{"id":67002,"date":"2025-11-26T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/11\/26\/how-saguenays-industrial-utopia-defies-tariffs\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T12:00:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T12:00:36","slug":"how-saguenays-industrial-utopia-defies-tariffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/11\/26\/how-saguenays-industrial-utopia-defies-tariffs\/","title":{"rendered":"How Saguenay&#8217;s industrial utopia defies tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><\/div><p> \n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<header aria-label=\"Beginning of Article\" class=\"article-header article-header--feature\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\" data-aqa=\"nav-breadcrumb\">\n<p>Breadcrumb Trail Links<\/p>\n<ol class=\"breadcrumbs__items list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\">News<\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\">Economy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"article-header__detail\">\n<div class=\"article-header__detail__texts\">\n<p class=\"article-subtitle\">The historic aluminum town of Saugenay, Que., is on the front lines of the trade war, but unemployment is low and industry is thriving. All it needs to launch a new golden age is more people<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<p><span class=\"published-date__since\">Published Nov 26, 2025<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 <span class=\"updated-date__since\">Last updated 23\u00a0minutes ago<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 <span class=\"published-date__word-count\">10 minute read<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta__bottom\">\n<div class=\"bookmark-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"popover\" data-aqa=\"popover\" data-click-to-appear=\"True\" data-container=\"\" data-container-offset=\"\" data-no-style=\"\" data-popover-component=\"\" data-position=\"top\" data-sticky=\"\" data-tail-offset=\"200\" data-tail-position=\"right\"><button class=\"popover__trigger bookmark-button\"><span class=\"save-article-button save-article-button--default\" title=\"Save article\" data-article-id=\"721a11a2-44f1-4d6b-9802-804d7689ab8d\" data-evt-skip-click=\"true\"\/><\/button><\/p>\n<div aria-describedby=\"popover-desc-popover-bookmark\" class=\"popover__content\" hidden=\"\" role=\"dialog\">\n<div class=\"popover__content__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"popover__content__text\" id=\"popover-desc-popover-bookmark\">\n<div class=\"bookmark__popover__content\">\n<p>You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"popover__content__close\" data-evt-skip-click=\"true\" title=\"Close\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\" class=\"icon--close\" height=\"12\" version=\"1.1\" width=\"12\"><polygon points=\"12 0.95 11.05 0 6 5.05 0.95 0 0 0.95 5.05 6 0 11.05 0.95 12 6 6.95 11.05 12 12 11.05 6.95 6\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"featured-image\" data-aqa=\"featured-image\"><picture class=\"featured-image__ratio\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"featured-image__caption image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Old worker houses stand in the town of Arvida in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, on Wednesday, June 20, 2018.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Christinne Muschi\/Bloomberg files<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p>Among the perks retired flight director Terry Loucks has for working at Air Canada for 25 years is that he can fly anywhere, including Paris, for about $100 round trip. But Paris, while undeniably \u201cnice,\u201d is not uppermost in his mind most days, given his travel plans are often attached to his hometown of Arvida, which was incorporated into the city of Saguenay, Que., two decades ago and requires a tank of gas and seven hours of driving from the 77-year-old\u2019s current home near the Vermont border.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border ad__section-border--story article-content__ad-group ad_counter_2\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment8355699340652940437828091345108992\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 2<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-2\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[6,6],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"6x6\" data-ad-loc=\"2\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[6,6],[320,50],[300,50],[300,250],[300,600]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-2\" style=\"--desktopheight:250px;--mobileheight:600px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-block article-block-bg article-content__sign-in-group hidden\" data-aqa=\"identity-sign-in\" data-async=\"\" id=\"article-block\">\n<section class=\"row\">\n<header class=\"identity-intro col-xs-12 col-md-6 flex-justify-center\">\n<div class=\"col-xs-12 col-sm-10 col-md-10\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 75w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 100w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 150w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 240w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 320w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 500w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 640w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 800w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 1024w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 1280w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg 1600w\" alt=\"Financial Post\" class=\"market-logo\" height=\"37\" loading=\"lazy\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-fp.svg\" width=\"280\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"intro-body__premium hidden\">\n<p>THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n<p class=\"identity-intro__description\">Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled list-checkmark\">\n<li>Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O&#8217;Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.<\/li>\n<li>Daily content from Financial Times, the world&#8217;s leading global business publication.