Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré wants to emerge from the shadow of its famous neighbor Mont-Tremblant. Residents are ready to do anything, even to change the name of the municipality to… Mont-Blanc. Like the high summit of the Alps. But above all, like the local ski resort. Great marketing plan? Or a waste of time and money? The municipality of the Laurentians will hold a referendum on November 7 to decide the issue. In the field, opinions are divided.
“I would like the name to stay the same. It seems to me that there would be better things to do with our money, ”says Cindy Lirette. The resident of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré walks her dog Luna in front of the Saint-Faustin church, on the lawn lined with dead leaves. Behind it, mature trees and small houses with country-style storefronts for which this corner of the Laurentians is famous for lovers of the outdoors.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Cindy Lirette, resident of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré
See his hometown become Mont-Blanc? Nothing more than a vulgar marketing stunt to attract people from the metropolis. “Looks like they want to do this to get more tourists. It’s a bit absurd, this big change that we are making for others ”, continues Mr.me Lirette.
The name of a municipality is a witness to history and serves to preserve the municipal heritage and local culture, argues Normand Diotte, author of a memoir in favor of maintaining toponymy entitled “My roots, my pride”. For Mr. Diotte, who presents his candidacy as councilor in the elections of November 7, the municipal council “denies our history, it persists, it shows arrogance and contempt for the population, it rejects the opinion of the citizens, its aim being obviously to kill our identity. All this to be more modern, sexier, more stylish ”.
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Diane Lachaine, resident of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré and former municipal councilor
Diane Lachaine, an involved citizen and former municipal councilor, for her part, sees this possible change favorably. About thirty lakes surround her city, she explains.
Why have only Lac-Carré in the name? Mont-Blanc is more representative of the richness of the territory. I could talk about it for hours.
Diane Lachaine, resident of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré and former municipal councilor
She is also worried about the outcome of the referendum held at the same time as the municipal elections. “Several people will be elected by acclamation, so that won’t encourage people to come around,” she said with a sigh.
The majority of vacationers agree with the new name. They could vote, but the process to register is giving them a hard time, adds Mr.me Chain.
A debate that persists
The name of the place has been the subject of debate since the municipal mergers some twenty years ago. “There was a sort of quarrel between the people of Saint-Faustin and those of Lac-Carré. When we merged, it couldn’t just be called Saint-Faustin, because that didn’t suit Lac-Carré. And vice versa, ”recalls Diane Lachaine. “I would like us to turn the page on this story. In addition, I find it long, Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré. ”
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Carmelle Bénard, resident of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré
The new name with European sounds will revive the economy of the city where she has lived for more than 40 years, says Carmelle Bénard, with a touch of humor. “It’s a change. It’s going to be like a rebirth. The mountain is the main attraction. We must be proud of our mountains in the Laurentians. ”
What makes her a little less stomping with joy? “The change of address. But hey, we deal with… ”
“Wind of change”
The idea of swapping Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré for Mont-Blanc arose in 2015, when a committee made up of residents, entrepreneurs and merchants who wanted to reposition the image of this resort hired the Urbacom consultation.
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Mont Blanc ski resort
The purpose of a name change? “Bringing a wind of change. Bring investors to come and settle. To restart the development of our beautiful city ”, enumerates Jean-Simon Levert, deputy mayor and candidate for mayor of Saint-Faustin– Lac-Carré.
The think tank chose Mont-Blanc. The mountain is part of the DNA of the locals.
It’s part of the heritage. When you hear Mont-Blanc, you mean nature, panorama, the outdoors, well-being… It’s very fashionable, all of those things.
Jean-Simon Levert, deputy mayor and candidate for mayor of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré
Mont Blanc, where a ski center is located, is an undeniable landmark for tourists and people from outside.
Mr. Levert remains very clear: the new name refers to the mountain, not to the ski resort. This is not about advertising a recently sold business.
“We are referring to nature here. Moreover, I do not know the new investors and I do not know if they will keep this name ”, specifies the mayor, former municipal councilor of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré.
This migration to a new identity does not come with a huge cost for the population, assures Mr. Levert. The expenses related to the name change are estimated at $ 50,000, an amount already set aside by the municipality.
Address changes apprehended by some residents will be done automatically with Canada Post, he says.
