Other files 2025

The purpose of this note is to describe the nature of the growth hub formed around Lake Saint-François-Xavier (District 5), Lake Saint-Victor, and Lake Notre-Dame (District 6), and to propose a coherent interpretation of its likely evolution in terms of services, in order to inform future land use planning and public investment decisions. It is neither a land use plan nor a commercial development project, but rather a framework for anticipating the effects of observed residential growth.

Nature of the hub, development trajectory, and service issues
A) A growing hub, heavily dependent on outside influences
Available data (projects accepted under the PIIA, property assessment roll, recent residential dynamics) show that this sector is currently the main driver of residential growth in Wentworth-Nord.
However, this growth:
• has developed without a structuring commercial core;
• remains heavily dependent on external hubs (Montreal, Saint-Sauveur, Morin-Heights) for supplies, services, and employment;
• relies on a population composed of vacationers, dual-residents, and new permanent residents, whose consumption habits are largely extraterritorial.
👉 Residential value is imported, but daily spending leaves the territory. This is typical of a residential destination area, not a village center.
The absence of local private businesses is therefore not a failure of development, but a logical consequence of a residential model that is still functionally incomplete.

B) Real growth... but spatially diffuse
Development is taking place:
• around three separate lakes,
• in residential clusters,
• with still significant seasonal uses.
👉 This automatically delays the spontaneous emergence of private businesses.

Given its characteristics, the Montfort – Lake Saint-Victor – Lake Notre-Dame hub is similar to a satellite residential hub, where services are emerging at a slower pace than population growth.
This type of hub is characterized by:
• rapid but diffuse residential growth;
• an influx of residential capital (households, property values);
• real but fragmented local demand for services;
• a late and gradual emergence of local services, often hybrid in nature.

Critical threshold that is still incomplete
• Even with:
o ~116 new residents (2021-2025),
o a project for 40+ rental units on the edge of the sector,
• we are probably still below the threshold required for:
o a viable year-round convenience store chain,
o a permanent private clinic,
o a diversified commercial offering.
👉 Growth is sufficient to create pressure, but not yet enough to create a captive local market.

Probable trajectory of service development
Based on comparable models observed elsewhere, the development of the hub can be envisaged in three successive phases.

Phase 1 – Predominantly residential (current phase)
• Focus on residential construction.
• Growing pressure on roads, safety, and community facilities.
• Almost total dependence on external services.
• No critical threshold for permanent businesses.

Phase 2 – Opportunistic and hybrid services (medium term)
• Possible emergence of multi-purpose local services:
o small convenience stores,
o cafés or meeting places,
o partial private services (health, wellness),
o service relays (parcels, minimal gasoline, seasonal services).
• These services are generally:
o provided by external or cooperative actors,
o geared toward the permanent population rather than vacationers alone.

Phase 3 – Planned micro-centrality (long term, conditional)
• Only possible if:
o a specific sector is recognized as a service location,
o zoning and uses are adapted to it,
o the municipality assumes a minimal vision of structuring.
• This is not a traditional shopping center, but a low-intensity local functional hub.

Probable location of services: a shift away from the historic center
Spatial analysis suggests that private services, if they emerge, will not primarily be located in the village of Montfort:
• Montfort is already identified as a community hub, not an economic one;
• space is limited there;
• growth is mainly occurring around Lake Saint-Victor and Lake Notre-Dame;

• the road network and traffic are more favorable around these areas.

Instead, they will be located:
• near areas with the most sustained residential growth,
• around Lake Saint-Victor and Lake Notre-Dame,
• along the busiest traffic routes.
This discrepancy between the historic community center (Montfort) and a potential service hub is an important issue of territorial coherence that must be anticipated.

Issues for municipal planning
Without explicit guidance, the municipality risks:
• experiencing residential growth without functional structuring;
• increasing pressure on public facilities without private support;
• seeing the opportunistic emergence of unplanned uses.
Conversely, recognizing the specific nature of this hub would make it possible to:
• adjust planning tools without promoting intensive urbanization;
• clearly distinguish between community and economic functions;
• prepare for the gradual emergence of services compatible with the character of the territory.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

By ChatGPT, inspired by Carl Chapdelaine

Note: Official statistics, such as those from the Canada Census or Statistics Quebec, calculate or estimate population figures, i.e., permanent residents of the designated territory. In the Pays-d'en-Haut region, and particularly in Wentworth-Nord, where the number of vacationers exceeds that of permanent residents, applying these statistics to the allocation of various government programs, demographic analyses, the assessment of adequate infrastructure, or other purposes, introduces a major bias. It is therefore important to substitute the number of residents, whether permanent or vacationers, for the population figure, which is what our approach attempts to do and which should guide public authorities. The evolution of residential construction is the major factor that allows us to take such an approach.

Artificial intelligence, in this case ChatGPT, is an invaluable tool for calculation, analysis, and projection. However, it can only operate based on the data available to it. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to judge the accuracy of its reasoning, analyses, or conclusions. In our article, we have taken the liberty of adjusting or removing certain contributions from ChatGPT that we considered risky, without, regrettably, the reader being able to identify the author of any particular argument. Our demonstration therefore deserves to be taken up by the competent authorities.

Clear data, choices to be made

Since 2021, Wentworth-Nord has experienced real, measurable residential growth that is already underway, notably through the approval of construction projects under the Plan d'implantation et d'intégration architecturale (PIIA). This growth is not based on theoretical projections: it stems from approvals that have been granted and reflects an effective development dynamic.

A cross-analysis of these three sources—the Urban Plan, PIIA projects, and the property roll—allows us to go beyond partial readings. The Urban Plan sets a framework and guidelines; the PIIAs reveal the actual dynamics of authorized development; and the assessment roll measures the concrete fiscal effects. Taken together, these documents outline a territorial trajectory that is already underway.

Between 2021 and 2025, approximately 128 new housing projects submitted to the PIIA were approved. Based on a conservative and transparent assumption of two residents per dwelling, this period heralds an estimated increase of approximately 256 new residents across the municipality. This number could be higher if these households, which might be younger than average in Wentworth-Nord, included children. In a sparsely populated area such as Wentworth-Nord, such an influx represents a structural change in the short term.
However, this growth varies depending on the sector.

• The Montfort sector stands out significantly. With approximately 58 projects approved, corresponding to nearly 116 additional residents, for a baseline population of approximately 1,220 in 2021, projected growth reaches nearly 9.5% over four years.
• The Saint-Michel sector follows with approximately 47 projects, representing nearly 94 additional residents, for a baseline population of approximately 1,495.
• The Laurel sector, which is more stable, has approximately 23 projects, representing nearly 46 additional residents, for a baseline population comparable to that of Montfort.

Sector Estimated growth 2021–2025
Montfort +9.5%
Saint-Michel +6.3%
Laurel +3.8%
Note: Not all these projects will be completed during the 2021–2025 period, but others that were announced earlier will have been completed by then. The assumed growth rate therefore suffers from a certain time lag and contains a significant margin of error. However, the PIIA data for 2020 already confirm the predominance of the Montfort sector.

These differences reflect a clear territorial reality: Montfort is experiencing higher growth, Saint-Michel moderate growth, and Laurel more limited growth. This is an observed dynamic and not a hypothetical scenario. These differences are not anecdotal. This results in uneven pressure on local roads, land management, and public facilities.

At the same time, this growth generates an effect that is often underestimated in public debate: an increase in property values. New construction, mainly residential, contributes to broadening the municipal tax base and, in the medium term, increasing tax revenues. And we're a long way from the little seasonal cottage on stilts here. Growth is therefore not only a cost factor; it also represents a source of future financing, which varies from sector to sector.

The Urban Plan, consolidated in September 2024, recognizes several of these issues. It confirms the residential vocation of certain sectors, regulates development around lakes, maintains a low overall density, and identifies community hubs to be consolidated, particularly in the Montfort sector. However, this is a policy document. The Plan does not set budget priorities, investment schedules, or financial trade-offs between sectors.
This is where a discrepancy becomes apparent. The municipal budget and the Programme triennal d’immobilisations

(three-year capital expenditure program) mainly reflect short-term constraints, dominated by incompressible expenditures, particularly in road infrastructure. They do not explicitly incorporate the differentiated growth of sectors and its foreseeable effects in the medium term. The lack of clear registration of certain community facilities, even at the study stage, gives the impression that structural decisions are being postponed rather than planned.

The issue is not to favor one sector over others. Territorial equity does not mean that each sector should receive the same thing, but that decisions must be based on transparent and consistent criteria: current resident population, observed growth, pressure on services, fiscal capacity generated, and the condition of existing facilities.

From this perspective, it seems reasonable and responsible for the municipality to officially recognize the differentiated growth of its sectors in its planning tools, such as the PTI.

How the council should establish the budget and PTI considering these findings (by ChatGPT)
Fundamental principle: separate operations from structural catch-up
Two unavoidable realities:
• roads absorb ≈ 50% of the budget,
• community pavilions are major deferred liabilities.

The council should therefore consider three separate budgets:

1. Basic services and routine maintenance

→ distribution mainly linked to:
• the current number of residents,
• the size and condition of the road network.
2. Growth pressure (new demand)
→ linked to:
• increase in the number of residents,
• intensity of new uses.
3. Heritage and community catch-up
→ different logic:
• physical condition of buildings,
• social role,
• local mobilization capacity.
It is a common mistake to try to finance everything using the same distribution key.
Planning for growth means precisely avoiding it becoming an unforeseen constraint. In Wentworth-Nord, the data is available and the trends are clear and well documented. It is up to the municipal authorities to translate this reality into coherent, prudent, and equitable planning for the entire territory.