<\/li>\n<li>Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.<\/li>\n<li>National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.<\/li>\n<li>Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"intro-body__register hidden\">\n<p>SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n<p class=\"identity-intro__description\">Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled list-checkmark\">\n<li>Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O&#8217;Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.<\/li>\n<li>Daily content from Financial Times, the world&#8217;s leading global business publication.<\/li>\n<li>Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.<\/li>\n<li>National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.<\/li>\n<li>Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"intro-body__anonymous\">\n<p>REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n<p class=\"identity-intro__description\">Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled list-checkmark\">\n<li>Access articles from across Canada with one account.<\/li>\n<li>Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.<\/li>\n<li>Enjoy additional articles per month.<\/li>\n<li>Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"intro-body__registration_only hidden\">\n<p>THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n<p class=\"identity-intro__description\">Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled list-checkmark\">\n<li>Access articles from across Canada with one account<\/li>\n<li>Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments<\/li>\n<li>Enjoy additional articles per month<\/li>\n<li>Get email updates from your favourite authors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"identity-screen m-x-0 p-x-0 col-xs-12 col-md-6 flex-justify-center flex-align-center\" aria-live=\"assertive\">\n<section class=\"sail\" data-account-id=\"b9d3df2fccd108b5eff3c44f573b2cd6\" data-sailthru-personalization-engine=\"\" data-sailthru-personalization-engine-component=\"\"\/>\n<div class=\"m-x-0 p-x-0 col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-12 flex-align-justify-center\" data-auth-component=\"\" id=\"auth-screen-form\">\n<div class=\"identity-screen-form--active w-full flex-align-justify-center\">\n<div class=\"identity-screen-form identity-screen__content w-full\">\n<h2 class=\"blocker-title\">Sign In or Create an Account<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"identity-divider__line\"\/><span class=\"identity-divider__text\">or<\/span><span class=\"identity-divider__line\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"identity-footer identity-screen__content m-x-0 p-x-0 col-sm-6 col-md-12\"\/><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">Loucks has not lived in northern Quebec for some time, but the locals view him as somewhat of a local treasure because of all the work he has done to promote the history of a place that started as a farmer\u2019s field in the \u201cmiddle of nowhere\u201d 250 kilometres north of Quebec City.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image article-content--column\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Terry Loucks, age 77, is a Saguenay treasure, and tireless in his efforts to keep the story of Arvida, his hometown, that is now a neighbourhood in Saguenay, alive.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=Mqgwfjqvq576bms2I0kcZA\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=Mqgwfjqvq576bms2I0kcZA,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=750&sig=58gMHpTE9CKBeoffBGnNAw 2x\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125loucks.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=PXZigML0sMR_GL1-pL_CPQ&ssl=1\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"645\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Terry Loucks, 77, is a Saguenay, Que., treasure, and tireless in his efforts to keep the story of Arvida, his hometown that is now a neighbourhood in Saguenay, alive.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Courtesy\/Terry Loucks<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"js-widget-content article-content__widget-group article-content__widget-group--content-slot6 article-content__widget-group--newsletter-slot newsletter--indent\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-widget__new-story-page fp-headlinenews background--primary-light-gradient\" aria-labelledby=\"FinancialPostTopStories7372906963093166288080305196630016\" data-account-id=\"b9d3df2fccd108b5eff3c44f573b2cd6\" data-aqa=\"widget-newsletter\" data-newsletter=\"single\" data-newsletter-component=\"\" data-target-list=\"FP_HeadlineNews\" data-widget=\"newsletter\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-new-story-page-template\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__header__new-story-page\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__banner__new-story-page\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 75w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 100w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 150w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 240w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 320w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 500w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 640w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 800w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 1024w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 1280w, https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg 1600w\" alt=\"Top Stories\" loading=\"lazy\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.0.2\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Top Stories<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page\">Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__body__new-story-page\">\n<div class=\"js-replace-main__new-story-page\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__disclaimer__new-story-page text-size--tiny\">By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-submit-success\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitSuccessFP_HeadlineNews\">\n<p>Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page\">A