Small-town Quebec's Anglo youth still move away, but many come home again

Taylor Mackayis 14,and this year,he moved away from home.

Mackaywas recruited for the 2017 school year by the Montreal Impact Academy the training camp for the city's professional soccer league.

But to gethim to daily afternoon practice, his parents would have had to drive from Rawdon, Que., to Montreal, around 80 kilometres away, twice a day.

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Mackay is now living with a host family in Montreal.

''When opportunity knocks, you take it,'' said his mother, Suzanne Albert.

Mackayattends classes at Lester B. Pearson High School in the morningand then hops on a public bus to make it to practice.

''It wouldn't have happened if I had stayed inRawdon,'' saidMackay, especially since the town lost its express bus service to Montreal last year.

''It was exciting because I'm living on my own for the first time, but it's also a bit sad because I'll only see my family and friends on the weekends."

Mackay's dilemma reflects what many young English-speaking Quebecershave to go through to access services and higher education.

New study lays out youth migration

While the migration of Quebec youth towards urban centres isn't new, young adults are now more likely to return home later in their adult life.

This reality is highlighted in astudy published this week by theQuebec Bureau of Statistics, whichshows young people in the Lanaudireregion, where Rawdonis located, are among the most likely to move away.

They are, however, more and more inclined to return aftertheir studies, a trend that the statisticians are noting in other regions of the province, as well.

The authors followedcohorts of young peopleover several years.

They found that Quebecerswho turned 16 in 2008 were less likely to leave home than those born in the1990s, and whenthey did, they weremore likely to return.

Wheels on the bus...

Distance and limitedresources are an obstacleeven to attendhigh school classes in English.

''Our students have to bus approximately an hour, an hour-and-a-half to go to school each way,''said KatieLowry, the director of Phelps Helps, an educational support program inStanstead, Que.

The organization was set up by community membersconcerned with the region's high drop-out rates.

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''Spending two to three hours on a bus really creates adversity to succeeding in school, and when you're not doing well in a class, you're less motivated to keep going,'' said Lowry.

While English-language school boards across Quebec see higher high school graduation rates than their French counterparts 84 per centversus78 per cent certain regions outside city centres are lagging behind.

That includes the Eastern Townships, as well as theLanaudireand Montrgie regions.

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Lowry said there are also limited workopportunities in the southern part of the Eastern Townships.

She said many ofthe jobs that are available don't necessarily require a post-secondary diploma.

''What we try to do with the youth is make them realize the importance, the value of it, and that it is attainable,'' said Lowry.

Uprooting your life

On Quebec's North Shore, 20.2 per centof 23-year-olds who left the regionin 2008 ended up eventually returninghome, compared to15.8 per centin 1993.

MelanieGallibois-Robertson said there was never a doubt in her mind that she would go backto the Lower North Shore once she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree.

She now works for the local tourism office.

''The way of life here is very unique,'' saidGallibois-Robertson.''There's a very large sense of pride here.''

The 22-year-oldgrew up in LaTabatire, Que., a mainly English-speaking town of 400.

Blanc-Sablon, the largest municipality in the region, is a 10-hour boat ride away.There are no roads connecting the towns.

Thisisolation means students have to travel far awayto pursue post-secondary education, especially in English.

Like many young people from the coast, Gallibois-Robertson attendedHeritage College inGatineau, 1,700 kilometres from home.

''I went to one of the smaller CEGEPs, and it had over double the population of my village, so it was a big change,'' saidGallibois-Robertson, who was only able to go home once a year given the exorbitant cost of travel.

''The towns are small fishing communities, they aren't wealthy people,'' saidGallibois-Robertson.''To get home is difficult so it makes leaving even harder.''

Opening up doors

Sarah-Ashley Leblanc Harrison grew up in CascapediaSaint-Jules, Que., on the Gasp Peninsula.

She obtained her nursing diploma from McGill University in Montreal in 2017 and secured abursary for students who practise health care for at least oneyear in their home region.

Leblanc Harrison is doing just that, working as a nurse at the hospital in Maria, a 10-minute drive from her hometown.

She said going back and seeing the limited resources available for patients in her home region madeit all the more important to stay.

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"Iwanted to give back to the community," saidHarrisonLeblanc.

"I love being here. I was born here and raised here.''