🔍 Methodology box — Where do the figures come from?
The analysis is based on residential construction projects approved by the municipality as part of the Site Planning and Architectural Integration Programs (SPAIP) between 2021 and 2025. These projects are municipal decisions that have already been made and reflect a real intention to develop.
To estimate the demographic impact, a conservative and transparent assumption of two residents (= one household) per new dwelling was used. The results are then analyzed by sector (Montfort, Saint-Michel, and Laurel) and compared to the number of reference households from the 2021 census data in order to measure the relative intensity of growth rather than simple volume.
Illustrative scenarios for 2035 (by sector)
Based on the trends observed between 2021 and 2025, conservative extrapolation scenarios have been developed for the period up to 2035. These scenarios are not demographic forecasts, but rather tools for assessing the robustness of infrastructure and the consistency of medium-term investments.

(See the attached table)
Note: The distribution of residents by sector is estimated based on the distribution of voters in 2021 and extrapolated over time, according to the 2021–2025 growth percentages indicated above.

With comparable dynamics:
• Montfort would remain the main driver of residential growth, with a cumulative increase of 37% in 2035 compared to 2021, putting increased pressure on existing community facilities.
• Saint-Michel, with a cumulative increase of ≈ +24%, would continue to grow at a moderate pace, consistent with its role as an established hub, but requiring targeted adjustments.
• Laurel, with a cumulative increase of ≈ +14%, would maintain a more stable profile, with needs primarily related to maintenance rather than expansion.
Montfort is not a moderate growth sector, but rather the one with the strongest relative growth by 2035, even though it remains behind Saint-Michel in absolute volume.
These scenarios confirm that, even without further acceleration, the growth already authorized is sufficient to create imbalances if it is not integrated into planning.

Document: L’Énoncé de vision stratégique – 2035 de la MRC, en matière d’Aménagement du territoire.

Analysis by ChatGPT, restructured by Carl Chapdelaine

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

Interactive map

(Click on + or – to zoom in or out. Click on the legend to navigate the map. Check or uncheck the boxes for the different “layers” to view data by district. Click on each entry in the legend or icon on the map for details about the building.)

Interactive map

Is the October 2017 Plan d'urbanisme de Wentworth-Nord developed under the direction of urban planner Emmanuel Farmer and consolidated in September 2024, still relevant? Under the mandate of the previous municipal council and its mayor, the late Danielle Desjardins, as well as the imposition of a moratorium on real estate development in the area, adjustments were made to the plan in response to rapid changes in the sector.

In line with the Plan, priority is given to land use planning; in other words, the aim is, among other things, to regulate real estate development with regulations and zoning that will require developers to comply with standards applicable to their projects. These standards are intended to protect the environment and the established social environment, to make the most of existing infrastructure and other municipal resources, etc.

However, this urban plan is not a development plan and may not be sufficiently forward-looking. It seems to set the stage for harmonious but limited development of the municipality, without really knowing in which direction it will evolve. Indeed, in our liberal economy, the forces that guide land development are not limited to the will of its citizens and their leaders; they can even take a completely different direction.

The pressure of rapid population growth in the Laurentians and the infrastructure that this entails at various levels; the appeal of an almost untouched area in Wentworth-Nord; its need for increased financial resources, or the need to provide more services to its citizens, particularly in terms of roads, are all variables that come into play here. But are these factors receiving the necessary attention from our elected officials?

What does the future hold? Who knows? What a surprise to learn that a major real estate project, such as the one on Montée Sainte-Marie, is set to take shape just a stone's throw from the small village of Montfort! Shouldn't the new municipal council, which aims to continue the work of its predecessor, take it upon itself to pierce the fog in which the train of development is heading?

Current events here, in the municipal sphere, reveal the conception of major projects, such as the development of our three community centers. But if, as in a balance sheet, the expenditure column runs freely but the income column does not follow suit, how will we know how to balance the whole and move forward at a measured pace?

Approximately 22 PIIAs for main building construction projects were approved in Wentworth-Nord during municipal meetings in 2020; there were approximately 31 in 2021 and more than 40 in 2022. Their number fell to approximately 26 in 2023. There would be only 17 in 2024 and, similarly, as of November 19, 2025, only 18 PIIAs had been granted. (See interactive map)

The evolution of real estate projects is particularly impressive around the village of Montfort, straddling two municipalities, with single-family homes and, increasingly, large-scale integrated projects. According to the approved PIIA projects, new construction of main buildings from 2020 to the present would be more numerous in Districts 5 and 6. With an average of two adults per house, this would likely lead to a proportional increase in their residents, both permanent and seasonal. This increase could justify a redrawing of their boundaries, unless the other districts in Wentworth-Nord follow suit. The boundaries of electoral districts must, in fact, respect a percentage of representation of their residents.

The increase in Districts 5 and 6 would then justify the creation of a seventh district, with new boundaries for all three. Their councillors, soon to be elected by a majority of non-resident property owners, would have no choice but to put forward their likely demands to promote public access to neighboring lakes.

There is therefore a need for prospecting, including in relation to our lakes, which is a major issue in terms of land use planning. Limiting construction, monitoring visitor numbers by reducing parking spaces or public access, protecting their environment, etc.; but always without really knowing their carrying capacity. What will be the impact on Lake Saint-François-Xavier of the development of the Villas du Lac and the Montée Sainte-Marie project? We judge this based on the promises of their promoters, as in election time, and without any means of measurement. Isn't it mandatory, in a municipality with lakes, to tackle the problem and carry out the necessary analyses?

And what about the road network? Today's vehicles have undergone a radical transformation, focused on new technologies; driving is becoming increasingly autonomous. But will they be able to cope with our non-compliant roads, made of gravel or dirt, difficult to maintain, lacking adequate signage, and too often inaccessible to mobile phones or geolocation? What use will the sophisticated instrumentation that manufacturers have equipped our cars with, guided by computers, with visual sensors and other innovations, be to us? And, to date, the charging stations for the future electric car fleet are as visible as our gas stations... If conventional rail replaced, in the past and at great expense, the Montfort colonization train tracks, should we not now be planning a similar adaptation of our roads?

We therefore need a forward-looking plan, with a mandate to explore the future using the most appropriate tools. It will align with emerging trends in the real estate sector, in residents' behavior, in the revolution that is transforming our vehicles and will require enormous adjustments to our road network, etc. If they deem it too risky to rely on an increase in the internal staff of our urban planning departments to achieve this, our elected officials will probably have to call on a specialized firm to do so.

The municipality could undoubtedly rely on the guidelines set out by the MRC in its Plan stratégique économique 2025 – 2030. An application of its development plan should be adapted to the specific situation of Wentworth-Nord. The latter will also be able to benefit from the lessons learned in other municipalities that are more advanced in their development and face the same challenges that lie ahead.

Several applications of artificial intelligence are now functional and ready to be used. The gains in productivity, accuracy, and analysis that they introduce make them indispensable. All municipal departments will have to learn how to use them and put them to good use. For example, they could significantly improve the adjustment of regulations by the Planning Department and its ability to explore the path to harmonious development in Wentworth-Nord.

By Carl Chapdelaine

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

The Wentworth -Nord chamber of commerce initiated this project. "In the summer of 2022, the Chambre de commerce et développement durable de Wentworth-Nord (CCD2WN) realized the importance of establishing a local health service. It considered the precarious situation of locally available health services in the context of an aging population and the need to attract new families and businesses." wentworth-nord.ca
At the Wentworth-Nord council meeting on July 19, 2023, the mayor, the late Danielle Desjardins, announced that the first health cooperative was being set up in Wentworth-Nord, near Saint-Michel.

Then, at the September 20 meeting of the same year, financial assistance for this initiative was granted. The mayor said at the time: "We are working with experienced people to get this off the ground. " A $10,000 grant for, among other things, the hiring of a dedicated coordinator was first awarded to the Chamber in an initial payment of $5,000, followed by a second payment to the health cooperative in 2024 for its operations. At the end of 2023, however, as the Coop was not yet incorporated, the second payment would still go to the Chamber of Commerce.

At the special meeting on October 11, 2023, however, a resident reportedly indicated that a minimum number of residents was required to justify the formation of a health cooperative and asked what the population of Wentworth-Nord was. Ms. Desjardins replied that the minimum was 7,000 people; however, although the project was for Saint-Michel, which has a small population, the cooperative would also serve the more populous villages in the neighboring municipalities of Brownsburg-Chatham and Grenville, as there were no such services closer to Lachute.

The project was developing. "On Saturday, June 15, 2024, an information meeting was held at St. Michel Church. We would like to thank the 118 citizens who attended. It was with GREAT enthusiasm that the founding team of the Wentworth-Nord health solidarity cooperative met with and informed participants about the creation of the health cooperative. The discussions were numerous and fruitful. To date, more than 150 members have registered." wentworth-nord.ca

On August 21, 2024, the Wentworth-Nord council awarded a new grant to the Coop to support its projects. It was awarded $20,000, with a payment of $10,000 in January 2025 and a second payment to follow, conditional on the submission of progress reports on the projects.

The chair of the Outdoor Activities, Trails, and Community Life Committee, Ms. Chapados, announced the fundraising dinners being held by the Coop. It was during the dinner on May 31, 2025, that Ms. Karine Dostie announced her candidacy for mayor in the municipal elections in early November.

