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.
In 2021, she packed up her things and swapped Laval, Que., — a suburb north of Montreal — for Saint-Jérôme, further northwest, into the Laurentians.
“It was a good mix between Montreal, like the city and the place that costs less to live,” Boisvert said.
“I can go to the forest in like two minutes,” she said. “There’s a park over here and we can do like 100 kilometres of bike if I want.”
Her story reflects a broader shift highlighted in the Institut de la statistique du Québec’s latest demographic projections.
The report projects the Laurentians will be among the regions gaining population over the next 25 years, alongside places such as Lanaudière, Centre-du-Québec, Outaouais and the Montérégie.
Meanwhile, regions including Montreal, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean are expected to see their populations decline.
The projections are based on current demographic trends rather than predictions of what will inevitably happen.
“The main driver of differences in the regions is internal migration,” said Frédéric Fleury-Payeur, a demographer with the Institut de la statistique du Québec. He says people continue to move between regions for work, education, housing and family reasons, helping reshape where Quebecers live.
For Montreal, the institute projects the island’s population could shrink by roughly 10 per cent over the next quarter century, even as the broader metropolitan area continues to grow.
The Laurentians are already seeing those migration patterns play out.
More English speakers moving to region
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.
“I really like the quiet, the nature, just the slower pace of life, the cleaner air,” Katznelson said. “So Montreal was not an option.”
For Daystar, the decision came down to quality of life.
“We wanted to be surrounded by natural beauty,” she said. “The quality of life really mattered, the environmental policy, and ‘bikeability.’”
The couple say their teenage son has settled into school, they’re learning French and have quickly built connections in their new community.
Community organizations say they’re hearing similar stories from newcomers.
“We see it. We hear it,” said Hugo Bissonnet, executive director of 4Korners, an organization serving English-speaking communities in the Laurentians.
“There’s more and more English speakers that are not tourists moving into the region.”
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.
As population grows, so do resource needs
But the region’s growing popularity is also putting pressure on housing and public services.
In Saint-Jérôme, Mayor Rémi Barbeau said new apartments don’t stay available for long.
“As soon as a new housing development is completed, someone moves in almost immediately,” he said, pointing to the city’s vacancy rate as evidence of strong demand.
To keep pace, Barbeau said the city is working with the province to expand services.
“We recently received additional investment for our hospital, and we know there are school projects in the pipeline as well,” he said.
Barbeau said the city is also planning transportation improvements and new housing developments so infrastructure can grow alongside the population.
For Boisvert, the changes are visible.
When she first moved to Saint-Jérôme, she said finding an apartment was surprisingly difficult because demand was so high. Today, she sees cranes, new residential projects and more people arriving.
Even so, she believes the balance that first drew her there remains.
“It’s the best,” she said. “I like the nature, but I also like the city rhythm.”
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