
=== Residential districts and urban planning ===
[[File:Port-Alfred 1.jpg|thumb|A Port-Alfred residential neighbourhood]]
According to [[Statistics Canada]], in 2006 the La Baie Borough contained 8,112 dwellings, 7,763 or 95.7% of which were principal residences while 4.3% were second residences. The percentage of dwellings built after 1986 was 22.7% or 1,840 new dwellings, which is slightly above the Saguenay average of 22.1%. Among inhabited dwellings, 6.8% need major repairs, which is 0.1% higher than the city mean. The average value of the borough's dwellings is $103,131, which is lower than the city average of $116,559.
Most residences (45.8%) were single-family dwellings. Semidetached houses represented 6.8% of residences, while 2.9% were row houses and 18.2% were duplexes. Apartment buildings with less than five stories accounted for 23.2% and those with more than five stories were 0.2%. Rental units constituted 37% of dwellings (2,870) and owned dwellings made up 63% (4,890).
=== Politics ===
The [[House of Commons of Canada|federal riding]] of [[Chicoutimi—Le Fjord]] represents the borough's 15,051 voters.<ref name="SagDist">[http://ville.saguenay.ca/pdf/maville/District_ArrBaie.pdf Ville de Saguenay - Vie politique municipale - Les districts électoraux - La Baie]{{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110224112054/http://www.ville.saguenay.qc.ca/pdf/maville/District_ArrBaie.pdf |date=2011-02-24}}, City of Saguenay. 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-07.</ref> La Baie, which contains 20% of the riding's voters, has lost political clout to the more populous [[Chicoutimi]] Borough that shares the same Member of Parliament.<ref name="ChiFjord">[http://www.elections.ca/scripts/pss/Profile.aspx?L=E&ED=24016&EV=99&EV_TYPE=6&PC=&Prov=BC&MapID=&QID=-1&PageID=14 Electoral District Profile - Chicoutimi-Le Fjord] Elections Canada. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref>
Chicoutimi—Le Fjord's current [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|MP]] is [[Richard Martel]] of the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]].
At the provincial level, the La Baie Borough represents 41% of voters in the [[Dubuc (electoral district)|Dubuc]] riding.<ref name="Dubuc">[http://www.electionsquebec.qc.ca/english/provincial/electoral-map/general-information-on-the-provincial-electoral-divisions-2011.php?bsq=759&section=historique General information on the provincial electoral divisions - Dubuc] Le directeur général des élections du Québec. 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref>
The riding has been represented by the [[Quebec Liberal Party]] [[Member of the National Assembly (Quebec)|MNA]] [[Serge Simard]] since 2014.
=== Economics ===
{{alternating rows table|class=toccolors}}
|+ Employment in the borough of La Baie (2006)<ref name=StatsCan />
|- style="background:#A8CCA4;color:#000080;font-size:105%;"
| align=center|''Sectors of activity'' ||colspan=2 align=center|''Number of jobs<br />in 2006''|| Quebec
|-
| align=left | [[Primary sector of the economy|Agriculture and raw materials]] ||305||align=center |3 %||align=center |4 %
|-
| align=left | [[Construction]] ||565 ||align=center |6 %||align=center |5 %
|-
| align=left | [[Manufacturing]] ||1,370||align=center |15 %||align=center |15 %
|-
| align=left | [[Wholesale|Wholesale trade]] ||270||align=center |3 %||align=center |4 %
|-
| align=left | [[Retail]] ||1,150||align=center |13 %||align=center |12 %
|-
| align=left | [[Finance]] and [[real estate]] ||195||align=center |2 %||align=center |5 %
|-
| align=left | [[Health services|Health]] and [[social services]] ||1,125||align=center |12 %||align=center |11 %
|-
| align=left | [[Education system|Education]] ||580||align=center |6 %||align=center |7 %
|-
| align=left | [[Customer service]] ||1,015||align=center |11 %||align=center |17 %
|-
| align=left | [[Service (economics)|Other services]] ||2,510||align=center |29 %||align=center |20 %
|- bgcolor=#A8CCA4
| align=center | Total ||9,085||
|}
La Baie's economy used to depend on [[logging]] and [[wood processing]], which contributed the area's expansion during the twentieth century. Since the closure of Port-Alfred's [[Abitibi-Consolidated]] mill in 2004, the borough's main economic drivers have been the [[Rio Tinto Alcan]] aluminum smelter in Grande-Baie (684 employees) and the [[CFB Bagotville|Bagotville military base]] (1,200 soldiers and 250 civilians).<ref name="Villes">[http://carriere.jobboom.com/marche-travail/dossiers-chauds/2006/05/29/1604755.html Villes en péril] Jobboom. March 2006. Retrieved 2012-01-28.</ref> Overall, there are sixty-one businesses in thirty-four fields of activity. According to [[Statistics Canada]], 56% or 9,085 of the borough's residents were part of the labour force in 2006. The 2006 [[unemployment rate]] was 8.5%. Workers from outside the borough come mainly from [[Chicoutimi]], [[Jonquière]], and the lower Saguenay region. More the half of the labour force of [[Saint-Félix-d'Otis, Quebec|Saint-Félix-d'Otis]] and [[Ferland-et-Boilleau, Quebec|Ferland-et-Boilleau]] work in La Baie.<ref name="Atlas">[http://atlas.uqac.ca/saguenay-lac-saint-jean/index.php Atlas Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean] Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref>
==== Primary and secondary sectors ====
===== Agriculture and the dairy industry =====
[[File:La Baie Chemin du Plateau.JPG|thumb|left|Arable land on the plateau between Chicoutimi and La Baie]]
Despite the harsh terrain around Ha! Ha! Bay, the plateaus that extend toward [[Laterrière, Quebec|Laterrière]] and [[Chicoutimi]] and overhang Grande-Baie are fertile enough to produce small quantities of [[cereals]] and oleaginous plants. [[Truck farming]] is practised in fields and in [[greenhouses]]. La Baie also contains a [[tree nursery]] and a greenhouse for grass farming. [[Fodder crop]] production is important for supporting the borough's dairy industry. [[Deer]]<ref name="Cervid">[http://www.domaineducervide.ca/eng/index.htm Domaine du cervidé]. 2008. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> and [[cattle]] farming are also practised.
