About the NSCA About The Beginnings Our Story In the early 1980’s, two chapters of Alliance Québec were organized on the North Shore – one in the community of Baie-Comeau, the other in the communities of Sept-Îles and Port-Cartier. As the Anglophone communities decreased in population, it became increasingly difficult to fulfill the constitutional requirements of chapter status. So in the early 1990’s, Anglophones on the North Shore were represented in Alliance Québec through two community organizations. In the late 1990’s, with the creation of the Provisional Council to organize linguistic school boards in the east of the province, discussions began between a North Shore Steering Committee and the Committee for Anglophone Social Action (CASA) in the Gaspé. During the year 1999, four community animators were hired to research and survey their respective communities of Baie-Comeau, Fermont, Port-Cartier, and Sept-Îles in order to compile a needs and services assessment. On September 23rd, 2000, the North Shore Community Association was established at a founding meeting in Port-Cartier. The English-speaking population of the North Shore voted unanimously in favour of starting a Regional Association rather than being a chapter of CASA. The Steering Committee members had accomplished the first steps of what they set out to do…. NSCA was now a reality. The Executive Committee held its first Executive Meeting on December 8th, 2000 in Baie-Comeau, and the first Annual General Meeting was held on November 10th, 2001 in Port-Cartier. Mission The North Shore Community Association is a non-profit regional organization dedicated to serving, representing, and instilling pride in the English-speaking community of Quebec’s North Shore. Our aim is to empower residents and to strengthen the community across the region by working to make information and resources available, by facilitating community initiatives, by encouraging and improving communication, by promoting access to services, by developing partnerships and by increasing the visibility of the English -speaking community. Together, we are building a vital, informed and strong community. Objectives Develop and maintain a knowledge base about the English-speaking community of the North Shore. Increase access and knowledge of services and resources for the English- speaking community within the region. Increase cohesion and participation in the English-speaking community. Support and showcase the English-speaking community and its heritage and culture. Strengthen communication and visibility within the community. Our Staff NSCA is made up of a dedicated staff that carries out the day-to-day operations of the office and ensures the overall success of projects and activities. Jody Lessard Executive Director Charlene Lavallee Coordinator-Senior Wellness Amber Dalby Community Coordinator Alicia Buffitt Project Coordinator Natalie Greene Programs Coordinator Hannah Letemplier Community Outreach Agent Aitalina Stepanova Communications & Research Agent Christine Charlemagne Development Agent 2024-2025 Board of Directors Edith O’Brien Chair Marcella Beaudoin Vice-Chair Donald Goodfellow Treasurer Barbara Bursey Director Marianne Bizeau Director Jackie Bizeau Director Danielle Duguay Director The Region The North Shore region, located in northeastern Quebec, is the second largest region in the province. The territory stretches over 1,280 kilometres, from the city of Tadoussac to Blanc-Sablon, and includes Anticosti Island as well as the cities of Schefferville and Fermont located in the northernmost part of the region. The North Shore Community Association (NSCA) is mandated to represent and serve the English-language minority communities in Quebec’s North Shore, a constituent territory composed of five MRCs (municipalités régionales de comté – regional county municipality), spanning from Tadoussac to Havre Saint-Pierre and including Fermont and Schefferville. The region’s population of 2,460 English speakers includes also the Naskapi population, the region’s first-official-language-anglophone First Nations. Caniapiscau The MRC of Caniapiscau contains five communities: the towns of Fermont and Schefferville, as well as two Montagnais communities—Matimekush and Lac-John—and the Naskapi community of Kawawachikamach. Total population: 3,885 English-speaking: 915 Sept-Rivières The MRC of Sept-Rivières consists of five communities: the territory of Lac-Walker, the town of Port-Cartier, the city of Sept-Îles, and the First Nation reserves of Maliotenam and Uashat. Total population: 33,790 English-speaking: 1,115 La Haute-Côte-Nord The MRC of la Haute-Côte-Nord consists of nine communities: the town of Forestville, the municipalities of Colombier, Les Bergeronnes, Les Escoumins, Longue-Rive, Portneuf-sur-Mer, Sacré-Coeur, the village of Tadoussac, and the First Nation reserve of Essipit. Total population: 10,278 English-speaking: 40 Manicouagan The MRC of Manicouagan consists of 10 communities: the city of Baie-Comeau, the villages of Baie-Trinité, Chute-aux-Outardes, Godbout, Pointe-aux-Outardes, Pointe-Lebel, and Ragueneau, the territory of Rivière-aux-Outardes, the municipality of Franquelin, and the First Nation reserve of Pessamit. Total population: 29,890 English-speaking: 315 Minganie The MRC of Minganie consists of 10 communities: the municipalities of Aguanish, Baie-Johan-Beetz, Havre-Saint-Pierre, l’Île-d’Anticosti, Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Rivière-au-Tonnerre, Rivière-Saint-Jean and Natashquan, and the First Nation reserves of Mingan and Natashquan. Total population: 6,509 English-speaking: 75