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magazine / jf08 / quebec north shore
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January/February 2008 issue |
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SPECIAL FEATURE
On the road
Writer Christopher Frey embarked on a two-week journey through Quebec’s Lower North Shore to learn about the region’s rich history and culture and to discover what a planned road through the isolated towns and villages might bring
Story by Christopher Frey |
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Click map to enlarge |
Day 9: Blanc Sablon to Old Fort
Over breakfast at the motel, Dumas and a group of locals debate the likelihood that a forecasted
30 centimetres of snow and harsh winds will arrive today. “It probably won’t reach
the coast,” says one of the men. “They been saying storms all winter, but we get
nut’in,” adds Dumas. To a southern eye there’s an abundance of snow and ice,
but everyone else agrees there’s much less than usual. “I hope the storm comes.
We need the snow. We ain’t got no snow now.”
| " To a southern eye there’s an abundance of snow and ice, but
everyone else agrees there’s much less than usual." |
If the storm arrives with predicted force it will surely shut down the
road between Blanc Sablon and Old Fort. Gilles and I must consider setting out a day early
to avoid being stranded. While the men prevaricate about the storm, another local man, Michel
Landry purses his lips and advises us coldly: “You don’t leave today, you’re
not leaving at all. Not for a few days at least.” That seals it. And so we pack our things and begin the return leg of our journey.
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MATHIAS MARK
Photo: Christoper Frey |
Day 11: Old Fort
Mathias Mark, a 24-year-old Innu, operates the spacious nine room hostel in Pakua Shipi,
the community’s only rental lodgings. He got keen on the idea of accommodating and
guiding visitors a few years ago, when the federal government began investing in tourism
to compensate for the loss of the cod fishery. But tourism is a hard game—Mark has
spent many days, he says, waiting at the end of the dock for the people who never arrive.
The few who do he pilots upriver in his boat, showing them the best fishing spots, Innu landmarks,
and explaining local living.
Mark is still optimistic about his fledgling enterprise. But mostly he appears grateful
for the unexpected chance to reclaim his community’s culture and the geography that
inspires it.
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