''L'écohameau de La Baie'' was founded in 1990 by the ''Groupe de recherches écologiques de la Batture'' (GREB). It includes an [[organic farm]] (''Vallons de Chambreule'') and six single-family ecological homes.<ref name="Ecohameau">[http://www.greb.ca/GREB/Ecohameau_de_La_Baie.html L'écohameau de La Baie]. Groupe de recherches écologiques de La Baie. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> For a long time, it was the only certified organic farm in Saguenay. In 2000, it was the first farm in [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]] to offer [[Community-supported agriculture]] (community-supported agriculture) baskets.<ref name="Vallons">[http://www.greb.ca/GREB/Les_Vallons_de_chambreule.html Les Vallons de chambreule]. Groupe de recherches écologiques de La Baie. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref>
[[Dairy|Milk production]] is still the main agricultural activity. The borough contains twenty-one [[dairy farms]] that are members of the [[Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec]]. There are two major milk processing companies in the borough: ''La Laiterie de La Baie'', which employs seventy people and accounts for 25% of the region's dairy market<ref>[http://www.laiteriedelabaie.com/entreprise.htm L'entreprise] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703165613/http://www.laiteriedelabaie.com/entreprise.htm |date=2008-07-03 }}. Les laiteries de La Baie. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> and the ''Fromagerie Boivin'' which uses between 12 and 17 million litres of milk a year to manufacture [[Cheddar cheese]].<ref>Melissa Bruneau [http://atlas.uqac.ca/saguenay-lac-saint-jean/docDownload/Route-fromage.pdf La route des fromages au Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]. February 28, 2008. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> ''Les bergeries du Fjord'' make a [[sheep]]'s milk cheese.
===== Logging =====
[[File:Image-Usine Ville de la Baie Recut.jpg|thumb|The Port-Alfred mill, which was demolished in 2006]]
The [[logging]] and wood substance processing industries generated 1,172 jobs in 2002. The 2004 closure of the [[Abitibi-Consolidated]] paper mill led to the direct or indirect loss of 780 jobs, totalling 30 million dollars in lost wages.<ref name="CODEX">[http://ville.saguenay.ca/.../Memoire_projet_Eastmain_1-A_derivation_Rupert.pdf Examen conjoint du projet Eastman 1-A et la dérivation Rupert]. Promotion Saguenay and CLD de la Ville de Saguenay. May 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> The MDF La Baie plant, which was founded in 1996 and employs 120 people, had to cut eighty jobs in 2007 and 2008 because of the decreased demand for [[Medium-density fibreboard|MDF panels]].
Outside of large industry, La Baie's logging sector includes small- and medium-sized businesses involved in [[forest management]] and [[wood]] transportation. Some local sawmills include the ''Scierie Armand Tremblay & Fils'' and the ''Scierie Gauthier'', which is the oldest business in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.<ref name="Gauthier">[http://www.scieriegauthier.com Scierie Gauthier]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528151330/http://scieriegauthier.com/entreprise.htm |date=2010-05-28 }}. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> After the Abitibi-Consolidated-owned ''Scierie Saguenay'' closed in 2005, it transferred most of its fifty employees to the Saint-Fulgence sawmill.<ref name="SciSag">Alain Castonguay. [http://carrefour.cegep-baie-comeau.qc.ca/rpresse/0512/lmf/200512lmf08.pdf Scierie Saguenay, à La Baie, ferme ses portes]{{dead link|date=February 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. December 2005. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> Several small businesses manufacture wood into end items such as kitchen cabinetry, furniture, roof framing, and flooring.
===== Quarries, non-ferrous materials, and chemicals =====
Although La Baie does not have any [[mining|mines]], [[granitic|granitic rock]] is extracted in Grenville Province, particularly Laurentian [[granite]] and [[gneiss]]. These [[quarries]] contain [[polychrome]],<ref name="Polychrome">[http://www.mrn.gouv.qc.ca/english/mines/industry/architectural/architectural-quarrying-stones-granite-brown-polychrome.jsp Polychrome]. Ministère des ressources naturelles. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-29.</ref> an [[architectural stone]] used in the [[Brookfield Place (New York City)|World Financial Centre]] in [[New York, New York|New York]], the [[Canadian Museum of Civilization]] in [[Ottawa|Ottawa, Ontario]], Canada and the [[Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center|Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre]] in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]'s [[Federal Triangle]].<ref name="Polycor">[http://www.polycor.com/eng/products/view/39 Polychrome M - Granite]. 2010. Retrieved 2013-01-29.</ref> The borough's other quarries specialize in crushed, building, and landscaping stone.
Other minor industrial activities include [[glass]]-cutting, the production of plastic and chemical derivatives (such as cleaners and industrial degreasers), [[PVC]] window frames, and [[Bitumen|asphalt]].<ref name="Gauthieretal">Magella J. Gauthier, Carl Brisson, and Jean-François Fortin. [http://atlas.uqac.ca/saguenay-lac-saint-jean/?P=Accueil&S=Productions%20connexes&L=fr L'exportation au Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Portrait des établissements manufacturiers exportateurs, 1994 à 2003]. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. 2004. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref>
===== Metals =====
In 2002, aluminum production at the [[Rio Tinto Alcan]] plant in Grande-Baie combined with [[metal fabrication]] and [[machining]] generated 1,147 jobs in the borough. The Grande-Baie [[aluminum smelter]], which opened its doors in 1980, employs 684 people and produces 196,000 tonnes of [[aluminum]] annually.<ref name="Electrolyse">[http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/58444/publication.html Société d'électrolyse et de chimie Alcan ltée, usine de Grande-Baie]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204104608/http://www.slv2000.qc.ca/bibliotheque/centre_docum/protection/049_f.pdf |date=2008-12-04 }}. 2006. Environment Canada. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> Nearly 40% of the plant's employees live in the borough.<ref name="Munger">Frédéric Munger. Étude sur la mobilité de la main d'œuvre au Saguenay : rapport d'analyse. UQAC, CLD Fjord-du-Saguenay, 42 pages.</ref> Related industries such as aluminum fabrication, structural framing, and iron frame production<ref name="Gauthieretal" /> are also essential to La Baie's economy.