At the November 19, 2025, Council meeting, the new mayor indicated that the Co-op was looking for a director for its board of directors, as well as a part-time doctor; the premises were ready. Anyone interested could contact Mr. Richard Daoust, the “founding president (retired, former health network manager, founding president of the Coop Santé de Saint-Adolphe & Morin-Heights).” The vice-president was Mr. David Levine, now a resident of Wentworth-Nord, “retired, former senior executive of the Québec health network, artist, president of the Laurel co-op, and administrator of the CCD2WN.”  wentworth-nord.ca. In response to a question, Ms. Dostie explained that for the Coop to be recognized by the public system, its services had to be overseen by a physician.

Today, November 26, 2025, the newspaper Accès features an article by Luc Robert entitled: "Wentworth-Nord : une nouvelle Coop Santé prête à ouvrir." The article, which highlights David Levine's role in this achievement, provides a brief history of the project, the support it has received, and the model of the Clinique Médicale Mères et Monde, an emergency medical clinic in Prévost.

We found that this medical clinic project in Saint-Michel, like the one that should accompany the establishment of a multipurpose center with the Montfort pavilion, was practically utopian. We are forced to admit that, with the human resources found throughout Wentworth-Nord, combined with their determination, great challenges can be met here. These challenges are not yet over for the Coopérative de solidarité santé, as it is still imperative to find a doctor and a qualified nurse...

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

By Carl Chapdelaine

The MRC recently unveiled its Plan stratégique économique 2025 – 2030. “The foundations of this strategy are based on an in-depth analysis of socioeconomic data, a detailed portrait of the MRC, and collaborative workshops.” In his opening remarks, Prefect André Genest emphasized “the exceptional work of the committees, partners, and elected officials who contributed to this process.” He concluded that it was necessary to “consolidate our sources of employment and wealth."

The Plan begins by setting out the socio-economic context in which it is being implemented:

• A population (permanent residents) of 49,456 in 2024, with sustained growth since 2001. “This growth is largely attributable to interregional migration, mainly from Montreal and the Laurentians.” Wentworth-Nord is also experiencing a growth rate above the Quebec average, and its population is expected to increase from 1,686 in 2021 to 1,898 in 2041, an increase of 12.6%. Population projection
• With an average age of 50.5, this population is one of the oldest, with a rate of 32.1% for those aged 65 and over in 2024, among the highest in Quebec. Panorama des régions du Québec Édition 2025    Indicators For The MRC Des Pays-D'en-Haut

It was Saturday, September 13, a beautiful day in Montfort, at Lake Saint-François-Xavier, and we were waiting for cousins from France to arrive around noon.

Of course, there is no parking for us or our visitors on the Aerobic Corridor, which is how we access our cottage, since we are residents without road access to Mount Street. And the MRC does not allow the small piece of land purchased on this shared laneway to be used as such, since we do not live there. Well, the Wentworth-Nord police force or the Sûreté du Québec (who knows which authority this service falls under?) don't patrol the area often, and our neighbors are kind enough to allow us to use their small parking space on occasion.

After the hugs, we take the Mount trail that leads to our summer cottage. It is the first of about twenty old houses also connected to the world by this umbilical cord. But each of our neighbors accesses their property by crossing the lake by speedboat, weather permitting.

Ah, the forest, the calm, lakes everywhere, nature stretching out endlessly—our Parisian visitors, even those with a pied-à-terre in Brittany, are dazzled. Yes, not a sound, not a soul in sight, not even Magalie, the young female moose.

After a meal that takes us well into the afternoon, we must decide on the program. Between climbing up to the Belvedere, taking a rowboat ride, swimming in the cold water, or walking along the lake, the young people choose the rowboat. They have never held a pair of oars before, and the rower naturally takes his place facing the front of the boat... The main thing is that they have their life jackets on. They will go to Ravens Crag Island, at the head of the lake, while the adults take the Aerobic Corridor to walk along the beautiful waterway. The bravest among them will go swimming on the way back.

Still not a soul in sight; no one out for a walk, on the quays or on the balconies: too chilly to sunbathe. But we can see two windsurfers in the Newaygo basin and, finally, a brave lady of a certain age doing a few strokes. Ah! There are cyclists after all; how did they get here?

We arrive at the Newaygo Bridge, which is fenced off—or what's left of it. The gigantic concrete blocks blocking access have not been moved. Chased by a constable or a police officer, a motorist who breaks the law is not likely to end up in the lake... On the other side, two cyclists and a few walkers have come up against the fence. We begin to exchange words: “When will traffic be able to resume?” The famous question... with no answer! As we emerge from this dead end, miraculously, a group of Asian tourists appears at the intersection of Newaygo Road and the second section of Chemin-de-fer Street, admiring this majestic lake, which is so rarely open to visitors. We nod our heads in greeting.

Let's get to the point: it's not just the bridge that's closed. This cut-off is, in fact, the result of a breakdown in communication between the various parties involved. In our community relations, too many parties here are in the same situation. In municipal and MRC councils, and within the administration of our associations, democracy welcomes opposition, but if it results in confrontation, it is destructive.

Municipal councillors have no individual power; they are bound to the council and do not have the right to address the administration. They are often bound to secrecy. Advisory committees are only advisory to municipal authorities. Except for the CCU perhaps, most residents are not even aware of their existence. The lack of citizen participation is structural. At city hall or in parliament, decisions are made without really giving us a say. In a movement already underway under popular pressure, will the future MRC council be able to communicate better?

As for the administration, it is the Montfort pavilion that we find fault with here. Our project to present a lecture on light pollution by an “astronomer,” with telescope observation of the starry sky, during the upcoming weekends of the new moon in September or October, i.e., the penultimate week of those months, has hit a snag. How painful it is for an individual to know that the Pavilion is available and that it would be possible to organize an event there.
We take the ramp that leads up to it every time we arrive from Montreal at the lake during the summer. On its facade this year, well hidden behind a shrub, the sign indicating that it is closed is almost always there, both on weekdays and weekends. It is always closed... but rarely available! From memory, it wasn't like that when it was owned and managed by the MRC. It certainly takes the determination of someone like Diane Jegou or the directors of the Galerie d'art Montfort, accepted groups, to organize an event there.

Ah! The wonderful plans for a multifunctional pavilion, with an artesian well, kitchen area, health corner, dining area, art gallery, meeting room, potluck room, performance space, open even to non-residents, with special permission to access reserved parking, a refuge in case of disaster, and who knows what else. In fact, I don't know anything about it, no more than what was proposed by the advisory committee, to which no one had access, or what the selected architect might have sketched out.

But when the generous governments have paid for 80% of this marvel, as it seems, will it be without a receptionist, or will it be closed and unavailable most of the time? And if its management is entrusted to our Maison du citoyen, do you really believe that its administration will be up to the task? Will we have to wake its designated doorman from his eternal slumber just to allow us access?

Despite the election promises that have already begun to rain down, it will be difficult to connect elected officials, administrators, and citizens. For some mayors, the councillors, whom they have often sponsored themselves, represent their sector on their own. Every four years, we vote for the candidate with the most dazzling promises, then leave everything up to their goodwill and administration. But in this game of snakes and ladders, the party that is praised to the skies, if it has not resolved the insoluble problems and, amid calls for change, will begin a fatal slide.

The citizen who attends a municipal council meeting for the first time to express his incomprehension at the staggering increase in his tax bill, and who has never heard of the announced consultations, brings the debate back to the scale of the financial challenges, and more, faced by Wentworth-Nord, a small municipality in a large territory. Despite the protocol, a laborious exchange then begins between the citizen and the elected officials, who explain the situation they are facing and their inability to remedy it. But if only about 20 residents attend this meeting, even with those who will hear about it, it seems that the municipality's means of communication are not sufficient.

Coffee meetings with council members? Bravo! But more residents need to participate, and perhaps at least one administrator... And they need to come to us, as future elected officials do during their election campaigns.

However, we have some good examples of progress and achievements made by our associations, if not by simple volunteers. The Lake Saint-François-Xavier Environmental Fund is currently riding high and accomplishing wonders, while the lake association is trying to follow suit. The Leblanc-Perriers were able to rally the residents of Chemin-de-fer Street. The administrators of the Montfort Art Gallery and Diana Jegou, with her Café Group, are keeping the Montfort Pavilion alive. But it is thanks to the involvement of their members and residents, as well as the eventual collaboration of the municipality or the MRC, that their projects are coming to fruition.

Without these relationships, without information, communication, and participation, stagnation would undermine the future of our community. Let us hope that our future municipal authorities, if they have committed to these values, will stay the course.

By Carl Chapdelaine

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

Last figures are framed.

Damned field mice!
I was born in Montreal and have lived there most of my life. In the family cocoon of my youth, I don't remember hearing about mice or rats in the house. The latter term was only used to describe truly evil characters. But our father did tell us not to leave the basement door open, a recommendation I have never forgotten. We never had a cat, only dogs.

It took me buying this cottage to finally learn about the rights of the local wildlife. And I had to discover for myself that it could invade my living space, because the subject, like many others here, seemed taboo.

It was when I walked into my kitchen that I made the discovery: an insolent little creature that had taken the liberty of walking across the counter. Horror! I tried to knock out my first field vole, known as a field mouse, with a broom. It took refuge behind one of my appliances. But it was still there. The fear of reliving such an event took hold of me for good, while I went running for weapons.

