Birthplace of the first ‘Village gai’ of Montréal, around rue Stanley, is the neighbourhood where the events of 1977 and 1990 took place. Both were dubbed Montréal’s Stonewall and both resulted from police raids on GLBT meeting places. 2027 will mark the 50th anniversary of a raid that would change the course of the struggle for our rights by setting in motion the ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation. 

On October 22, 1977, after a raid on a gay bar on rue Stanley, the Truxx, accused of running a ‘house of debauchery’ where more than 140 gay men were brutally arrested. A nighttime protest organized at the initiative of the Association pour la défense des droits des gai(e)s gathered 2,000 angry gay men at the corner of Stanley and Sainte-Catherine. In the 1970s, raids on gay bars had multiplied in Montréal to ‘clean up’ the city ahead of the 1976 Olympics, and these practices had continued after the Games. This new abusive raid would prompt the Québec government, then led by René Lévesque’s Parti Québécois, to follow through on its 1976 election promise by adding sexual orientation to the prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Québec Charter of Rights on December 15, 1977, a first in the Americas.

In July 1990, another raid followed, this time at a private party, the Sex Garage, held in a vast loft in an industrial building on rue de la Gauchetière. On July 14, 1990, a group of police officers from the Communauté urbaine de Montréal, after removing their badges, decided to raid the party, citing noise as the reason. The roughly 400 participants were forced to leave the premises, then attacked by police when some of them tried to return for their personal belongings.

On July 16, after the police chief failed to keep his promise to meet, several hundred people turned up at the police station at the corner of De Maisonneuve and Saint-Mathieu for a peaceful kiss-in. While the protesters were all sitting on the ground, rows of police officers lined up in front of them to charge the crowd and force it to move on.

The brutality of the repression prompted several participants to get involved in the fight against violence toward gays and lesbians, which led in 1992 to the creation of the Table de concertation des lesbiennes et gais du Grand Montréal. In 1993, the Table secured public hearings held by the Commission des droits de la personne du Québec on violence and discrimination against gays and lesbians. The Commission’s report in 1994 From illegality to equality marked a new milestone in advancing LGBT rights in Québec, notably by paving the way for the recognition of same-sex couples. Several also got involved in setting up Divers/Cité which organized and rapidly expanded Montréal’s LGBT Pride parade from 1993 to 2008.

 For over 25 years, Magella Landry, once a commercial crab fisherman with several boats who spent his winters in Montréal, was involved in the tourism development of Natashquan and the Côte-Nord. Today, he has returned to a somewhat less hectic life, managing and promoting the Auberge Port d'Attache, which he built and has operated since 1995.

Located at the western entrance to the village, directly on the shores of the Golfe St-Laurent, the inn offers eight individually decorated rooms, each with a telephone and television. Guests can also relax in the reading room or simply admire the stunning view. In the morning, guests have breakfast with other travellers in the dining room, lovingly prepared by the chef, who takes pleasure in serving eggs, pancakes, or French toast. All of this is included in the room rate.

 
Like many other villages in the region, tourist accommodation is rather limited in Natashquan. The issue has been addressed in recent years with the aim of providing housing for workers and newcomers. A stay at the Port d'Attache is filled with fond memories, as the place is beautifully decorated with antique furniture, historical images, and paintings depicting local scenes, among other things.

Magella Landry remains an important figure in the Macacain scene*, having been vice-president of Tourisme Côte-Nord and president of the tourism and cultural development organization that recently became Destination Natashquan.

 
He also became involved and coordinated, in the mid-2010s, along with about a hundred other citizens, a movement dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Gilles Vigneault heritage site in Natashquan, or, in other words, to ensure the survival of "La Source." The aim was to prevent the sale of this site to private interests, which would spoil these places steeped in history, and to halt the deterioration of the buildings, which will soon be irreversible.

The people of Natashquan wanted to save these buildings (two houses and three outbuildings) to create a living memorial, a place to share the poet's source of inspiration, a welcoming space for creation, and an artist residency. A national fundraising campaign was launched to raise $500,000 for the Natashquan Fund for the Preservation of the Source. "A very small sum considering the scope of the act of remembrance and transmission of the source that the people of this tiny village are committed to carrying out for the entire province," said Magella Landry at the campaign launch.

