Chute-aux-Outardes

Chute-aux-Outardes is a municipality in Manicouagan, in the North Shore region of Quebec.

Understand
The village of Chute-aux-Outardes is located on the Manicouagan Peninsula, on the west bank of the Aux Outardes River, downstream from the Outarde-2 generating station. This village in the western suburbs of Baie-Comeau offers various services to travelers on Route 138.

History
The toponym "Chute-aux-Outardes" is associated with the name of the river and Canada geese (designated "Bernache"), a migratory bird. The site at the mouth of the Rivière aux Outardes was frequented by the natives, already several thousand years before J.C.

The village of Chute-aux-Outardes was founded in 1908 by Alfred Labbé, a postillion accustomed to making the journey between Pessamit and Pointe-des-Monts; Labbé befriended the Innu. He actively contributed to the fur trade and worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. Subsequently, Labbé worked for the Ontario Paper Company as a cook and salesman at the general store.

In 1926, Robert R. McCormick, president of the Ontario Paper Company, began construction of the Outardes 1 hydroelectric power station on the Outardes River. This plant was intended to supply electricity to the future local paper mill. However, the plant was operational only in 1936, after having experienced a break due to the economic crisis of 1929. These constructions led to the settlement of the village with families from this area of the Côte-Nord, Trois-Pistoles and the south shore of the St. Lawrence. Finally, the municipality of Chute-aux-Outardes was incorporated in 1951.

Production from this hydroelectric plant ceased in 1978, when the Scierie des Outardes was inaugurated under an agreement between the QNS paper company and the Rexfor state-owned company.

By car

 * From Montreal (646 km, time: 7 hr 43 min non-stop. From downtown Montreal, take the Jacques-Cartier bridge (east); take route 132 (east), highway 20 (east); then successively Autoroute 73 (north), Autoroute 40 (east) and Route 138 to Chute-aux-Outardes.

Do
Several activities are offered to visitors to enjoy an immersive outdoor experience and discover the jewels of Manicouagan's backcountry.

Connect
Low-altitude satellite communication services (e.g. Starlink satellite constellation) are increasingly accessible in remote areas such as the North Shore; they allow you to make video calls, play online games, view streaming video, and perform other high-speed activities, among other things. In remote areas, these satellite communication services offer security and efficiency.