The Coast

Recent up dates to the Lower North Shore Community Web Site

admin — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:38:48 +0000

What’s New?

People are constantly adding information to the Lower North Shore Community Web Site. As a result, there is now so much information on the web site, that it might not always be easy to see what has changed.

Michael Osborne Summer Shows

Added Michael Osborne’s Summer Schedule to the Art of Gold Studios Page. You can see the schedule at the following Link:

New Issues of The Chevery news, and the Mecatina Times

New Issues of the Chevery News, and The Gros Mecatina Times have been added to the Local news Section.

A French version of the Lower North Shore Community Web Site has been created

Since the English version of the web site is coming along nicely, I decided to also create a French version of the web site. You can click on the Français tab on the side of this page, or go to www.routeblanche.com

The information is still being transferred to the French web site, and it would be great if other people could help with the translation too.

A LNS Business and Organization Directory has been Added

A directory has been addded, that will list all of the different businesses and organizations working on the Lower North Shore by village, or by name.

Please send information on any new business, or organization that you would to have added to the list.

You can find the directory at the following link.

Additional Lower North Shore links

I have started comiling a list of web sites, and articles related to the Lower North Shore. If you notice that anything is missing, please send me an update, and I will add it. Link

Updates to Existing sections

Ana keeps coming out with new versions of the Chevery news Link
Nick provided updates on the hockey game with former NHL players in Saint Augustine. Link
Randy, Christelle, and Sharon have provided new photos for the Photo section Link
Sophia has added several updates to the nature page. Link
Sandy has added some photos of her first vacation on the Coast. Link

Lower North Shore News

admin — Sun, 18 May 2008 18:15:35 +0000

The latest issue of the Chevery News has been uploaded to the Lower North Shore Community Web Site.

Inside This Issue

Community Snapshots p.3
Regional Newspaper Update p.3
Fond Memories of Home p.4
LNS Language Celebrating Coast… p.4
LNS CLCs particpate in CLC health… p.4
New Cote Nord CLC… p.5
Quebec Adult Learners Week p.5
Interview with Anette Belley p.6
Entrevue avec Anette Belley p.7
Consultations on Linguistic Duality p.8
Coasters Association AGM p.9
LNS students on a career quest p.10
Review of the Lower North Shore p.11
LNS Community Website update p.12
Free resume building services p.12
Emergency preparedness week p.13
CLD creates 3 new development funds p.15
Politique nationale de la ruralité p.15
National Rurality Policy p.16
Coast Raid p.18
CoastFest 2008 update p.18
Regroupement des femmes de la Côte… p.19
Community Festival & Theatre Internship p.22
YOUTH ZONE JEUNESSE p.23
Fonds d’initiatives autochtones p.25
Community arts & culture profile p.26
Quebec Adult Learners Week p.27
921 057$ pour C. S. du Littoral p.27
Chevery FACTS p.28
Netagamiou CLC progress highlights p.30
Employability skills training comes to Chevery p.30
Mecatina Cup Volleyball championship p.32
CJE Duplessis visits Mecatina School p.33
Born to Read a great success p.33
Public speaking p.33
Gros Mecatina Heritage celebration p.34
Quatres projets de réserves de biodiversité p.36
Quebec regional tryouts p.38
NDL Open easters Canadian Championship p.38
Job postings, for sale, volunteers needed… p.40
and much more….

Read the full article in pdf

Air Labrador Saves The Day

admin — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:02:07 +0000

The day that we left for the Lower North Shore, the biggest blizzard of the year was starting to move towards the East Coast. As we left Montreal, we were told that it was very windy on the Lower North Shore, and that we might get stuck in Sept Iles. That prediction unfortunately turned out to be correct, and we ended up spending that night in Sept Iles. Weather is always a concern whenever we fly to the Coast, but knowing that there was a major blizzard coming our way, got us concerned that we would end up spending the whole week-end in Sept Iles. We only had one week of vacation, so we did not want to spend it in a hotel room waiting to see when we would be able to leave.

The next morning we found out that things were really backed up because of the windy conditions, but were very glad to hear from Lloyd Jones that Air Labrador was bringing in a second flight from Saint John’s NFLD. This additional flight cleared up the backlog, and got us back to La Tabatiere mid afternoon.

I understand that there is not much that can be done about the weather, but we were very grateful for the extra effort that Air Labrador made to get everyone home. They definitely do a great job of operating regular flights to this remote region, and on top of that, they are the only airline that I know of that still serves sandwiches on their flights.

