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85-594: Saint-Tite is a Canadian city located at the foothills of the Laurentians , between Grandes-Piles and Saint-Adelphe , in the Mauricie RCM of Mékinac . A large body of water, Lake Pierre-Paul , bathes the northeastern part of the territory.' The first real inhabitants of the area were Indigenous peoples of the Americas – Algonquins , Innu and Métis – who lived near Lake Kapibouska. Indigenous peoples of

170-537: A Canadian national transportation agency. It is a Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight Canadian provinces and 12,500 kilometres (7,800 mi) of track, 97 percent of which is owned and maintained by other railway companies, mostly by Canadian National Railway (CN). Via Rail carried approximately 4.1 million passengers in 2023, 96 percent of which were along

255-606: A business, it is hindered by the fact that it was created by an Order in Council and not from legislation passed by Parliament . Had Via been enabled by legislation, the company would be permitted to seek funding on the open money markets as other Crown corporations such as CN have done in the past. It is largely for this reason that critics say Via—like Amtrak in the United States—is vulnerable to federal budget cuts and continues to answer first to its political masters, as opposed to

340-418: A change of -0% from its 2016 population of 3,673 . With a land area of 91.1 km (35.2 sq mi), it had a population density of 40.3/km (104.4/sq mi) in 2021. Population trend: Note: The two municipalities were merged in 1998. According to the 2006 census: Mother language of Saint-Tite's citizens : Almost all of the population speaks French as a mother tongue: The city of Saint-Tite

425-512: A connection to a second Via train had been missed. As such, compensation costs were factored into Via's 2018 budget. By the end of 2018, the full route time on the Canadian had been increased twice to absorb freight delays. The second extension – to five days – has been mostly successful in decreasing delays, and also allowed for a daytime transit of Hells Gate in BC, previously transversed overnight in

510-500: A contract since 31 December 2006. Full service resumed on 27 July. An additional strike by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union, representing around 2,200 employees, was planned to begin on 4 July 2010, but was called off after the union and Via reached a three-year contract. Via experienced more service cuts at the dawn of the 2010s. In March 2011, the daily Victoria–Courtenay The Malahat RDC service on Vancouver Island

595-517: A federal election issue in 1974 when the government of Pierre Trudeau promised to implement a nationwide carrier similar to Amtrak in the United States. Starting in 1976, CN began branding its passenger services with the bilingual name Via or Via CN. The Via logo began to appear on CN passenger locomotives and cars, while still carrying CN logos as well. That September, Via published a single timetable with information on both CN and CP trains, marking

680-589: A fleet of unused passenger cars which had been built for planned Nightstar sleeper services between locations in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel were purchased and adapted following the cancellation of the Nightstar project. The new " Renaissance " cars were swiftly nicknamed déplaisance ("displeasure") by French-speaking employees and customers, due to early problems adapting

765-576: A handful of LRC locomotives remained in service which were subsequently retired by the arrival of the GE Genesis locomotives in 2001). The election of Brian Mulroney 's Progressive Conservative government in 1984 brought an initial friend to Via, when several of Mulroney's commitments included rescinding the Via cuts of 1981 by restoring the Super Continental (under pressure from his western caucus), and

850-413: A negative COVID test was also considered an alternate to show proof of vaccine prior to boarding. On March 9, 2022, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced that the federal government would seek private proposals for operation of the proposed High Frequency Rail corridor. Labour union Unifor criticized this move, calling it a first step toward eventual privatization of Via Rail, and launched

935-542: A passenger train again in his life. The Mulroney cuts allowed Via to consolidate its fleet of cars and locomotives, resulting in a fleet of refurbished stainless steel ( HEP -1 and HEP-2 rebuilds) and LRC cars, as well as rationalizing its locomotive fleet with GM and Bombardier (LRC) units. Via was not spared from further cutbacks in Jean Chrétien 's Liberal government elected in 1993. Minister of Finance Paul Martin 's first budget in 1994 saw further Via cuts which saw

