Meet Éric Verreault and his family 

Our team loves driving on the country roads in the Temiscamingue region. This time, we are on our way to meet Eric Verreault and his family, who are waiting for us in their big backyard. Fifteen years ago, they would never have thought that they could be happy to live in the country. 

“I am from Chibougamau, says Eric. We went to study in Chicoutimi. We lived there for ten years, but we didn’t like it.”

“We had two children at the time. I was always called in for work last minute, adds Sandra, and he was working shifts. We realized that, with all the daycare problems, we had to find a new place to live.” 

“The hospital in Ville-Marie contacted my wife, says Eric. So we came to visit. We discover a nice quiet little place. We decided that we would move if we both had a job.”

“It was a good thing, because to be honest, salaries are much higher here than in other regions.”

Eric laughs when we ask him if it took them courage to make the move.  

“Yes, it takes a lot of guts. When we got here, we didn’t know anyone. We went out to have a beer. People were very welcoming. They are always chatting with one another. It’s a tight woven community. Your network can grow really fast. Your neighbours extend beyond the houses beside yours.” 

“From the moment we have shown interest, adds Sandra, we were taken care of, but in a good way. People would ask us what we needed. We told them that we needed a babysitter. A nurse called me not long after and said: ‘Hi, my name is Renée. I heard that you need a babysitter. Call this person. If it doesn’t work, call me back.’ It was the same for him at his job.”  

At the time, he was working at Temlam (LVL Global now), but with the crisis in the forest industry, he was forced to find another job. He worked for 11 years with the Department of Transportation, and he is now working for Temisko.  

“This company is truly one of Temiscamingue gems. It’s like a big family. Everyone chats and helps each other. I could never have imagined how big it was before visiting the shop. When I got in, I said: ‘Wow! It’s beautiful!’ I had seen welding shops before, but never like this. They work worldwide. Two weeks ago, I went to Nunavut. The company offers us great opportunities.”  

Sandra still works as a respiratory therapist at the hospital.  

“Since the hospital in Chicoutimi is big, people get specialized in one area only. Here, I work in so many settings: operating room, home care, tests and diagnostics. It’s what is appealing about working here. Work is never redundant. I work in so many different fields. That is what I like about my job.”

Beyond all of this, living in the Temiscamingue region allows them to enjoy life to the fullest.  

“There is only one traffic light in Ville-Marie. You will never get stuck there for hours. It only takes five minutes to get home. We can do whatever we want after work. Last fall, we went small game hunting every single day after work. When we get home on Fridays after the workweek, we are usually tired … so if we had to pack our stuff and drive to do activities, we would do less of them. It’s easier since everything is close. There are many boat launching ramps. We couple the trailer to the truck, and off we go. Ice fishing is a totally different experience. We hop on our sleds at our house and go on Lake Timiskaming. Fishing is great here. We enjoy so many nice weekends as a family.”  

Crickets chirp as if they agree.  

“There is always something to do during the weekend, adds Eric. There are demolition or truck races and the Foire Gourmande. If you want to attend all of them, you’ll have to buy a truck and a trailer!”   

Seeing that we don’t know what demolition races are, his eldest, William, explains: 

“It’s the stock car races. There are races in Laverlochère and in Béarn. But also in the Abitibi region, in Beaudry and in Taschereau. It’s a cultural thing, and people are passionate about it. Every year, I am impressed to see the number of racers compared to the population size. They are not professional racers, but they take it seriously. It makes for a really interesting atmosphere. There is a lot of tension. Someone from the city might not be interested in the Rigolade de Laverlochère at first, but once there, the event is bigger than it looks like and is super entertaining.”  

The big garage next to us is not just a decorative element. When William races, Eric and his youngest, Alexis, are part of his team. As for Alexis, he is a motocross fan. However, they do most of their activities as a family. 

“Our favourite activities are boating, fishing and tubing (Emie’s favourite). We have fallen in love with Lake Kipawa.”