welcome email is on its way. If you don&#8217;t see it, please check your junk folder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page newsletter__feedback--last\">The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page js-submit-error\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitErrorFP_HeadlineNews\" style=\"margin-top:8px\">We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">That changed when Arthur Vining Davis, a wealthy American industrialist\/aluminum magnate, showed up a century ago with an offer to buy the farm and several others nearby so that he could build an industrial paradise by producing aluminum to feed a growing appetite for a versatile metal found in everything from cookware to the engine block of the Wright brothers\u2019 aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArvida began as a unique industrial utopia; it was unheard of anywhere else in the world,\u201d Loucks said.<\/p>\n<p>Davis, however, was better known and soon became chair of Aluminum Co. of America, a.k.a. Alcoa Corp. The town he built from scratch attracted engineers from around the world and, as per its founder\u2019s vision, the houses were all of a similar size and laid out in such a way that there was no rich versus poor end of town, nor any great antagonism between French and English, nor any other of the 30-plus nationalities who came to make a go of it there.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image article-content--full_page\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Vehicles sit parked on Davis Street in the town of Arvida in Saguenay, Que.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=00mobhptM5D9KULIsLAFHw\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=00mobhptM5D9KULIsLAFHw,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=90&strip=all&w=750&sig=0TnjDbH4hBsZKjYkLOjjYA 2x\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay3.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=kc90uqESxaDm10Gp7ux3TQ&ssl=1\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Davis Street in the borough of Arvida in Saguenay, Que.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Christinne Muschi\/Bloomberg files<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In other words, those slugging it out in what would become the world\u2019s largest aluminum plant rubbed shoulders with the higher-ups, occasionally in the house next door. The former company town today has provincial heritage status and it is credited with producing the aluminum used to build the bombers and fighter planes that helped the Allies win the Second World War.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is important to know where you came from to know where you are going to next,\u201d Loucks said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"article-content--column\">\n<p>It is important to know where you came from to know where you are going to next<\/p>\n<p>Terry Loucks<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-async=\"\">Where the aluminum centre is now is in the midst of another war, though the modern-day adversary is the 50 per cent tariffs United States President Donald Trump\u2019s administration has applied to a metal that remains central to Saguenay\u2019s economic well-being: 12,000 people, out of a working population of 75,000 or so, are either directly employed in aluminum production or indirectly employed through tertiary and spinoff industries.<\/p>\n<p>But in the face of the Trump-triggered trade tumult, local thinkers, business leaders, politicians and at least one heritage-loving champion believe the predominantly French-speaking city is poised to enter a new golden age, fortified by an attitude towards the U.S. president that could be translated into English as \u201cBring it on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Granted, it may simply be the way folks are wired in northern Quebec, but Saguenay\u2019s economic indicators are holding up well compared to some tariff-battered areas, such as auto-making hub Windsor, Ont., a border city that has experienced recent layoffs and is flirting with a 10 per cent unemployment rate.<\/p>\n<p>The national unemployment is 6.9 per cent, but it\u2019s just 4.3 per cent in Davis\u2019s utopia, as it has been for months, and locals are keen to get the word out.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to position Saguenay as Canada\u2019s great metropolis of the northeast because the fact is we have everything here,\u201d Mayor Luc Boivin said.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201ceverything\u201d he\u2019s referring to, in addition to low unemployment, includes about three feet of snow by mid-November that nobody seemed to be grumbling about. Winter weather means snowmobiling, skiing and ice fishing, and its early arrival highlights the benefits of living in a place where traffic jams are unheard of and people\u2019s vacation homes are 30 minutes (or less) from their front door.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image article-content--column\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Winter comes early in Saguenay, but locals don't gripe about the snow, and instead view it as another perk of living in a place where your vacation property is 30 minutes (or less) from your front door.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=tsb8Eqe6oXY4bKBmKV8rwA\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=tsb8Eqe6oXY4bKBmKV8rwA,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=750&sig=9MD86bb6VsHfIC7ITiMOrw 2x\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay4-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=pznU7leuLaceEjyEizUpyw&ssl=1\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Winter comes early in Saguenay, Que., but locals don\u2019t gripe about the snow, and instead view it as another perk of living in a place where your vacation property is 30 minutes (or less) from your front door.