{"id":950692,"date":"2026-10-29T13:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T13:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/950692\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T13:48:15","slug":"rising-water-is-forcing-this-french-town-off-newfoundland-to-move-not-everyone-is-ready-to-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/950692\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising water is forcing this French town off Newfoundland to move. Not everyone is ready to leave"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

For two centuries, being close to the water has been good for the town of Miquelon.<\/p>\n

Fishing on the ocean provided a livelihood, and made it easy to travel.<\/p>\n

But now, the ocean has become the town\u2019s biggest threat.<\/p>\n

“The village is built on sand and gravel about two metres above sea level,” said the town’s mayor Franck Detcheverry, speaking in French. “We are not safe from climate risks that could cause danger to people and property.”<\/p>\n

The island is French territory but just a 90-minute ferry ride away from Newfoundland.<\/p>\n

Lines on the siding of the customs office at the harbour show what higher ocean levels and worse storms could mean.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A line on the customs office in Miquelon shows the predicted water level of the ocean at the end of the century. (Peter Cowan\/CBC)<\/p>\n

A mark at 3.7 metres above sea level shows a prediction of how high water could get during intense storms by the end of the century.<\/p>\n

It would inundate the town.<\/p>\n

Hurricane Fiona<\/a> was a big wake up call, narrowly missing the island before slamming into Newfoundland, where around 100 homes were washed away or badly damaged in Port aux Basques.<\/p>\n

The mayor worries it\u2019s only a matter of time before disaster strikes his community.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Franck Detcheverry, the mayor of Miquelon, says moving the community will ensure his town survives climate change. (Patrick Butler\/Radio-Canada)<\/p>\n

The plan to move<\/p>\n

This is why the town is moving to higher ground.<\/p>\n

New building lots are being developed on the other side of the harbour, less than a kilometre away from the existing town.<\/p>\n

“Rebuilding houses on a safe site allows people peace of mind, knowing they can pass their home to their children and grandchildren,” said Detcheverry. “Miquelon can endure in the future, which is no longer the case today in the current village.”<\/p>\n

Right now, almost a dozen homes are starting to go up.<\/p>\n

The plan is voluntary.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s Barnier Fund buys people\u2019s homes, giving them the money they need to build on the new lots.<\/p>\n

When they move in, their old house will be torn down, and no new structures will be allowed on the site.<\/p>\n

As the the new village goes up, the old one comes down.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

About a dozen new homes are under construction on the new town site, less than a kilometre from the current town. (Katie Breen\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Some don\u2019t want to move<\/p>\n

But not everyone is welcoming the idea.<\/p>\n

“The idea of completely relocating the village doesn\u2019t seem like a good idea to us,” said Maryline Detcheverry, also speaking in French, about her petition raising concerns about the plan.<\/p>\n

Detcheverry is a common last name in the town \u2014 she\u2019s not related to the mayor.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s worried that they\u2019re giving up on the current town too easily.<\/p>\n

“The first and most essential thing is to protect what exists. We must protect what is currently there. That means doing some work to strengthen the east side of the village of Miquelon.”<\/p>\n

WATCH | \u2018I don’t feel like it:\u2019 Miquelon resident concerned about plan to move homes:\"\"<\/p>\n

Miquelon moving residents\u2019 homes due to rising sea levels<\/p>\n

Off the coast of Newfoundland, the French territory of Miquelon has a plan to move homes to avoid flooding. As CBC\u2019s Peter Cowan reports, not all residents are enthusiastic about the move.<\/p>\n

For some, it\u2019s too late to move.<\/p>\n

Michel Detcheverry, who is also not related to the mayor, is in his late 60s. He\u2019s lived in his house his whole life, and his late uncle helped him renovate it.<\/p>\n

It has memories.<\/p>\n

“To just take everything, tear everything down and go somewhere else, I don’t feel like it,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Michel Detcheverry has lived in his house his entire life. He says he\u2019s too old to start over with a new house. (Peter Cowan\/CBC)<\/p>\n

It will be hard to see neighbours move and a village that\u2019s existed for 200 years start to change.<\/p>\n

“It’s going to be difficult to see because you’re going to see that village disappear, slowly,” he said.<\/p>\n

This is the first time France has moved an entire village.<\/p>\n

It will slowly happen over the next few decades.<\/p>\n

On a recent trip to the island, French President Emanuel Macron promised 20 million euros to help build new lots \u2014 room for 75 new houses, about half of what they figure they\u2019ll eventually need.<\/p>\n

The mayor understands why not everyone wants to move.<\/p>\n

“For some, it’s a loss of identity, and some people feel they are losing their bearings and their family heritage,” he said. “I’m attached to Miquelon Island, but not necessarily to the current site.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

People who don\u2019t want to move worry what will happen to the current town as some people move out and their old homes are destroyed. (Katie Breen\/CBC)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":950693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44],"class_list":["post-950692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950692","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=950692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/950693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=950692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=950692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=950692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}