===== Commerce =====
[[File:Galerie La Baie.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Galeries de La Baie'' shopping centre]]
The borough's market potential is estimated at 220 million dollars.<ref name="Portrait" /> Despite the presence of the ''Galeries de La Baie'' shopping centre, which employs 185 people, and Victoria Street, the borough's main commercial artery, La Baie has the smallest area of commercial influence. Along with [[Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec|Dolbeau-Mistassini]], La Baie's residents are the least likely in the region to shop in their own neighbourhood. Even though the borough is closer to the lower Saguenay area and is linked there by a direct road, [[Chicoutimi]] is the region's most popular shopping destination.<ref name="Atlas" />
===== Institutions =====
{{Main|Bagotville Airport}}
[[File:Alouettebagotville.svg|thumb|left|The 425th tactical fighter squadron badge]]
[[File:CF18imp2.jpg|thumb|A CF-18 interceptor plane of the 425th tactical fighter squadron taking off from Bagotville]]
The [[Canadian Forces Base Bagotville]] is the borough's main employer. It has 1,584 permanent and temporary employees, including the 837 military families of 3 Wing.<ref name="SagNum">Saguenay en chiffres [http://www.ville.saguenay.qc.ca/pdf/industriecommerce/Saguenay_en_chiffres_2005.pdf]{{dead link|date=January 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, CLD de la Ville de Saguenay and Promotion Saguenay, 2005. Retrieved 2008-12-24</ref> It brings 100 million dollars to the area, including 65 million dollars in salaries and 11 million dollars of federal investment in La Baie and the [[Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean]] region.<ref name="Portrait" /> The airbase's control tower is managed by [[Nav Canada]], which also collects weather data.
Other federal institutions in the borough include a [[Department of Public Works and Government Services]] office inside the Bagotville base and a Human Resources and Skill Development office offering immigration and employment services. There is also a Community Futures Development Corporation office, an organization that focuses on [[community economic development]].
The borough's provincial institutions include a ''Centre local d'emplois'', a ''Carrefour jeunesse emploi'', and a [[SAAQ|Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec]] branch. The [[Dubuc (electoral district)|Dubuc]] MNA's riding office is also located in the borough.
=== Transportation ===
==== Automobile ====
[[File:Route 372 La Baie.jpg|thumb|The De la Grande-Baie Nord Boulevard (Highway 372) toward downtown La Baie]]
A provincial highway and two interregional highways cross La Baie. The main road, [[Quebec Route 170|Highway 170]], runs from Highway 70 (which junctions with [[Quebec Route 175|Highway 175]]) to [[Chicoutimi]] and Port-Alfred.<ref name="COMT">[http://www.comt.ca/french/NHSRoutesDec2006French.pdf Réseau routier national - Liste des routes du RRN au 31 décembre 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150606143024/http://www.comt.ca/french/NHSRoutesDec2006French.pdf |date=2015-06-06 }}. Conseil des ministres responsables des transports et de la sécurité routière. 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-28.</ref> It becomes an interregional highway along Ha! Ha! Bay toward lower Saguenay. The other interregional highway, the ''Route du petit Parc'' ([[Quebec Route 381|Highway 381]]), begins at Port-Alfred and heads toward [[Ferland-et-Boilleau, Quebec|Ferland-et-Boilleau]]. These interregional roads both connect the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region to [[Charlevoix, Quebec|Charlevoix]]. The only intermunicipal highway is Saint-Jean-Baptiste Boulevard, which becomes Grande-Baie Nord Boulevard ([[Quebec Route 372|Highway 372]]) on the eastern edge of the borough. It connects [[Rivière-du-Moulin, Quebec|Rivière-du-Moulin]] in Chicoutimi to Bagotville.
Automobile traffic in the borough passes mostly on Highway 170. The stretch between [[Bagotville Airport]] and Grande-Baie is used by 10,000 automobiles daily. Between Grande-Baie and lower Saguenay, it drops to 2,500 to 5,000 automobiles.<ref name="TransQ">[http://www.bv.transports.gouv.qc.ca/mono/0936013/05_Chap_4.pdf Le transport des personnes]. Transport Québec. 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-29.</ref> The Petit Parc (Highway 381) in direction of Ferland-et-Boilleau is used by 1,000 to 2,500 vehicles per day and the ligne Bagot (Grande-Anse Road) between Bagotville Airport and the Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal is travelled by fewer than 1,000 vehicles a day.<ref name="TransQ" /> In 2000, 5% of vehicles from outside the region came from the Laurentian Wildlife Reserve (Highway 175) and 30% from lower Saguenay using Highway 170.<ref name="TransQ" /> Over 1,000 heavy vehicles drive between La Baie and Chicoutimi every day using only this road.<ref name="TransQ" /> Fewer than 500 heavy vehicles a day come from lower Sagenay and Ferland-de-Boilleau.<ref name="TransQ" />
[[File:Terminus La Baie.jpg|thumb|left|STS Terminal in La Baie]]
[[Public transportation]] in the borough is provided by the City-owned [[Société de transport du Saguenay]] (STS). Two bus lines link the Chicoutimi and La Baie terminals: the ''Via Saint-Jean-Baptiste'' line that uses Highway 372 and the ''Via Aéroport'' that goes by Highway 170.<ref name="STS">[http://ville.saguenay.ca/fr/services-aux-citoyens/transport-sts/horaire-et-circuit/secteurs#labaie Horaires et circuits - Secteur La Baie]. Société de transport du Saguenay. 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-29.</ref> Three bus lines from the La Baie terminal serve the borough year-round and one during the winter. The ''Des Érables via Centre d'achats'' line travels to the Bagotville sector, the ''Polyvalente de La Baie via Avenue du Parc'' to Port-Alfred, and the ''Boulevard de la Grande-Baie Sud'' to Grande-Baie. The fourth bus line, ''Chemin Saint-Louis'', travels along Saint-Louis Road during the wintertime.<ref name="STS" />
Cyclists can travel through La Baie using [[Route Verte]] 8. The bicycle path enters La Baie by De la Grande-Baie Nord Boulevard and reaches Laurier-Simard Quay, where it stretches six kilometres along Ha! Ha! Bay.
==== Maritime ====
The La Baie Borough has two deep-water ports:
* The port facilities in Port-Alfred at the end of Ha! Ha! Bay; and
* The Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal (Port of Saguenay) located outside of Ha! Ha! Bay on the [[Saguenay River]], on the north shore of Cap-à-l'ouest.