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by City of Saguenay<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-async=\"\">There are other attractions, too, Boivin said, ticking through a list of Saguenay\u2019s economic assets: a university, a research centre for aluminum and technology development, the presence of a big, multinational company in aluminum and mining called Rio Tinto Group of Cos., a large military base, original equipment manufacturers, construction businesses, tech startups, mining plays, power dams, a deep-water port connecting to global markets and a collective community vision to someday create a \u201cnorthern corridor\u201d that links resource-rich northern Ontario with resource-rich northern Quebec. Just in case that is not enough, there is a 100-kilometre-long fjord designated as a national park.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>Boivin is 50 years old, has boundless energy and is representative of Saguenay\u2019s can-do spirit. There is more to aluminum country than the versatile metal, and his family\u2019s story is proof of that. His grandparents started a cheese-making business in 1939 and he worked there for 35 years prior to selling his share in the company to commit full time to building the great metropolis of the northeast.<\/p>\n<p>On that note, Rio Tinto remains a cornerstone. The company has announced $4 billion in new projects in the region since 2020, including massive upgrades to its hydroelectric plant and a new aluminum recycling plant, as well as pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into developing commercial-quality, low-carbon-emission aluminum.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s tariffs cost Rio Tinto about US$321 million in gross costs through the first six months of 2025, according to a company spokesperson, and it has instituted a local hiring freeze, but the negative hits have been partially offset by high aluminum prices and a pivot to overseas export markets.<\/p>\n<p>Quebec\u2019s abundant resources, skilled workforce and commitment to sustainable development make it a \u201cnatural fit for Rio Tinto\u2019s long-term ambitions,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image article-content--full_page\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"A pedestrian passes historic photographs of an aluminum factory in the town of Arvida in Saguenay, Que.\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=v5rd7mQIhW2cmrwKsXhXEQ\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=v5rd7mQIhW2cmrwKsXhXEQ,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=90&strip=all&w=750&sig=WJVBzshYeAoE9rV3K3Tw_A 2x\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2-1.jpg?location=full_page&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=FJTb68QEb95P7wAQPa6WLw&ssl=1\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Historic photographs of the aluminum factory in the borough of Arvida in Saguenay, Que.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Christinne Muschi\/Bloomberg files<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another factor in the area\u2019s success is its proximity to the U.S., which produces about 670,000 tons of aluminum, about 4.5 million tons less than it needs. Canadian aluminum makes up the bulk of this shortfall and a significant chunk of it is derived from Rio Tinto\u2019s five smelters in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Americans have to import aluminum,\u201d Jean Simard, chief executive of the Aluminum Association of Canada, said.<\/p>\n<p>In short, Rio Tinto can pivot to overseas markets in a pinch, but American aluminum appetites ultimately still need to be fed. Pre-tariff stockpiles south of the border have been exhausted and the 50 per cent tariff on foreign aluminum has been priced into the market, so the north-south trade has more or less reverted back to the norm, Simard said; only the cost of doing business is now exponentially more expensive.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"article-content--column\">\n<p>We have everything, but we need more young people to move here<\/p>\n<p>Luc Boivin<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In Saguenay, meanwhile, Rio Tinto\u2019s buy-local philosophy is keeping local contractors busy beavering away at projects, at least for now, and afforded Boivin time to tackle what he and others perceive as the city\u2019s greatest existential threat: demographics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have everything, but we need more young people to move here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Sophie Villeneuve and her husband, Maxime Couture, can\u2019t pass for young anymore, but they are certainly youngish and have two young kids. The couple are in the vanguard of what they hope will be a northern migration of professionals to a place that may not have the same abundance of restaurants as, say, Montreal, but the local sushi joint \u2014 and there is only one \u2014 rivals anything one might find down south. It helps that the family loves to ski and that Villeneuve grew up in Arvida as a daughter of an aluminum industry worker.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image article-content--column\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Sophie Villeneuve and Maxime Couture packed up their two kids and moved back to Villeneuve's hometown of Saguenay four years ago. There has been lots of skiing, no regrets, and 20 per cent year-over-year increase in business for the couples' strategic communications firm. \" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=sOC7N6XLubzL8oYqkPZdjQ\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=sOC7N6XLubzL8oYqkPZdjQ,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=90&strip=all&w=750&sig=UROq3zKsN_nXrN_Kq0TsRA 2x\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay1-gs1125.jpg?location=column&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=jRRdlOAYXMKqfdM6lsBzsQ&ssl=1\" but=\"\" changed=\"\" finished=\"\" first=\"\" good=\"\" has=\"\" height=\"750\" here=\"\" i=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" mood=\"\" not=\"\" said.