MBiz

Central Home to Stay Notre Dame de Lourdes gets its youth back by Holli Moncrieff Photo courtesy of Société franco-manitobaine The village of Notre Dame de Lourdes took a fresh approach to boosting its population — it simply asked former residents to come back home. The Place aux Jeunes (Make Way for Youth) program, created in Quebec to empower young francophones to explore and rediscover their rural heritage, is working. Young people tend to move to Winnipeg soon after graduation from high school, says Yvette Gaultier, the bilingual village's economic development officer and community development officer. "When we started the Make Way for Youth program in 2006, we made sure they knew there were good jobs here for them. We extended a hand to let them know we wanted them back," Gaultier says.  "It didn't take very much time. We're seeing a migration of youth back to town. They're buying homes, getting married and starting their families. It's awesome." There's also been a small uptick from French-speaking immigrants from Africa and France, as well as new Canadians from India and the Philippines. Part of the appeal is that people can conduct their lives entirely in French if they choose. Anglophones are comfortable here, but the French cultural is strong and vibrant, Gaultier says. "We're quite fortunate we've been able to retain our culture and language as long as we have." The population has increased by 100 people since 2006, which Notre Dame Used Oil & Filter FREE PICK UP: • USED OIL • PLASTIC CONTAINERS • FILTERS • BATTERIES • ANTIFREEZE Storage (totes, drums, bags) at no cost. Box 123, Notre Dame de Lourdes, MB R0G 1M0 • Tel: 204-248-2110 ndusedoil@xplornet.ca www.notredameusedoil.com 34 MBiz November 2012 It takes a village: Medical Centre Albert Gaillot is one of many improvements in French services. is significant for a village of this size, particularly since it lost 32 inhabitants between the 2001 census and 2006. "We have had a really big population boom, which has led to a huge development in housing," Gaultier says.  "We've had an awful lot of construction. Businesses have expanded, and we've had some new businesses come into town. We completely renovated our arena and campground, built walking trails, and now we're working on the other recreational facilities." Businesses and residents rallied together to raise the required $2.7 million contribution needed to build a  $3.5 million dollar health and wellness centre three years ago. "Our healthcare services here in town are second to none. We have services for people who want to retire and services for young families — services for every generation." Entrepreneur Jean Dizengremel, who is originally from France, lived in Canada temporarily in the 1990s, and moved back to settle in Notre Dame in 2003. This time, he plans to make the move permanent.  "There are so many resources and so few people. This is a safe place to raise your kids," he says. Dizengremel, who owns oil recycling business Notre Dame Used Oil and raises hogs for the HyLife Foods processing plant in Neepawa, says the future looks bright. "We have lots of younger families, lots of energy. We're still close enough to get all the benefits of the city but not enough to want to go there to work and shop everyday," he says.   "This is real country with lots of creeks, rivers and bush. The scenery is very pleasant, and there are lots of opportunities for people to find employment." If Dizengremel has one qualm, it's that the housing market is becoming too expensive for many new residents, now that the average price for a bungalow is $200,000.  However, there are hopes for a community project to build lower-income housing if the village can attract investors. "We have no reason to complain. We love it — we love Manitoba," Dizengremel says. " I wake up every morning in a good mood."

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