Anglo neighbourhoods, a list
The Gazette helpfully lists the Montreal-area neighbourhoods with a sizable anglophone population – and what houses cost there.
The Gazette helpfully lists the Montreal-area neighbourhoods with a sizable anglophone population – and what houses cost there.
DeWolf 18:58 on 2022-03-24 Permalink
It’s not in Montreal, but I’ve always been curious about Shawville, which is the most anglophone place in Quebec: 88% of the population speaks English as a first language and 67% are unilingual – ie, unable to speak French. The OQLF’s nightmare.
John B 19:49 on 2022-03-24 Permalink
I had a renoviction scare a few months ago, (now resolved, or at least delayed for a while), and was looking at homes pretty much anywhere in Quebec. There are some beautiful homes in Shawville for less than the price of a 1-bedroom condo in Montreal.
CE 23:06 on 2022-03-24 Permalink
I know a couple people from Shawville. My impression of the town is that the border between Quebec and Ontario was drawn a little too far east in that area. Although, it’s a weird part of the country because nearby, there are some majority francophone towns on the Ontario side.
An OQLF inspector was famously run out of Shawville back in the 90s. I think many residents are still proud of the incident.
carswell 00:16 on 2022-03-25 Permalink
Had heard of Shawville but it had never really registered. Thank dawg for Wikipedia.
Located about 75 km (50 mi) west of Gatineau on the north shore of the Outaouais River. Named after James Shaw, who promised to donate 0.8 ha to the community, a bargain ticket to semi-immortality. One of the only Quebec municipalities without a Catholic church.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawville,_Quebec
DeWolf 00:31 on 2022-03-25 Permalink
Wakefield is another place that is surprisingly anglo, to the point where shopkeepers weren’t able to serve francophone customers in French. Chelsea is just down the road but more bilingual in a kind of west end Montreal or Brome County way.
Kevin 10:20 on 2022-03-25 Permalink
DeWolf
When did that happen?
I was in Chelsea/Wakefield last Labour Day and found the vast majority of restaurant and store staff were francophones — even the guy who had set up a kiosk for jewelry on a sidewalk near the river.
DeWolf 13:01 on 2022-03-25 Permalink
Last time I was there was in February 2019, so it’s been a few years. Chelsea was definitely more francophone, but bilingual in the sense that there seemed to be a pretty even split among customers in the various cafés and restaurants I visited. In Wakefield, I was in three different businesses that were run by unilingual anglos, which I found surprising. And most places greeted me in English right off the bat, no “Bonjour hi” or anything.
Looking at the census, Wakefield is about 75% anglo, about 35% unilingual anglo. I was there in the winter, so I’m sure in the summer businesses need more help and most of the people they’d hire would be francophones.
Mark 13:28 on 2022-03-25 Permalink
Lots of people from Ottawa and surrounding areas in Eastern Ontario have cottages in that part of Quebec, so many in fact that when they shut the interprovincial bridge at the start of the pandemic, it became a bit of an issue, as those folks who couldn’t go check on their places, make repairs, etc. So a fair bit of the English heard in that neck of the woods is from seasonal cottage owners.