===== Port-Alfred =====
{{alternating rows table|class=toccolors}}
|+ Traffic in Port-Alfred (2003)<ref name="DNV" />
|- style="background:#bdbbd7;color:#000080;font-size:105%;"
|align=center| ''Imported goods'' || {{formatnum:3800000}} [[Tonne|t]]
|-
| align=left | [[File:Symbol support vote.svg|13px|+]] [[Bauxite]] || {{formatnum:3030000}} t
|-
| align=left | [[File:Symbol support vote.svg|13px|+]] [[Petroleum coke]] || {{formatnum:350000}} t
|-
| align=left | [[File:Symbol support vote.svg|13px|+]] [[Sodium hydroxide|Caustic soda]] || {{formatnum:190000}} t
|-
| align=left | [[File:Symbol support vote.svg|13px|+]] [[Fuel oil]] || {{formatnum:160000}} t
|-
| align=left | [[File:Symbol support vote.svg|13px|+]] [[Fluorite]] || {{formatnum:70000}} t
|- style="background:#bdbbd7"
| align=center | ''Exported goods'' || 930,000 t
|-
| align=left | [[File:Symbol oppose vote.svg|13px|-]] [[Aluminum]] || {{formatnum:930000}} t
|- style="background:#bdbbd7"
| align=center | Goods in transit || {{formatnum:4730000}} t
|}
Port-Alfred is the largest port in the [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]] region and has been owned by [[Alcan]] since 1924. It is the main entryway for the natural resources the region's [[aluminum smelter]]s require. In 2006, 5.5 million tonnes of raw and manufactured material passed through these installations.<ref name="DNV">[http://www.dnv.com/industry/maritime/publicationsanddownloads/publications/dnvbullkcarrierupdate/2007/12007/port_alfred.asp]{{dead link|date=January 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Port Alfred, Canada. DNV Publications. 2008. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref>
The Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi built the first port facilities on the Ha! Ha! Bay in the early twentieth century.<ref>[http://bilan.usherbrooke.ca/bilan/pages/evenements/20358.html Réaménagement des installations portuaires à Port-Alfred]. [[Université de Sherbrooke]]. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> Port-Alfred's mill and deep-water port made shipping pulp overseas much easier than Chicoutimi's port facilities, which were limited by the Saguenay River's shallow northern arm. The Port-Alfred Quay was opened in 1915. In 1924, the Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi's bankruptcy forced the company to sell its transportation infrastructure including the Port-Alfred port facilities to [[Alcan]]. The port was redeveloped to be able to receive [[bauxite]] and other materials needed for aluminum production and for shipping the Port-Alfred Pulp and Paper Corporation's [[newsprint]]. Duncan Quay was completed in 1938 and Powell Quay in 1948. Since 1976, [[icebreakers]] have kept Port-Alfred's port facilities accessible year-round.<ref name="DNV" /> In 2000, Alcan entrusted the management of Powell Quay to the Saguenay Port Authority.<ref name="TransMar">[http://www.bv.transports.gouv.qc.ca/mono/0936013/06_Chap_5.pdf Le transport des marchandises]. Ministère des Transports. 2002. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref>
Port Alfred's Quays:
Duncan Quay: [[Rio Tinto Alcan]] has owned Duncan Quay since its construction in 1938. This quay imports raw material and exports aluminum. It is 386 metres long, has two berths, and is 11.9 metres deep at low tide.<ref name="Precicast">[http://www.precicast.ca/transport.htm Situation géographique]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050102215607/http://www.precicast.ca/transport.htm |date=2005-01-02 }}. Précicast. 1998. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> It is connected to a railway. It can accommodate ships of over 69,000 tonnes.<ref name="Precicast" />
Powell Quay: The Saguenay Port Authority has owned Powell Quay since 2000. It mainly exports finished goods and secondary processing products overseas and imports Alcan's liquid bulk. Before Abitibi-Consolidated closed in 2003, the quay also exported newsprint.<ref name="BAPE-Lepage" /> It is 347 metres long, has four berths, and is 10 to 10.9 metres deep at low tide.<ref name="Precicast"/> A railway also passes through the quay. It can accommodate ships of over 69,000 tonnes.<ref name="Precicast" />
Between 130 and 140 ships<ref>Between thirty and forty during the summer and nearly one hundred during the winter</ref> dock at Port-Alfred each year.<ref name="TransMar" /> They mainly originate from bauxite-exporting countries like [[Brazil]], [[Ghana]], and [[Guinea]]<ref name="DNV" /> and carry [[bauxite]], [[petroleum coke]], [[sodium hydroxide]], [[fuel oil]], and [[fluorite]]. The port also exports most of the aluminum ingots produced in the region's four smelters.<ref name="DNV" />
[[File:P-Alfred.jpg|framed|center|Port-Alfred's port facilities]]
===== Port of Grande-Anse =====
{{alternating rows table|class=toccolors}}
|+ Traffic in the Port of Grande-Anse (2007)<ref name="POSReport">[http://www.portsaguenay.ca/File/Port_Saguenay_AR07_eng.pdf 2007 Annual Report - Port Saguenay]. Saguenay Port Authority. 2007. Retrieved 2013-05-08.</ref>
|- style="background:#bdbbd7;color:#000080;font-size:105%;"
|align="center"|''Imported goods''||141,814&nbsp;[[Tonne|t]]||align="center"|''Exported goods''|| 98,082&nbsp;t
|-
| align=left |{{increase}} [[Calcium chloride|De-icing salt]]|| {{formatnum:63371}} t ||align=left|{{decrease}} [[Pulp (paper)|Wood pulp]] || {{formatnum:69033}} t
|-
| align=left |{{increase}} [[Pitch (resin)|Pitch]] || {{formatnum:32681}} t ||align=left|{{decrease}} [[Aluminum]] || {{formatnum:14284}} t
|-
| align=left |{{increase}} [[Coal]] || {{formatnum:30391}} t ||align=left|{{decrease}} [[Timber]] || {{formatnum:13743}} t
|-
| align=left |{{increase}} Boxed goods || {{formatnum:5717}} t ||align=left|{{decrease}} Boxed goods|| {{formatnum:1022}} t
|-
| align=left |{{increase}} [[Granite]] || {{formatnum:4956}} t||align=left|
|-
| align=left |{{increase}} [[Bricks]] || {{formatnum:4698}} t||align=left| ||
|- style="background:#bdbbd7"
|||||align=center| Goods in transit || 239,896&nbsp;t
|}
The Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal (Port of Saguenay) is the only publicly owned port in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.<ref name="POS">[http://www.portsaguenay.ca/index.php?page=17&lang=eng Port of Saguenay]. Saguenay Port Authority. 2005. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> It is a member of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities. It originally imported hydrocarbons but it progressively began transporting forest products, general merchandise, and liquid and dry bulk.<ref name="POSHistory">[http://www.portsaguenay.ca/index.php?page=22&lang=eng General Information - History]. Saguenay Port Authority. 2005. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> In 2000, its annual total capacity increased to 600,000 tonnes.<ref name="TransMar" />
