Rouyn-Noranda (Quebec, Canada)

The Town (in French, "Ville") of Rouyn-Noranda (41,401 inhabitants on 1 January 2002; 663,800 ha), administratively the MRC ("Municipalité Régionale de Comté") of Rouyn-Noranda until January 2002, is located in the administrative region of l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue, in north-western Quebec, on the border with Ontario.

Following the discovery near Lake Osisko of a huge copper deposit by Edmond Horne in 1911, a village was built on the bank of the lake. Joseph Dumoulon's house was used as the general store and the post office. The first mass was celebrated in the house on 10 October 1924. Originally a group of wooden huts, Rouyn grew up as a big village with a theater, an hospital, a bank, shops, schools and hotels. The village was named after Jean-Baptiste de Rouyn, from Lorraine (France), captain in the Royal Roussillon regiment. Injured during the battle of Sainte-Foy (1760), Rouyn was awarded the Cross of St. Louis and died in France.

Noranda, originally a workers' village, should have been named Norcanda, for "Northern Canada", but the name of the village was inadvertently goofed by a local typograph and remained unchanged. Noranda and Rouyn became municipalities on 11 March and 5 May 1926, respectively.

The Horne mine, later renamed the Noranda mine, was inaugurated on 17 December 1927. In 1937, Noranda was the second biggest copper mine and the third gold mine in the world. In 1940, the mine employed 1,900 workers, several of them coming from Central Europe.

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache, 9 July 2008

A high-resolution photography of the town hall, available of the municipal website, patially shows the municipal flag, which is, most probably white with the new municipal logotype.

The image, however, does not provide enough details to reconstruct accurately the flag.

The municipal logo is made of a disk divided green-white by stylized white letters "RN" and the blue writing "Ville de / Rouyn-Noranda / Fierté. Solidarité. Savoir.

The official description of the logo is the following (my translation from the French description):

Description of the logo:

The logo symbolizes the union, the youth and the dynamism of the Town of Rouyn-Noranda. The circle represents the new alliance of the rural and urban communities which integrate in a continuous movement and a shared dynamism unveiling the initials of Rouyn-Noranda. The continuous movement evokes the various, complementary richnesses of the territory, with its mineral faults, watercourses, hills and valleys. The colours of environment, blue and green, recall the some 600 lakes, forests and lands that feed the joy of life in Rouyn-Noranda.

Description of the motto:

Pride ("Fierté") of our roots, of our identity, of our heritage, of our builsers, of our town...

Solidarité ("Solidarity") among the citizens of both genders (the French text says "citoyennes et citoyens"), among generations, among the various groups of our rural and urban communities.

Knowledge to highlight the importance of education, of research and of culture to develop the knowledge of our human richness and preserve future.

Source: municipal website

Ivan Sache, 9 July 2008

I saw this flag in 1998 and 1999. I am unsure of the proportions, it seemed a little longer than 1:2, not quite 1:3. The two squares represent union and solidarity after the merger of Rouyn and Noranda in 1986. The small square formed in the center symbolizes the gathering place and crossroads situation of the city. Abstract arrows can also be distinguished, going in all directions, representing growth and expansion of the capital and metropolis of Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
Luc Baronian, 9 May 2005

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This flag seems to be obsolete. It might have been changed when the status of the town was updated (2002).
Ivan Sache, 9 July 2008