Quebec's Eastern Townships considers official name change

You can hear the enthusiasm in Jody Robinson's voice when she talks about the history of her homeregion.

Robinson was raised on a dairy farm near Lennoxville, Que.,and now works as an archivist with the Eastern Townships Resource CentreinSherbrooke. She says the two names on either side of a debate about what the region should be formallycalled Estrie or lesCantons de l'Estare both rich in meaning.

The traditional territory of the Abenakihas been commonly referred to as theEastern Townshipssince 1791. That's when Loyalists, who were tired of squattingafter the American War of Independence,petitioned the British government for land. They were awarded10-by-10-mile tracts to build homes and set up farms.

"Townships ... is an English definition of land," said Robinson. "Townshipsbecause of the way the land was divided ... and then Easternbecause we're in Quebec, and the other ones were in Ontario."

The townships start in the St. Lawrence lowlands south of Montreal, stretch along the American border to Lac-Mganticin the northeast and across to Drummondville in the northwest. Marked by rolling hills,swaths of farmland anda few large lakes and rivers that empty into the St. Lawrence, it's a popular place to escape the city and enjoy the outdoors.

The areanow consistsof nine regional municipalities, including the city of Sherbrooke, but historically it was much bigger, covering parts of Montrgie and the Mauricie.

Asmore and more people immigrated to Quebec from France, the Eastern Townships becametheTownships de l'Est and eventuallyCantons de l'Est.

Estriewas a term coinedby a Catholic priest, Maurice O'Bready,in the1940s and officially adopted as the title of Quebec's fifthadministrative region in 1981.

"The word triecan mean a land that is rich and fertile," said Robinson. "Rich and fertile land located in the east, that's how we get Estrie."

Regional council pushes for rebrand

In July 2021, the minister of municipal affairs, Andre Laforest, and the minister responsible for the Estrie region, Franois Bonnardel,announced that theregional county municipalities of Brome-Missiquoi and Haute-Yamaskawere being added to the territory.

In an email, Bonnardel's office told CBCthat's when the Table des MRC de l'Estrie a council of representatives from each regional county asked for a rebrand.

Cantons de l'Estis almost alwaysused fortourism and regionalpromotion, but public services, health resources and provincial documents generallyrefer to Estrie.

"There was often a lot of confusion," said Magog Mayor Nathalie Pelletier, who sits on the regional council.

"[Estrie] is not a bad name: we don't need to tear ourselves apart over it," she said."But between the two names, we saw a more distinctive name in Cantons de l'Est. People were proud of it, and it was more inclusive.

Last year, theCommission municipale du Qubecstartedsurveying the people inthe region to see which name they preferred. Individuals, groups and organizations had until Feb. 4 to submit written arguments.

Up next is a Feb. 23virtual consultation,andpublic health measures permitting, there will be in-person consultationsMarch 14 in Sherbrooke, March 17 in Lac-Mgantic and March 22 in Granby.

Not all Estriensare on board

One group pushing to maintain the status quois theSocitnationale de l'Estrie(SNE), which arguestheregion has been successfuleconomically and continues toattractpeople from other parts of Quebec to live there under its current name.

President tienne-Alexis Bouchersays there'sa regional anthem and flag tied to the Estriebanner, and he questions why Quebec's toponymy commission hasn't been asked to weigh in.

Bonnardel's office saysonce the consultation process iscompleted and its findings are reviewed, the minister of municipal affairswill have the final say and potentially issue a ministerial decree to change the name.

For Robinson, shifting to the term that's more commonly used makes sense.

"I think it's a lovely idea, I don't have any particular attachments to Estrie, and I don't think it would create a great loss overall if we went back to Cantons de l'Est."