After all these years of dedication, and in order to better care for his family, the innkeeper is considering finding a buyer for his inn. With no family member to take over, he must look elsewhere. He hopes a local or regional buyer will come forward when the time is right. The inn is open year-round and has an exceptional location, ideal for both those who appreciate beautiful scenery in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter.

And a word to the wise: the water in the bay at Natashquan is sometimes warmer for swimming than the surrounding air during the summer.

Auberge Port d'Attache
aubergeleportdattache.ca70, rue du Pré
Natashquan (Québec) G0G 2E0
418 726-3569

* Macacain: According to some, the demonym "Macacain" is said to be derived from "Acadian," the people from whom the inhabitants of Natashquan are descended.

On August 1^st, 2016, writer and poet Anne Hébert would have turned 100. Her centenary was to be commemorated in 2017 in Kamouraska, the village where her novel Kamouraska is set. The book made her famous and put the village on the map. Adapted for the big screen by Claude Jutra, with music by André Gagnon, the film introduced her work to the general public.

Anne Hébert was born in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier and spent her childhood in Québec. But as a descendant of the seigneurial family of Kamouraska, she spent several summers there, where she became familiar with the famous crime of passion involving her ancestor. After publishing various poetry collections from 1942 to 1953, in 1958 she published her first novel, Les Chambres de bois, with Éditions du Seuil, and in June 1960 was elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada.

In 1965, after her mother’s death, she moved to Paris. She finally achieved success with the publication of Kamouraska in 1970, which earned her the Prix des libraires de France. In 1975 she published Les enfants du sabbat, her third novel, followed in 1980 by a fourth, Héloïse. Her fifth novel, Les Fous de Bassan (1982), made her the fourth French-Canadian woman and the second Québécoise to win one of France’s major literary prizes: the Prix Femina. She was preceded only by Gabrielle Roy, also a Femina winner, Marie-Claire Blais, winner of the Médicis, and Antonine Maillet, winner of the Goncourt. Between 1969 and 1983, she received honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto (1969), the University of Guelph (1970), UQÀM (1979), McGill University (1980) and Université Laval (1983).

In 1988, her sixth novel, Le Premier Jardin, paid tribute to the women who founded Nouvelle-France. A seventh novel, L’Enfant chargé de songes, appeared in 1992. In 1995, at the age of 79, she published Aurélien, Clara, Mademoiselle et le Lieutenant anglais, a story midway between poetry and prose. Her fifth and final poetry collection, Poèmes pour la main gauche, was published two years later.

Early in 1998, after 32 years in Paris, she returned to Montréal. In 1999, her last novel, Un habit de lumière, was published, a few months before her death in Montréal in January 2000.

Anne Hébert always remained discreet about her private life; she never married or had children. Living in Paris, far from home, enabled her to keep her artistic and private lives separate, as it did for her friend Mavis Gallant, an English-speaking Montréal writer who had also moved to the City of Light and with whom Hébert shared a long friendship.

The shop at Cidrerie et Vergers Pedneault is an excellent showcase, not only of the diverse products this family artisan makes and distributes, but also of the art of cider making, which many people know little about. There, you'll find detailed information on the process of creation and production, from apple cultivation to bottling.
Visitors are quickly drawn to the many displays and colourful labels of the roughly 30 different products, grouped into various categories: mistelles, crèmes, sparkling, fruity stills, ice cider, aperitifs, and more. Two products really got our taste buds going: the maple apple, with its delicate, subtle flavour, and above all the star still unrivalled today, Glacier, which has won several awards at wine fairs.

Even the newcomer, Marée Rose, reveals more than 100 years of apple cultivation by the Pedneault family on the island. It is the first rosé cider, with a fine, vivid red colour thanks to the Geneva apple, which makes up 100% of its raw material.
On site, they take the time to offer tastings and thoroughly explain the range of varieties on offer. Teaching wine enthusiasts helps restore cider's prestige with many visitors to the shop.
Rising demand in recent years has led to shops opening in La Malbaie, Baie-Saint-Paul, and Québec.
Worth noting: you can pick your own apples, pears and plums in the orchards in autumn.

