Some Quebec coastal towns have no road to connect them. Will a new approach finally provide a link?

Ever since Paul Rowsell returned home after attending university in the late 1970s, he says the population in his hometown of Harrington Harbour, Que., has started to dwindle.

An island off the coast of Chevery, Que., it swells to a mere couple hundred people in the summer, he says.

But he's continuing to see towns along Quebec's Lower North Shore shrinking as a highway connecting coastal communities isn't being extended fast enough. It's a recipe which could lead to some towns disappearing completely, he says.

Highway 138 extends all the way up Quebec's Lower North Shore but abruptly ends in Kegaska before picking up again in Vieux-Fort — just 75 kilometres southwest of the border between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

About a dozen towns between Vieux-Fort and Kegaska have long advocated for the progression of the road — which would connect them to the rest of the province.

"We've been hearing so much about this over the years. There's been study after study after study in my lifetime," said Rowsell.

Last week, as part of the provincial budget, Quebec revealed the investments for the extension of Route 138 have been suspended in Quebec's infrastructure program and will instead be made part of an intervention plan to be carried out by the Quebec Transport Ministry.

The ministry plans to review the project plans, including its schedule, cost and scope. According to the government, this will enable the extension of Highway 138 to be completed more quickly and at a lower cost. The province says the change should give the project a boost.

Gilles Monger says people have been waiting for the highway extension since the 1980s. Resident and chairman of the Tête-à-la-Baleine local committee, he fears the review process will cause further delays.

"Are we going to redo all the work that was done by the engineering firms? [Are] we going to start from scratch?" said Monger. "Every time there are changes at government level on these issues, it takes almost forever."

"Will it be real this time?... And not just simply promises that they repeat every decade?"

Although some sections have been built in recent years, little has been done to open up his community of just over 100 residents, he says. 

Ivonne Fuentes knew what she was getting into when she moved to the town five years ago, just before the pandemic. The isolation comes with perks: knowing everyone in town and not having to lock your doors.

"It's a way of living. [It's] very special," said Fuentes.