In the far eastern Canada, the Big Island of Newfoundland is still a wild land sparsely populated. On this rugged coastline of 250 km from Port aux Basques Harbour Breton, whose names recall the strong presence of French fishermen in the area in nineteenth century, some villages resiste to Canadian government pressure who would like to see people leaving villages to major cities connected by road. McCallum, Grand Bruit or Rencontre East, huddled in their small bays, can be supplied only by sea. Keep this villages alive, cost money for federal governement. No road into this hostile environment and ferries, more than once, it must delay or cancel the weekly rotation because of the weather who be somewhat erratic in the region.
In this villages, there is an aging population that finds life difficult after their children have left for employment. And the ocean no longer contains the wonderful sea life that helped these people survive harsh conditions for centuries. But their politicians just want these people to go away because those who stay here are simply a sad reminder of how badly government continues to manage the fishery. And politicians only want to spend money on towns where large numbers of voters live.
The young people who want to stay here can work on the salmon farms, to compare this aquaculture work to the fishing that these people did for generations, is not a fair comparison. What these impressive people used to do was, work that they loved to do, not work for an hourly wage at a job that does not keep them challenged and feeling joy. Only the wind drives the deserted streets of these villages from staying. Now, isolation and boredom invade the streets, but a few diehards still clinging to this life so special, so “peaceful” away from the teeming cities.