It was originally built in 1985 to offset the closure of the port in Chicoutimi and to relocate oil tanks outside of the city's downtown area. The Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal received its [[letters patent]] in 1999 from the Canadian government and became the Saguenay Port Authority (Port of Saguenay).<ref name="POSHistory" />
Marcel-Dionne Quay: The quay was named after [[Marcel Dionne]], the federal [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Chicoutimi—Le Fjord]] from 1979 to 1984. It is 286 metres long, has two berths and is 13.8 metres deep at low tide. It is open year-round and can accommodate ships of over 100,000 tonnes.<ref name="POSFac">[http://www.portsaguenay.ca/index.php?page=8&lang=eng Port Facilities - Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal]. Saguenay Port Authority. 2005. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref>
Since 2004, the Grande-Anse Maritime Terminal has complied with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, allowing it to receive foreign ships.<ref name="POSHistory" />
==== Rail ====
Although railways were built in [[Chicoutimi]] by 1893, locomotives did not arrive in Bagotville until 1910. The Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi created an affiliate in 1909, the Compagnie de chemin de fer de la Baie des Ha! Ha!, to build a railway linking the Chicoutimi [[pulp mill]] to the quay in Bagotville. The line was originally part of the Roberval-Saguenay rail network. [[Alcan]] bought the railway in 1925 after the Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi's bankruptcy the previous year. It used the railway to bring raw materials from Port-Alfred to its aluminum smelter in [[Arvida, Quebec|Arvida]]. The rail network expanded after the construction of new smelters in the region. Tracks were laid in the La Baie Borough to service plants in Grande-Baie and Laterrière.<ref name="CFIL">[http://pages.infinit.net/urba/rail/cfil.html Les chemins de fer d'intérêt local (CFIL)]. Le patrimoine férroviaire du Québec. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref>
Every year, 87,700 full boxcars rode to or from Port-Alfred on the Roberval-Saguenay network.<ref name="DNV" /> The network employed 121 people and used eleven locomotives to transport 7,540,000 tonnes of materials annually.<ref name="DNV" />
==== Air ====
{{Main|Bagotville Airport}}
[[File:CFB Bagotville (CYBG).jpg|thumb|The Bagotville military base and airport]]
Bagotville Airport (YBG)<ref name="Codes">[http://www.world-airport-codes.com/canada/bagotville-503.html Bagotville Airport (YBG) Details]. World Airport Codes. 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> is [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]]'s main civilian airport and shares its facilities with 3 Wing Bagotville. It handles 90,000 passengers a year.<ref name="Réveil">Jean-Marc Tremblay. {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20100104065348/http://hebdosblogue.canoe.ca/lereveil/2007/05/19/une_bonne_annee_pour_l_aerogare_de_bagot Une bonne année pour l'aérogare de Bagotville]}}. Le Réveil. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> In 2000, the civilian facilities were given to the [[Saguenay, Quebec|City of Saguenay]] by [[Transport Canada]]; Promotion Saguenay manages the airport.<ref name="YBGTour">[http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/tourist-services-directory/airport/bagotville-airport-saguenay-ybg_14598897.html Saguenay-Bagotville Airport (YBG)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003121007/http://www.bonjourquebec.com/qc-en/tourist-services-directory/airport/bagotville-airport-saguenay-ybg_14598897.html |date=2009-10-03 }}. Tourisme Québec. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> Flights to [[Montreal]] and other [[Quebec]] destinations take off daily. Since 2006 and 2008 respectively, [[Sunwing Airlines]] and [[Air Transat]] have offered international flights to southern destinations in the winter.<ref name="Airlines">[http://www.aeroportbagotville.com/Airlines/tabid/3902/language/fr-CA/Default.aspx Airlines]. Bagotville Airport. 2008. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref>
== Culture and society ==
=== Education ===
[[File:Polyvalente de La Baie7.JPG|thumb|left|École Secondaire des Grandes Marées high school]]
La Baie's first [[school]]house opened in 1841.<ref name="NopMor104">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=104}}</ref> In the 1920s, these small country schools were replaced by larger institutions in villages and towns.<ref name="Ouellet">Jacques Ouellet. "Le développement du système scolaire au Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean depuis 150 ans." Saguenayensia 30.1 January–March 1988. Page 13.</ref> According to authors Luc Noppen and Lucie K. Morisset, "There are still some rare examples, although not always in good shape, on the rural roads located on the town of La Baie's territory."<ref name="NopMor104" />
The first Ha! Ha! Bay [[school boards]] were created in the 1860s. The Bagotville School Board (French: ''Commission scolaire de Bagotville'') was founded in 1862,<ref name="CSR">[http://csrsaguenay.qc.ca/qui-sommes-nous/historique Historique]. Commission scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay. 2011. Retrieved 3013-02-01.</ref> followed by school boards in Grande-Baie in 1880 and Port-Alfred in 1918. These three school boards merged in 1960 and became the Ha! Ha! Bay Local School Board (French: ''Commission scolaire locale de la Baie-des-Ha! Ha!'').<ref name="CSR" />
La Baie has been under the jurisdiction of the Saguenay Riverside School Board (French: ''Commission scolaire des Rives du Saguenay'') since 1998. During the 2008–2009 academic year, there were four [[elementary schools]] in the borough: the George-Vanier and Sainte-Thérèse Schools in Bagotville, the Médéric-Gravel School in Port-Alfred, and the Saint-Joseph School in Grande-Baie. There are 1,085 elementary students enrolled in these schools.<ref name ="CSRStats">[http://csrsaguenay.qc.ca/documents-publics/liste-officielle-des-etablissement-2012-2013 Liste officielle des établissements 2012-2013]. Commission Scolaire des Rives-du-Saguenay. 2012. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> The only [[high school]] in the Ha! Ha! Bay area, the ''École Secondaire des Grandes Marées'' (formerly ''Polyvalente de La Baie''), has 1,200 students.<ref name ="CSRStats" /> The Durocher [[adult education]] centre in the Grande-Baie sector has 575 students.<ref name ="CSRStats" />
Vocational training is the highest level of education available within the borough. The ''Centre de formation professionnelle de La Baie'' offers its 138 students<ref name ="CSRStats"/> training programs in metallurgy, cabinetwork, forestry, and composite materials. The closest post-secondary institutions (CEGEPs and universities) are in Chicoutimi.
