Rouyn-Noranda (; 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the

Abitibi-Témiscamingue Abitibi-Témiscamingue () is an administrative region located in western Québec, Canada, along the border with Ontario. It became part of the province in 1898. It has a land area of and its population was 147,082 people as of the 2021 cens ...

region of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. The city of Rouyn-Noranda is coextensive with a

territory equivalent to a regional county municipality An equivalent territory (, ), formally known as territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (), is a territorial unit used by Statistics Canada and the Institut de la statistique du Québec. Quebec is divided into 87 regional county m ...

(TE) and

census division Census divisions, in Canada and the United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic uni ...

(CD) of

of the same name. Their geographical code is 86.

History

The city of Rouyn (named for Jean-Baptiste Rouyn, a captain in the

Régiment Royal Roussillon The 54th Infantry Regiment (''54e régiment d’infanterie'' or ''54e RI'') is a line infantry regiment of the French Army. History Early service It was formed in 1657 during the Ancien Régime as the ''régiment Mazarin-Catalans'', being r ...

of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm) appeared after

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

was discovered in 1917. Noranda (a contraction of "North Canada") was created later around the Horne mine and

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

. Both were officially constituted as cities in 1926, then merged in 1986.

Since 1966, Rouyn and Noranda constitute the capital of the

region. It is also the seat of (UQAT) since 1983. The population tends to increase or decrease dramatically depending on the economic situation. The city's population dropped by 5 per cent between the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

census, before increasing slightly by 0.8 per cent for the 2006 census. This more closely parallels the demographic patterns of

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...

than those of Quebec during this period. Rouyn-Noranda also has other cultural affiliations with Northern Ontario, being the only municipality in Quebec that holds a membership in the

Francophone Association of Municipalities of Ontario The Francophone Association of Municipalities of Ontario (or AFMO, from its French name, ''Association française des municipalités d'Ontario'') is a Canadian political organization of municipalities in the province of Ontario which have signifi ...

. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda was established on February 9, 1974, by Pope Paul VI, with Mgr. Jean-Guy Hamelin as its first bishop. It is part of the Metropolitan Province of

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...

. Mgr. Dorylas Moreau was appointed as bishop on November 30, 2001, replacing Mgr. Hamelin. On September 15, 2003, a decree moved the cathedral from Saint-Michel-Archange Church to Saint-Joseph Church.

Geography

As part of the

2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec The 2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec resulted in large-scale amalgamation of smaller municipality (Quebec), municipalities in Quebec into larger cities. It was undertaken by one administration, but was modified and partially undone ...

, on January 1, 2002, the municipalities (including unorganized territories) of the former Rouyn-Noranda Regional County Municipality amalgamated into the new City of Rouyn-Noranda. These were: Arntfield, Bellecombe, Beaudry, Cadillac, Cléricy, Cloutier, D'Alembert, Destor, Évain, Lac-Montanier, Lac-Surimau, McWatters, Mont-Brun, Montbeillard, Rapides-des-Cèdres, Rollet, and the former Rouyn-Noranda.

Climate

Rouyn-Noranda has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Dfb'').

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Rouyn-Noranda had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Immigrants from Africa have revived the town's population. Native French speakers comprise about 95% of the city's population.

Economy

The unemployment rate of the region was 6.6% in 2016. Propair has its headquarters on the property of Rouyn-Noranda Airport.

Glencore Glencore plc is an Anglo-Swiss Multinational corporation, multinational commodity trading and mining company with headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, Baar, Switzerland. Glencore's oil and gas headquarters are in London, London, England as well a ...

Copper Canada currently operates the Horne Smelter. The smelter is the world's largest processor of electronic scrap containing copper and precious metals. It opened in 1927 at the site of the Horne copper mine. The mine was closed in 1976, but the smelter remained in production. is based in Rouyn-Noranda, with campuses elsewhere such as Val-d'Or.

Arts and culture

Since 1982, the city has been host to the International Cinema Festival of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and since 2003, the host of the Emerging Music Festival in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Notable cultural figures from Rouyn-Noranda include singer-songwriter Richard Desjardins, actors Paule Baillargeon, Anne Dorval and Bruce Greenwood, and science fiction writer Éric Gauthier. Rouyn-Noranda is known as "La Capitale Nationale du Cuivre" (or the National Copper Capital) for its extensive copper deposits and mining/smelting activities.

