Couple says goodbye to beloved home on Quebec coast after erosion put safety at risk
CBC
Joanne Audet and Marcel Breton say they have lived an extraordinary life by the sea, but the coastal erosion along the shores of Maria, Que., has become too much for the couple.
"We were hit by three enormous tides within a year. You can't stay here anymore. At home, it was scary. It was rumbling, it shook. The water hits your windows. You become surrounded by water everywhere," Audet said. "We no longer had a choice. We had to leave."
Their residence is among eight homes threatened by imminent coastal submersion, jeopardizing their safety and qualifying them for provincial financial assistance. They had a choice to relocate or demolish the home. Satisfied with the compensation offered, the couple chose demolition as the simpler option.
Their home on des Tournepierres Street was demolished Friday. They moved there in 2009.
"Living there was our retirement dream. Seeing the sea and the vastness every day was pure joy," Audet said.
The municipality of Maria is in Quebec's eastern Gaspésie region on the Baie-des-Chaleurs. It has fewer than 3,000 residents.
About two weeks ago, the couple moved into a new home on des Cardinaux Street, not more than two kilometres away and a bit further inland.
There was a severe storm on Nov. 27, but at the time they were still undecided about the move. Subsequent storms in January, just three days apart, convinced them to leave. The municipality of Maria had to declare a state of emergency on Jan. 10 and 13.
During those states of emergency, residents of des Tournepierres and des Pluviers streets, which were most at risk, were given voluntary evacuation notices. Almost a metre of water accumulated on des Tournepierres.
"The decision wasn't hard on Jan. 13. We decided it was time to go," Breton said.
Contacted by the Ministry of Public Security in March, the couple had 18 months to decide but chose to leave quickly as a protective wall on their property was about to give way.
"It's becoming critical. The tides are higher, and storms are more frequent than when we first moved here," Breton noted.
Breton injured his leg during the Jan. 13 storm and had to be taken to hospital. He said he now wonders how emergency responders would reach them if flooding made the street impassable.
Audet and Breton acknowledged that other residents may choose to stay, and said they are careful not to judge those that do. The couple is among three of eight homeowners who have taken the government's offer to help.
Montreal officials will hold a ceremony to mark the 36th anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre today.
The City of Regina's proposal to build a roadway through the McKell Wascana Conservation Park should be discarded, local conservationists say.
A holiday event that began in 2020 during the pandemic with three floats on pickup trucks has now become one of Kelowna’s big winter events, drawing thousands to the city’s downtown core.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.
It’s been hard to keep track of how many legal challenges and active court proceedings the United Conservative government has tried to quash or pre-emptively block in the last six weeks, but let’s try to tally:
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.