Hochelaga (Ville)

The City of Hochelaga is the capital city of the Hochelaga, the second most populous province of Sober Thought. Its role as guardian of the French lanaguage and French high culture makes it a suitable twin for Marime (Màrîm) in Antrium and Saint-Monica in Kelse.

Although the role of metropolis for the province and francophones across the nation is filled by Mont Royaume with a metropolitan population of nearly five times that of the provincial capital, Hochelaga is large enough, however, to act as a magnet for the chartered municipality of Caguenai to the north.

City life

Hochelaga City is one of the oldest inland settlements in the country and currently houses 1.6% of the national population. It has a disproportionately large number of old buildings, protected buildings and public buildings even compared with cities much more populous than it.

Although the commercial and cultural capital of the province is truly in Montroy, being the political capital attracts federal agencies in addition to the provincial and municipal government organisations one might expect in the city. The corporate headquarters for many cultural as opposed to business organisations are also found in the city, so that they are not sullied by their associations of the cosmopolitan Mont Royaume.

Young people from the city and surrounding areas are attend higher education at the practical Collège municipale de Hochelaga, the academic Université du Hochelaga à Hochelaga and the prestigious Université catholique de Hochelaga, staffed mainly by Jesuits. This disproportionately large number of students in a city this size makes for a lively student quarter, but the mood does not spill over to the city as a whole.

Common with most civil service towns, the nightlife is rather dull here. Those seeking high culture are blessed with orchestras, theatre companies and opera houses. Unfortunately, these feature mainly homegrown “talent” regardless of entertainment value. Those seeking grand and glitzy productions, if not schmaltzy and maudlin productions, have to go elsewhere.

Legislators

Hochelaga has three single-member constituencies for the federal House of the Federation. Normally at least one members of the House of the Provinces, appointed by the provincial premier, are also from the city.

At the provincial level, Hochelaga has at least six and often a dozen or more deputies in the Assemblée du Hochelaga: five constituency, one appointed by the municipal government, and often several from among the province-wide party list elected by proportional representation. Furthermore, several members from the city may represent the corporatists bodies in the Assembly, namely the Centrale de la Commerce (mostly from Montroy), Centrale du Travail (trade unionists mostly from Montroy), Centrale des Arts and Centrale des Professions.

The municipal government structure is conventional, with ten councillors from the single-member wards or arrondisements councillors, four from the business association, four from the labour unions and four elected by the residents at large. The maire of the Conseil de Hochelaga is elected from among the twenty-two concillors, most often those directly chosen by the electors since other members are subject to recall by their organisation of origin.

Public safety

For every one hundred million of national population, the city provides eight companies in the Garde civile. Five of those are organised into a bataillon of Les Tirailleurs light infantry regiment. On provincial service, these units are part of the Région gardière de Hochelaga, but on federal service they become part of the 8 series divisions under Community Defence Forces command.

Before calling on the Civil Guard to maintain public order, the city has a Commandement Policier of the Sûreté du Hochelaga. Like the other units of the SH, this command has a somewhat dubious reputation, but of all the divisions it regarded as the least susceptible to bribery, nepotism and simple incompetence.

Emergency responders are quick to deliver injured and sick people to the civic hospitals operated by the provincial Ministère du Bien-être. Unfortunately, some drivers are not above using their sirens while getting takeout food or picking ambulance staff up for the start of their shifts.