New book turns Châteauguay, Que., memories into a community bestseller

A non-profit on Montreal’s South Shore says it’s receiving incredible feedback following the release of a new book that captures memories and stories from longtime residents of Châteauguay.

The book, Untold Stories of Châteauguay, was released at the end of April — and every copy was snapped up almost immediately.

“[People were] buying boxfuls of books and armfuls of books and I thought, ‘look at that,'” said Pauline Wiedow, the executive director of the Montérégie West Community Network (MWCN).

Wiedow said the idea for the book came to her when she noticed how quickly the community was changing and how important it was to preserve a snapshot of what life used to be like in the municipality. 

“I thought, ‘We need to capture that, our seniors are getting older, we’re going to more funerals,’ and I thought, ‘No, we need to do this now,'” she said.

She secured funding for the project through a grant from the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, which “provides funding for projects that make a difference in the lives of seniors and in their communities.”

‘It’s the community’

Wiedow tasked MWCN member Françoise Goulet with interviewing residents. She was relatively new to Châteauguay when the organization launched the project.

More than 40 contributors, including longtime residents, local businesses and organizations, shared personal stories and memories for the book, painting a vivid picture of life in Châteauguay decades ago.

Goulet says the experience helped her gain a deeper understanding of the community and its history.

“Nature is everywhere, it surrounds you. There’s a lot of history here and a lot of great people… it ’s the community,” she said.

A time of transition

Georges Bujold, now 70 years old, recalls the yearly struggle to keep water out of his childhood family home, and how his father installed a bell system to warn them when the water reached a certain level.

When the bell rang at his north Châteauguay home, “I’d put on my rubber boots, and my job was to go around kicking in all the basement windows to relieve the water pressure on the concrete foundation blocks,” he recalled.

After the floodwaters receded, the family would often discover unusual things left behind in the basement — including fish.

Although Bujold briefly moved away for work, he eventually returned home to Châteauguay. He says the city feels very different now than it did growing up. While showing familiar areas around town, he pointed out how many places have changed over the years — fields replaced by housing developments and former churches transformed into new buildings.

A portrait of community life

Wiedow also shared her own story in the book.

She was originally living in an apartment in Pierrefonds, but relocated during a time when the federal government was encouraging families to settle in off-island communities like Châteauguay. She has since stayed in the city, keeping involved with several organizations, including the MWCN, which advocates for more than 100,000 English speakers across the area.

The mayor of Châteauguay also shared about growing up in the community with his two younger brothers.

“At the beginning, I was wondering, ‘Where am I going to start?’ And at the end, when we had discussions with Françoise, [it was], ‘When am I going to stop?'” said Éric Allard.

And with the overwhelming response to the first edition of Untold Stories of Châteauguay, Wiedow says dozens have already reached out to share their stories.

“There will be a Volume 2 for sure,” she said.