Attractions

St. George Russian Orthodox Church of Rouyn is a

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

, with traditional architecture. It was erected between 1955 and 1957 by the Russian community, at the time about twenty families. A guided tour explains the celebration of Mass and the history of immigrant communities and their role in local history. This distinctive church paints a vivid picture of the lives of the people who suffered through the First and Second World Wars and finally came to live in Canada.

Sports

The

Rouyn-Noranda Huskies The Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League based in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The team plays its home games at the Aréna Iamgold, Aréna Glencore. The Huskies finished first overal ...

have played in the

Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

since the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser relocated to the town in 1996. Rouyn-Noranda has produced a large number of

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

ers for its size including former NHL stars

Pierre Turgeon Pierre Julien Turgeon (''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, TUHR-zhawn'', ; born August 28, 1969) is a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Selected List of first overall NHL draft picks, first overall by the Buffa ...

, Stephane Matteau,

Sylvain Turgeon Joseph Sylvain Dorilla Turgeon (born January 17, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played twelve seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Hartford Whalers, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Se ...

, Dale Tallon,

Pit Martin Hubert Jacques "Pit" Martin (December 9, 1943 – November 30, 2008) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who served as captain for the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1975 to 1977. He was an NHL All-Star and ...

Jacques Laperrière Joseph Jacques Hughes Laperrière (born November 22, 1941) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Laperrière played for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1962 until 1974, winning six Stanley C ...

, Jacques Cloutier,

Dave Keon David Michael Keon (born March 22, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played professionally from 1960 to 1982, including his first 15 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy and four ...

and Kent Douglas, the last two both members of the 1967 Stanley Cup Champion Toronto Maple Leafs. Former NHL players Réjean Houle, Éric Desjardins and the Bordeleau Brothers (Christian, Jean Paul and Paulin) also hail from the city. Rouyn-Noranda native Marc-André Cliche played in his first NHL game in 2010. Their most fierce rivals are the Val-d'Or Foreurs, which constitute the "Battle of the 117" since both cities are connected by Route 117.

Government

Federally, Rouyn-Noranda is part of the Abitibi—Témiscamingue riding. The MP is Sébastien Lemire of the

Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (, , BQ) is a centre-left politics, centre-left and list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism, Quebecois nationalism, social democracy, and the promotion o ...

. Provincially, Rouyn-Noranda is part of the

Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue Rouyn-Noranda–Témiscamingue is a provincial electoral district in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada, which elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It notably includes large portions of the city of Rouyn-Noranda ...

riding and the

Abitibi-Est Abitibi-Est is a provincial electoral district in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district notably includes eastern portions of the city of Rouyn-Noranda Rouyn ...

riding. The MNAs are Daniel Bernard and Pierre Dufour of the

Coalition Avenir Québec The Coalition Avenir Québec (, , CAQ) is a Quebec nationalism, Quebec nationalist, Autonomism in Quebec, autonomist and conservatism, conservative

. The city's mayor is Diane Dallaire. Rouyn-Noranda is also a

(TE) and

(CD) of

, coextensive with the city of Rouyn-Noranda. Its geographical code is 86. Rouyn-Noranda is the seat of the

judicial district A judicial district or legal district denotes the territorial area for which a legal court (usually a district court) has jurisdiction. By continent Europe Austria In texts concerning Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Aus ...

of the same name.

Infrastructure

The city is served by the Rouyn-Noranda Airport and has a small

public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...

system of four bus routes serving the urban area. The primary highways through the city are the north–south Route 101 and the east–west Route 117, which is part of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

system.

Education

University

The Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) began in 1970 in premises loaned by the Cégep as an extension of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), before obtaining its letters patent in 1983. Based at the Séminaire St-Michel, it moved into a new building with original architecture in 1996. It offers training in several fields, including education, civil engineering, multimedia creation, administration, social work and health at its three campuses in Rouyn-Noranda, Val-d'Or and Amos and at several other centres in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, as well as in Mont-Laurier and at the École de Technologie supérieure de Montréal, where it offers several programmes in multimedia creation. It also has two research institutes (mining and environment, forestry) and an agricultural research centre at

Notre-Dame-du-Nord Notre-Dame-du-Nord () is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality. It is located at the northern end of Lake Timiskaming where the Ottawa River enters into this lake. The mun ...

in Témiscamingue.

College

The

Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue is a public college-level institute of education (CEGEP) with its main campus located in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. The CEGEP has two additional campuses, in Amos and Val-d'Or. It was founded in 1967, ...

