A young woman is sitting on a wooden bench on the Old-Wharf boardwalk. She’s wearing black pants, a dark blue coat and a shoulder bag. The weather is overcast. Grey sky on the horizon. On one side, several boats are moored at the marina's docks. A little farther, a huge cruise ship is docked. On the shoreline side, two hotels have been built.
Shana St-Onge
Well! It's me, uh... It's me... It's me again, Shanna. I brought you here today, to the park, to the Old-Wharf boardwalk park because there’s a cruise ship. There you have it!
She points to the cruise ship.
I think it's important. Not personally, yeah, well, for the community. Not long ago, Sept-Îles was able to build a wharf to accommodate tourists and large cruise ships.
Like this one, it's the Marco Polo. There are about 800 people, plus the crew. Here, the tourists can buy some, uh, some authentic handmade products, homemade… They can get chicoutai, chicoutai coulis or red seeds, blueberry jam or Native American crafts.
And it's not just the Amerindians who sell. But it's a good way to, uh.... It's good for the economy, uh, of the community.
She turns 180 degrees to point in another direction. She gets up, looks around and points to the cruise ship once more. She points out the route taken by tourists getting off cruise ships.
And, uh.... How can I put this? The tourists, they get off over there. I don't know... well, there, there! You can't see it very well, but there's a boardwalk there, on the edge. Over there, all the way to the other dock over there, they probably end up over there, because it shouldn’t.... That's enough.
And there are little cottages for, uh..... For craftsmen. Some are at the entrance there, under a car shelter, but others are over there.
And the yellow tent is cool. It's... They play music there sometimes. There's, what they call, the Old Wharf Festival. And, uh, it’s cool! There are tons of artists involved.
She stares off into the distance, pointing to the yellow tent, far away on the boardwalk, and then turns around towards the cruise ship.
I hope that there will be many tourists, or many merchants who will sell, or craftsmen, I mean. Because I've already sold some, and it's... Well, already sold, to tourists eh. Tourists are tall. And, uh.... That's right! I sold bracelets, and they asked if there were any other people, and then...“Probably over there,” I said. All the way over there. I don't know... We, we don’t seem to see the little grey cabins properly. But it’s a nice wooden dock.
So, uh, that's about it. Everything’s authentic. That's what's cool! There's, there's nothing made in China. Dream catchers from China eh, or bracelets, none of that! Ours come from the heart...
Oh! The tourists are disembarking! We heard the horn! So, uh, lets go to the Shaputuan as well, later, because that's where they’ll go too. They’ll certainly go there today.
So, uh, I'll see you later. Thank you.
Shana walks towards the end of the dock, towards the water.