Growing into a new market

A tiny community on Quebec’s Lower North Shore is getting another chance to rebuild itself after the collapse of the cod fishery sent Bonne-Espérance into what seemed a terminal decline.

Only a few centuries ago, ships were trapped while sailing the North Atlantic—not by shoals or shallow waters, but the number of cod filling the seaways.

The cloudberry is one of five berries that will be used to help stimulate the economy of Quebec's Lower North Shore.

Today, only a fraction of the commercial fishery industry remains, because the cod were fished until the supply ran virtually dry in the 1990s.

This devastated coastal fishing communities of Newfoundland and Labrador and northern Quebec and, in the early 1990s, many people left these communities to look for jobs elsewhere. The towns still exist, but only as a shadow of their thriving past.  The population along the Lower North Shore, which encompasses 16 local towns including Bonne-Espérance, is expected to decrease by 20 per cent in the next 20 years.

The population of Bonne-Espérance itself has already dropped seven per cent to 834 people in the last 15 years. 

However, with the help of a $393,901 grant from Canada Economic Development, the Coasters Association of the Lower North Shore is starting a new industry based on harvesting, packaging and distributing non-timber forestry products. This will hopefully maintain and possibly stimulate population numbers, according to Priscilla Griffin, coordinator for the project.

These products include the cloudberry, three different varieties of cranberries and the black crowberry. There is a market for the products not only locally across Quebec, but internationally, particularly in Europe.

Shifting specialties

The project started in January 2010 and runs until March 2012, during which time the association will hold community consultations, run market studies, map its inventory and prepare an assortment of products in preparation for eventual distribution and commercialization. This year will be the first official harvest of all berry varieties to make products such as jams, fruit roll-ups, sherberts and syrups to sell in Quebec.

“The first year has been a lot about the whole process – where we’re going, what we foresee happening,” says Griffin.

Already almost halfway into the project, they have a list of products and have mapped where the berries are abundant along the 550 km shoreline.

“With the scope of the plans and the issues they address, one individual or organization can’t do it alone."

“The market study is on the go, so that should be finalized by the first part of April. The cooperative for the project is also being assembled as we speak,” says Griffin. “There are many different things taking place at one time. It’s a big file.”

Twelve people were hired last summer to help map the berry sites. Many of them will also be working this summer to carry out pre-production with specialized equipment. If the project is successful and continues to grow,  it will mean even more job opportunities in the region.

Hoping history won't repeat itself

The Coasters Association hopes the non-timber forest industry will not face the same fate the fishing industry did. It wants to build a sustainable business and that means doing as much work in the region as possible, rather than outsourcing tasks such as packaging, sorting, commercialization. Also, the strategy envisages growing the wildberries so they will not be depleted like the cod.

Building a sustainable community has many components but the most important is relationships, according to John Lewis, president of Intelligent Futures, a sustainable community consulting group based in Calgary.

“With the scope of the plans and the issues they address, one individual or organization can’t do it alone. There needs to be a balance between personal and professional. Collaboration is essential,” he says.

Bonne-Espérance is one of 16 towns that make up Quebec's Lower North Shore.

The Coasters Association is building partnerships with all the communities along the Lower North Shore, and is involving as much of the community as possible through public consultations. These partnerships are particularly important due to the isolation of the region, says Griffin.

The community lacks high-speed Internet access and decent infrastructure for transportation. In the winter, people skidoo into the region, and only one flight a week heads to the Lower North Shore during the summer months. The communities are even isolated from one another due to the lack of a coastal road.

Despite the challenges, the association is passionate and dedicated to this project because their homes are at stake.

This project “will build a sense of ownership and pride to reinvest in the region,” says Griffin.

If all goes well, the community may see a return to its glory days.

Front page image courtesy of Chris Maynard

Single-industry towns tumble

The development of single-industry towns in Canada was a common practice throughout the 1900s, as most rural areas built their economies around one resource. However, this type of economic development always comes with a risk because of changing markets and limited resources. With increasing populations across Canada, many of these towns have struggled and ultimately declined because of the lack of economic opportunity. Others have had to expand into other industries to sustain their economies and keep their towns opportunity-friendly.