La Tuque (Quebec, Canada)

The Town ("ville") of La Tuque (12,187 inhabitants in 2006; 28,421 sq. km, therefore the second largest municipality in Québec and the sixth in Canada) is located 170 km north of Trois-Rivières, in the Region of Mauricie.

Located in the upper basin of the river Saint-Maurice, the territory of La Tuque was originally inhabited by Atikamekw Amerindians. The Municipality of the Village of La Tuque was founded in 1909; the next year, the Municipality of the Village of La Tuque Falls was founded nearby, both villages being merged in 1911 to form the Town of La Tuque. In 1993, the Municipality of Haute-Mauricie, founded in 1972, was merged with the Town of La Tuque. On 26 March 2003, the Municipalities of La Bostonnais, La Croche and Lac-Édouard, the Municipality of the Village of Parent and the non-incorporate territories of the MRC of Haut-Saint-Maurice were incorporated into La Tuque; La Bostonnais and Lac-Édouard were detached again on 1 January 2006.

La Tuque seems to have been named after a hill used by the trappers sailing on the river to locate the place. The word "tuque" was used in Périgord (south-west of France) and seems to have been brought to Québec by early colonists. In Québec, a "tuque" is also a night cap topped with a pompom (see the municipal arms).

La Tuque is the birth place of the great poet and singer Félix Leclerc (1914-1988), a main voice of the Québec culture. On 13 August 1974, he gave a big concert with Robert Charlebois and Gilles Vigneault for more than 100,000 gathered in the Plains of Abraham, Québec. See youtube.com - 1962 and youtube.com - 1983 [Source: Municipal website].

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Flag

On 2 April 2009, Patrick Vaillancourt reports in L'Écho de la Tuque that Mayor Réjean Gaudreault has offerred the flag of La Tuque to 16 local soldiers heading to a mission in Afghanistan. On the colour photo illustrating the article, the flag of La Tuque appears as white with the greater municipal coat of arms surmonting "VILLE DE LA TUQUE" in black letters. [Larger image here]

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Arms

The municipal arms of La Tuque, as shown and described on the municipal website, are "D'azur à la fasce ondée d'argent chargé d'un dard vivré de gueules posé en fasce, la pointe à sénestre, accompagné en chef de deux sapins arrachés d'or et en pointe d'une tuque aussi d'or" (Azure a fess wavy argent charged with a thunderbolt gules per fess pointing sinister in chief two firs eradicated or in base a tuque of the same).

The azure colour symbolizes the purity of the space.
Gold symbolizes light, justice, strength, faith and constancy.
The wavy fess represents the river Saint-Maurice.
The thunderbolt represents hydroelectricity and the vivid inhabitants of the town.
The firs represent the forest as a source of income.
The "tuque" is canting for the name of the town.

The shield is surmonted by a mural crown recalling the status of town granted to La Tuque. The shield is flanked by two maple branches tied by a red ribbon and supporting a yellow scroll charged with the Latin motto of the town, "Industriis et labore cresco", "I grow through industry and work". [Source: tourismeham.qu/ca/armoiries.html]
Ivan Sache, 3 April 2009