About the Maritime Museum
About the Foundation
Located in the municipality of Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, the Maritime Museum is a cultural institution born from the desire to bear witness to the maritime heritage of the island. It notably features the Godbout rowboat shop, built in 1837, which over time has welcomed three generations of rowboat manufacturers. The rowboat shop was classified as a heritage building by the Quebec government in 1977. In 1989, the relocation of the rowboat shop to the site of the former Shipyard of Saint-Laurent, then disused since 1967, gave rise to the maritime Park of Saint-Laurent. The non-profit organization of the Corporation du Parc maritime de Saint-Laurent was founded in 1995 and has been in charge of the management of the accredited museum institution since its foundation. In 2016, the Corporation became the Fondation du Parc maritime de Saint-Laurent (Foundation of the maritime Park). The establishment has been accredited by the Ministry of Culture and Communications (MCC) of Quebec since 2019. In 2025, the maritime Park became the Maritime Museum of île d’Orléans.
The mission of the Foundation and the Museum
The Maritime Museum of île d’Orléans preserves, showcases and promotes the maritime heritage of Île d’Orléans by interpreting the Shipyard of Saint-Laurent as well as the Godbout rowboat shop.
The Maritime Museum team
Antoine Côté
General manager
Originally from Quebec, Mr. Côté has a bachelor’s degree in history from Université Laval and has been working since 4 years ago on the implementation of several projects at the Museum.
Mélanie Beauchamp
Collections and communications coordinator and interpreter-guide
Originally from Drummondville, Ms. Beauchamp has a bachelor’s degree in art history and is completing a master’s degree in the same field at Université Laval. She began to work 3 years ago at the Museum.
The Foundation's board of directors
Gaétan Bouchard
President
Retired from the Montreal Museum of the Fine-Arts and retired general manager of the Maritime Museum, Mr. Bouchard holds a Master’s degree in public administration.
Marc Ferland
Vice-president
Mr. Ferland has a dozen years of experience in the management of civil engineering construction projects. He has worked on many important public projects.
Maryse Fortier
Treasurer
Investment advisor and planner for several years for major financial institutions, Ms. Fortier has been providing her expertise as treasurer for the maritime Park since October 2020.
Mario Lagacé
Board member
A civil engineering technician at the Quebec Ministry of Transport for several years and a recent administrator at the Foundation, Mr. Lagacé is very interested in the preservation of maritime heritage.
Yves Coulombe
Board member
As a representative of the municipality, deputy prefect of the MRC of Île d’Orléans and mayor of Saint-Laurent, Mr. Coulombe has been involved in municipal politics for several years.
Chantal Gingras
Board member
Holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Laval University, Ms. Gingras leads a parallel career in the arts. The design of Orleans and Quebec houses represents the major part of her architectural practice. She was president of the Foundation for several years.
Law 25 : Protection of personal information in the private sector
The Maritime Museum of île d’Orléans is committed to protecting the personal information of its visitors. We respect the obligations of Law 25 concerning the protection of personal information. The person responsible for the protection of personal information is Antoine Côté, general manager of the institution. To reach him, dial 418-576-7715.