Cidrerie et Vergers Pedneault
vergerpedneault.com
3384, chemin des Coudriers
L’Île-aux-Coudres, Qc G0A 3J0
418.438.2365

The Le Manoir du spaghetti banner had a presence in Québec and Trois-Rivières for many years from 1978, while partners ran three branches (Charlesbourg, Ste-Foy), all housed in Canadian-style homes with a historic character.

 
Since 2016, only the restaurant in the Maison Hart in Trois-Rivières now bears the Manoir du spaghetti name. Pierre Plante, the sole owner, runs the business there with pride. He had been a chef there, as well as at the other two branches, for several years. That venture led him to become a shareholder, along with family members, before finally buying the Trois-Rivières restaurant in 2001.

So you could say Pierre Plante carries the DNA of the Manoir du spaghetti in his veins.

 
On Hart Street in Trois-Rivières, in the heart of the historic neighbourhood of the second-oldest French-speaking city in America, you'll notice the heritage house that has housed the restaurant Le Manoir du Spaghetti for 35 years. It was acquired from Jean-Louis Caron, the architect known for his work on the construction of the Trois-Rivières cathedral.

This authentic Canadian house has seen the joys and sorrows of several notable families from the city founded by Laviolette nearly 400 years ago, on July 4, 1634, including that of Ézéchiel Hart. He was the first Jewish deputy elected in Canada.

“It is therefore in a clearly historic and heritage setting that customers can enjoy the Italian cuisine of Le Manoir. The cuisine has evolved over the years, but it has brought back several of its original classics that made its reputation at the time, such as pasta trios, pasta and pizza combos, and more,” explains Pierre Plante.

With its warm, festive atmosphere, attentive service and distinctive menu, it’s a must-visit in Trois-Rivières. It’s just a stone’s throw from the historic district, the old port and the bustling shops and bars of rue des Forges. The wide choice of pasta and pizza is hard to resist, and the wine and beer selection is just as surprising. For dessert, what sets the place apart is the ice cream bar, a concept adapted from a Florida restaurant, which always delights young and old.

 
You can also buy various sauces, dressings, soups and other products online to keep the experience going at home.

 
Like a good family man
Pierre Plante is happy and proud to lead a team of about twenty employees who form a small family. All the more so since, with one exception, no one left their job during the stretches of the pandemic when the dining room was closed. "I look after my people. If someone works here, it's because I like them from the start. During the pandemic, I kept being attentive and looking after everyone. We shared food when some were having a hard time," he explains.

 The owner, Pierre Plante. (Photo: Pierre Perreault)

Le Manoir kept up takeout orders almost all the time Public Health allowed it. That let some kitchen staff, among others, keep working.

No wonder, then, that staff turnover is so low. Tenure ranges from 1 month to 38 years.

 
It's pretty much the same with customers. People come back. The vast majority come from Trois-Rivières and the surrounding area, even from the rive-sud. Others are travellers passing through between Montréal and Québec, tourists getting off cruise ships in summer, or conference attendees and business people gathered in the city's hotels. “Sometimes we serve the children and grandchildren of customers who had been coming here since the beginning.”

Pierre Plante, a cook through and through, insists on the quality of the ingredients that go into the dishes served to customers. “Never lower the bar. Always keep the best products in each category. That’s what sets us apart and what pleases our customers,” he says.

In addition to the spacious dining room spread across various ground-floor areas, Le Manoir has a superb, well laid-out and intimate terrace at the back, during the warm months.

Le Manoir du spaghetti
manoirduspaghettiv3r.com
1147, rue Hart
Trois-Rivières (QC)
819 373-0204

The oldest fine-dining restaurant in the city of Québec has been housed since 1956 in a house built in 1845 by the Honourable Jean-Thomas Taschereau, a judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. In Governor Frontenac’s time, rue Saint-Louis had already become the most prestigious residential street in the Upper Town. The street ran from the governor’s château and had been named in honour of the Crusader king, the good Saint Louis.

Today, with 140 seats across two floors, Le Continental continues the tradition of its Italian founders, the brothers Angelo and Luigi Sgobba, but with a signature take on high-end classic French cuisine. Proudly fitted out, the decor of the historic Taschereau house almost makes you feel you’re aboard a vintage cruise ship. Rich, warm wood panelling, silverware, immaculate tablecloths and table lamps immerse diners in an intimate, hushed atmosphere.

