{"id":807565,"date":"2026-07-17T09:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/807565\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:38:12","slug":"why-more-quebecers-are-flocking-to-laurentians-as-provinces-demographics-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/807565\/","title":{"rendered":"Why more Quebecers are flocking to Laurentians as province’s demographics shift"},"content":{"rendered":"

When looking for a place to build her life, Audrey Boisvert sought a combination of lower living costs, easy access to Montreal and more green space. <\/p>\n

In 2021, she packed up her things and swapped Laval, Que., \u2014 a suburb north of Montreal \u2014 for Saint-J\u00e9r\u00f4me, further northwest, into the Laurentians.<\/p>\n

“It was a good mix between Montreal, like the city and the place that costs less to live,\u201d Boisvert said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can go to the forest in like two minutes,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a park over here and we can do like 100 kilometres of bike if I want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her story reflects a broader shift highlighted in the Institut de la statistique du Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s latest demographic projections.<\/p>\n

The report projects the Laurentians will be among the regions gaining population over the next 25 years, alongside places such as Lanaudi\u00e8re, Centre-du-Qu\u00e9bec, Outaouais and the Mont\u00e9r\u00e9gie. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, regions including Montreal, C\u00f4te-Nord, Gasp\u00e9sie\u2013\u00celes-de-la-Madeleine and Saguenay\u2013Lac-Saint-Jean are expected to see their populations decline.<\/p>\n

The projections are based on current demographic trends rather than predictions of what will inevitably happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main driver of differences in the regions is internal migration,\u201d said Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Fleury-Payeur, a demographer with the Institut de la statistique du Qu\u00e9bec. He says people continue to move between regions for work, education, housing and family reasons, helping reshape where Quebecers live.<\/p>\n

For Montreal, the institute projects the island\u2019s population could shrink by roughly 10 per cent over the next quarter century, even as the broader metropolitan area continues to grow.<\/p>\n

The Laurentians are already seeing those migration patterns play out.<\/p>\n

\"Lifestyle,Lifestyle and affordability are drawing more Quebecers to the Laurentians as demographic shifts reshape the province. (Francis Labb\u00e9\/Radio-Canada)More English speakers moving to region<\/p>\n

Scott Katznelson and his wife, Tara Daystar, moved to Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts in the Laurentians from Virginia about a year ago. Although Katznelson grew up in Montreal, returning to the city was never their plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really like the quiet, the nature, just the slower pace of life, the cleaner air,\u201d Katznelson said. \u201cSo Montreal was not an option.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Daystar, the decision came down to quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to be surrounded by natural beauty,\u201d she said. \u201cThe quality of life really mattered, the environmental policy, and ‘bikeability.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ScottScott Katznelson and his wife, Tara Daystar, moved to Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts from Virginia about a year ago. (Aatefeh Padidar\/CBC News)<\/p>\n

The couple say their teenage son has settled into school, they\u2019re learning French and have quickly built connections in their new community.<\/p>\n

Community organizations say they\u2019re hearing similar stories from newcomers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see it. We hear it,\u201d said Hugo Bissonnet, executive director of 4Korners, an organization serving English-speaking communities in the Laurentians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more and more English speakers that are not tourists moving into the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Bissonnet, many newcomers cite affordability, remote work, access to nature and the ability to raise a family outside a major city while still remaining within commuting distance of Montreal.<\/p>\n

As population grows, so do resource needs<\/p>\n

But the region\u2019s growing popularity is also putting pressure on housing and public services.<\/p>\n

In Saint-J\u00e9r\u00f4me, Mayor R\u00e9mi Barbeau said new apartments don\u2019t stay available for long.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as a new housing development is completed, someone moves in almost immediately,\u201d he said, pointing to the city\u2019s vacancy rate as evidence of strong demand.<\/p>\n

To keep pace, Barbeau said the city is working with the province to expand services.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recently received additional investment for our hospital, and we know there are school projects in the pipeline as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Saint-J\u00e9r\u00f4meSaint-J\u00e9r\u00f4me received additional investment for its hospital. (Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n

Barbeau said the city is also planning transportation improvements and new housing developments so infrastructure can grow alongside the population.<\/p>\n

For Boisvert, the changes are visible.<\/p>\n

When she first moved to Saint-J\u00e9r\u00f4me, she said finding an apartment was surprisingly difficult because demand was so high. Today, she sees cranes, new residential projects and more people arriving.<\/p>\n

Even so, she believes the balance that first drew her there remains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best,\u201d she said. \u201cI like the nature, but I also like the city rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When looking for a place to build her life, Audrey Boisvert sought a combination of lower living costs,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":807566,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-807565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}