Jonquière, Quebec, a borough of the city of Saguenay, is a vibrant community with a rich history and a thriving present. Located in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, Jonquière is nestled on the Saguenay River, near the borough of Chicoutimi. As of 2021, it boasts a population of 60,250.
Jonquière was founded in 1847 by Marguerite Belley, a settler from La Malbaie. The borough was named after Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière, who served as the governor of New France from 1749 to 1752.
The borough's growth was spurred by the construction of pulp and paper mills at the dawn of the 20th century. Between 1925 and 1928, the world's largest aluminum plant was built in the city of Arvida, which was then a separate town. In 1942, Alcan built a hydroelectric station at Shipshaw to power the plant, which was the largest of its kind at that time.
Jonquière, Arvida, and Kénogami were amalgamated into a single city, Jonquière, in 1975. The borough has been the host city for several major events, including the Quebec Games in the winter of 1976, and the Canoe/Kayak World Championships in slalom and whitewater racing in 1979.
The Price family, who ran a pulp and paper factory in Kénogami, played a significant role in Jonquière's development. Today, the factory is owned by Resolute Forest Products, and Arvida is home to an aluminium plant owned by Rio Tinto Alcan.
On February 18, 2002, the city of Saguenay was constituted by municipal amalgamation, and the borough of Jonquière was created from the former city of Jonquière, the former municipality of Shipshaw, and the former municipality of Lac-Kénogami. The former city of Jonquière had a population of 54,842 in the Canada 2001 Census, the last census in which Jonquière was counted as a separate city.
Jonquière is also known for being the birthplace of the heavy metal band Voivod. The Rivière aux Sables runs through the centre of Jonquière, and the city's buildings suffered significant damage during the 1996 Saguenay Flood.
Jonquière is the northern terminus of the Montreal–Jonquière passenger train operated by Via Rail. The service offers three round-trip trains per week between Jonquière station and Montreal Central Station, with each journey taking approximately nine hours. This route is shared by the Montreal–Senneterre train up to Hervey station. From Montreal, passengers can connect to trains serving major destinations such as Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax, and New York City.