Call in a cat? No, our natures are incompatible. Poison? Aim for the black, kill the white; too risky. And if the poisoned field mouse were to die in an inaccessible place, it could cause problems with odor and insects. I took the risk anyway, using seed capsules, whose popularity I could monitor. The little quadrupeds seemed to love them, but they had no effect. We decided on a mousetrap. The little creature would be entitled to a last meal, a small peanut butter ball. And the kitchen turned out to be the best place for it.

A field mouse, perhaps the first, got its paw caught. How repulsed we were to approach our capture. Yet we couldn't imagine killing it in cold blood. It was put in a box and released far from the cottage. A new kind of mousetrap proved to be more effective; few field mice escaped its trap. And the sight of the carcass was quite bearable. A corner of our property was designated as a field mouse cemetery. The condemned mouse never even had time to swallow the coveted treat; it would attract the next one.

Our fear of encountering a field mouse, the darkness falling, and when we suspected their presence, sometimes drove us to take refuge upstairs. We hoped to hear the click of the trap in action and be able to sleep soundly.

The traps were set and the cottage closed; the warm season was over. It was in the spring that the carnival resumed. Only carcasses remained in the traps; clearly, these creatures had little regard for the remains of their fellow creatures. But we would discover that some had squatted in our second home, and their droppings clearly showed that they had explored the entire property.

Each time we visited our cottage, our first glance was at the mouse traps, searching for droppings on the kitchen counter and cleaning it up. Would the cemetery be enriched with a new arrival? Some years seemed less conducive to nighttime visits from these intruders; others, like the present one, seemed to favor them.

With the Covid-19 pandemic and increasingly acute parking problems, visitors had become fewer and farther between. This summer, our friends finally announced that they would be coming to spend a long weekend at the lake. There would be three young children—a rare opportunity to see the bunk bed come out of hibernation. We had once equipped it with mattress covers, pillow protectors, sheets, blankets, and bedspreads with child-friendly patterns. Everything still looked new. Nothing had been moved. Another guest bed had received the same care.

Our friend's partner, who is also the grandmother of two of the expected children, had asked us to air out the sheets, assuming they had spent the winter there. As we did so, we discovered that each of the three beds had been quietly hosting field mice. The sheets and mattress covers were stained, and the blankets and pillow protectors were torn. Everything was going to be collected and taken back to town for cleaning, while the visitors would bring their own sheets and sleeping bags for the children. Fortunately, the mattresses had been spared, as they were sufficiently protected. But how could we protect the beds from these invaders, when the bedroom door seemed to be sealed for the winter?

We also had to take out the beautiful new dish towels, which would make a good impression on our visitors. When we opened the dresser drawer that also contained the tablecloths, we couldn't help but notice that a field mouse had also taken up residence there. A corner was missing from our beautiful dish towel; the tablecloths were torn; and everything was covered in droppings. Despite their losses, had the field mice won the war against us? Thanks to a few well-placed boards, the bottom of the dresser is now inaccessible to field mice. Our favorite travel souvenirs, which are convenient to transport and use, such as dish towels in local colors or country tablecloths, should now be safe the

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

ByCarl Chapdelaine

Do you have a problem for which you can't find a solution, or don't know where to turn for help? Will you knock on the door of your local councillor, your lake association? A private company?

Wentworth-Nord is a small municipality, not in terms of its size, but in terms of the number of residents and their dispersal, its lack of services and its general lack of resources. Most of the basic services required for community life are provided by the public administration, especially the municipal government. To this must be added the large companies that provide electricity, telecommunications and other services.

The municipal administration, guided by its council of elected representatives, is faced with a daunting task, not only in terms of its own management, to meet current needs in the areas of roads, urban planning, safety, leisure, the environment, etc., but also in planning their development.

You're struggling to maintain and clear snow from a private road, or your only path is the waterway; you don't have access to drinking water; your lake is overgrown with aquatic plants; your property faces a road that's become too busy; the cohabitation of cars, bicycles and pedestrians is a problem; you don't know where to park; your cottage is abandoned; and the municipality can't help you much.

Fortunately, there are lake associations; how could we do without them? But their scope is limited. Among other things, they bring permanent residents and cottagers together on common issues, not just at the level of a single lake, but at the municipal level. The current council wanted to make them partners. In addition to lake association events, there are also volunteer initiatives: the success of the Galerie d'art Montfort, and even the happy gatherings of the Groupe Café. Some paramunicipal committees, such as La Société de plein air des Pays-d'en-Haut (SOPAIR) for trails, or others, complete the picture. But aren't there fewer groups or clubs that can bring together residents with common interests?

So there's no shortage of causes; shouldn't every village, every sector, every lake be able to count on volunteers to see to its beautification, surveillance, mutual aid, information, recreation, culture, local problems, etc.? In fact, there's so much to do, and so many citizens ready to get involved; but how do we get the ball rolling, how do we mobilize volunteers?

On the eve of every municipal election, the issue of consultation and citizen participation comes up again and again. It was on the cards for our late mayor, but there were far too many other battle horses to send a cavalry squadron. We imagined a kind of local council, in which any resident wishing to get involved could participate. However, without raising awareness in the community and a helping hand from the municipality, it's hard to see how such an undertaking could get off the ground. Could this local organization be the answer to the criticism that the Montfort area has been neglected by the authorities?

This council would have to set its own priorities, based on the main problems in its area, but its scope of action would not be limited. It would be a body recognized by the municipality, but independent. It would seek, among other things, to benefit from the skills or knowledge of its participants. Knocking on the door of the various levels of authority, its positions would influence the course of events. Failing to initiate such a local body, the councillor could surround himself or herself with an advisory committee charged with guiding him or her in the follow-up of files or requests from his or her constituents.

By Carl Chapdelaine

Développer l’implication sociale – comment faire?

Four ways to engage citizens in local government

On May 28, just two weeks ago, we received an e-mail from the Direction générale de l’Internet haute vitesse et des projets spéciaux de connectivité, announcing that not only would Starlink's satellite Internet subsidy program end on June 15, as planned, but so would the $40 monthly subsidy on the company's $140 tariff. We hadn't had much time to take advantage of this.

But now, two days before the end of the subsidy offer, the same management has informed us that: "The $40 monthly discount on your account will continue until March 31, 2026. To benefit from the discount, your account must remain active. Any termination or suspension of your satellite service subscription will result in your permanent exclusion from the government subsidy in the household concerned."

Okay, I won't argue with that. As for taking advantage of the discount until March 31, 2026 by keeping our account active, no need, since our cottage will hibernate well beyond this new deadline. All the same, we've been reconciled with our elected representatives, who can now claim to have finally kept their promise...

By Carl Chapdelaine

“It was in the wave of administrative and political reforms that followed the rebellions of 1837-1838 that the current Quebec municipal system took root, including the county municipality, the forerunner in some ways of the regional county municipality. ”¹ But this forerunner, called upon to manage affairs that went beyond the scope of the simple municipality, had only limited powers. Rather than directing everything that concerned the regions from the capital, the government saw in the RCM, a grouping of municipalities, the means to bring them together closer administration and political power.

"In 1979, the Quebec government entrusted the RCM with its first and most important responsibility: to draw up a development plan. ... Once adopted, the schéma général d'aménagement is approved by the government, which retains the right to disallow it. "¹ Drawing up a schéma d'aménagement is still one of the RCM's responsibilities. Over the years, Quebec has transferred more and more responsibilities to the RCMs. However, as we have seen with the disputes concerning the shared lane of the Aerobic Corridor in Montfort, the MRC still has to deal with the regional departments of the ministries, while the municipality finds itself, in many areas, subject to dual administration.

Charged with often standardizing regulations between its constituent municipalities and distributing a budget envelope according to questionable criteria, the MRC has become, for most Wentworth-Nord citizens no doubt, a biased arbiter ill-informed of the municipality's priorities. The lack of information and contact with the population on the part of this municipal body, the lack of understanding of its role and competencies, which leads some to see it eliminated, or the lack of understanding of the positions it too often takes in opposition to those of the municipality and its citizens, do nothing to improve matters. In this election year, to which the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut is also subject, a desire for change is therefore to be expected.

Our MRC's prefect, unlike most of these organizations, is subject to election, which will also serve to elect a candidate for mayor of each of its constituent municipalities. Mr. Genest, who was elected prefect after serving as deputy prefect, replacing Mr. Charles Garnier, and who has extensive experience in the municipal sector, is not standing for re-election. He will have presided over the rare exchanges at the mayors' council with the sobriety that this position demands. What criteria will voters use to choose his successor?

As far as we know, at least three candidates have already put themselves forward: Martin Nadon, mayor of Piedmont, a lawyer who ran for the position in 2017; Catherine Hamé, mayor of Sainte-Anne-des-Lacs, a lawyer by training, a “local girl”; and Richard Darveau, a citizen of Sainte-Adèle, who says he has a background in labor relations, journalism and sociology, but who doesn't seem to be a household name here. Philippe Leclerc, former Director General of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut and columnist for the newspaper Accès, was also seen as a likely candidate, but he's looking to the next election instead. 

In the past, Mr. Leclerc and Mr. Nadon have been outspoken critics of Mr. Genest, demanding more action and vision for the MRC. However, the latter has responded to the criticism, firstly by providing an overview of its achievements, then by launching a number of initiatives on its website, such as a summary of the highlights of its council meetings, or by planning to introduce an information showcase presenting the profiles and campaign proposals of the candidates for the prefecture.