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1020-462: A response to delays faced by sharing tracks with freight trains. The plan opts for a dedicated track between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, offering more frequent trains (although running at conventional speeds). In Ontario, Via would run a new rail line on currently underused tracks from Toronto to Ottawa through Peterborough instead of Kingston. In Quebec, corridor trains would travel from Montreal to Quebec City through Trois-Rivières on

1105-694: A result of the freight train crew missing a signal light, resulting in 23 deaths. By the late 1980s, inflation and other rising costs were taking their toll on federal budgets and in the Mulroney government's 1989 budget , Via again saw its budget slashed by $ 1 billion, surpassing even the 1981 cuts under Trudeau. Minister of Transport Benoît Bouchard oversaw the reduction in service on 15 January 1990, when Via's operations were reduced by 55 percent. The privatization of CN rail in 1995 also negatively affected service as it resulted in an effective monopoly, with Via trains having to yield to CN trains. Services such as

1190-518: A saddle). They can participate in speed events, such as steer roping, or skill tests, such as barrel racing. During the 10 days of the Festival, several events take place in the various marquees erected around the city or at the Country Club Desjardins, a site that looks like a typical western town. The festival is marked by a country western character. The "Galaxie Rising Star Award" awarded at

1275-758: A separate Crown corporation, Via Rail Canada. At its inception, Via acquired all CN passenger cars and locomotives. Following several months of negotiation, on 29 October 1978, Via assumed all CP passenger train operations and took possession of cars and locomotives. Passenger train services which were not included in the creation of Via Rail included those offered by BC Rail , Algoma Central Railway , Ontario Northland Railway , Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway , various urban commuter train services operated by CN and CP, and remaining CN passenger services in Newfoundland . At this time, Via did not own any trackage and had to pay right-of-way fees to CN and CP, sometimes being

1360-428: A significant concern for maintaining on-time service. This issue arose due to typical siding sizes, which were not long enough to accommodate modern freight trains. Passenger trains were consequently placed on sidings whenever two trains passed (rather than freights), which meant that passenger trains did not have priority on CN lines. The issue existed in all parts of the Via network, although it became most extreme on

1445-694: A significant investment in the Voyageur Colonial Bus Lines , an intercity bus line in Quebec and eastern Ontario that was a key competitor of Via. Routes cut under the Martin government included the seasonal Bras d'Or tourist train, which ran for the last time in September 2004, and the Montreal-Toronto overnight Enterprise , which was discontinued in September 2005. The Sarnia-Chicago International

1530-456: A weekly tourist train, the Bras d'Or , returned Via service to Cape Breton Island for the first time since the 1990 cuts, and a commitment was made to continue operating on Vancouver Island , but western Canada continued to languish with the only service provided by the Canadian and a few remote service trains in northern BC and Manitoba. In a significant new funding program dubbed "Renaissance",

1615-480: Is a subdivision of the Canadian Shield, and in this area, the oldest rocks of this geologic region are found. These rocks represent a chain of mountains that formed between 1,500 and 900 million years ago. During that time, Laurentia , the geologic core of the Canadian Shield, collided with other continents that were dragged by moving tectonic plates . The Laurentian Mountains contain dense boreal forests . It

1700-458: Is blazoned thus: Greek cross gules a chief azure point, flanked by a toothed wheel segment money dexter and a gear segment sinister gold, containing a skin tight leather gold dextral and sinistral spruce money, overcoming mountains of sand placed on a terrace or charged with a blue river. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Saint-Tite had a population of 3,672 living in 1,915 of its 2,271 total private dwellings,

1785-434: Is home to some deciduous trees, such as sugar maple , beech , but are rarely found past the northern boundary of the range. The Laurentian region is also rich in walnut , ash , cherry , linden , and oak . The range also contains bogs . The boreal ecosystem is represented by mixed forests , dominated by black spruce and balsam fir to the south, including areas of white birch . Laurentides Wildlife Reserve , which

