The village of Hérouxville, made famous for its defunct code of life which prohibited burning alive or stoning women, has made a 180 degree turn. The small municipality is no longer afraid of immigrants, quite the contrary: it is rolling out the red carpet to newcomers. Entrepreneurs in the region are crying out loud and clear for workers, regardless of their origins.
The mayor of Hérouxville, Bernard Thompson, is full of praise for the 50 people who have come from abroad over the past two years to settle in his village of 1,400 souls. People who “want to work” and who want to learn French: “We don’t have any problems with them!” »
The small town of Mauricie is full of citizens thanks to the wave of moves from big cities to the regions, amplified by the pandemic. The new residents of Hérouxville come from distant countries, but also from Alma, Dolbeau, Montreal and Quebec, reports journalist Yvon Laprade in his essay The great Escape. History of city dwellers who have chosen regionspublished this month by La Presse.
This population movement “is not a passing fad due to the pandemic”, says the author in an interview. Migration to the regions seems to be taking hold, believes Yvon Laprade, who himself left Montreal with his spouse to settle in Saint-Élie-de-Caxton in 2019. The couple occasionally meet Fred Pellerin, illustrious citizen of this village in the Mauricie known for its “crossing of elves” and its “paparmane tree”.
The enthusiasm for the regions is real, underlines the journalist. Between 1er July 2021 and the 1er July 2022, no less than 206,700 people changed administrative region in Quebec. The island of Montreal is the loser of the great movement of Quebecers, with a negative net migration of 82,769 people for the years 2020-2021 (48,300 residents) and 2021-2022 (34,469 residents).
A third of these Montreal exiles only crossed a bridge to settle in the suburbs north or south of the St. Lawrence. But two-thirds drove longer towards the rest of Quebec. In his book, Yvon Laprade recounts the journey of around thirty Quebecers who have gone to live in all regions over the years, and not just since the pandemic.
Immigrants welcome
The stories of immigrants choosing regions (and regions seeking immigrants) are the surprise of this extensive essay on the ups and downs of life outside the major centres. The testimonies collected by the author contradict the statements of the former Minister of Immigration, Jean Boulet (appointed Minister of Labor for his second term), who declared last fall that “80% of immigrants […] go to Montreal, do not work, do not speak French or do not adhere to the values of Quebec society”.
In Yvon Laprade’s book, the mayor of Hérouxville explains that his team literally takes newcomers by the hand to help them buy groceries, enroll children in school and settle in the municipality. And it works: the MRC de Mékinac won an award in 2022 for the quality of its reception of immigrants.
“Mayors make a big difference in welcoming new citizens, whether they come from abroad or from other Quebec cities,” noted the 67-year-old journalist, contributor to the daily Le Nouvelliste of Trois-Rivières, who worked at the Montreal JournalTo Frontenac Street and to The Press.
“Job savers”
The small town of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, north of Abitibi, also assiduously woos people from outside. This municipality of 2,100 inhabitants has created an organization whose mission is to pamper new arrivals: find them accommodation, welcome them at the airport, complete the paperwork for the health insurance card, take them to the hospital in Val- Gold if needed…
Once a year, the Town organizes a party for new citizens. They receive an envelope filled with show tickets and coupons for free restaurant meals, and are reminded that minor hockey is free.
The honeymoon between the municipality and the “outsiders” is rather recent. In 2011, 22 Tunisians called in as reinforcements at the Breakwater mine were considered by some (wrongly) as “thieves of jobs “, laments Mayor Guy Lafrenière. Perceptions have changed: foreign workers have become “saviors of jobs because their presence keeps jobs in local businesses, which would be condemned to close without this life-saving workforce.
The face of Lebel-sur-Quévillon has changed over the past decade. As of June 2022, 86 newcomers, including 62 with an immigrant background, have settled. The City seeks to attract a greater proportion of city dwellers in search of peace and fresh air, who become “full citizens” as soon as they arrive, underlines the mayor.
Culture shock
Everywhere in Quebec, elected officials and entrepreneurs are urging governments to put in place favorable conditions for the arrival of new residents. Virtually all regions face labor and housing shortages. Cities are calling for a diversification of their sources of income in order to be able to build housing, develop streets and water and sewer networks, offer services to citizens, etc.
The mayors hope to find an attentive ear to the Legault government. The former mayor of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Jonathan Lapierre, defeated candidate for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) in the October 2022 elections, has become chief of staff to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest.
“The regions have more political weight than before due to migration out of the major centres. When the regions speak, they listen better,” says Yvon Laprade.
The large influx of city dwellers nevertheless creates a clash of cultures in the villages. Some neo-rurals get impatient behind the wheel of the tractors in the rows. Others complain of noise from snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles. New arrivals do not get used to the smell of manure. People in the regions are fed up with investors who offer their homes for rent on Airbnb, which aggravates the housing crisis.
Three years after settling in Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Yvon Laprade and his wife do not regret their choice. They love their new life in the village, close to the river and not too far from services, in Shawinigan. “I still have a twinge in my heart when I come back to Montreal,” says the author. I like the city. I did not leave out of spite. I remain open to going elsewhere later. I am uprooted! »