What to make of rural gentrification in Quebec ? Different visions of local actors
Rural gentrification, understood as the city-to-country migration of urbanites from the middle or upper social classes, is increasingly taking place in rural Quebec. In contrast to the surge of studies on rural gentrification in the United Kingdom, this phenomenon has received little attention in Quebec scientific research. This article explores the representations of diverse local actors concerning gentrification in two Quebec regional county municipalities (RCM), namely Brome-Missisquoi and Arthabaska. Based on interviews conducted with four types of actors – newcomers, long-time residents, directors of local and regional organizations, and elected municipal officials – the study shows the complexity of this type of gentrification at various levels of rural life (e.g., sociodemographic, economic, residential, community, cultural, environmental, political). The results demonstrate the need to examine the views of all actors involved in or affected by rural gentrification as opposed to considering only those held by the gentrifiers. As well, the study shows that the broader scope of the impacts of rural gentrification must be examined in order to arrive at a better understanding of this phenomenon.