Is the universal election of a prefect preferable to that of a mayor elevated to the position by his peers? Democracy preaches the former, but isn't electing an unknown candidate based on his or her program and promises alone, rather than leaving the choice to the mayors, each of whom has been elected to power in his or her own municipality? Let's hope, then, that voters will try to find out about the experience, previous actions or positions taken by the candidates in question and analyze the merits of their program and promises before putting a cross on the ballot paper.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

1. La municipalité régionale de comté au Québec

By Carl Chapdelaine

We added a note to our last article, warning all qualified and interested residents of the deadline for registering for the High-Speed Internet and Special Connectivity Projects Branch grant program. However, we didn't fully understand the significance of this program end date. The presentation indicated that “the offer” was in effect until June 15, 2025; but there was nothing specific about the duration of the monthly subsidy.

But the e-mail we just received from the government agency made it clear: "As part of Opération haute vitesse, the Quebec government has made a commitment to make high-speed Internet service available to all eligible households... This is to remind you that the subsidized satellite program ends on June 15, 2025. On that date, only the $40 monthly rebate will cease to apply to the monthly bill. The equipment provided under the subsidy will remain in the home and may be used to access satellite service, at the rate provided by SpaceX Canada (Starlink)."

We subscribed the day before our cottage closed for the season, so that we could appreciate the satellite service and the quality of our satellite dish installation. At the time, we took advantage of the service for just one day, while the monthly bill, reduced to $100, applied for an entire month. Re-subscribed when the chalet opened in mid-May, we'll enjoy a second and final month reduced by $40; for a total of $80. And how long will SpaceX maintain its regular rate, which has been $140/month for several years now?

But we're left with the equipment, which we can't dispose of. A value of $749, it was specified. Yet today, the company is offering it at a much better price: “The Standard kit is $0 $499 with a 12-month Residential package in certain zones (couldn't determine which ones.)” So what's the point of all these promises of accessibility to a subsidized service? Quebec may finally be covered, but in the future, subscribers will have to pay the price alone. And if they hadn't budgeted for the extra expense, they may have to forgo coverage altogether. The unused satellite dish will continue to sit on the roof, like millions of deactivated Bell dishes and other servers.

If you wanted to subscribe before June 15, would you choose the subsidized offer or the company's offer, if it applies in your area? Would you rather solicit the Quebec taxpayer; go through the government authentication process and other procedures; encourage the retention of DGIHVPSC staff; or deal directly with Elon Musk's company?

Can we believe that the real winner in this government largesse, at the expense of Quebec taxpayers, is the company? Was it self-evident that the announcement of the end of the program would also mean the end of the monthly subsidy? If so, why send us an e-mail stating this so clearly today, rather than when the subsidy was announced? Of course, once the fish is caught, there's no point in hiding the hook...

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

By Carl Chapdelaine

It's Tuesday, May 27, 2025. When we arrive at the cottage on Sunday, after crossing a barrage of black flies on the Mount Trail that links us to the rest of the planet, our first move is to consult the answering machine, whose red light is flashing. It's the rest of a message from Hydro-Québec about a power failure, but without giving us any further details. Since the answering machine and everything that runs on electricity works, we don't bother to find the beginning of the message; it's certainly a thing of the past...

But this morning, after the aroma of coffee and a perfectly normal breakfast, bang, no more electricity! This shouldn't last; we're used to it. Then, as time goes by, nothing. Dinnertime approaches, and our Buffalo chicken wings are waiting to go into the oven. Instead, it's the can of sardines, a precaution we've kept since we first opened the cottage. There's no question of opening the fridge door; crackers and some fresh fruit will accompany our dish of small fish. A cup of tea is at Hydro-Québec's discretion. In the end, it's only on the eve of supper, after the day's schedule has been turned upside down, that at least four chickens will lose their wings for good.

Being without a mobile network and, what's more, deprived of electricity at La Bien cachée, also means not having access to the Internet, and therefore to our cell phone, which automatically switches to this mode of service, via wifi, when available. No web TV, no radio, no news... We may now be with Starlink, but we're still totally cut off from the world if we haven't kept, as is our case, the Bell telephone line, with a good old-fashioned table phone, a species on the verge of extinction and unknown to the new generations. Without it, what would we do in an emergency? Would we need, as we've mentioned in the past, to have some carrier pigeon at our disposal, for a call for help?

Aren't we being too demanding? Aren't cell phones used even in underdeveloped countries, and haven't they often become indispensable? Some of its famous applications, such as in the automotive field, require connectivity. Like the Internet, cellular telephony has become a prerequisite for development. But there's a risk that the Internet and cell phone coverage will overlap, resulting in double the bill - unless each is billed on a per-use basis?
For the Fédération québécoise des municipalités, highlighting the inadequacy of current coverage: "Reliable cellular services are essential to guarantee access to information, health services and public safety interventions, and deficient coverage compromises the safety of people in areas with limited coverage or on the move, particularly in emergencies requiring rapid intervention by first responders. "¹

Québec supposedly subsidized our access to satellite Internet, and now we're looking at the same effort for cellular coverage. Well, our elected representatives had already been approached before we asked. The government has pledged to provide cell phone coverage throughout its territory by October 2026, but it's not clear how this commitment will be defined, or who will pay for it.^2,3 We're in phase 2 of its plan; it's costed in its March 2024 budget, but the details aren't there. And yet, of the 700 antennas needed, there is still only talk of a hundred or so for phase 2, and of these, none are planned for our sector.

For our Argenteuil riding, we chose Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Harrington and Brownsburg-Chatham.⁴ On the interactive map3 showing the level of coverage by sector, Montfort is indicated as having low coverage. In Bertrand, the choice fell on Val-des-Lacs, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides. 5

In its plan, as with Internet availability, our government acts through subsidies. For cellular coverage, it's the servers, such as Bell or Videotron, who are responsible. The envelope earmarked in the 2024 budget was $25.0 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, in addition to those already announced in previous budgets.⁶ The envelope earmarked in last March's budget is of the same order; however, the definition of its use lends itself to various interpretations: “In order to pursue the financing required for the deployment of new cell sites as well as other connectivity initiatives, the government is providing, as part of the 2025-2026 budget, an envelope of $74.1 million over three years.” ⁷

Just two years ago, when we bought our first cell phone, we started looking for places on Lake St. Francis Xavier and the Aerobic Corridor that runs through it, where our device could pick up a signal. To do this, we'd have to climb one of the hills around us or sail out into the open sea of this great lake. Who will map out for us the lit zones in the vicinity, where we can hope to connect to the world with this gizmo that has become as indispensable as our wallet, to check in on it and share our news with it?

But won't cellular coverage, like Internet coverage, also come from the sky? With Starlink, like Globalstar for Apple or Iridium for Samsung, and perhaps Terrestar, a Montreal-based company, for various providers, you can have satellite communication with your cell phone.⁸ Provided it's of the very latest generation, and compatible with this service wherever it's available, in the USA, New Zealand and even Canada for Starlink.⁹ "Governments are pushing to develop the capacity of cell phones to access satellites. It's no longer economically feasible to extend cellular coverage by putting up new towers," explains Terrestar president Leduc.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

1. Réunion du conseil d'administration de la Fédération québécoise des municipalités tenue le 5 décembre 2024
2. Opération couverture cellulaire – État de la situation
3. Opération couverture cellulaire : Carte interactive
4. Argenteuil : Couverture cellulaire bonifiée pour plus de 4 000 foyers
5. Amélioration de la couverture cellulaire dans Bertrand
6. Budget 2024 : 25 millions $ serviront à la couverture cellulaire du Québec
7. Budget 2025-2026 - Pour un Québec fort
8. Utiliser son cellulaire quand il n’y a pas de réseau
9. Starlink direct to cell service now available

Par Carl Chapdelaine

The rest of our story. No temporary suspension with Starlink; we must unsubscribe, so we don't have to keep the service during our winter absence from the lake. Having only used it for one day, before the cottage closed, there was no guarantee that it would be available to us then, we had read. So, we kept the Bell Internet, content with a suspension of its wireline service until the Bien cachée reopened. That was supposed to be April 15, but we weren't back in Newaygo until May 11.

Would the modem we'd taken out of its drawer in town and brought back in our luggage wake up? Well, no! As usual, no Bell Internet with this capricious gizmo when we needed it most. And yet, we had to get to Starlink to re-subscribe. We hadn't made it to Montreal until we'd seen if our meticulously patented satellite dish installation had survived the Laurentian winter. It hadn't moved.

We contacted Bell, a procedure we'd repeated many times in the past. After almost half an hour of palavering and waiting, the attendant, admitting her inability to help, finally transferred us to the specialist. It took some further palavering on the part of a less-than-courteous technician before we learned that our old modem had supposedly given up the ghost, and that we'd be provided with a new one. We were already on our second. No, thanks; Bell Internet is the end of the line!

Our neighbor on Chemin-de-fer Street, Karl Guillotte, was the one to contact Starlink, but without the serial number, etc., to reactivate our account, following one of the two procedures found on their site. We must content ourselves with sending them a request for help; no one to contact by phone in the satellite...
It wasn't until the following day that we contacted Starlink again, in possession of all the numbers we'd required. We didn't need all the numbers, but when we clicked on the link available for reactivation, we were told that we were modifying our package, which had prevented us from completing the operation the day before. And yet, it's clearly indicated that this is a $100/month package, instead of the normal $140 rate. So we're likely to go that way.