The borough also has a branch of the Saguenay public library network located in the same building as the Théâtre municipal.
=== Religion ===
[[File:Église bagotville.jpg|thumb|The Saint-Alphonse-de-Liguori Church in Bagotville]]
According to the [[Institut de la statistique du Québec]], the [[Catholic Church]] had 18,865 adherents<ref name="ISQRel">[http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/regions/recens2001_02/religion02/religion02_an.htm Total population by major denominations, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean administrative region, 2001]. Institut de la statistique du Québec. 11 July 2003. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> in the borough in 2001, or 96% of the population. The borough is divided into two parishes: Saint-Alexis and Saint-Alphonse, which includes the Saint-Édouard, Saint-Marc, and Notre-Dame-de-la-Baie Churches. [[Atheists]] were the second largest group with 460 (2%),<ref name="ISQRel" /> followed by [[Protestants]] with 240 adherents (1.3%),<ref name="ISQRel" /> and other Christian denominations at 135 (0.6%).<ref name="ISQRel" /> Ha! Ha! Bay residents practising other religions make up less than 0.1% of the population. The borough has two cemeteries (Saint-Alphonse & Saint-Alexis and Saint-Édouard) managed by the ''Corporation des Cimetières Catholiques de La Baie''.
==== Establishment of the Catholic Church in Ha! Ha! Bay ====
[[File:Saint-Édouard-Port-Alfred.jpg|thumb|left|The Saint-Édouard Church in the Port-Alfred sector]]
Permanent outposts of the [[Catholic Church]] in [[Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean]] were limited to a few missions near [[Lac Saint-Jean|Saint-Jean Lake]] and at the [[trading post]] in Chicoutimi until about 1840 when the first colonists arrived in Ha! Ha! Bay. The first chapel was erected in 1842 in Grande-Baie; its first regular priest was Reverend Charles Pouliot.<ref name="NopMor58">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=58}}</ref> The Catholic Church's role as a catalyst for colonization was strengthened with the arrival of the [[Oblates]] in 1844.<ref name="NopMor58" /> The order repaired the Grande-Baie chapel and served the Chez Mars village (Bagotville). They advocated the building of a church in the Ha! Ha! Bay area, although they only actively participated in the establishment of the Grande-Baie [[Parochial church council|parish council]]. The Oblates left the region in 1853.<ref name="NopMor59">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=59}}</ref>
Reverend Léandre Gill was sent by the Church in 1853 to continue where the Oblates left off. He was given a difficult mission: to merge all of the places of worship in Ha! Ha! Bay.<ref name="NopMor59" /> Gill was tasked with countering any possible influence from the [[Protestants]] who came to work for [[William Price (merchant)|William Price]]'s sawmills.<ref name="NopMor59" /> He settled in Saint-Alphose (Bagotville) and served at Saint-Alexis (Grande-Baie) twice a month.<ref name="NopMor60">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=60}}</ref> The Saint-Alphose-de-Liguori Parish in Bagotville was canonically established in 1857.<ref name="NopMor72">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=72}}</ref> The two parishes did not have any resident priests until 1858.<ref name="NopMor60" /> Grande-Baie's Saint-Alexis Parish was founded in 1861.<ref name="NopMor60" />
==== Construction of churches ====
[[File:Saint Marc La Baie.jpg|thumb|The Saint-Marc Church in the Bagotville sector]]
Saint-Alphose-de-Liguori is the first and oldest church in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. It was built in Bagotville between 1860 and 1862.<ref name="NopMor68">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=68}}</ref> The stone church tower was not built until 1867<ref name="NopMor77">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=77}}</ref> and the interior was not completed until 1887.<ref name="NopMor81">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=81}}</ref> Grande-Baie's Saint-Alexis, Ha! Ha! Bay's second church, was completed in 1868.<ref name="NopMor61">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=61}}</ref> In 1902, the [[Marist Brothers]] took over the Sainte-Thérèse School in Bagotville, which was located at the northwest intersection of Victoria and De la Fabrique Streets before its current location was built in 1942.<ref name="NopMor104" /> The soeurs du Bon-Conseil ran the newly rebuilt Médéric-Gravel School in 1922 after the 1918 original burned down.<ref name="NopMor105">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=105}}</ref> Two schools for boys were founded in 1927: the Saint-Alphose Academy (French: ''académie Saint-Alphose'') in Bagotville<ref name="NopMor104" /> and the Saint-Édouard College (French: ''collège Saint-Joseph'')<ref name="NopMor106">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=106}}</ref> in Port-Alfred. They were administered by the [[Brothers of the Sacred Heart]] and the [[Brothers of the Christian Schools]] respectively.
The third church was opened in May 1930 to replace the Saint-Édouard Chapel in Port-Alfred, which was built for the canonical establishment of the new town in 1918.<ref name="NopMor88">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=88}}</ref> The Saint-Édouard Church was built in a thirteenth-century English style.<ref name="NopMor92">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=92}}</ref> A quarter of the construction costs were provided the London financiers that owned the Port Alfred Pulp and Paper Company.<ref name="NopMor92" /> The Sisters of Sainte-Marie-de-la-Présentation, who arrived from France in 1934, opened a new convent in Grande-Baie in 1940.<ref name="NopMor107">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=107}}</ref> In 1948, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart built the Saint-Joseph College in Grande-Baie.<ref name="NopMor107" />
The Saint-Marc Parish in Bagotville, canonically established in 1953, blessed its new church in 1956.<ref name="NopMor98">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=98}}</ref> Saguenay architect Paul-Marie Côté conceptualized the building that "introduced modernism to Quebec religious architecture in a spectacular way."<ref name="Berg">Claude Bergeron. L'architecture des églises du Québec 1940-1985. Sainte-Foy, Les Presses de l'Université Laval. 1987. 383 p.</ref> In February 2009, the church was named a Quebec historical site by Minister Christine St-Pierre. The decision was retroactive on June 25, 2008.<ref>Jean-Marc Tremblay. "L'église Saint-Marc classée bien culturel." ''Le Réveil'', 1 March 2009, p. 25.</ref>
The fourth and final church built in the bay area was in the Notre-Dame-de-La-Baie Parish in Port-Alfred in 1962.<ref name="NopMor100">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=100}}</ref> Its wooden frame won a prize in the 1965 Canadian Aesthetic Competition.<ref name="NopMor101">{{harvp|Noppen|Morisset|1998|p=101}}</ref>
=== Health and social services ===
[[File:Hopital La Baie.jpg|thumb|left|Ha! Ha! Bay hospital]]
The Ha! Ha! Bay Hospital (French: ''Hôpital de la baie des Ha! Ha!'') in the Bagotville sector is the only health and social services centre (CSSS) in the borough. It includes the St-Joseph and Bagotville long-term care centres (CHSLD). It has twenty-five short-term beds and 127 long-term beds.<ref name="OIIAQ">[http://www.oiiaq.org/publication/rapports-etudes-memoires/MultilingualFile9/fr/2-CSSS_Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.pdf Un modèle d'organisation intégrée pour le Saguenay-LacSaint-Jean &#91;Archive&#93;]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120080729/http://www.oiiaq.org/publication/rapports-etudes-memoires/MultilingualFile9/fr/2-CSSS_Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.pdf |date=2008-11-20 }}. Ordre des infirmières et infirmier auxiliaires du Québec. September 2005. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> The community clinic ([[CLSC]]), which is also in Bagotville, is known as the ''Centre Cléophas-Claveau''.