 
For decades, Le Continental has welcomed celebrities from the worlds of film, music, sports and politics, both from here and from elsewhere. Nearly all Québec premiers have had their own table here, as have several Canadian prime ministers.
Le Continental also describes itself as “the restaurant for life’s milestones,” whether it’s a graduation, an engagement, a wedding, a wedding anniversary, a promotion or any occasion to gather guests and celebrate. It is also not uncommon to serve third-generation customers here.

In 2010, Mathieu Pettigrew and his partners acquired Le Continental. Mathieu had already been working there since 1993. Their goal at the time was to make the most of tableside cooking, one of the key elements of its success.

The varied, gastronomic menu includes specialties such as continental filet mignon, veal sweetbreads flambéed in Madeira, or langoustines flambéed in whisky. A four-course table d’hôte is also offered, with quite respectable value for money. Two attractive private dining rooms are available to guests.

The highlight remains the only tableside service. Flambés come as a bonus, offering the luxury of dishes prepared and cooked at the table. These artists are trained on site to flambé dishes in the restaurant’s tradition. Product quality and authenticity are at the heart of management’s concerns. The wine cellar, too, impresses with some 12,000 bottles and 300 French, Italian and Californian appellations, from the most affordable to the finest grand cru classé.

 
Though the menu has hardly changed in 50 years (customers like it that way), it is revised twice a year and adapted to the availability of ingredients. No effort is spared to ensure consistent quality and satisfy both new customers and long-time regulars.

 
Worth noting: back then, the Continental’s kitchen was in the basement. Today, it’s combined with that of its next-door little brother, the Conti, with a single kitchen team.

Le Continental is open year-round, seven days a week, for dinner. Together, the two restaurants employ 75 to 80 people.

A story that still inspires today
From the early 1800s, when the courthouse was installed at the corner of place d’Armes, many lawyers settled on rue Saint-Louis. That is how the house now occupied by Le Continental restaurant came to be built in 1844 for lawyer Jean-Thomas Taschereau. At 30, he moved into the new house with his young wife and their first child. Fortunately, the young lawyer Taschereau had a large house built for himself. Five children were born of his first marriage, and seven more came with his second.

His talents and good reputation won him appointment as a judge in 1855. That same year, he also became a part-time professor at Université Laval. In 1878, Judge Taschereau was elevated to the eminent position of judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. However, his health grew increasingly frail, and he retired in 1888. He spent his final years in his home on rue Saint-Louis, where he died in 1893, the very year the Château Frontenac was inaugurated not far away.

Steeped in this history, Le Continental has welcomed guests since its earliest days. It was opened by Italian brothers Angelo and Luigi Sgobba, along with their friends Luigi Giacomello and Stephano Degan, after a six-month journey in Québec. Upon arriving in Québec, it was love at first sight.

Restaurant Le Continental
restaurantlecontinental.com
26, rue Saint-Louis
Vieux-Québec (Qc)
418 694-9

When arriving via Highway 170, which cuts through the entire city of Saguenay, the Delta Saguenay Hotel stands out with its impressive height and sprawling footprint, acting as a welcoming beacon. This sets the tone for what its management offers to visitors, whether for family vacations in the region, a brief work trip, or an event or business meeting at its conference center.

Located in the Jonquière sector of Saguenay, this 4-star Marriott hotel caters to both families and business travelers. It sits slightly outside the city center and away from the Saguenay River, 26 km from Bagotville Airport, which serves the region. With its Boston Pizza restaurant, newly added indoor pool, and fitness center, the Delta Saguenay is one of the premier hotel establishments in the area.

 
According to the hotel’s General Manager, Olivier Fortin-Tremblay, investments made by the owners since 2012 have transformed it into a unique location in the region. The refined rooms include amenities such as a desk, ergonomic chairs, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, coffee makers, and mini-fridges. Some rooms feature bathtubs, while others have walk-in showers. Suites additionally include a fridge, microwave, dining area, fireplace, and sofa bed.

 
All rooms were renovated in 2012, drawing inspiration from the Canadian landscape with a refreshing and modern color palette and maximized use of natural light. Previously owned by an Ontario financial group, the Delta Saguenay became locally owned in 2017, led by businessman Laval Boulianne with support from the regional FTQ Solidarity Fund.