“As mayor, I have no opinion. I am awaiting the result of the referendum. If the citizens do not want the new name, we will just turn the page. “
Traces of history threatened, according to an expert
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Sign reminding voters of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré to vote in the referendum on the name change of their municipality
Would the transformation of Saint-Faustin– Lac-Carré into Mont-Blanc be enough to make the municipality better known? The city has embarked on a real obstacle course that risks making it forget part of its history, says an expert.
“Changing a toponym is always a bit of a shame, because there is still a story [associée au nom] », Estimates Gérard Beaudet, professor of town planning at the University of Montreal. The parish of Saint-Faustin was erected in 1978, according to the Commission de toponymie du Québec. Lac-Carré, a small adjacent village, got its name in 1946. It takes it from a compressed diamond-shaped lake.
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View of Lac Carré
And lakes, there are some in this region known for its basins and mountains. One of them – Mont Blanc – hosts a ski resort.
“Like many others in the Laurentians, the municipality is in the shadow of Tremblant, to the north, and Saint-Sauveur, to the south, analyzes Gérard Beaudet. But you have to be really optimistic to think that just a name change can really change the dynamics of what has been going on for many years, ”he said.
Costly changes
The outgoing mayor of Saint-Faustin – Lac-Carré estimates the budget associated with the new vision and the name change at $ 50,000. However, this is an approach that can prove to be quite expensive for the municipality, thinks Gérard Beaudet. First, the procedures are long, since the Commission de toponymie must give its approval to the project. Once the name change has taken place, all regional and tourist entities must also change their documentation.
When we have all kinds of identity documents bearing the name of our municipality, all that must be updated.
Gérard Beaudet, professor of urban planning at the University of Montreal
Where the pack can hurt is in the resistance of the population to adapt to the new identity. The municipal mergers of the 2000s were difficult to swallow for some, recalls Gérard Beaudet. “The people of Chicoutimi did not appreciate the disappearance of the name at all,” he cites as an example. Citizens are attached to the name of their city. These name changes are not easily done, ”summarizes the town planner.
These cities that have had a makeover
Cities in Quebec have however succeeded in carrying out this toponymic metamorphosis. The most recent example is that of Asbestos, in the Eastern Townships, which became Val-des-Sources at the turn of 2021. “In the case of Asbestos, we can always understand, says Gérard Beaudet. Since it’s ‘asbestos’ in English, and since it’s a resource that gets a lot of bad press, people decided that they no longer wanted to carry the name that made the city so rich, but also sped up. its decline, ”he explains.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, ARCHIVES THE PRESS
View of the city of Asbestos, in January 2018
Changing the name of places can be tempting to erase part of its history or give it a more modern connotation, but it is not always necessary, believes Gérard Beaudet. “In Thetford Mines, obviously, we did not feel the need to change the name because there is not such an explicit association with the resource. [l’amiante] He remarks.
Three municipalities that have changed their names
Mirabel: a story of expropriation
Mirabel, previously Sainte-Scholastique, was named in 1973, just before the arrival of Mirabel International Airport, inaugurated in 1975. Even though none of the region’s eight constituent municipalities was called that way, Mirabel was already in use. In the region. A post office, in operation from 1880 to 1914, had carried the name, also used on cadastres of the XIXe century. His origin ? The merger of the names of two daughters – Myriam and Isabelle – of a Scottish inhabitant. Or even small plums, the mirabelles, cultivated in France. The mystery remains.
Portneuf-sur-Mer: remembering the sea air
Portneuf-sur-Mer, on the Côte-Nord (not to be confused with Portneuf, upstream from Quebec), has a toponymy which has largely evolved from Saint-Georges (1848) to Portneuf Mills (1882), Hamilton Cove ( 1883) and Sainte-Anne-de-Portneuf (from 1875). The municipality finally opted for a toponym recalling its maritime history in 2004.
Val-des-Sources: “turning the page” on asbestos
The asbestos mine (asbestos in English) of the Canadian Johns-Manville company began operating in 1881. The post office named Asbestos was established in 1884 and the town was given the same toponym. The discovery of the harmful effects of asbestos led to the decline in global demand. The mine closed its doors after about 130 years of activity, in 2012. The new name of Val-des-Sources was assigned to the municipality in 2021. It refers to the hilly territory and the fact that the city is located in the MRC des Sources. “People said to themselves that as long as we turn the page – the city has experienced a good upturn in activity in recent years – let’s turn it around completely,” explains Gérard Beaudet, of the University of Montreal.
Source: Commission de toponymie du Québec