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Come and live the good life!
Settling in Saguenay will allow you to reach your full potential in an environment where you’ll find everything you need. Here is some information that will help you settle in and understand the local lingo!
Living in Saguenay
In Saguenay, houses and apartments are much more affordable than in larger cities. Saving on accommodation costs means you’ll be able to save up to become a homeowner faster and furnish your future house!
Getting around Saguenay
Luckily, the local infrastructure allows you to easily get around on foot or by bike, car or bus. Are you a globetrotter? Thanks to the daily connecting flights between the Saguenay-Bagotville airport and Montréal, you’ll stay connected to rest of the world!
All services within a close distance
In Saguenay, we take care of our residents! This means the city offers a wide range of services and facilities to ensure your well-being.
You’ll find teaching establishments, nurseries, hospitals, a variety of shops, ethnic grocery stores, sporting facilities, maisons des familles (family support services), places of worship, professional services (e.g. dentists, notaries), governmental service offices, a fire safety service and a police force.
Studying in Saguenay
Saguenay is an ideal city for studying!
- It has more than 30 elementary schools, 2 of which are trilingual (1 private and 1 public school) and an English school.
- 8 secondary schools offering high-level programs such as the IB Middle Years Program, the “excellence” program and sports studies programs.
- 2 CEGEPs (preparatory university institutions) offering exclusive programs such as art and media technology and aircraft flying.
- 1 university offering 5 areas of expertise, 11 research chairs and more than 200 programs.
- 4 professional training centres.
Elementary and high school studies
Some schools offer special programs, at elementary and high school levels, where students practise a particular activity during their studies, so they can reach their full potential. Whether your child is sporty, creative, wants to learn a new language or pick up IT skills, they’ll have plenty of options. Read up on institutions to get to know the programs they have on offer (fees TBA).
Postsecondary education
Postsecondary education institutions offer a plethora of exciting vocational, college and university training programs.
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Quality care in Saguenay
In Saguenay, you’ll benefit from quality care thanks to the Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSSS). The CIUSSS is comprised of 3 hospital centres (Jonquière, Chicoutimi and La Baie), which have modern equipment and teams of specialist doctors. And let’s not forget the many pharmacies and specialized clinics.
Local lingo:
- In Saguenay, a tourtière pie is made of various meats and potatoes, whereas a pâté à la viande uses solely pork mince to make, somewhat confusingly, what the rest of Canada calls a tourtière.
- Le spaghetti tunisien (Tunisian spaghetti) doesn’t have anything to do with Tunisia. It was invented in a well known restaurant in Chicoutimi.
- ”À cause” (“because” elsewhere in Canada) means “pourquoi” (why).
- ”Bas de soute” refers to snowpants.
- A “froque’ is a winter coat.
- A “babouche” or a “gougoune” is a flip flop.
- We say “durex” for adhesive tape.
- If someone tells you: “J’ai rentré dans le cotteur”, this means that they hit the curb.
- “Gigon” is used to describe someone who is a bit grubby or who has bad manners.
- If you’re told you have a “grand talent”, don’t take it as a compliment. It really means that you don’t mind your own business.
- “Faire simple” refers to someone who is playful or mischievous.