(CEGEPAT), founded in 1967, serves an area of 65,143 km2, with its three regular education campuses in Rouyn-Noranda,

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (film), a 1985 American made-for-television drama film * Amos (guitar), a 1958 Gibson Fl ...

and Val-d'Or, and the continuing education centres in Ville-Marie and La Sarre.https://www.cegepat.qc.ca/

Secondary

French High school education is provided in four public schools, École de la Grande-Ourse, École La Source, École Sacré-Coeur and École d'Iberville. English High school education is provided in Noranda School.

English language education

Currently, English-language public education is provided by the Western Québec School Board.

Media

Almost all media in Rouyn-Noranda and the nearby city of Val-d'Or serves both cities. Although the cities are far enough apart that radio and television stations in the area serve the cities from separate transmitters, almost every broadcast station in either city has a rebroadcaster in the other city. The only nominal exceptions are the cities' separate Énergie stations, although at present even these stations share the majority of their broadcast schedule.

Notable people

* Anodajay, rapper and music producer * Philippe B, songwriter * Paule Baillargeon, actress and director * Denise Bellamy, judge * Yves Beauchemin, writer * Lise Bissonnette, journalist, writer and administrator * Bob Blackburn, sport commentator * Yves Blais, politician * Luc Blanchette, economist and politician * Christie Blatchford, journalist * William Brenton Boggs, pioneer of military and commercial aviation. * Christian Bordeleau, hockey player * Jean-Pierre Bordeleau, hockey player * Paulin Bordeleau, hockey player * Marc Bureau, politician *

Armand Caouette Armand Caouette (20 July 1945 – 15 May 2010) was a Social Credit Party member of the House of Commons of Canada. His career included the fields of sales and air-conditioning. He was first elected to Parliament in the 1974 federal electi ...

, politician and trade representative * Gilles Caouette, politician * Gilles Carle, director, screenwriter and painter * Jacques Caron, hockey player and coach * Marc-André Cliche, hockey player * Jacques Cloutier, hockey player * Roland Cloutier, hockey player * Wayne Connelly, hockey player * Jacques Cossette, hockey player * Éric Desjardins, hockey player * Richard Desjardins, songwriter and director * Anne Dorval, actress * Yvan Ducharme, actor and humorist. * Salvat Etchart, writer * John Emilius Fauquier, World War II aviator * Antonio Flamand, politician * Allan Furlong, politician * Cathy Gauthier, humorist * Éric Gauthier, writer * Christine Girard, weightlifter * Jim Gordon, mayor of Sudbury * Bruce Greenwood, actor and producer * Annie Guay, hockey player * Chris Hayes, hockey player * Réjean Houle, hockey player * Peter Jensen, sport psychologist * Denyse Julien, badminton player *

, hockey player * Abraham Moses Klein, poet and writer * Gina Kingsbury, hockey player *

, hockey player * Nil-Élie Larivière, politician * Paul Larose, hockey player * Steve Larouche, hockey player * Marc Lemay, politician and lawyer * Jean Lemieux, hockey player * Jean-Louis Levasseur, hockey player *

, hockey player *

Stéphane Matteau Stéphane Matteau (born September 2, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played over 800 regular-season games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 25th overall, by the Calgary Flames i ...

, hockey player *

André Melançon André Melançon (February 18, 1942 - August 23, 2016) was a Canadians, Canadian actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for directing and writing several installments in the Tales for All series of children's films. Career The versatil ...

, actor, screenwriter and director * Johanne Morasse, politician * Keke Mortson, hockey player * Ted Ouimet, hockey player * Gilles Perron, politician *

Valérie Plante Valérie Plante (; born 14 June 1974) is a Canadian politician serving as the 45th and current mayor of Montreal since 2017. First elected to Montreal City Council in the 2013 election, she served as leader of the Projet Montréal party sin ...

, mayoress of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

* André Racicot, hockey player
Aglaé René De Cotret
hockey player * Gildor Roy, actor and country singer * Jocelyne Saucier, author * Bob Sullivan, hockey player * Dale Tallon, hockey player *

, hockey player *

, hockey player * John C. Turmel, politician * Rémy Trudel, politician * Hal Willis, country singer

References and notes

Sources

*Gourd, Benoit-Beaudry. "Rouyn-Noranda", in ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', Volume 3. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishing, 1988.

External links

Ville de Rouyn-Noranda
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Territories equivalent to a regional county municipality

History

Geography

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Arts and culture

Attractions

Sports

Government

Infrastructure

Education

University

College

Secondary

English language education

Media

Notable people

See also

References and notes

Sources

Further reading

External links