Quebec Welcome Mat

[Joseph Olajos]

A friend and I were planning a camping trip with the Trillium to the Lac Simon area of Que. for mid September...had picked out two C/G from the internet that were in the area we wanted to be; we emailed the first one....no reply, so we phoned; they refused to speak English...in our best high-school French, we got our question across...campsite in mid-Sept...response: c/g full, no vacancy...end of discussion, even after questioning why...in mid-Sept c/g would be full.

C/G #2 No email address in website, so again we phoned...much the same treatment...would not speak English !!!

Is the Lac Simon area really that popular for campers in Mid-Sept ? Do the c/g operators really have a problem with the English language? (Their websites both offer a choice between English and French)

What ever happened to Quebec hospitality ? Is tourism not important in the region?
Joe

[Normand Choiniere]

A friend and I were planning a camping trip with the Trillium to the Lac Simon area of Que. for mid September...had picked out two C/G from the internet that were in the area we wanted to be; we emailed the first one....no reply, so we phoned; they refused to speak English...in our best high-school French, we got our question across...campsite in mid-Sept...response: c/g full, no vacancy...end of discussion, even after questioning why...in mid-Sept c/g would be full.

C/G #2 No email address in website, so again we phoned...much the same treatment...would not speak English !!!

Is the Lac Simon area really that popular for campers in Mid-Sept ? Do the c/g operators really have a problem with the English language? (Their websites both offer a choice between English and French)

What ever happened to Quebec hospitality ? Is tourism not important in the region?
Joe

Don't be surprise. Lac Simon and that part of the Povince is not a very touristic area and not particularly bilingual. This is exactly what happened to me when I phoned to Emily Park in Ontario last May. There was nobody there that was able to speak French. And let me tell you that I find it "normal". Even in Provincial parks I don't have to expect that, all over Canada, including Nunavut, someone on the phone will be French fluent. Those expectations are simply not realistic.

However, Quebec is by far the most bilingual Province in Canada and as a general rule all important touristic centers are, I would say, English speaking capable if not totally fluent.

For practical considerations, if you exclude the Gatineau-Ottawa reigon and Greater Montreal most of the other regions of Quebec are about 90-95% French. Those people barely have the occasion to speak English in their day to day life, probably like the vast majority of Ontarians and those living in Yukon who never speak French!...

[Luc P]

Is the Lac Simon area really that popular for campers in Mid-Sept ? Do the c/g operators really have a problem with the English language? (Their websites both offer a choice between English and French)

What ever happened to Quebec hospitality ? Is tourism not important in the region?
Joe

if you are still looking to go there, give send me your phone number in PM; I will call them and give them a speach about tourism and hospitality. than I will ask them to call you back.

Thank you

Luc
Montreal

[Joseph Olajos]

Don't be surprise. Lac Simon and that part of the Povince is not a very touristic area and not particularly bilingual. This is exactly what happened to me when I phoned to Emily Park in Ontario last May. There was nobody there that was able to speak French. And let me tell you that I find it "normal". Even in Provincial parks I don't have to expect that, all over Canada, including Nunavut, someone on the phone will be French fluent. Those expectations are simply not realistic.

However, Quebec is by far the most bilingual Province in Canada and as a general rule all important touristic centers are, I would say, English speaking capable if not totally fluent.

For practical considerations, if you exclude the Gatineau-Ottawa reigon and Greater Montreal most of the other regions of Quebec are about 90-95% French. Those people barely have the occasion to speak English in their day to day life, probably like the vast majority of Ontarians and those living in Yukon who never speak French!...

Thanx, Normand
What you have told me, would explain their hesitancy to speak English; however in the matter of why they claimed there was no vacancy at either of those campground locations, in mid September, still begs the question: were they trying to tell us something ?
Joe

[Joseph Olajos]

if you are still looking to go there, give send me your phone number in PM; I will call them and give them a speach about tourism and hospitality. than I will ask them to call you back.

Thank you

Luc
Montreal

Thank you, Luc, for your kind offer to remind these people about tourism and hospitality, but that won't be necessary, as we will not be camping in the Lac Simon area this season.
Joe/Peterborough

[Vivian L]

Originally Posted by Joseph Olajos

Thank you, Luc, for your kind offer to remind these people about tourism and hospitality, but that won't be necessary, as we will not be camping in the Lac Simon area this season.
Joe/Peterborough

Hi Joe: We just came back from Quebec bolerama and a tour around the Eastern Townships and yes if you get off the main routes, you will find very little English. My "cereal box" francais and a lot of hand and arm waving have managed to make sure we were never stuck. We hate the main roads so always travel the back roads which is our problem. If you stick to Highway #20 and close you usually won't have a problem.
We found the Quebecers at bolerama, many of whom don't speak much English the most warm and welcoming we could have asked for. Every campground we visited even off the beaten track were also very kind.
However, like you, we have run into one or 2 who apparently didn't want us. Unfortunately if you speak french, you would be in the same position if you ever left Quebec. That is the reality of it. As to the campgrounds being full, like you, I am puzzled. We found September they usually had lots of room although many of them are closed right after the Labour Day weekend. That was a bit of a shock. We came home yesterday and ran into about 60% already closed! Maybe that's what they were trying to tell you.
Bizzian