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1870-493: Is home to various wildlife species. The Laurentian Mountains are an important part of the economy of Quebec, as they have been historically been used for forestry and provide access to tourism and outdoor recreation for people in the region. The namesake of the mountains is derived from the term "Laurentide" or "Laurentian", which is itself derived from the St. Lawrence River . François-Xavier Garneau , author of Histoire de Canada ,

1955-519: Is located in the range, contains mammals such as black bears , bobcats , raccoons, grey wolves , otters , moose , white-tailed deer and caribou , with birds such as the barred owl , American kestrel , and osprey . The Laurentian Mountains are a popular recreational destination in Quebec. The first ski lift in North America was built in the mountain range in 1931, and by the late 1930s, "snow trains" had brought tens of thousands of skiers to

2040-570: Is particularly known for the Festival Western de Saint-Tite , which takes place for 10 days in September every year. The Festival Western de Saint-Tite was developed from a rodeo inaugurated in 1967 to promote the leather industry. The Festival Western de Saint-Tite is the largest Western attraction in Eastern Canada . This festival of Eastern style, under the epithet Western, has an international reputation. The festival's success has led to

2125-485: The Atlantic (under pressure from his eastern caucus and then- Saint John mayor Elsie Wayne ). Prime Minister Mulroney's government gave Via funding to refurbish some of its cars, and purchase new locomotives, this time a more reliable model from General Motors diesel division. It was during this time on 8 February 1986, that Via's eastbound Super Continental collided with a CN freight train near Hinton, Alberta , as

2210-521: The Corridor routes connecting the major cities of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor , and had an on-time performance of 85.4 per cent. Attracting international tourism forms an important part of Via Rail's long distance trans-continental services. Yearly passenger levels on Canada's passenger trains peaked at 60 million during World War II . Following the war, the growth of air travel and

2295-586: The Super Continental were again discontinued, along with numerous disparate rural services such as in Nova Scotia 's Annapolis Valley and Cape Breton Island , western Canada , and in the corridor. The Canadian was also moved from its home rails on CP to the northerly CN route (previously plied by the Super Continental ). The shift to the less populated route between Toronto and Vancouver severed major western cities such as Regina and Calgary from

2380-594: The Atlantic 's service were Sherbrooke , Quebec, and Saint John, New Brunswick , where the only two Progressive Conservative Party Members of Parliament in Canada were elected in the 1993 federal election in which Chrétien's Liberal Party took power. The Ocean service which was preserved currently operates on track between Montreal and Halifax running through the lower St. Lawrence River valley and northern New Brunswick. The Minister of Transport in Chrétien's government at

2465-602: The Auditor-General of Canada , under the Financial Administration Act . As a federal Crown corporation , Via Rail Canada Inc. operates under the Canada Business Corporations Act and is subject to income taxes, should a profit ever be declared by it. The corporation had $ 9,300,000 in share capital as of 2018. Via also received $ 394.4 million of government funding in 2018. Via has explored

2550-472: The Canadian , where delays increased from an average of five hours to as much as 50 over the four-day journey. Via ultimately addressed the issue by eliminating its late policy on its cross-Canada trains but retaining it for the Corridor routes. However, Via continues to compensate inconvenienced guests with necessary hotel accommodations prior to the journey, as well as ensuring continued transportation where

2635-510: The East Coast to the Great Lakes . The forests reached heights of 30 to 85 meters high. While the exports of logging grew, it eventually became a wasteful practice, with the felling of trees leaving huge portions of land vulnerable to erosion . Intensive forestry has not entirely ceased in the region. Public and private forests in Quebec have now been entirely mapped, with information such as

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2720-567: The Rivière des Envies , a tributary of the Batiscan River . Rivière des Envies has its source at Lake Traverse in Sainte-Thècle and enters at the northern part (in "Grand marais" sector) of the territory of Saint-Tite. It crosses the municipality through the city, then heads to Proulxville . The coat of arms of the city was adopted in 1954 by the city council. The coat of arms of Saint-Tite

