This text is part of the special notebook Université du Québec à Rimouski
Some prejudices still persist about the supposedly unbridgeable gap between academia and “the real world”. Nothing could be further from the truth as research and discoveries benefit the entire community. This is just as true at UQAR, where the health of the population of Bas-Saint-Laurent and that of its territory are real concerns, intrinsically linked issues.
Marie-Hélène Morin and Mario Handfield have heard almost all the preconceived ideas regarding “rurality”. “People believe that there is more poverty,” laments the first, professor in the Department of Psychosociology and Social Work. “Rurality includes agriculture, but it is so much broader than that,” insists the second, professor in the Department of Societies, Territories and Development.
For these two academics, well rooted in their part of the country, and very committed to the people of their community, it is more than time to leave aside the clichés, real obstacles to resolving the most glaring problems facing the regions of the Quebec. Whether it is access to health care, economic development, food autonomy or urban sprawl — this is not a scourge only in Quebec or Montreal — the solutions to be developed require time, and they must be created in consultation with people in the community.
“Decisions taken only in places of power as in the 1960s and 1970s caused village closures, a real “ruralicide” that a large mobilization managed to stop, recalls Mario Handfield. This does not mean that the major players do not have their say, but we must give municipalities and MRCs the opportunity to present initiatives and develop solutions. »
This is also what the researcher is doing as part of the Shared Knowledge Workshops project, where citizens from different corners of Quebec discuss a range of concerns, from housing to intermunicipal transportation through immigration. “A way for all these stakeholders to make their successes known, and for others to adapt them to their environment,” says the man who notes with concern this return to the centralization of political decisions since the beginning of the 2000s.
The virtues of mutual aid
Concerned about health issues, Marie-Hélène Morin takes a dim view of the recent reforms in this sector which is also “very centralized”, even wondering why and how “it could be more so”. The researcher prefers to engage in the opposite movement. With her colleague Lily Lessard from UQAR and other partners in the region, she supports the development of the interdisciplinary Chair on health and social services for rural populations, “because if it takes a village to raise a child, This village must be able to continue to exist to take care of people, including the elderly.”
Created in January 2020, the Chair, intended to provide a more contemporary vision of rurality, had to quickly “capture what the pandemic [de COVID-19] kept the population alive,” emphasizes Marie-Hélène Morin. For example, the issue of caregivers has taken on great importance, even though it is already different in less densely populated environments. “When the distances to be covered are greater, health services are further away, and the Internet connection is not always reliable, this forces caregivers to become more involved,” according to the woman whose research focuses partly on mental health.
Like everyone, Marie-Hélène Morin does not want to return to the worst hours of successive confinements, but she believes that we must reconnect with this solidarity deployed on a large scale at the time. “The community spirit has not disappeared from the villages,” insists the researcher. We took the time to call our loved ones, but we also need to inspire people from the same background to help each other. There are already several initiatives in this direction, for example to take a look at someone who is not doing well or volunteers who drive people to their medical appointments. The approach of supportive neighbors can spread almost everywhere in Quebec. »
“Since the 1970s, the Quebec state has realized that it cannot meet all the needs of the population,” recalls MarioHandfield. Our research projects highlight many solutions that can inspire several municipalities. But it is not enough to give them a voice. We must also give them the means to make them a reality. »
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