=\"\" that=\"\" the=\"\" university=\"\" villeneuve=\"\" was=\"\" when=\"\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Sophie Villeneuve and Maxime Couture packed up their two kids and moved back to Villeneuve\u2019s hometown of Saguenay, Que., four years ago. There has been lots of skiing, no regrets and 20 per cent year-over-year increase in business for the couple\u2019s strategic communications firm. \u201cThe mood here when I first finished university was not good, but that has changed,\u201d Villeneuve said.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Sophie Villeneuve<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She left home in the early 2000s during what locals refer to as the \u201cyellow school bus\u201d era, so named since it seemed as though another school bus full of young people was leaving town every week and never looking back.<\/p>\n<p>Case in point: Villeneuve. She moved to Ottawa to work for a member of Parliament and later met Couture, who also worked in politics. They eventually opened their own strategic communications company in Quebec City before relocating to Saguenay four years ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were a lot of pros and not a lot of cons,\u201d Couture said, \u201cso we just decided to try it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He admits that finding a flight out of Saguenay-Bagotville Airport to New York or Paris can be a bit tricky, but apart from trip-planning logistics, there have been no regrets. The unforeseen bonus is their company, Catapulte Communication, which specializes in government relations, or lobbying, and has clients in Canada, the U.S. and France, has experienced 20 per cent year-over-year growth and is showing no signs of slowing down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe mood here when I first finished university was not good, but that has changed,\u201d Villeneuve said.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the change is rooted in diversification. Distances are not as great as they were once upon a time, when being 250 kilometres north of Quebec City meant being a long way from anywhere. Several locals shared the same belief that Saguenay\u2019s historic remoteness fostered a pioneering culture of entrepreneurship that still exists. For example, if a gadget at the local smelter broke back in the day, having the know-how to fix it without having to call in help from afar was critical.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>That do-it-ourselves attitude is reflected by some of aluminum country\u2019s most notable human exports. Serge Godin, the billionaire founder of IT consulting giant CGI Inc., and Alain Bouchard, the billionaire founder of convenience store chain Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., are both former locals who made it big. Georges V\u00e9zina, the Montreal Canadiens legend known as the \u201cChicoutimi Cucumber\u201d due to his cool demeanour when under fire in the net, also came from the area and returned to die there of tuberculosis in the 1920s.<\/p>\n<p>Somewhat less legendary is Jeannot Harvey, who carved a niche that became a small construction and civil engineering empire called Cegerco Inc. through its work on major hydroelectric projects.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image article-content--half_width_left\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Eloise Harvey is a second-generation entrepreneur and chief executive of Epiq Machinery, a heavy industrial equipment manufacturer. She said that Saguenay's primary aluminum producers are the economic\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=2Ga7F0oK8V8NUPmHzez8JA\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=2Ga7F0oK8V8NUPmHzez8JA,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=90&strip=all&w=750&sig=do9LfpcjfMzsmnzKs0FzRw 2x\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay3-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_left&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=WvHvvkXAbt0pBT74RQPiow&ssl=1\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Eloise Harvey is a second-generation entrepreneur and chief executive of Epiq Machinery, a heavy industrial equipment manufacturer. She said that Saguenay, Que.\u2019s primary aluminum producers are the economic \u201ctissue\u201d connecting an entire ecosystem together, which is underpinned by a local culture of entrepreneurship.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Courtesy\/Epiq Machinery<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>His daughter, Eloise, did not want to take over when he decided to retire since she was too busy carving out her own entrepreneurial path with Epiq Machinery, a global, heavy industrial material handling company. Epiq manufactures big, often specialized equipment for factories and has 1,000 employees worldwide, including 500 in India\u2019s auto alley and 180 at three fabrication facilities in Saguenay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you have a very strong industrial sector, such as the primary aluminum producers, it creates a certain stability in an area,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s the right expression, but it is the economic tissue and it connects an entire ecosystem, where aluminum is the motor of the economy and all sorts of parts are able to spin off from that motor.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>Seventy per cent of Epiq\u2019s sales derive from aluminum-related industries, underscoring the importance of keeping that motor running. The younger Harvey, not unlike Villeneuve, imagined her future outside Saguenay and went \u201cabroad\u201d for university. As the crow flies from northern Quebec, \u201cabroad\u201d meant McMaster University in Hamilton, where she studied engineering and management.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to live the full experience; I wanted to learn English,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of a busy workweek, it can be a bit challenging to find the right English words to express herself, Harvey said, but she is unequivocal in saying her biggest concern looking ahead to 2026 is the ongoing \u201cuncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump is still here, the trade war drags on and the billions in new projects and investments that Rio Tinto has committed to Saguenay and helped maintain the overall health of the \u201cecosystem\u201d will theoretically run out at some point, and then what?