Since 2018, Tourism Eastern Townships and Vision Attractivité have joined forces to “build bridges between the citizens and the various socio-economic actors of Estrie … so that even more people settle in Estrie and choose to live here,” said Steve Lussier, former mayor of Sherbrooke, during the opening speech of the Vision Attractivité Cantons-de-l’Est/Estrie summit in April 2019. This is how the revision of the name of the administrative region of Estrie was launched, provoking a clash of ideas from which light can blaze.
All name changes of this magnitude are made by wounding sensitivities, as history bears witness. Within the MRCs, another name for a subdivision which supplanted the County Councils in 1979, opinions on these modifications seem to be fixed. Although the majority agree on the positive effects of such a change, Luc Cayer, prefect of the Val-Saint-François MRC, opposes it, while acknowledging that the arrival of Brome-Missisquoi and Haute-Yamaska will be beneficial. In Haut-Saint-François, the council of mayors is more cautious. The elected officials will be in favour if it is demonstrated by “a complete analysis of the impacts, in particular for the agri-food and forestry sectors,” that this initiative will be profitable.
Tourism Eastern Townships and Vision Attractivité have embarked on the process leading to this new toponyme based on a study carried out by the firm Dialogue in 2019. An eloquent and simple conclusion emerges: “The name Estrie refers to economic wealth, while the name Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-l’Est) generates more emotions and is associated more with lifestyle and quality of life.” It must be remembered, however, that the territorial space occupied by Estrie and the Eastern Townships has never coincided, even over the years.
The conclusion may seem simplistic. However, the objective of finding a unifying name that can attract more people to the region has nothing to do with its conciseness, replies Vanessa Cournoyer-Cyr, director general of Vision Attractivité. The effectiveness is based on the need to continue efforts to attract people in order to compensate for the lack of manpower, while ensuring and strengthening the vitality of the territory to which Brome-Missisquoi and Haute-Yamaska were annexed, as Minister Bonnardel, responsible for Estrie, expressed his intentions, among others, in his election platform. Encouraging tourist visits by promoting regional particularities is important when we know the economic benefits that some 10 million tourists give us in a year.
In an article by Claude Plante in La Tribune on December 14, entitled “The revision of the name of the administrative region of Estrie is launched,” we learn that Estrie and the Eastern Townships make those who live there proud. However, the “Cantons” would better reflect the quality of life. In this, even some business people would recognize themselves as well.
For the opponents, two main irritants emerge. The economic cost that such a name change could generate seems the most significant. It would be necessary to verify its relevance, which it was impossible to do with Vision Attractivité because of deadline constraints. The other factor comes in all forms of resistance to change, whether it is to protect a part of the history of this region at different times, or even the fear that it will cause us to lose our bearings in regard to place names.
Until February 4, stakeholders from all sectors of socioeconomic activity were able to comment on the issue. On March 14, the Quebec Municipal Commission (Commission municipale du Québec) will hold new consultations to decide on the name change of the Estrie region to the Eastern Townships.