Saguenay (Chicoutimi) Judicial District is named for the Saguenay River which was named for the French word “sagamie” being the Innu word “Piekouagami” meaning “flat lake” or from the Innu word “Saki-nip” meaning “where water flows out”. Chicoutimi is named for the Innuu word meaning “the end of the deep water”.
Palais de justice (Courthouses):
N – Alma District
S – Quebec District
W – Roberval District and Alma District
District: Saguenay Judicial District
District Seat:
Chicoutimi
Palais de justice – Chicoutimi
Location: 227 Rue Racine Est / Rue la Fontaine
Built: 1985 – 1987
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces south and is a five story concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the centre of Chicoutimi. The building has a central entrance on the first story on the south front. The windows are horizontal and the roof line is flat. In the interior is a two story atrium with open stairs. The building houses the Superior Court and the Court of Quebec (which includes civil, criminal, and youth divisions, as well as small claims) of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint Jean Region.
See: The Saguenay-Lac-Saint Jean Region includes Alma Judicial District and Roberval Judicial District .
History: In 1849 the Parliament of the Union of Canada passed a law for the construction of a “maison de justice” in Chicoutimi. In 1860, the first court met at the residence of Joseph Asselin on Racine Street in Chicoutimi. The first courthouse was designed by Fredrick Preston Rubidge and constructed at 202 Jacques-Cartier Street in Chicoutimi from 1860 to 1862 at a cost of $29,687. The second courthouse was constructed on the same site from 1950 to 1951 at a cost of $900,000 and is still standing. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1985 to 1987 at a cost of $13,196,000.
Palais du justice – Chicoutimi
Photos taken 2006 and 2016
Images 7