I asked Google AI, what percent of the world public is familiar with the city of Saguenay, Canada. The answer was significantly less than 1%. I never before even heard of it. So yesterday, I toured this city of 170,000 or so, and will do what I can to entertain and educate you. In a way, my feelings were similar to some of the less exciting cities we visited on the American Melody from Memphis to New Orleans, our previous cruise on this two-month journey. But there was something special about Saguenay. Maybe, especially that great ice fishing story at the end.- Is in the region of Quebec, Canada.
- On the Saguenay River, 120 miles north of Quebec City by overland route.
- Formed in 2002 by merging the cities of Chicoutimi and Jonquiere, and town of La Baie.
- Population of 152,000, with 5.4% indigenous peoples.
- The broader administrative region covers a total area of over 41,313 square miles, about the size of South Korea, which has a population of more than 50 million. Imagine then how large Saguenay is from the below graphic.
- Mother tongue for 97.4% of residents is French.
- 71.5% Catholic, but was 91.5% in 2011. Astonishing change, and read why. The situation is similar to France, where 64% identified themselves as Roman Catholic, but only 4.5% of this group went to mass, compared to 27% in 1952. Why? Rapid secularization and sex abuse scandals.
- Biggest industry is the refining of aluminum.
- There is no aluminum ore here, but bauxite is shipped in from around the world.
- Why here? Electricity, all hydroelectric, is cheap at 7.8 cents/kw. Important also for people living here, because residents need to heat their home. The price of electricity in Honolulu is more than 40 cents/kw.
- Rio Tinto here refines about a third of all the Canadian aluminum.
- Ship awaiting delivery of bauxite. One is always there because the aluminum refining process cannot stop.
- Like many Canadian cities, a natural disaster stands out as their most important event in history,
- This was the 1996 flood of July 19 and 20, the largest in 20th-century Canada.
- $1.5 billion in damages.
- 10 people died.
- This is the one house that survived, now a key showpiece in a park to be visited in one of the tour videos below.
- The Ha! Ha! Pyramid, was completed in 1998 to commemorate that disaster at a cost of $2 million.
- 69 feet high, and covered with 3,000 yield signs, encouraging people to help each other,
- Became a place for public performances.
So went on a bus tour. Note that street signs are in French. Arret means Stop.
There are dozens of Catholic Churches. However many of them have been converted into other uses because of that significant decline in membership. As for example, there is a rock-climbing center in one.
But still, a lot of beautiful churches left.
Nope, part of the Saguenay River freezes over, so maybe 1500 of these small houses are wheeled over the ice to form villages for fishing. It was earlier this year that a 244-pound Atlantic halibut was caught measuring over six feet long. What else do they catch? See aquarium below.
There was a high tech theater showing how this region formed.
Return to the Viking Octantis.
Oh, how large was that record 244 pound Atlantic halibut caught by ice fisherman Alain Hamel in Saguenay?
How did he get the fish through the ice? A whole new team had to specially cut space through the ice so the halibut could be retrieved. After scientific analysis, 170 pounds of flesh was retained for eating.
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