In response to our request for submissions.

(version française ici)

Hello

We are a family of five that moved to North Hatley 1.5 years ago from Montreal.  Covid allowed us to make the move since my husband could work fully from home.  I moved my small business to North Hatley.  I own a personal training and fitness studio here in the village called Studio Vie.

My kids are 17, 15 and 12.  The transition to North Hatley has been pretty seamless since we are an outdoorsy, active family.  We love sports, nature and big open spaces.

My husband and I fell in love with beautiful North Hatley many years ago but never had the opportunity to make the move to the country.  We love North Hatley for its beauty and how peaceful it is.  

We as a family value the need for community support not only for the older generation but for the younger generations now living here.  We can’t help but notice how many young couples and families have moved here. 

It’s important to have updated installations to offer activities for kids including the beach house at the Municipal Beach for swimming, sailing lessons & hangout spaces, tennis courts, soccer nets, baseball field (which is being fixed up), skating rink etc.  

Community is especially an important aspect of my studio since I specialize in pre and postnatal fitness and love creating a strong mom community for example.  

We have the opportunity to create a close knit community here in North Hatley where the young and old come together.  

We believe it’s important to build a North Hatley that can support young families with much needed services and activities all while continuing to support the older generation and their needs.

• Jana Sedivec 

En réponse à notre demande de soumissions.

(English version here)

Bonjour

Nous sommes une famille de cinq personnes qui a déménagé de Montréal à North Hatley il y a un an et demi.  Covid nous a permis de déménager, car mon mari pouvait travailler entièrement à la maison.  J’ai déménagé ma petite entreprise à North Hatley.  Je suis propriétaire d’un studio d’entraînement personnel et de conditionnement physique appelé Studio Vie, situé dans le village

Mes enfants ont 17, 15 et 12 ans.  La transition vers North Hatley s’est faite en douceur, car nous sommes une famille active et de plein air.  Nous aimons le sport, la nature et les grands espaces.

Mon mari et moi sommes tombés amoureux de la belle ville de North Hatley il y a de nombreuses années, mais nous n’avons jamais eu l’occasion de déménager à la campagne.  Nous aimons North Hatley pour sa beauté et sa tranquillité.  

En tant que famille, nous apprécions le besoin de soutien de la communauté, non seulement pour les générations plus âgées, mais aussi pour les jeunes générations qui vivent aujourd’hui ici.  Nous ne pouvons pas nous empêcher de remarquer le nombre de jeunes couples et de familles qui se sont installés ici.

Il est important d’avoir des installations modernes pour offrir des activités aux enfants, y compris le pavillon de la plage municipale pour la natation, les leçons de voile et les espaces de détente, les courts de tennis, les filets de football, le terrain de baseball (qui est en cours de réparation), la patinoire, etc.  

La communauté est un aspect particulièrement important de mon studio car je suis spécialisée dans le fitness pré et postnatal et j’aime créer une forte communauté de mamans par exemple.  

Nous avons la possibilité de créer une communauté très unie ici à North Hatley où les jeunes et les moins jeunes se rencontrent.  

Nous croyons qu’il est important de construire un North Hatley qui peut soutenir les jeunes familles avec des services et des activités nécessaires, tout en continuant à soutenir la génération plus âgée et ses besoins.

• Jana Sedivec

(traduction DeepL)

(version française ici)

In August, 2020, as the pandemic was taking over, in response to a request from one resident, a number of North Hatley citizens wrote about their histories, their concerns and their visions for the future of our village. These texts were posted on Fanhca.  (Use our 🔎 tool to search for ‘My North Hatley’) 

Pre-pandemic, North Hatley was being envisioned as a retirement community with dedicated seniors’ housing. Covid updated that as energetic newcomers from various urban bases were drawn into our community. They relocated here, bringing their concepts and projects to expand and rejuvenate village life. 

As well, during the pandemic, citizens who attended the meetings for a ten-year village vision shared strong discussions and Zoom chats about eco-awareness and our responsibility for North Hatley’s natural surroundings. There was also agreement on the need to attract young families and to offer them services and affordable housing.

Fed up with noisy trucks, but also with loud boats  and motorcycles, participants supported the need to establish year-round, non-motorized recreational activities based in the core of the village. And they unanimously agreed on the need to protect our history and architectural heritage as we envisioned a sustainable future for North Hatley.

To ensure that the welcome influx of de-urbanizers don’t reverse their decisions to stay, what encouragement can we offer? Do we suggest public-private projects that combine their interest and skills with a municipal plan to move our village forward?

Fanhca would like to hear from our newcomers. As a recently-arrived individual or couple, please tell us about My New North Hatley: why did you come here and when did you arrive? How you see our community evolving and what might you contribute?

(Readers, please share this with those who may not yet subscribe to Fanhca. Thank you!)

Between now and May 16th, please send your text in English or French (or both) by email. We will assess and publish as is, on receipt.

Thank you!

Team Fanhca

(Brian Merrett and Louise Moses)