2805-676: The 1970s, with the government subsidizing up to 80 percent of losses. CN, being a Crown corporation at that time, was encouraged by the federal government and political interests to invest in passenger trains. Innovative marketing schemes such as Red, White, and Blue fares, new equipment such as scenic dome cars and rail diesel cars , and services such as Rapido and the UAC TurboTrain trains temporarily increased numbers of passengers, reversing previous declines. These increases proved temporary; by 1977, total passenger numbers had dropped below five million. The decline of passenger rail became

2890-527: The Americas . The small settlement of Saint-Juste-de Kapibouska took the name of Saint-Tite at the end of the 1850. Small Indigenous and Métis communities lived in makeshift camps whose permanence or duration depended on the availability of hunting , fishing , the quality of the soil to be cultivated, as many also did some gardening, and the fur trade . All French attempts to settle the Algonquins had failed. Mission . The Saint-Juste de Kapibouska mission

2975-476: The Auditor General's report was the fact that Via was used as one of several federal government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations to funnel these illicit funds. Forced to act on the Auditor General's report due to its political implications, Martin's government suspended Via President Marc LeFrançois on 24 February 2004, giving him an ultimatum of several days to defend himself against allegations in

3060-587: The Canadian Shield, collided with other continents and formed Precambrian rocks which extend across the range. The mountain range is located around other related geographic features, such as the Monteregian Hills and the Adirondack Mountains . The Laurentian Mountains are home to vast extents of boreal ecosystems and mixed forests . The southern areas of the range are dominated by black spruce and balsam fir , with areas of white birch . The range

3145-630: The Curé spring at the end of Rue du Couvent. Afterwards, we will gather as a big family for a fraternal lunch at the Seniors' Club room around 5:30 am (Breakfast with baked beans, maple syrup and bread rolls, served by members of the Pastoral Council , free of charge). Source: The parish leaflet of the Christian community of the parish of Saint-Tite, April 12, 1998. Railway Fever 1878 : The vast territory north of

3230-587: The Festival contributes to the development of musical talent in the country western area. Laurentian Mountains The Laurentians Mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth. The range formed around one billion years ago during the Grenville orogeny , in which the Grenville Province formed, a subdivision of the Canadian Shield . During that time, Laurentia , the geologic core of

3315-528: The Get Canada Back on Track campaign to raise awareness and call for "a legislative framework that protects public, accessible, safe passenger rail and directs immediate public investments" to service improvements. In addition to using commercial logos, Via Rail is one of several Crown corporations that has been granted heraldic symbols by the Canadian Heraldic Authority . The coat of arms

3400-637: The Laurentians and Les Laurentides , it was officially adopted in 1987 as the territory was defined. The Laurentian Mountains extend from Quebec to Labrador over a distance of 1,448 kilometers (900 miles ). They are partially bounded by the Ottawa , St. Lawrence , and Saguenay River . The Laurentian Mountains reside in the Laurentian Upland , which extends as far west as Lake Huron , with foothills extending into northeastern Ontario . Sub-ranges in

3485-491: The St. Lawrence Plain, with its opening onto the immensity of the Canadian Shield , evokes grandiose dreams. In 1878, St. Laurence, Lower Laurentian & Saguenay obtained permission to build a track between Trois-Rivières and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean via Saint-Tite. Note : Kapibouska : of Algonquian origin, this name means "place of camp where there are reeds", kapi, "place of camp", baska or bouska "rushes", "reeds". The name of

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3570-545: The ability to deliver in a timely fashion, the quality of the product offering, and the price. The new fleet will consist of Siemens SC-42 locomotives hauling a combination of coaches, business-class cars, and cab cars from the Siemens Venture series to allow bi-directional operation. The trains will be built at Siemens plant in Sacramento, California , and Siemens committed to including at least 20 percent Canadian content in

