The Heritage of Quebec City

Quebec City is located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the province of Quebec, Canada.

The city covers an area of 453.26 km^2[1]. The heritage site occupies approximately 1.35 km² of the city’s territory^[2], or barely 0.3 % of the territory of the entire city.

Quebec City is the oldest French-speaking city in North America. Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain on Indigenous land, it has been a capital since the period of New France.

The city’s heritage site is located on either side of Cap Diamant, a cliff that divides the city into the Upper Town and the Lower Town. There are fortifications in the Upper Town (in particular the ramparts). Within these is located the area known as intra-muros (which means “within the walls”). This area consists of historical, administrative and religious buildings. The heritage site also extends to part of the Lower Town, between the foot of the cliff and the St. Lawrence River. In the past, this was the site of port and commercial activities. Both of these areas make up Old Quebec, Quebec City’s heritage site.

The historic district of Old Quebec has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1985. UNESCO recognized the site as a world heritage element because it is an exceptional example of a fortified colonial city.

Fortifications

Place Royale and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church

The Ursuline Monastery

The Augustine Monastery

The Québec Seminary

The Jacquet House

The Petit-Champlain District

Place d’Armes

The Citadel

Château Frontenac and Dufferin Terrace

Price Building

Old Quebec is divided into two levels: the Lower City and the Upper Town because these neighbourhoods are separated by a cliff. Stairways and a funicular have been built to make it easier to get between the two.

The streets in the old city are narrow and measures have been put in place to make it easier to use them.

• Some of the streets are one way.

• Parking is prohibited on certain streets.

• Emergency services and the city's public works services must use vehicles adapted to the streets.

• Public transportation buses are smaller

In the planning and development of Old Quebec, various measures have been taken to respect its heritage character.

• Buildings cannot surpass a certain height

• Specific materials must be used for the renovation or reconstruction of buildings

• The district’s vegetation must be respected. If a tree is cut down, it must be replaced

• Commercial signs on shops must respect the district’s architecture

• Certain buildings are classified as historic monuments and must preserve their historic style, both inside and outside

In the early 1960s, the Quebec government recognized the historic value of Old Quebec and developed a plan to protect and promote it. At the end of the 1960s, work was done to restore the Lower City, in particular Place Royale.

Old Quebec receives millions of visitors each year. For instance, in 2019, more than 3.6 million people visited the old city^[8]. The area of Old Quebec is 1.35 km², which means that a lot of planning and development is required to receive all these visitors^[2].

Amenities Specific to Tourists

Cause

Tourism puts significant pressure on the Old Quebec neighbourhood.

Problems

To accommodate tourists, many houses have been transformed into inns or hotels, and apartments are rented to tourists during their stay.

The businesses in the districts respond more to the needs of tourists (restaurants, souvenir shops, art galleries, etc.) than those of residents (grocery stores, pharmacies, dental clinics, etc.).

Consequences

Solutions

Certain measures have been put in place to keep residents in Old Quebec:

• facilitate access to affordable housing

• transform unoccupied buildings into housing

• ensure that there is a hospital or health care clinic nearby

• help local businesses, such as a pharmacy or grocery store, open up in the district

• better distribute major events (like the Carnival of Quebec) across the city to prevent large crowds from gathering in the heritage site

• provide access to public transportation

The Comité des citoyens du Vieux-Québec, a committee created in 1975 by a group of citizens to defend the interests of the residents of Old Quebec, keeps informed about decisions affecting the historic district in order to promote the needs of residents and, if necessary, propose more adapted solutions.

Causes

The tourism industry in Old Quebec is constantly expanding. During the 2019 tourist season, 236 715 cruise ship passengers on 150 ships visited the city^[10]. Quebec City’s port hopes to double this number by 2025.

In addition to visitors arriving by ship, there are also those who come by bus. Old Quebec receives more than 30 000 buses and coaches each year^[11]. Each bus carries dozens of travellers.

Many tourists also travel to the city in their own cars.

Problem

The presence of all of these different means of transportation is the source of a major air, visual and sound pollution problem in Old Quebec.

Consequences

There are many consequences related to the cruise ships that stop in Quebec City’s port.

• The ships are a source of significant greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) because their engines run 24 hours a day

• The ships release their wastewater (from the toilets, washing machines, dishwashers) into the St. Lawrence River, which has harmful consequences for the river’s marine ecosystems

• The ships often use heavy fuels that emit large quantities of sulfur oxides, a type of air pollution that is very harmful to health

• The ships also create a lot of sound pollution. Some residents living close to the port have moved away due to the noise from the engines, especially at night

• The ships sometimes emit unpleasant odours, such as diesel fumes

The 30 000 buses that circulate in Old Quebec each year generate significant pollution.

• They are responsible for much of the greenhouse gas emissions in the district

• It is not unusual for them to park on Saint-Louis Street and leave their motors running

• The concentration of buses in front of Château Frontenac and on the narrow streets of Old Quebec creates visual pollution, but also sound pollution caused by their engines.

Solutions

Several solutions have already been put in place or will be in the next few years to reduce the pollution problem related to the tourism industry in Old Quebec.

A few solutions have already been proposed for the pollution created by the cruise ships.

• In 2015, the Canadian government established a standard on sulfur emissions, known as the ECA standard. It sets the limit at 0.1%, which is much stricter than standards elsewhere in the world (3.5%)^[10]. Cruise ships must change their fuel or have an air filtration system when they enter Canadian waters.

• Transport Canada’s goal is to make the new environmental measures regarding the release of wastewater mandatory by 2023. These new regulations limit what ships can release into the ocean. They are much stricter than the international standards of the International Maritime Organization.

One solution to the pollution caused by buses would be to establish incentive parking outside Old Quebec and prohibit buses from entering the district. Another proposed solution is to transform Old Quebec into a pedestrian zone or to prohibit access to vehicles.

To access the rest of the unit, you can consult the following concept sheets.