In 2018, the franchise managers invested in building a restaurant near the main lobby entrance, followed by a $1.2 million investment in a two-story annex housing an indoor pool with a spa and sauna, as well as an interactive playroom. These upgrades, operational since 2020, were necessary to attract more families, according to the General Manager. While maintaining its business focus with the conference center, the building now also offers a recreational purpose.

The Delta conference center boasts spacious rooms with all the necessary logistics for major events: 17 conference rooms and a ballroom spanning 11,660 square feet. The venue is highly regarded for the quality of its facilities and professional services provided to organizers of various events and meetings.

  
Of note, the Delta Saguenay also welcomes snowmobiling enthusiasts during winter, given its proximity to major regional and provincial trails. Additionally, the management practices an inclusive guest policy for all visitors.

In fall 2023, the hotel owners hinted at plans to improve the region's accommodation offerings, which are deemed insufficient by local tourism development stakeholders. Studies show that event attendees prefer to stay onsite. The Delta Saguenay currently offers 160 rooms, with plans to increase to 200 by adding a new tower on businessman Laval Boulianne’s property. This project could be realized by early 2024.

Hôtel Delta Saguenay

Website

2675, Boul. du Royaume
Jonquière, QC G7S 5B8
(418) 548-3124

In Rimouski, on rue Saint-Germain ouest, the façade gives very little hint of what awaits visitors. Inside, there is a spacious, cozy area with small armchairs around a coffee table and a bistro section. At the back, a large room with subdued lighting is where small groups gather to chat or meet while enjoying the roaster’s unique, specialized products.

Then there’s the large counter. Behind it, you’ll find two dozen silos filled with a variety of coffee beans, ready to take away, ground to the customer’s taste, or enjoyed on the spot in a range of choices and formats. Thanks to a team of trained, knowledgeable baristas, all of this is possible.
'We don’t serve meals,' explains Nathalie Gagnon, the general manager. 'We also serve coffee, tea, microbrewery beers, wine, and pastries from a local shop. You can bring your own lunch and heat it up. Occasionally, we host art openings, conferences, or performances.'

Roasting at the heart of the business
Le Moussonneur isn’t just the place described above. It’s also, and above all, a company that imports and selects coffees from around the world. It runs one of the best-equipped roasting workshops in Rimouski’s industrial park, thanks to more than 32 years of expertise from Richard O’Neil, Nathalie Gagnon’s partner.

 

The name of this Rimouski company comes from the term ‘moussonné’, which is in fact a range of coffees that Le Moussonneur has made its specialty. In fact, unwashed green coffee that has been exposed to humid air so that it absorbs water, swells, and changes colour until it turns light golden brown is called moussonné.

The star of this range is the Moussonné des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, a green coffee soaked in the Islands’ seawater, then dried in the sun and salty winds before being roasted as orders come in. Why such a wild idea? “Because the sodium from the sea, crystallized inside the bean, blends with the coffee’s oils during roasting. This creates a reaction that greatly reduces the acidity of the other coffees it is mixed with, and brings out their specific aromas, which we would not discover without it,” explains Richard O’Neil. The process was discovered in the 17th century. These coffees are recognized for their finesse, superior flavour and velvety texture. To develop these exceptional coffees, Richard O’Neil didn’t just draw inspiration from nature. He built it into his process.

 
With his unique approach to selecting and roasting single-origin coffees, artisan roaster Richard O’Neill knows how to achieve exceptional and remarkable flavours. He also visits the plantations himself to better understand the daily life of the producers, their specific methods and the distinct environment surrounding each crop.

He also develops several blends, known as the Incontournables, with prized, perfect and unmatched flavours that appeal to discerning connoisseurs. The workshop also produces coffees for grocery chains and restaurants.

Also, Privé coffees are those that score above 87 on the 100-point scale defined by the SCA (Speciality Coffee Association). This score is based on several criteria: aroma, body, acidity, balance, aftertaste and cup clarity. Everything is taken into account, from room lighting to water pH and bean moisture levels, to ensure uniform tasting results.

Only by discovering these details and the roaster’s working methods can one say that the roaster is to coffee what the sommelier is to wine.