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image article-content--half_width_right\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=75&resize=75&ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=100&resize=100&ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=150&resize=150&ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=240&resize=240&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=320&resize=320&ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=500&resize=500&ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=640&resize=640&ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=800&resize=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=1024&resize=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=1280&resize=1280&ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1&w=1600&resize=1600&ssl=1 1600w\" alt=\"Jean-Denis Toupin, the chief executive of Proco Construction Inc., is more concerned by a shortage of skilled young welders keen to build a life in the north than he is Donald Trump's tariffs. \" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=_vwastXFrv2v95YL8qKdEg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=90&strip=all&w=375&sig=_vwastXFrv2v95YL8qKdEg,\n                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=90&strip=all&w=750&sig=XPSfT_Znd_UEivAxO58nRg 2x\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/saguenay2-gs1125-1.jpg?location=half_width_right&quality=5&strip=all&w=100&sig=i7JLbpboICDwcI4s01Lvxw&ssl=1\" growth=\"\" have=\"\" he=\"\" height=\"750\" loading=\"lazy\" low=\"\" population=\"\" said.=\"\" very=\"\" we=\"\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Jean-Denis Toupin, chief executive of Proco Construction Inc., is more concerned by a shortage of skilled young welders keen to build a life in the north than he is of Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs. \u201cWe have very low population growth,\u201d he said.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Proco Construction Inc.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It is a good question, and Jean-Denis Toupin, another second-generation Saguenay entrepreneur, layers an additional concern on top of it. Proco Construction Inc., his steel fabrication and construction company, employs about 450 people and annually generates $150 million in revenues.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>He sources steel from Spain and he gets the skilled-trades workers required to weld it together from wherever he can find them since there are not enough Canadian welders to go around.\u00a0 Sixty of his crew are temporary foreign workers. Without them, he said he would not be able to fill his job orders.<\/p>\n<p>But bringing in workers has become more difficult since the federal government pledged to reduce the number of permits issued annually to try to mitigate the national housing crisis, while the Conservatives have called upon the government to scrap the temporary foreign worker program altogether.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are already down 17 welders,\u201d Toupin said. \u201cI\u2019ve spent the last year and a half speaking to government representatives at all levels about this problem and no one wants to hear about it because it is not politically popular. Economic workers get lumped in with other immigrants in the public mind, and the public feels immigration numbers are too high.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toupin is no fan of Trump, but his most pressing headache is remaining competitive in his own backyard. There are lots of projects to bid on and not every one of them is related to Rio Tinto. There is a whole gamut of opportunities in mining, rail and the port, but without the bodies to get whatever the jobs are done, he risks losing out.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is the same reality for dozens of other companies here involved in industrial projects; we have very low population growth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>What the locals do have is jobs. Unemployment is low and the industrial motor keeps chugging along, indicating that there is a future and it is connected to the past. Loucks, the Arvida cheerleader, in early December will be gassing up his blue compact car and shoving off for Saguenay to attend a planning meeting at a local theatre in advance of Arvida\u2019s centennial celebration.<\/p>\n<p>The industrial utopia that began as a farmer\u2019s field endures, and the chatter out of Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s office concerning grand nation-building projects, fast-tracking approval processes, tapping into the country\u2019s natural resources wealth and growing trade relationships overseas has folks in northern Quebec envisioning a new golden age, that is, if enough young people can be convinced to move there to bring it to life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe drive north can be a little treacherous,\u201d Loucks said, \u201cbut once you have arrived, it is a special place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\"><em>\u2022 Email: joconnor@postmedia.com<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--feature\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__share-group article-delimiter\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" data-evt-typ=\"page_scroll\">\n<p>Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n<br \/>How Saguenay&#8217;s industrial utopia defies tariffs<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>2025-11-26 12:00:36<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breadcrumb Trail Links News Economy The historic aluminum town of Saugenay, Que., is on the front lines of the trade war, but unemployment is low and industry is thriving. All&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67003,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/no1125Saguenay2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=375&h=563&sig=2eb0PjgEArFVRW0U3SMrxQ","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/67003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}