La Baie has three medical clinics, four dental clinics, and a mental health treatment centre called ''Le centre de rencontre Le Phare''.<ref>[http://www.centrelephare.com/ Centre Le phare]. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref> It also has ''Le havre du Fjord'', a drug and alcohol abuse treatment centre. The ''Maison de l'espoir du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean'' assist youths who have family difficulties or have dropped out of school.<ref name="SDEIR">[http://sdeir.uqac.ca/doc_numerique/format/PDF/13827359.pdf Service de documentation en études et interventions régionales - Groupe de travail d'actualisation de la stratégie québécoise d'action face au suicide - Secteur Domaine-du-Roy]{{Dead link|date=February 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. 2003. Retrieved 2013-02-01.</ref>
=== Arts and entertainment ===
==== Museums ====
The borough contains two museums.
[[File:Musee du fjord.jpg|thumb|The ''musée du Fjord'']]
===== Musée du Fjord =====
The Fjord Museum (French: ''musée du Fjord'') in the Grande-Baie sector is dedicated to the [[Baie des Ha! Ha! (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! Bay]] and [[Saguenay Fjord]]'s historical, artistic, and environmental heritage. From 1967 to 1983, it was known as the ''Musée Monseigneur-Dufour''.<ref name="Musée">[http://museedufjord.com/en/about-the-museum/history Musée du Fjord, 45 Years Already!]. Musée du Fjord. 2012. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref> In 1996, the [[Saguenay Flood]] caused a considerable amount of damage to the museum. It was reopened in 2004 after being renovated and expanded.<ref name="Musée" />
===== The Air Defence Museum =====
The Air Defence Museum on the [[CFB Bagotville|Bagotville military base]] is the only military aviation museum in Quebec.<ref name="ADHistory">[http://www.bagotvillemuseum.ca/eng/the-museum2.php History]. Air Defence Museum. 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref> It was inaugurated on June 18, 1997,<ref>[http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/PM.cgi?mark=Museum&prov=Quebec&LM=MuseumNoFlash&LANG=English&scope=Museum&AP=M_E_display&Page=ADNLI.html Air Defence Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040229183059/http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/PM.cgi?LM=MuseumNoFlash&scope=Museum&LANG=English&mark=Museum&prov=Quebec&AP=M_E_display&Page=ADNLI.html |date=2004-02-29 }}. Virtual Museum of Canada. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 20313-02-03.</ref> and is located in what was once a Protestant chapel. In the surrounding commemorative park, visitors can see an [[F-86 Sabre]], a [[CF-100 Canuck]], a [[CT-133 Silver Star]], a [[CF-5 Freedom Fighter]], a [[CF-101 Voodoo]], a [[Piasecki H-21]], and a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23|Mig-23ML]].<ref name="ADPark">[http://www.bagotvillemuseum.ca/eng/commemorative-park.php The Commemorative Park]. Bagotville Air Defence Museum. 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref>
==== Entertainment ====
The borough's auditorium, the ''théâtre du Palais municipal'', has a capacity of 2,300 people.<ref name="Salle">[http://www.palaismunicipal.com/lasalle.php La salle &#91;Archive&#93;]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920045454/http://www.palaismunicipal.com/lasalle.php |date=2011-09-20 }}. Palais municipal. 2009. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref> It is the borough's largest amphitheatre and one of the most-used gathering places in Saguenay.
Since 1988, the historical extravaganza ''La Fabuleuse Histoire d'un royaume'' has been performed every summer. Music and comedy shows are also presented year-round.<ref name="Accueil">[http://www.palaismunicipal.com/ Accueil &#91;Archive&#93;] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203111757/http://palaismunicipal.com/ |date=2011-02-03 }}. Palais municipal. 2009. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref>
== Sports, parks, and recreation ==
=== Fishing ===
==== Ice fishing ====
[[File:Village sur glace de l'Anse-à-Benjamin, à La Baie07.JPG|thumb|An ice village in L'Anse-à-Benjamin]]
Every winter, the ice on Ha! Ha! Bay becomes thick enough to support cabins and vehicles for [[ice fishing]]. At the height of the season, there are about 1,000 cabins<ref name="Savard40">{{harvp|Savard|2004|p=40}}</ref> mainly located around Grande-Baie, Les Battures, and L'Anse-à-Benjamin.<ref name="Savard15">{{harvp|Savard|2004|p=15}}</ref> Rockfish, [[Smelt (fish)|lake smelt]], [[Greenland cod|ogac]], [[Atlantic cod]], and [[Greenland halibut|black turbot]] are fished there.<ref name="Savard42">{{harvp|Savard|2004|p=42}}</ref>
==== Salmon fly-fishing ====
[[File:Rivière à Mars.jpg|thumb|left|A canyon on the [[Mars River]] in the ''Centre plein-air Bec-Scie'']]
The [[Mars River]] is located between Bagotville and Port-Alfred. It runs from the mouth of Ha! Ha! Bay to the edges of the [[Laurentides Wildlife Reserve|Laurentian Wildlife Reserve]]. It is officially recognized as a [[salmon]] river by the federal government and is protected until it reaches the Bec-Scie Outdoors Centre (French: ''Centre plein-air Bec-Scie''). It has ninety-two pools and about twenty potential spawning grounds.<ref name="COBRAM">[http://www.obvsaguenay.org/comites_locaux/cobram COBRAM]. Organisme du bassin versant du Saguenay. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref>