The future looks promising
This profile would not be complete without mentioning Cold Drip Brew, a new product that occupies a particular niche. It is cold-brewed using an artisanal Japanese drip-by-drip method, in the Kyoto style. The process yields a coffee of exceptional richness, allowing the flavours and aromas specific to each single-origin coffee’s terroir to develop. It is available in ready-to-drink cans, or can be mixed with alcohol or a fruity drink, over ice for example.

In recent years, coffee-based cold drinks have become increasingly popular in the United States and Canada during the summer months. Cold brew has grown exponentially over the past decade. Alongside it, “cold drip” coffee has also taken off, and the two share essential similarities and differences. Le Moussonneur uses this method to produce its five varieties, including Costa Rica Terrazu and Jamaica Blue Mountain.

In addition, in autumn 2024, Nathalie Gagnon will open a coffee accessories shop at the entrance to her business, including coffee makers, cups and other relevant and exclusive items. She will also run training sessions for coffee enthusiasts on machine use, brewing techniques and other topics related to coffee and its particularities.

Le Moussonneur will also develop a commercial division to supply restaurants, hotels and various establishments that serve coffee to their customers. An expert in the field has partnered with the company to coordinate this service. Whole bean coffee in bulk bags will also be available there.

Le Moussonneur employs a team of four people at the workshop, plus a few baristas at the downtown café.

Le Café du Moussonneur
lemoussonneur.ca
173, rue St-Germain Ouest
Rimouski (Qc) G5L 4B8
418 721-7776
.

In February 2002, YinYan opened in the food-loving downtown of Rimouski. Its owners and partners, Yan Hallé and Dany Roy, set out to open the first sushi bar in eastern Québec. Their mission was to introduce sushi and Oriental cuisine to the Bas-St-Laurent region. Today, the restaurant employs 14 people.

Because cooking and sushi are an art, they consider it very important to respect Oriental techniques and tradition in all their beauty and magic. What they practise is, in fact, a balanced cuisine.
Well placed in the restaurant and shop district on rue Saint-Germain, Yin Yan puts its Asian know-how on display for the greatest pleasure: indulgence, says Yan Hallé.
From 2 p.m., a team is already preparing everything needed to serve customers in the early evening, whether in the dining room or as takeout orders. You have to see them buzz around like a little beehive to have everything in place before customers or orders arrive.

Sushi lovers will find exclusive varieties here, as well as a list of wines and spirits. The menu includes soups, tartares, various Asian dishes, Poké bowls and more. Yin Yan also offers catering. The restaurant, too, supports local artists by displaying several of their works.

Yin Yan: balanced cuisine
yinyansushi.com
61, rue Saint-Germain Est
Rimouski (Qc) G5L 8W2
418.725.2233

For many, mead is a drink of the gods, often portrayed as such in fantasy tales and legends, among others. But Québec produces excellent mead, including that from Hydromellerie du Vieux-Moulinin Sainte-Flavie.
Known and appreciated by the Greeks and Romans, mead later spread to the Gauls. Made by fermenting water and honey in widely varying proportions, this drink of the gods was popular with both families and religious communities in the Middle Ages. It remained widely drunk in Europe until the 19th century. In Norse mythology, the Valkyries fill the horns with mead at the feast of the gods.
Normand Tremblay, who founded this family business 26 years ago (in 2022), has been producing honey for over 40 years. At first, he sold in grocery stores and local businesses. But when the idea of producing mead came up, they needed a building that could house a shop as well as production equipment. In 1995, the family acquired an old flour mill built in 1830, which they’ve occupied ever since.
Nicolas, the founder’s son, now runs the business.
The fabulous honey wines made and produced here have won gold medals several times at various competitions (wines and spirits of the terroir). In the shop, you’ll find many honey products and an observation hive. 

Tucked away upstairs is the Musée de la Neufve-France, featuring heritage treasures from Nouvelle-France and exceptional First Nations artifacts, the result of Normand Tremblay’s passion for collecting since the 1970s. Definitely worth seeing if you visit the shop.

Hydromellerie du Vieux-Moulin
vieuxmoulin.qc.ca
141, route de la Mer
Sainte-Flavie, Qc G0J 2L0
418.775.8383