3655-507: The blessing of Easter water took place at the Curé Boutet spring. The faithful get their feet wet, get dirty with mud, some fall on patches of ice. Safety and accessibility are the reasons for the construction of temporary sets . Today, throughout Quebec, this practice has become increasingly rare, becoming a social gathering or even a tourist activity. On Easter Sunday, we will have the celebration of Easter water at 4:30 a.m. before sunrise at

3740-424: The business decisions needed to ensure the viability of intercity passenger rail service. In 1981, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau 's government endorsed Minister of Transport Jean-Luc Pépin 's plan which slashed Via's budget, leading to a 40 percent reduction in the company's operations. Frequently sold-out trains such as the Super Continental and the popular Atlantic were discontinued. The retrenchment of

3825-448: The city's downtown station as far as Windsor Junction . However, in June 2019, Halifax regional council voted unanimously to direct staff "not to pursue commuter rail service further ... due to infrastructure requirements and associated financial implications, as well as operational considerations and restraints". Via developed a $ 4.4 billion high-frequency rail (HFR) service plan as

3910-521: The corridor, and re-allocate the HEP2 and corridor-based HEP1 cars to other parts of the network. On October 30, 2021, Via Rail implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy in line with new Transport Canada regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which required all Via Rail staff and passengers aged 12 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel aboard Via Rail trains. Until November 30

3995-408: The dark. The scheduled increased running time actually resulted in the Canadian arriving early on several occasions. However, Toronto–Vancouver service frequencies were reduced to only twice weekly during peak summer period, with a third Toronto–Edmonton run suspended entirely. [clear] On 12 December 2018, Via announced that it had awarded a contract to Siemens Canada for 32 train sets to replace

4080-426: The entire Quebec City-Windsor Corridor fleet. This marked the completion of a procurement process launched following the 2018 federal budget, which allocated funding for the fleet replacement. During the request-for-proposals stage, Via had narrowed the potential suppliers down to Siemens, Bombardier , Talgo and Stadler Rail . Siemens was ultimately selected after finishing first on the key criteria, which included

4165-798: The equipment for Canadian use. Doors and toilets froze in cold Atlantic Canada temperatures, resulting in delays and service interruptions. New diesel-electric P42DC locomotives purchased from General Electric (GE) allowed the withdrawal of older locomotives, including remaining LRCs. LRC passenger cars were retained and continued to provide much of the Corridor service. This expansion to Via's fleet has permitted scheduling flexibility. Additionally, many passenger stations have been remodelled into passenger-friendly destinations, with several hosting co-located transit and regional bus hubs for various municipalities. On 24 October 2003, federal Minister of Transport David Collenette announced $ 700 million in new funding over

4250-412: The final product. The order includes an option for an additional 16 train sets to be exercised if the federal government approves Via's high-frequency dedicated-corridor project. The first train set is to be delivered for testing by winter 2021, with the first sets in service by 2022 and all trains in service by 2024. The delivery of the new trains will allow Via to retire LRC and Renaissance equipment from

4335-567: The first century by entrusting him with the task of organizing the Church of Ephesus . Highway 153 connects Saint-Tite to Shawinigan and Lac-aux-Sables , and Highway 159 to Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade . Saint-Tite is also served by the Via Rail Canada passenger train service, the Saint-Tite station (station platform) is at 310 Marchildon Street. The city is crossed by

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4420-402: The first time that Canadians could find all major passenger trains in one publication. In 1977, CN underwent a dramatic restructuring when it placed various non-core freight railway activities into separate subsidiaries, such as ferries under CN Marine , and passenger trains under Via Rail which was subsequently renamed Via Rail Canada. On 12 January 1977, CN spun off its passenger services as

4505-524: The former reduced Via to operating only one transcontinental train, The Canadian . Via also sought to reduce its reliance on over 30-year-old second-hand equipment and placed a significant order with Bombardier Transportation for new high-speed locomotives and cars which would be used in its corridor trains. The LRC (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) locomotives and cars used advanced technology such as active tilt to increase speed, but proved troublesome and took several years to work out problems (by 1990 only

