Our Pontiac County warden has been noticing more growth in housing in our county than we have noticed in years. During a recent trip to the Eastern Townships, I noticed even more fast growth in Aylmer-Gatineau than I had noticed in 50 years. Lachute is . . .

listed as the fifth fastest growing small city in Canada. The West Island of Montreal has also done very well, in both housing and industrial growth. As we approached the heart of the Eastern Townships, we noticed a lot of electric vehicles. I then realized that anywhere in the Eastern Townships was within an electric car’s driving range of Montreal.

So why were these places (Pontiac, Lachute, West Island, and the townships) so desirable? What did they have in common? They all have excellent bilingual hospital and education services. They all have excellent sports (skiing, fishing, hunting and other outdoor sports) within close driving range if not right there. They are all multi-cultural communities that have blended English, French, Irish, Scottish and other nationalities together in harmony.

Last Sunday, we attended a wake of a great French friend of mine in Embrum, Ont. We felt more at home there than many places in Quebec or Ontario. We met several of his old friends at the wake that had spoken French all their lives, just as many of my Quebec friends who have spoken English all their lives and we all get along just fine.

Alfred Agricultural College in Eastern Ontario, is the only French agricultural college in Ontario. Prior to the last referendum, a group out considerable time and thought into creating another province in Canada which would include these Quebec areas and Eastern Ontario because they were similar but had a different outlook than the rest of Quebec or Ontario.

As Quebec struggles to pay competitive wages to teachers, professors, nurses, doctors, construction workers and other employees that other provinces can pay, we will continue to witness a brain drain of well educated, bilingual English and French youth to other provinces and countries.

While Canada remains the most desirable country in the world to immigrate to Quebec has fallen to the most likely province in Canada to immigrate from. Restrictions in religious expression, choice of education and language of expression are some of the major reasons that Quebec is losing its desirability.

Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations. gladcrest@gmail.com

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