St Augustine Carnival (The ride down)

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:04:40 +0000

When I was growing up on the Lower North Shore, the best time of the year was when there were carnivals and hockey tournaments in the winter. Of all of the Carnivals, the one that you had to go to was the Saint Augustine Carnival. It always seemed to be the most lively, and the most fun.

This year when I was on vacation, I found out that the Saint Augustine Carnival was taking place during the first week-end that we were visiting. I called my friend Lloyd up, and he offered to allow us to stay at his place while we were in Saint Augustine, and then we were off on Ski-Doo.

The ride down was great. There was a light snow, but it was a relatively warm day. The trails along the Route Blanche are groomed, and very nice to ride on. I rode on my mother’s new Ski-Doo, which has hand and thumb warmers which makes it even more comfortable. We took our time, and stopped at several of the survival cabins for refreshments. We even stopped to talk with Alexandra and Karl, who are walking along the Coast.

The trail is also great, especially since a large portion of it runs along a river, which is ideal for snowmobiling. As you can see in the photo below, it is just a nice long flat winding trail.

A great spring for snowmobiling

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:22:20 +0000

The warm spring weather, and longer days has got me thinking about our recent vacation to the Lower North Shore. I think that this spring will be perfect for snowmobiling, since there is so much snow, it should last much longer than normal. I remember snowmobiling in the spring in the late 80s when I did not even need a jacket since it was so warm. The amount of snow this year reminds me of that period.

I also went snowmobiling on the Coast last year, but there was not very much snow then. This year I noticed there were many more snowmobile tracks on the hills, and places where it is normally difficult to get to. Many of the rocks, and trees and cliffs are covered with snow. As you can see in the photo below, I ventured up on some of the hills near La Tabatiere myself.

All of the portages on the Route Blanche snowmobile trail are groomed and usually in excellent condition, but even the portages in the villages are in great shape this year. The photo below was taken in a portage near Tabatiere.

I took the photos below in Chevery, Quebec while we were waiting for our plane to arrive.

You can see all of the vaction photos under the photo section of the Lower North Shore Community We Site.

Lower North Shore Winter Vacation

admin — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:47:48 +0000

Since I enjoy winter and snowmobiling, we decided to go back to the Lower North Shore for a vacation this year. We had a great time snowmobiling on the Route Blanche Snowmobile trail, went to the Saint Augustine Carnival, and got to watch a hockey game.

The conditions were great since there is so much snow this year. I also think that the season will last much longer than normal, since it will take some time to melt. If it does turn out this way, there will be some excellent spring snowmobiling on the Coast this year.

I will be adding more details on our winter adventure soon, and I have also uploaded some of our photos on the Lower North Shore Web Site too.

Walking along the Coast

admin — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:32:46 +0000

On my recent vacation to the Lower North Shore, I met Alexandra and Karl who are walking the entire length of the Route Blanche, from Kegaska to Blanc Sablon. They are from the Quebec City and Lac Saint Jean regions, and I am not quite sure what made them to decide to undertake this adventure, but they seem to be having a great time.

We met them between La Tabatiere and Saint Augustine, and it had been four months since they left Natasquan. Once they reach Blanc Sablon, they plan to take the Relais Nordik, which is the local ferry, back to Sept Iles, or Rimouski. They were making good progress, but still had a few weeks to go until they would reach Old Fort Bay.

I really like their approach, since they were trying to keep everything as traditional as possible. Karl actually made their Komatics himself, and much of their clothes and gear was also traditional or hand made. They did not take a radio or satellite phone with them, and they got their weather forecast and news from people stopping to talk to them on the trail. They spend most of their nights in a small tent that was heated with a wood stove.

They will definitley be in good shape once they reach their final destination, and I am sure that they will have some interesting stories. i am looking forward to hearing from them again, once they get back to “civilization”.

Lower North Shore News

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:15:56 +0000

The latest issue of the Lower North Shore news has been added to the Local news section of the Lower North Shore Web Site. You can find the complete article under the Local News Section.