4590-598: The introduction of daily regional service in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (connecting Halifax , Moncton , and Campbellton ) to complement the thrice-weekly Ocean service to Montreal. As of 2017, Via's statement was that it was "exploring an eastern intercity corridor service" and that further developments were dependent on infrastructure upgrades and equipment testing. Via has also expressed interest in operating commuter rail service on CN tracks in Halifax that would run from

4675-409: The missionaries' visits, the settlers had to travel several kilometers to reach the church of St. Stanislaus. The first chapel-presbytery was built in the 1850s. The first resident priest arrived in 1859. Easter water. From the beginning of colonization, it is likely that gathering Easter water was a common practice among members of the Christian community. In 1995, the first organized harvest and

4760-507: The month of July 2017 (corresponding to Canada's sesquicentennial celebrations) for youth aged 18–25, costing $ 150 (several hundred dollars cheaper than a comparable rail pass would typically cost). A larger than expected response resulted in the temporary loss of functionality for Via's website. Despite plans to cap the number of passes sold at 1867 (the year of Canadian Confederation ), over 4,000 passes were ultimately sold. The company received significant backlash, as it initially appeared there

4845-530: The mountain range. Jacques-Cartier National Park is located in this mountain range, which is north of Quebec City , residing in the Jacques-Cartier Massif . The Adirondack Mountains , which are located in northeastern New York , have great similarity to the Laurentian Mountains, consisting of the same type of rocks that are part of the Canadian Shield. The Laurentian Mountains are one of

4930-581: The network. This announcement was similar in content to the previous "Renaissance II" package, and once again was criticized for not including new equipment or funding for services outside the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor. Shortly afterwards, documents obtained by the Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act revealed that delays due to equipment failures had risen by 60 percent since

5015-523: The next five years. This funding was below the $ 3 billion needed to implement a high-speed rail proposal in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor nicknamed ViaFast ; however, the funding was intended to "provide for faster, more frequent and more reliable passenger service across Canada... [preserving] the option for higher speed rail, such as the Via Fast proposal," said Collenette. This new project

5100-419: The north shore of the St. Lawrence River rather than on the south shore through Drummondville . Via claimed this would allow them to run more trains in the corridor, reduce trip times by 25 percent and improve on-time performance to over 95 percent. Feasibility studies were funded by the federal government in the 2016–2018 budgets, and the 2018 budget allowed for the funding of the fleet replacement portion of

5185-472: The oldest mountain ranges in the world, being of Precambrian age, with some regions dating to over one billion years old. The mountain range is between other related geologic features, such as the Monteregian Hills and the older Oka Hills. The mountain range is located within the Grenville orogeny . The rocks of the Laurentian Mountains contain deformation and metamorphic structures that show long periods of tectonic activity occurred. The Grenville Province

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5270-478: The only user of rural branch lines. Via initially had a tremendous variety of equipment — much of it in need of replacement — and operated routes stretching from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Prince Rupert, British Columbia and north to Churchill, Manitoba . Over 150 scheduled trains per week were in operation, including transcontinental services, regional trains, and corridor services. While Via remains an independent federal Crown corporation mandated to operate as

5355-469: The parish of Saint-Tite is attested in 1859 and was established thanks to the canonical and civil election that occurred in 1863 following its detachment from Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade and Saint-Stanislas de-la-Rivière-des-Envies . The post office, opened in 1859, and the parish municipality, established in 1863, took over the parish name that celebrates a companion of St. Paul the Apostle , who converted him in

5440-646: The passenger rail network and flared western bitterness toward the Government of Canada . The official justification for the rerouting was that the trains would serve more remote communities, but the concentration of ridings held by the Progressive Conservatives along the CN route attracted the charge that the move was chiefly political. Harvie André , one of Alberta's federal cabinet ministers who represented Calgary, stated publicly that he did not care if he never saw

5525-480: The personal automobile caused significant loss of mode share for Canada's passenger train operators. By the 1960s Canadian National Railway (CN) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) found that passenger trains were no longer economically viable. CP sought to divest itself of its passenger trains, but federal government regulators and politicians balked, forcing them to maintain a minimal service through