Our connection is immediately reactivated, and the internet is available again: e-mails come in and the reply to our now superfluous Starlink help request finally arrives; our cell phone works on Wi-Fi; web TV is also available. What a marvel! And best of all, we still seem to be benefiting from the Quebec subsidy*.

Bell, however, won't let us go, and is content to offer us the phone line we keep, despite the crackling that became unbearable last summer. Promotions, guarantees of excellent service, etc., are offered to us. No thanks, never again! We're used to the availability and friendliness of Videotron staff, so we're not going to be taken back to hell with fine words, just when heaven is opening its doors to us.

*Please note: Registration for the current program must be submitted before June 15, 2025, when the offer expires; but Starlink seems to have greatly reduced the cost of the equipment. Mobo

Translated with DeepL.com (free version) & Linguee

Par Carl Chapdelaine

The Profile comprises seven chapters:
1. Geography and land use
2. Demographics
3. Economy
4. Housing
5. Tourism and vacationers
6. Environment and society
7. Health and well-being

Note: The Profile was produced by the MRC's Economic Development Department. It should serve as a valuable regional framework for future action by municipal authorities and their lobbying of governments.
Most of the data is from the 2021 Census, and its evolution compares it with that of 2016. Given that the situation may still have evolved, and that the next census will already have taken place in the summer of 2026, and its data may be available the following year, wouldn't it be preferable for the operation to be synchronized with it in the future? The impact of the Covid 19 epidemic, among others, is already almost over; also, the administration in the U.S. is taking a new direction; which could have a significant effect on economic variables.
As an introduction to this imposing document, a short, highly relevant questionnaire invites the reader to look for answers. To provide maximum information quickly, the Profile also offers tables and graphs. However, it does not take advantage of cartography, an even more powerful tool for capturing information visually and globally. Short summaries also accompany each chapter, allowing us to highlight the key points.
Our brief excerpts and summaries of the Profile focus on Wentworth-Nord, where available, but are by no means a representative presentation of the document. We invite the reader to consult it, to draw inspiration from it, and to appreciate the work, as well as the professionalism, of its authors.

In Geography and land use, we note, as a development, that :
- Between 2018 and 2022, there has been an increase in daily traffic flow, “particularly marked on Highway 15, at Sainte-Adèle, with a 13% increase between 2018 and 2022”; as well as on Routes 117 and 364.
- Wentworth-Nord saw its standardized property wealth grow by 51% between the last two revisions of its property roll.
- For the most recent year available, the standardized residential property value per person is $264,463 for the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut, compared with $142,236 for Québec as a whole.

The Profile notes that “Lac-des-Seize-Îles and Wentworth-Nord have the highest proportions of buildings built before 1980, with 87% and 62% respectively”.
In Wentworth-Nord, as in Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, Lac-des-Seize-Îles and Estérel, only 3% or 4% of buildings have more than one dwelling.

In Demographics, we particularly note that :
- The population of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut increased by more than 100% between 1991 and 2021. “By comparison, for the same period, there was an increase of 67% for the Laurentians region and 23% for the province of Quebec.”
- “Compared to the province of Quebec and the Laurentians region, the population of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut stands out for its lower proportion of people under the age of 25 and a larger portion of the population aged 45 and over.”
- The median age was 59.6 in Wentworth-North in 2021, compared with 56 (between 53.2 and 62.4) in the MRC as a whole, and 43.2 in Quebec. This is because the proportion of census families with children in the MRC is only 39%, compared with 54% in the Laurentians and 55% in the province of Quebec.
- Less than 10% of the MRC's population speak English most often at home.
- “Inter-regional migration accounts for almost all of the total growth in the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut between 2016 and 2021.”
- 45- to 64-year-olds account for nearly 60% of this total. Note the stagnation of net migration among 15–24-year-olds during the period."

In Economy, we see that:
- According to the economic vitality index, which ranks municipalities in relation to one another, Wentworth-Nord is lagging behind, with a score of -3.6 in 2020, compared with an average of 2.5 in the MRC, ahead of Lac-des-Seize-Îles, which leads the index, with a score of -13.4. However, the situation in Wentworth-Nord had improved slightly since 2016.
- “Growth in median and average employment income, as well as personal and after-tax income per capita, in the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut was higher than in Quebec and the Laurentians region between 2016 and 2021.”
- The Profile notes that, “Although the rate of workers* (75.5%) has increased since 2016, it remains lower than that of the Laurentians region and the province of Quebec.” *25 to 64 years old?
- Several municipalities, such as Lac-des-Seize-Îles, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson and Wentworth-Nord, have a higher proportion of people without a certificate or diploma than the Quebec average.
- “The tertiary sector largely dominates the local economic fabric: nearly three out of four businesses are active in it, mainly in professional services and retail trade.” The distribution of services is certainly different in Wentworth-North.

In Housing, among the highlights:
- “Between 2015 and 2023, residential investment (includes new construction and renovations) in the Laurentians region grows at a slower annual rate than in the province of Quebec (3.5% vs. 4.6%).”
- “Annual growth in multi-family residential construction investment in the Laurentians region reached just 3.6% between 2015 and 2023, compared with 7.9% for the province as a whole.”

For Tourism and vacationers:
- “The Laurentian region boasts the fourth largest number of businesses and jobs associated with tourism in Quebec.”
- The proportion of vacationers has fallen in relation to that of permanent residents; the transformation of second homes into permanent ones seems to us to have been part of the explanation.
- 83% of vacationers in the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut come from Greater Montreal.
- “Half of the vacationers in the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut work from their second homes, and a third are retired.”
- Wentworth-Nord has an impressive percentage of the MRC's total vacation properties - 1,072 in 2021, or 14%.

In Environment and society, can we believe that the former is deteriorating, while the latter is recovering?:
- In transportation and waste recovery, we're sorry; but we relieve ourselves by comparing ourselves to the others.
- Between 2016 and 2021, there will be a 3.6% decrease in the number of low-income earners in the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut.
- “Between 2016 and 2021, we see a reduction in the wage gap between men and women (40% vs. 46% in 2016).”
- “The Pays-d'en-Haut MRC has one of the highest proportions of people aged 65 and over in the Laurentians region (around 30% in 2021).”
- Wentworth-Nord has one of the highest proportions of low-income earners (18.4 vs. 12.0 in the MRC); however, this proportion has slightly decreased between 2016 and 2021.

Health and well-being
Tables show the situation of each MRC and municipality with regard to educational childcare services. Others compare the rates and types of criminal code offences, by MRC. Thus, among the types of offences: against the person, against property and others, “we note ... fewer offences against the person in the MRC (33% as a % of total offences) compared to the province of Quebec (37%) or the Laurentians region (41%)”.


Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Par Carl Chapdelaine

Glacial geomorphologists and other specialists had already told us that an immense ice cap covered the northern hemisphere. The Laurentide Ice Sheet is the section of this cap that occupied part of North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. It extended to the southern edge of the Canadian Shield and included the Laurentian Mountains.

Alternating glacial and interglacial periods, as well as the last deglaciation, some ten thousand years ago, have greatly shaped the morphology of this region. The erosion caused by the passage of the glacier, laden with gravel and other abrasive materials, the transport by the ice of blocks detached from the bedrock, or the debris carried by sub-glacial rivers, have scattered the relief with considerable deposits.

These deposits often took the form of the movements that created them: rivers meandering under glaciers, carrying sand and gravel, then surfacing as the ice melted, accumulated these sediments in alignments that became eskers, and which still snake across the surface of our Laurentians.
The melting of the ice cap fed the oceans, which were able to invade the lowest parts of the relief, creating, among other things, the Champlain Sea, of which the St. Lawrence plain is now a part. This flooding, in turn, was able to reshape the moraines deposited by the glaciers.

All these phenomena have been the subject of research since colonization, but it was mainly to respond to economic or other imperatives, such as the search for agricultural land, mining or forestry prospecting. Geomorphologists, geologists and geographers have also deepened their knowledge of this environment to further scientific progress. Simple divers, like our own Jean-Louis Courteau, have contributed by exploring the bottom of our lakes.¹
At the same time, researchers have taken advantage of cartography to locate the phenomena under analysis. Satellite imagery and the use of laser imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR) have greatly accelerated their discoveries. When will automatic mapping of lake bottoms using sounders from the sky replace field work and the extrapolations to which bathymetric analyses are still subject?

It's easy to imagine how disparate this range of research and data is, making it difficult to draw up a Glacial Map of Quebec. It would have been necessary to develop an information processing model; to standardize data, size scales, evaluation units and so on. The authors of the map chose to divide the province of Quebec into six regions, including the Laurentians. But the study to which we refer here also paints a fascinating picture, in terms of relief, of the evolution of this last part of the Quaternary, which was subject to a cold climate, and which was to warm up to become the climate of today.² They have succeeded in mapping this phenomenon of the deglaciation of the Laurentide ice sheet and the traces engraved on the earth's relief.

This new tool, to which artificial intelligence could be added, seems to us to be a major step forward in the exploitation of our subsoil. However, it will be necessary to increase the scale of this cartography and make it interactive; already to increase its visual interest, and so that it can provide us with knowledge of the terrain, suitable for use in construction, identification of wetlands, landslide and flood prevention, soil content of watersheds, and so on. A comparison could be made with the surgeon who, thanks to his precise knowledge of the human body, can perform delicate interventions on the various systems that make it up.