Here is a summary of what is in the latest issue:

Inside This Issue

REGIONAL NEWS

Community Snapshots p.3
Chevery News Update p.3
Fond Memories of Home p.4
LNS Language Celebrating Coast… p.4
Congrès annuelle de l’ARCQ p.4
$2 Million invested on Cote Nord p.5
Annual meeting of ARCQ p.5
Sur la route de la Grande Séduction! p.6
Raid International on the LNS p.7
Raid International en BCN p.8
Coasters Association AGM p.9
Road Works—Route 138 p.10
New Social Development Animator p.10
National Park Project p.11
New LNS Community Radio Website p.12
New association takes to the airwaves p. 13
Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi Duplessis p.16
LNS Winter Events p.18
Projet de Complexe la rivière Romaine p.19
Update on Fishing Season p.19
CoastFest 2008 update p.20
LNS hits national headlines p.20
YOUTH ZONE JEUNESSE p.24

MUNICIPAL NEWS

de la Côte Nord du Golfe St Laurent

127 618 $ pour Tête-à-la-Baleine p.28
Chevery Scrappers Crop for a Cause p.29
Kegaska Community Forum p.30
Reverend Eric’s Supper & Last Service p. 31
pARTnerships, the Art of working together p.32
Netagamiou CLC progress highlights p.33

Gros Mecatina

Blossoming Partnership With Coasters Association p.35
PACE Preschool Program Enters Mecatina School p.36
Adult Education… preparing for the future p.36
CDLS donation to Mecatina School p.36

Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine Senior’s Party p.37
Progress on St. Augustine River Bridge p.37

Bonne Esperance

Local Craft Group p.38
New CLC in St. Paul’s River p.38

Blanc Sablon

Extension of the Jacques Cartier Trail p.40

CLASSIFIEDS

Job postings, for sale, volunteers needed… p.41

Raid International Éco Endurance Aventure-Lower North Shore 2008

admin — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:54:26 +0000

It looks like the next International Éco Endurance will be held on the Lower North Shore. here is the press release that I received from Randy Jones:

Orford, February 18, 2008. As part of its efforts to showcase its magnificent region, Tourism Lower North Shore is pleased to host the 2008 Raid International Eco EnduranceAventure Lower North Shore, which will take place from August 20 to 24. The 5th Raid International will welcome athletes from around the world on the road of the pioneers who first set foot on North American soil.

Teams of two will have to cross the region in 4 days and 3 nights on a multisport course of over 300 km, which will have them kayaking along inlets, passageways and rivers. They will also travel on foot along magnificent trekking and coastering courses, taking them to splendid waterfalls, white beaches and mountain observation points offering a fabulous view of the ocean and the coastline. The raid includes mountain biking on roads and pathways between villages and in the wilderness. Of course, there will be exciting climbing events and a few region-specific surprises to make this raid truly memorable. Finally, the warmth and welcome of the local people will surely leave the athletes and event staff with wonderful and lasting memories.

The raid is also an original way to promote the Lower North Shore region to lovers of the great outdoors and adventure tourism from all over the world. Promotion of the event will be supported by an internationally distributed television production about the region and the event.

A great way to showcase the Lower North Shore

Randy Jones, President of the Mayors’ Council of the Lower North Shore, is delighted to have the opportunity to host a raid in his region. “This will show that we can organise events during the summer and that we have more to offer than just great fishing,” said Mr. Jones. “This is a tremendous testament of the enormous potential of the Lower North Shore. This international event will pave the way for adventure tourism in our region.”

A fantastic region filled with adventure

“You can’t see it right away just looking at the maps, but everything is within reach, ” said Daniel Poirier of Endurance Adventure, the organization responsible for the event. “The mountain is very close to the sea and rivers flow near great canyons and fjords. The Lower North Shore is an ideal place to hold an international raid. The people are very welcoming and excited about the project. The local geography is a critical success factor, but the region’s inhabitants is another. This project is the result of a collaboration between several regional organizations: TBCN, CLD BCN, the Lower North Shore Mayors’ Council, Emploi Québec and MDEIE.

For more information call (819) 847 2197 or e-mail us at organisation@enduranceaventure.com.

Event website: www.enduranceaventure.com

Lower North Shore Tourism website: http://www.tourismlowernorthshore.com

St. Augustine Hockey Tournament

admin — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:24:33 +0000

An update on the hockey tournament from Nicholas.

The Dream Team has arrived and were greeted by the village of St.Augustine with open arms. Many thanks going out to Derrick Martin Vice President of USL for convincing these former NHL players to come to our small community and to play in our hockey tournament, and also to the former NHL hockey players, they made our dreams come true . Last night was a night to relax and have fun for the former NHLers, They played some exibition hockey with the local fun league players from St.Augustine,La Tabatierre and Pakua Shipi and also with the St.Augustine Devils. They also took time out to take photos with our minor hockey teams. The official tournament starts tonight at 5:00 pm. From my perspective our local teams in the A division will have a tough time competing against the Dream Team, but i’m sure they will not go down with-out a fight.I will keep you informed as the tournament progresses.

Note that all of the photos can be found on the Lower North Shore Community Web Site, or by clicking this link.