5610-479: The popular Atlantic dropped from the schedule, focusing the eastern transcontinental service on the Ocean . CP had sold off a large portion of track the Atlantic had operated on and, as Via at that time was only mandated to provide passenger services on tracks belonging to CN or CP, the route was discontinued. This move was seen as somewhat controversial and politically motivated as the principal cities benefiting from

5695-659: The previous year. The company attributed this to problems with the aging F40 locomotive fleet. On 27 January 2009, the Government of Canada's 2009 Economic Action Plan increased funding to Via by $ 407 million to support improvements, including increased train frequencies and enhanced on-time performance and speed, particularly in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto corridor. On 21 July 2009, Via began cancelling all trains in anticipation of an engineers' strike, which officially began at midnight on 24 July. Engineers had been without

5780-645: The protection of persons and property. A flag was also granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. It is black and charged with Via Rail's badge. Via is operated as an independent crown corporation and receives a subsidy from the Minister of Transport to provide service to remote communities. Via operates more than 500 trains per week from coast to coast. The sum of CA$ 369 million was earned from passenger revenues in 2018. Over 4.74 million passenger voyages were taken in 2018. An on-time ratio of 71 percent

5865-474: The range. In the area, there is skiing, snowboarding , dog sledding , ice climbing , and snowmobiling during winter at Mont-Tremblant, with rafting , kayaking , hiking, camping, and golf through the region during spring, summer, and fall. The Laurentian Mountains have been historically used for logging . During the European colonization of North America, colonists were met with a woodland that stretched from

5950-739: The remodeling of some of the town's infrastructures to resemble a western frontier town of the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries. Since 1999, the Rodeo of Festival Western de Saint-Tite is awarded as the "Best outdoor rodeo in Americas ". The festival features a variety of activities that take place at a rate of horsemen and the sound of country music and in Eastern decor: competition, conference, parade, tasting, demonstrations, exhibitions, shows, etc... The horsemen and women can participate in various tests of skill on horseback or on wild bull (with or without

6035-400: The report or face further disciplinary action. Several days later during LeFrançois's suspension, former Via marketing department employee Myriam Bédard claimed she had been fired several years earlier when she questioned company billing practices in dealing with advertising companies. (According to CBC News , an arbitrator's report later concluded that Bédard had voluntarily left Via.) She

6120-400: The soil, terrain, and waterways, and the species and the age of the trees available. With this data, the chief forester calculates the amount of wood that can be harvested, ensuring the forest is not cut down faster than it can grow back. Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. ( reporting mark VIA ) ( / ˈ v iː ə / ), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail ), is

6205-589: The time, Douglas Young , was elected from a district that included Bathurst, New Brunswick , on the Ocean 's route. A remote Via service to Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula , the Chaleur was also spared from being cut at this time, despite carrying fewer passengers than the Atlantic . By the late 1990s, with a rail-friendly Minister of Transport, David Collenette , in office, there were modest funding increases to Via. Corridor services were improved with new and faster trains,

6290-754: The upland are the Opeongo Hills , Misquah Hills , Huron Mountains , and the Porcupine Mountains . This region is extensively forested and contains nearly untouched wilderness, with it not being suited for agriculture. One of Quebec's official regions is called Laurentides . The mountain range runs through four other regions; Capitale-Nationale , Outaouais , Lanaudière , and Mauricie . The elevation generally ranges from around 500 m (1,640 ft) to 1,000 m (3,280 ft) with Mont Raoul-Blanchard being its highest peak, at 1,166 m (3,825 ft). Mont Tremblant , Mont Bleu, and Mont des Conscrits are other prominent peaks in

6375-427: Was achieved in that year. Over 3,115 persons were employed by Via by the end of 2018. Via president Yves Desjardins-Siciliano stated that the subsidy for passenger rail travel in Canada in 2015 was about 200 percent: for every $ 1 travellers spend on fares, Canada pays $ 2 in subsidy. As of May 2019, the chair of the board of directors is Françoise Bertrand. The Annual accounts of Via are audited to GAAP principles by

