Les nouvelles

The construction of the Glacier Exploration Station on schedule and the official opening is confirmed for June.

Baie-Comeau, March 11th, 2009 : While we are being inundated with news of hard economic times, a tourism organisation of the Baie-Comeau region, le Jardin des Glaciers, is going full steam ahead.  Indeed, today, this entreprise announced the creation of 40 new jobs for the summer 2009 season.

Le Jardin des glaciers, whose official opening is scheduled for June 22nd, 2009, is an integrated site of interpretation, exploration and research whose values rest on scientific content, in an unusual and exceptional environment.  It delves into the Ice Age, climate changes, and the migration of the first peoples using three distinct experiences:  The natural via the MaritimeAdventurePark; the virtual with the Glacial Exploration Station and the cybernetic with the CyberCenter.

Candidates are invited to send in their résumés right away.  Le Jardin des glaciers is looking for outdoor guide-patrollers, heritage guide-interpreters, welcome and ticket agents, information agents and shuttle drivers, roaming guide-interpreters and finally, team leaders and site-workers.

The newly created positions, in collaboration with Emploi-Québec and the Cégep of Baie-Comeau, will be filled in two waves. Within the received applications, le Jardin des Glaciers will select 15 candidates who will begin in mid-April with a paid 11-week training session. This on-site training program is devised to allow access to the available positions for the greatest number of possible candidates.  The program will focus on the development of specialized competencies such as geomorphology, interpretation techniques and CPR training. As well, the enterprise will offer many hours of English Language learning in order to obtain guides adequately qualified to welcome international visitors. The second wave will see hiring for positions beginning in June and will be preceded by 4 weeks of training.  Interviews will begin in the next few weeks.

Most of these positions are seasonal, however the Jardin des Glaciers is presently working on developing their market to include school groups and businesses that wish to hold their conventions in an out-of-the-ordinary place.  This will allow the Jardin des Glaciers to offer permanent positions to a greater number of people.

Must we be reminded that le Jardin des Glaciers is a project valued at 13,2 million dollars and is the first of this stature on the NorthShore.  The arrival of international cruise ships into the port of Baie-Comeau has allowed, among other things, the development of this project which is quickly becoming a major tourism product for the whole region and a first step towards the diversification of the local economy, which has thus far mainly been developed around industry.

For more information, you can consult the Jardin des glaciers website at www.jardindesglaciers.ca in order to see the list of available job postings.  Moreover, you can stay up-to-date on the steps leading to the official opening week which will begin on June 15^th, 2009.