Until it reaches the Laurentian Park, the river is maintained by the Mars River Sport Fishing Association (French: ''Association des pêcheurs sportifs de la Rivière-à-Mars Inc'' (APSRM)). It was founded in 1983 to protect, restore, and promote the Mars River's salmon population.<ref name="Pêche">[http://www.riviereamars.qc.ca/organisme.htm Organisation &#91;Archive&#93;]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019004923/http://www.riviereamars.qc.ca/organisme.htm |date=2007-10-19 }}. Association des Pêcheurs Sportifs de la Rivière à Mars. 2008. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref>
From 1894 to 1935, the Price Brothers Company ran a private club near the river. The construction of the Murailles Dam in 1930 and [[Timber rafting|river driving]] until 1953 prevented the proliferation of salmon.<ref name="Saumon">[https://www.saumonquebec.com/TheRivers/Saguenay/aMars/GeneralPresentation/default.aspx General Presentation]. [https://www.saumonquebec.com/Default.aspx Saumon Québec]. 2007. Retrieved 2012-02-03.</ref> The river was reseeded in 1976.<ref name="Saumon" /> It was closed to [[sport fishing]] in 1985, but was reopened again in 1992.<ref name="Pêche" /> A [[fishway]] was constructed after the 1996 deluge that destroyed the original one built in 1986.<ref name="Pêche" />
Other than salmon, there are seven other fish species found in the river: [[brook trout]], [[longnose dace]], [[Longnose Sucker|Northern sucker]], [[white sucker]], [[American eel]], [[threespine stickleback]], and [[northern pearl dace]].<ref name="COBRAM" />
=== Hockey ===
The Jean-Claude-Tremblay Arena hosts the annual La Baie [[Minor ice hockey|Pee-Wee hockey]] tournament.<ref name="PeeWee">[http://www.hockeymineurlabaie.com/tournoi.php Tournoi Pee-Wee Bantam de La Baie]. Association du hockey mineur de La Baie]. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref> The arena was named after [[Jean-Claude Tremblay]], a Bagotville native and former defenseman for the [[Montreal Canadiens]] and the [[Quebec Nordiques]].<ref name="RDS">[http://www.rds.ca/pantheon/chroniques/205599.html Jean-Claude Tremblay, hockey]. RDS. 1 January 2004. Retrieved 2013-02-03.</ref>
=== Parks ===
==== Ha! Ha! River Park ====
The Ha! Ha! River Park is located at the mouth of the [[Ha! Ha! River (Saguenay River)|Ha! Ha! River]] in the Grande-Baie sector. It was built three years after the [[Saguenay Flood|1996 floods]]. The park is best known for its main attraction, the [[Ha! Ha! Pyramid]], which was created by artist Jean-Jules Soucy. The Place des Ha! Ha! is located on the river's eastern bank in the old riverbed. Many cultural events are held in this municipal park.<ref name="PyramidPres" />
==== Mars Park ====
This park is located at the mouth of the Mars River along Mars Street in the Bagotville sector. It contains a six-kilometre pedestrian and bicycle path with a panoramic view of Ha! Ha! Bay.
==== Eucher Trail ====
Eucher (or Eusher) Trail is a walking path along the Philippe Cove and the main capes of the northern shore of Ha! Ha! Bay. The path runs at an altitude of 100 metres.<ref name="Marche">Fédération québécoise de la marche. 2000. Répertoire des lieux de marches au Québec, De la promenade à la longue randonnée (3rd edition). Saint-Laurent, Éditions Bipède. 464 p. ({{ISBN|978-2-921979-04-7}}), p. 411.</ref>
== Notable residents ==
* [[Louis de Gonzague Belley]] (1863–1930), politician
* [[Dean Bergeron]] (1969-), Paralympic athlete
* [[Paul-Edmond Gagnon]] (1909–1981), politician
* [[Jeannot Gilbert]] (1940-), hockey player
* [[Ghislain Harvey]] (1946-), politician
* [[Pierre Michaud]] (1936–2023), judge
* [[Gérard-Raymond Morin]] (1940-), politician
* [[Alfred Tremblay]] (Derfla) (1856–1921), journalist, professor, and poet
* [[Jean-Claude Tremblay]] (1939–1994), hockey player
* [[Valérie Maltais]] (1990-), Olympic athlete
* [[:fr:Orloge Simard|Orloge Simard]] ([[:fr:2012|2012]]-), musical group, authors of the song "12 Pouces"
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Bouchard |first=Russel |year=1996 |title=Ville de La Baie : berceau historique du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean |publisher=Société historique du Saguenay |isbn=2921101130 |language=fr}}
*{{cite book |last=Potvin |first=Damase |year=1957 |title=La baie des Hahas: histoire, description, légendes et anecdotes |publisher=Chambre de Commerce de la baie des Hahas |language=fr}}
== References ==
{{Reflist|21em}}
=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Bouchard |first1=Russel |first2=Jean |last2=Martin |year=1988 |title=Ville de La Baie : une fenêtre sur le monde depuis 150 ans |publisher=Société historique du Saguenay |location=Chicoutimi |isbn=2980037362 |language=fr}}
*{{cite book |last1=Noppen |first1=Luc |first2=Lucie K. |last2=Morisset |year=1998 |title=Ville de La Baie : un héritage entre nature et culture |publisher=Compélec |isbn=2980604801 |language=fr}}
*{{cite thesis |last=Savard |first=Michel |year=2004 |title=Étude toxicologique sur la consommation de poisson de pêche blanche sur le fjord du Saguenay |degree=Maîtrise en ressources renouvelables |publisher=[[Université du Québec à Chicoutimi]] |url=http://bibvir.uqac.ca/theses/18227125/18227125.pdf |doi=10.1522/18227125 |isbn=1412311667 |language=fr |doi-access=free |access-date=2013-05-09 |archive-date=2014-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006074018/http://bibvir.uqac.ca/theses/18227125/18227125.pdf |url-status=dead }}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
{{Portal|Canada}}
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://ville.saguenay.ca/la-ville-et-vie-democratique/services-municipaux/bureaux-darrondissement/bureau-darrondissement-de-la-baie La Baie]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Populated places established in 1976]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in 2002]]
[[Category:Boroughs of Saguenay, Quebec]]
[[Category:Former municipalities in Quebec]]
[[Category:Former cities in Quebec]]