6460-527: Was also discontinued in April 2004 by Amtrak. Via's portion of the route from Toronto-Sarnia remained in operation as Via was able to use their own equipment to operate the train. The federal Auditor General 's report released on 10 February 2004 showed what appeared to be a criminal misdirection of government funds intended for advertising to key Quebec-based supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada . Included in

6545-559: Was first to use the term "Laurentien" when he coined the name of the mountains in 1845. Early geologists adopted the name for the complex of metamorphic and igneous rocks in this area, with the terms further being applied to the Laurentide Ice Sheet and the Laurentian Shield ( Canadian Shield ). Garneau applied the new term to the whole range north of the St. Lawrence River. While the region has been popularly referred to as

6630-421: Was for capital projects and the remainder additional operating funding). The capital funding was earmarked to refurbish Via's fleet of 54 F40PH-2 locomotives to meet new emissions standards and extend their service lives by 15–20 years, refurbish the interiors of LRC coaches, reduce track capacity bottlenecks and speed restrictions in the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor, and make repairs to a number of stations across

6715-407: Was granted on May 15, 2020, and presented by Canada's Chief Herald. An heraldic badge was approved for use at the same time as the coat of arms. The badge design follows the design of a law enforcement agency badge in Canada, denoting the responsibilities of Via Rail Police Service . The Royal Crown indicates that Via Rail has police constables appointed for the enforcement of the laws relating to

6800-465: Was no limit on the number of passes available. Extreme winter conditions had always been an operational hazard for Via, with the Ottawa routes and Canadian being most vulnerable. Equally, summer repairs and construction often delayed trains systemwide, even though schedules were regularly adjusted in an attempt to minimize delays. However, by 2018, freight traffic on the heavily used CN lines had become

6885-423: Was not passed. The Quebec-Windsor corridor was the focus of service restorations and implements. A direct Ottawa-Quebec City train was restored, with additional trips between Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto being added. In 2016, LRC passenger cars used for the corridor were refurbished; in the Via 1 class, this included single seating. In March 2017, Via announced the release of a new category of rail pass valid for

6970-719: Was publicly belittled by Via CEO Jean Pelletier in national media on 27 February 2004. Pelletier retracted his statements but on 1 March, Pelletier was fired. By 5 March, after failing to defend himself adequately against the allegations in the Auditor General's report, LeFrançois was fired as well. The reversal of funding in 2003 led to a backlog of deferred maintenance and left Via unable to replace or refurbish life-expired locomotives and rolling stock. Conversely, Via ridership increased from 3.8 million in 2005 to 4.1 million in 2006. On 11 October 2007, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced federal government funding of $ 691.9 million over five years (of which $ 519 million

7055-460: Was set up for the Aboriginal people living at Kapibouska Lake. At the beginning of the 19th century, missionaries visited the territory. Pioneers . In the early 1830s, lumber yards were booming on the Rivière des Envies . The first settler of French-Canadian origin settled around 1833 in the area of the future city of Saint-Tite. Over time, several other pioneers were established. Apart from

7140-492: Was suspended indefinitely due to deteriorating track (it has yet to resume). By 27 June 2012, Via announced additional service cuts due to funding issues: To address declining on-time performance due to freight train traffic on Via routes, MP Olivia Chow drafted a private member's bill in 2014 that would reorganize the company and allow the government to force freight rail carriers to give scheduling priority to public passenger rail. However, as with most private member's bills, it

7225-479: Was to be called "Renaissance II". On 18 December 2003, Liberal Prime Minister (PM) Paul Martin froze federal spending on all major capital projects, including Via's five-year $ 700 million "Renaissance II" program announced just six weeks earlier by outgoing PM Chrétien's administration. Critics of Martin's cuts claimed that he was in a conflict of interest as his family through Canada Steamship Lines and various subsidiary and affiliated companies had once had

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