''Ancrage des eaux'' by Sébastien Roy

"I have lived here for 45 years, but I first came to Pointe-des-Cascades when I was 9 years old as a summer visitor with my parents.

(Transition)

When I was 28, I decided to move here. I was in Montreal looking to buy a house or an apartment in Ville St-Laurent. I wanted to get married and have children, but my wife was from Beauharnois. She was from the countryside, and she couldn't see how we could raise children in Ville St-Laurent. So, we thought, why not? I was already renting a cottage every summer in Pointe-des-Cascades, so I started looking for a house to buy.

Then, I came across this old house, which is the former presbytery from 1820. It was a mission as they called it. From Valleyfield, the diocese would send a priest to be here full-time, but they needed houses. Back then, religion was very strong, so he needed a permanent house to settle in. So, I bought this house where I've been living since 1972.

(Transition)

The village of Pointe-des-Cascades has changed a lot as its population has grown. I contributed to it when I semi-retired. I started a company called Construction Pointe-des-Cascades to help open up the village, which was very introverted. The village was going through tough times after the canal closed. 1965 was the year when everyone in the village who worked for the canal was laid off. 90% of the village worked for the Soulanges Canal authorities.

The buildings at the Pointe were set to be demolished, and they did demolish two. They tore down the building that used to be where the parking lot of the summer theater is now. It was the mechanics' building for maintaining the canal gates. That building is gone, which is unfortunate, and another building that served as a warehouse also disappeared. We managed to save the lumber warehouse, which was used for manufacturing the gates for the Soulanges Canal and the Lachine Canal. The Lachine Canal gates were manufactured here, in Pointe-des-Cascades.

(Transition)

The Historical Research Society, of which I am a founding member along with a man named Pierre Clément, who was the first mayor of Pointe-des-Cascades in the 1960s. We started the Parc des Ancres in 1972. Suddenly, they realized that, wow! It made a wow. The village that had looked so bad, at least now the heart of the village looked good. We planted hundreds of trees and plants, and we supported the arrival of the Soulanges bike path. I was involved in every step. Now, at my age, I'm proud of the accomplishments because they reflect through the entire community. It wasn't just a personal project; it touches the whole community.

(Transition)

(Anonymous Fisherman)

Interviewer: "Why do you like the canal?"

Fisherman: "This is my first time here."

Interviewer: "Did a friend tell you to come here?"

Fisherman: "Yes, I like to go fishing."

Interviewer: "Ah, okay, will you come back?"

Fisherman: "Yes, probably."

Interviewer: "What do you like about this place? What stood out to you?"

Fisherman: "So far, there are just a lot of man-made structures, which also make for good underwater structures. That's probably why people come to fish here."