Par Carl Chapdelaine

1. Sous la surface des lacs des Laurentides : des témoignages de la dernière période glaciaire
2. Carte glaciaire du Québec et synthèses régionales

 (Click for interactive map*)

In 2020, according to the PIIA presented at municipal meetings, there were about two dozen new house construction projects accepted. In 2021, as in 2022, it was about thirty.
The beginning of 2020 marked the arrival of the pandemic in Canada and caused a significant contraction in the real estate market. Government measures adopted to slow the spread of the virus, as well as the uncertainty and fear of citizens during the first months, influenced the real estate market in Quebec. However, this contraction phenomenon was very brief, and we witnessed a spectacular turnaround the following year (2021). Le marché immobilier 2021 et la Covid-19

In 2022, the "record median property prices and the rise in mortgage rates ... nevertheless slowed down real estate sales". Le marché immobilier au Québec en 2022 et ses perspectives pour 2023

In 2020, there were concentrations of residential projects in District 5, in the Domaine du lac St-Victor, as well as, in 2021 and 2022, on Jackson and Lac-Noiret roads. In 2022, the south of Lake Wentworth, in District 2, and an area northeast of Saint-Michel, in District 1, with the Cabanes du Trappeur and Domaine Nouvelle France, were added.

In 2020 and 2021, new projects were more scattered in Districts 4 and 5. In Laurel, in District 3, projects were rarer.

It can be hypothesized that a penetration of the territory continues to be exercised, coming from Morin-Heights, and possibly from Lachute. The large lakes, Saint-François-Xavier, Saint-Victor, Notre-Dame, and Wentworth, which are easily accessible, are the favorites of this enthusiasm. However, the real estate development of Laurel is still awaited.

By Carl Chapdelaine

(Update in progress, cf. French version)

Inventory on interactive map, according to announced Plan d'implantation et d'intégration architecturale (PIIA) (Site Planning and Architectural Integration Program) registrations, since 2020.

Average property value, by year. (coming soon)

Interactive map: click on Google My Maps (Uncheck boxes to isolate a year.)

[: 2020 and 2021 (orange/yellow), 2022 (blue), 2023 (violet), 2024 (wine red)]

New construction in 2022 (Based on announced PIIAs and building value on the assessment roll, for fiscal years 2023 to 2025, on GeoCentralis):
Number of PIIA: 30 + 15 not assessed.

By electoral district (visualized approximately on the interactive map):

1. 14
2.  8
3.  3
4.  1
5. 13
6.  6

Average value (30 units): $573,000
Median value (30 units) : $469,500 (The median is the midpoint of a data set, such that 50% of units have a value less than or equal to the median and 50% of units have a value greater than or equal to the median. Statistics Canada)
(Copilot calculations)

The highest value is $2 million; the building is located on Chemin des Berges-du-Nord, on Lac Saint-Victor. Lac St-Victor Estates is also home to a concentration of new luxury homes.

Google My Maps        GeoCentralis

By Carl Chapdelaine

The population of the Pays-d'en-Haut will continue to grow rapidly from 2023 to 2024, after slowing from 2022 to 2023, and should reach 50,000 by 2025. However, we would need to know the evolution of the number of vacationers to have a clearer picture of the situation for all Pays-d'en-Haut residents.

At 53%, the percentage of the working population in the 20 to 64 age bracket continues to decline, to the benefit of younger and older residents. Those aged 65 and over now make up 32% of the population. The number of workers in the 25-64 age group was still on the rise, however, as the proportion of workers had also increased.

Net migration, still positive, regained momentum from 2022 to 2023, after a sharp slowdown from 2021 to 2022. Towards the end of the period from 2019 to 2020, the Covid 19 epidemic had led to an exodus from the metropolis to the Laurentians and other outlying regions of Montreal. Based on forecasts to the year 2041, and in line with net migration for the Laurentians as a whole, the Pays-d'en-Haut's net migration will continue to be largely positive.

Median employment income had continued to rise between 2022 and 2023, reaching $54,000.

Par Carl Chapdelaine

Institut de la statistique du Québec      

According to this projection, the (permanent) population of Wentworth-Nord will increase from 1686 in 2021, to 1898 in 2041; that is 12,6%. The map showing the position of Quebec municipalities, over nine categories of percentage change, indicates that Wentworth-Nord would have a higher percentage increase than the average for all of Quebec, even compared to its neighbors, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard or Lac-des-Seize-Îles.

But does the methodology used in this projection, which incorporates the evolution of the age pyramid, take into account certain factors that can affect population growth, such as geographic location, the economy or the impact of vacationing on the municipality's development?

Par Carl Chapdelaine

Carte        Méthodologie      Projections selon le groupe d'âge

(Summary with Copilot following)

We've already noted that real estate development currently favours the Montfort sector and is an economic engine for the municipality as a whole. But what will be the basis for development in Laurel or Saint-Michel?

By intervening in land use planning, the administration of Wentworth-Nord can attempt to re-establish a certain spatial balance in this respect. For example, it could seek to counterbalance the natural formation of a development pole, as is currently the case on the Montfort side, by consolidating the administrative vocation of the Laurel sector; the same goes for the strengthening of tourism or forestry activities in the Saint-Michel sector, if these lend themselves to public intervention. Spatial planning and the environment But these consolidations will not be enough to ensure the desired development of these sectors.

More than a century of history has put our three villages where they are today. The birth of Montfort was associated with that of its orphanage, while the forestry industry added to the village's prosperity. With the closure of the orphanage and the disappearance of the forestry industry, the resort industry took over.

Saint-Michel's growth has also benefited from its forestry industry. Balado Discovery  Cyril Gagné, Wentworth-Nord's last true logger, owned a sawmill there that ceased lumber production in 1958. According to his grandson, Pierre Gagné, the mill produced mainly hemlock railway ties.

Logging was also carried out for the Carrière sawmill in Lachute. Forestry is still an economic activity in Saint-Michel. However, vacationing and the construction industry it spawned had to take over the village's economy, while expanding towards Laurel. But it may not be able to ensure the sector's development on its own. Homes here are generally less upscale than in Lac-St-Victor Estate.

Located halfway between Saint-Michel and Montfort, the hamlet of Laurel, a land of settlers combining agriculture and forestry, has taken advantage of its geographical location and the richness of its subsoil to develop and become the administrative center of the region.¹ This subsoil abounds in diopside, graphite, calcite, mica, kaolin and feldspar. “It's not surprising that between 1899 and 1923, several mines were commercially exploited here” Le hameau de Laurel  However, these operations ceased due to a lack of profitability, while today, the hunt for mining claims has led municipal authorities to ban all mid-tier mining.

Laurel's role as the municipality's administrative center has been consolidated. At the same time, early resort development around its lakes, as in Montfort, still provides a stable economic base. But these resources have failed to maintain an acceptable economic level for its permanent residents, a significant proportion of whom have reached retirement age. Many of them now rely on pension schemes or other government assistance. And there's nothing on the horizon to rejuvenate these households or improve their situation.

The Census of Canada provides us with employment data for Wentworth-Nord's active population. However, we have to rely on other sources of information, often unquantifiable, to break down the data according to one or other of the municipality's sectors. In 2021, of the 770 permanent residents of Wentworth-Nord employed, construction accounted for the largest number, 100, or 21.3%. This was followed by health care and social assistance, with 95; retail trade, with 85; professional, scientific and technical services, tied with manufacturing, with 80 each; and accommodation and food services, with 60.

Some 58% of these residents had a regular place of work, but for less than 15% of them, it was in Wentworth-Nord. The majority of jobs are therefore outside the municipality. This raises the danger of jobholders leaving the municipality for the one in which they are employed, as well as the danger of them not being replaced by a new workforce, for the same reason.

However, these figures do not allow us to clearly identify the job categories specific to Wentworth-Nord. Yet the importance of construction suggests that it is a major source of local employment.

For a remote center like Laurel, telecommuting can serve to counteract the negative effects of this factor on the attractiveness of the workforce, and not only. Since the Covid pandemic and the consequent need to stay at home, a proportion of the municipality's second homes, as seen at Lake Saint-François-Xavier, and especially when changing ownership, have become main homes. While the resort sector may seem to be shrinking due to this phenomenon, it is gaining in permanent population and potential economic impact.

For the village, isn't the challenge then to provide the essential services that will enable a household connected to telecommuting to enjoy an environment that meets its needs? Here, Laurel could get a head start on the competition by attracting teleworkers and electric vehicle owners, or their future followers, to take advantage of an accelerated roll-out of charging stations, allowing them even greater autonomy. At the same time, Hydro-Québec should be able to offer attractive rates for their installation and use. As the race to the gas station is no longer the negative factor from which our capital suffers in particular, courting this community of teleworkers in particular should bear fruit.

After analyzing the type of occupation that characterizes these latter households, we could perhaps adjust the public or other services that suit them. If the household includes school-age children, however, the challenge is considerable; and transportation to Saint-Sauveur, for the youngest, must be presented to them as an acceptable routine. Indeed, the return of elementary school to the neighborhood doesn't seem to be on the radar of higher authorities.

