July 2018

178 179 VILLE DE RIMOUSKI, QUEBEC ety of corporate headquarters and administrative centers that drive the city’s economic engine. Surrounded by a natural labora- tory, and home to many research and teaching centres, Rimouski has earned status as the Marine Techno- pole of Quebec.The city’s commercial seaport strategically opens to large European markets and the Canadian and American Great Lakes. Specialists in maritime technologies and ap- plied research (Innovation Maritime) and intermodal maritime transport (CFoRT) make the port of Rimouski an important center for development of maritime transport and technology. Mayor of Rimouski,Marc Parent, shares,“People relocate here fromMontreal and Quebec City,when they realize if they want to move forward profes- sionally and maintain a great quality of life, that Rimouski,with its 50,000 people, offers all of that.” The Complexe Sportif Desjardins project, seen as one of the missing stones in the infrastructure of Rimouski, is a great example.The city was short of recreational facilities–swimming pools, ice rinks– so it made a proposal, supported by the provincial and federal governments, and in April 2017, the $40 million project was announced. “We were extremely well-prepared,” says Parent, “from the get-go, that project was developed with the involvement of all the potential users.Among the most active was the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR).Three months after the announce- ment,we started digging and the Complex will be finished in Dec. 2018.We’re actually ahead of sched- ule on construction and right on budget.The site used to be UQAR property, but the University sold us the land for the Complex for one dollar–it’s a great partnership.” The building is following all the guidelines to meet Gold LEED criteria.Advanced technology includes recouping all the excess heat generated by the cooling system for the two ice surfaces (Olym- pic and North American sizes) and using it to heat the 6800 square foot semi-Olympic pool as well as the 5,000 square foot recreational pool.That pool features a huge family-focused component to make