The resort industry still plays an important role in the Laurel area. Does it, in itself, offer an opportunity for expansion? The village, almost at the foot of the immense Lake Des-Seize-Îles, an incomparable jewel, hardly benefits from this prestigious tourist or resort asset. Wouldn't there be room for hotel accommodation, which would lead to the development of adjoining services at Laurel? Given its immensity, its carrying capacity - that is, the maximum pressure that can be exerted on its ecosystem without compromising its integrity - should not be a problem. Does the fact that we fall within the territory of another municipality prevent us from thinking big on this front?

Unlike the Montfort area, the Laurel sector does not seem to us to be resistant to tourism development. To encourage its development, as perhaps at the foot of Lac Des-Seize-Îles, the municipality, here in collaboration with that of Lac-des-Seize-Îles, should count on the participation of the MRC. The latter has been entrusted with greater powers of intervention in the field of territorial development, using programs aimed at disadvantaged municipalities, such as the Fonds régions et ruralité.²

One of the challenges facing the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut is to capitalize on the region's recreational and tourism potential and its natural attractions. Wentworth-Nord could also appeal to provincial ministries, as they have been instructed to adapt their programs to benefit this strategy.

If Laurel's future depends first and foremost on the consolidation of its profitable sectors, the involvement of municipal authorities and local organizations, including cooperatives, will have to be the starting point. The appeal for government assistance, for which our governments give preference to municipalities suffering from or close to devitalization, as mentioned above, must then be put forward.

There are some remarkable examples in Quebec of devitalized villages that have been able to pull themselves out of their underdevelopment; on the edge of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Moffet, is one of them. “Moffet had lost its school, its general store, its caisse populaire, its gas pump...”. Ten years later, after betting everything on the development of local services, “...the village is bursting with services, attracting families, and has increased its population by 27%...” ³

Another development option envisaged by the former mayor, who claimed to be able to play in the big league, was the creation of a capital fund for economic development, including the purchase of land in Laurel for industrial development.⁴ An ambitious project, which he had to set aside in the face of opposition from council members and their constituents, concerned about the merits of this initiative and the risk of having to invest a significant portion of the meagre municipal budget in it. Such an undertaking, from a municipality far removed from any services, would be seen as no less risky today. However, this avenue was still under consideration in 2024, in the amended draft Urban Plan.⁵

For its part, the creation of the Chambre de commerce et de développement durable de Wentworth-Nord could help bring entrepreneurs together; an essential step, since the consolidation and expansion of the sectors in which they operate will not take place without their collaboration.⁶

In addition, the realization of the affordable housing mandate recently awarded by the municipality should increase the supply of housing units. Among other things, it would encourage working households to stay in their communities, rather than moving away to their place of work. It could also enable elderly or impoverished homeowners to sell their homes to younger, wealthier households, while continuing to live in their respective communities.

By Carl Chapdelaine

Analysis of "Laurel Tomorrow" by Copilot:
1. Population Projections: According to projections, the population of Wentworth-Nord is expected to increase from 1,686 inhabitants in 2021 to 1,898 in 2041, representing a 12.6% increase¹.
2. Demographic Evolution: The population of Pays-d’en-Haut continues to grow rapidly, and it is expected to reach 50,000 inhabitants by 2025. However, the proportion of people aged 20 to 64, representing the working population, is decreasing in favor of younger and older age groups².
3. Development of Laurel and Saint-Michel: Real estate development currently favors the Montfort sector, but the municipality of Wentworth-Nord can intervene to balance spatial development by consolidating the administrative and tourist vocations of the Laurel and Saint-Michel sectors³.
4. Employment and Local Economy: In 2021, construction was the main source of employment in Wentworth-Nord, followed by healthcare, retail, and professional services⁴.
5. Wildfires: Wildfires pose a significant risk to the region, and concrete measures such as using fire-resistant building materials and creating buffer zones around homes can help mitigate the impact⁵.
6. Social Life and Clubs: The creation of local clubs can strengthen community ties and the sense of belonging among residents, inspired by existing models like the FADOQ Network6.
😊

1. Église et développement de Laurel
2. New government land-use planning guidelines (OGAT)
3. Le miracle de Moffet, le petit village québécois revitalisé avec audace
4. 349 signatures!
5. Modification au Plan d’urbanisme de Wentworth-Nord, de 2017
6. Real estate, resort, tourism

Neighborhoods in Los Angeles ravaged by forest fires - a reminder that the disruption of natural elements caused by habitat development can have major negative consequences. In 2023, didn't forest fires force the evacuation of 220,000 homes across Canada?¹ Quebec was the hardest-hit province. The smoke and smell of burning wood even enveloped the distant metropolis.

The construction of houses and cottages in the Laurentians, outside urban centers, meets specific criteria that differentiate them from city residences. Wood siding is favored for its natural, aesthetic appeal. Asphalt shingle roofing can be reminiscent of cedar shingle roofing, while this material, which has an ecological impact, requires a lower initial cost than metal roofing.

Shouldn't the balance between appearance, a more affordable investment, and the security of our home be recalculated? With the new rule favoring the density of the latter; with the implementation of the era of integrated projects; with increasingly restrictive protection of our forest cover; aren't we putting ourselves at greater risk of facing the eventuality of forest fires in our Pays-d'en-Haut? Wouldn't a winter with less snow and a spring without precipitation, for example, be enough for a fire to break out?

Concrete strategies to prepare homes and communities for forest fires² do exist, however, to limit the impact of such an eventuality. Do our PIIA criteria incorporate the recommended choice of building materials, location of the house and its accessory buildings in their topographical environment, establishment of a buffer zone around the house, selection of hardwoods rather than softwoods, landscaping or other wildfire protection measures?

“FireSmart Canada” presents us with sketches and tables to illustrate its recommendations on the ‘residential flammability zone’, on the ‘fire-smart home’, on site maintenance, on tree pruning, etc., or on the affordability of the various measures.² It even introduces us to the ‘FireSmart® Begins at Home’ application for our cell phone, capable of telling us what specific actions to take on our property to reduce the risk of fire.

“FireSmart Canada also offers a “Home Assessment Program”, “launched in 2022 in Paradise, California, a town that suffered severe damage during the 2018 Camp Fire”, and supported by insurance. But while these measures are aimed directly at homeowners, they must first and foremost rely on the support of communities; MRCs and municipalities are therefore called upon to be the prime movers behind their implementation.

By Carl Chapdelaine

1. Protégez votre maison contre les feux de forêt avec une construction ou une rénovation résiliente  
2. Préparation aux feux de forêt : Des conseils pratiques pour renforcer la résilience des résidences et des collectivités du Canada

Our article of December 6, “Bringing citizens together”, was inspired by the success of the Montfort Christmas Potluck, initiated by Diana Zakaib Jegou. In it, we discovered the interest of residents in getting together for this type of activity and hoped that it would engender a movement of solidarity. Creating links between citizens, developing a sense of belonging to a community seemed achievable. But we weren't offering anything concrete to achieve these goals.

Traditionally, and still today, social activities in Montfort have revolved around sporting events, or those emerging from the lake association or parish: the Regatta, the Ski Marathon, ice golf (with Super Bolf day), the corn roast, and so on. It had to rely on the initiative of family members, enterprising citizens or said organizations. Sporting events were crowned with medals or trophies, and ended with festivities.

Since our arrival at Lake Saint-François-Xavier in 2003, we'd also noticed that small groups of walkers were taking advantage of the Aerobic Corridor to go hiking. These hikes offer greater proximity than cycling, although the latter is certainly a feature of the Corridor.

These small groups may be made up of friends or neighbors who have known each other for a long time, who live near the lake, who share the same language or some other common value, but who do not submit to any formal structure. Wouldn't it be possible to form clubs from these nuclei, inviting everyone to join in, as Diana's café does? There would be no language or political barriers.

Saint-Michel has its Cercle de Fermières Saint-Michel/Pine-Hill; its Groupe de la Sagesse Saint-Michel/Pine Hill. Laurel has its Club de l'Étoile du Nord. But it is on nautical activities that we find the Viking Canoe & Kayak Club, emblematic of Lake Saint-François-Xavier. In many Quebec villages, clubs are an integral part of social life. If you've just moved here from the metropolis and are looking to fit in, you'd do well to join one of these clubs.

The fashion for walking clubs, or other activities, seems to be spreading fast in Quebec. Often less demanding than sports clubs, they appeal to everyone, although they are often dedicated to a specific age group. Some clubs are even federated across Quebec. Such is the case with the FADOQ network, which counts over eight hundred clubs, including some in the Pays-d'en-Haut, such as Les 4 Saisons d'Adolphe, in the neighboring municipality. FADOQ can help organize your club. We should also be able to count on Loisirs Laurentides.

The Club 50 ans + de Claude-Robillard, which benefits from the collaboration and subsidy of the Ville de Montréal and uses the facilities of this sports complex, is open to all citizens of the Greater Montreal region. In addition to sporting activities, such a club offers its members social events, from sugar shack visits to Christmas dinners. With 700 members, it has its own board of directors.

Lake associations, when they are not aimed at a whole community, could form clubs, whose vocation would no longer be focused on preserving waterways, but on social activity.

Village clubs could join forces at the level of a sector, then the municipality. Occasionally, and with greater resources, certain activities would therefore be aimed at all Wentworth-Nord clubs, just as town meetings are. This would foster a sense of belonging and bring citizens from all sectors closer together.

The municipality, which has just “recognized” various groups on its territory, in order to offer them a few advantages, should have given the necessary push to set up such associations. But these associations would have their own authority, even an autonomous board of directors.

By Carl Chapdelaine