More money in the pockets to Victoriaville

Caroline Lepage

Thursday, march 1, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Thursday, march 1, 2018 01:00

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VICTORIAVILLE | Even with a lower salary, there is still more money in the pockets of the citizens of Victoriaville that the people of Montreal and its suburbs, reveals a study.

A couple with children from Victoriaville, spends 13 552 $ less per year in cost of housing, transportation, leisure and power that a family who lives in Montreal. In return, the latter receives higher revenues 10 472 $.

The average family of Victoriaville’ll end the year with 3080 $ in his pockets, despite a lower salary.

“This is the money available to do something else,” says Eric Pinette, migration agent at the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi (CJE) of Arthabaska, who has conducted this comparative study on cost of living, with the City of Victoriaville.

Bring back the youth

The city of Centre-du-Québec region of 45 000 inhabitants, has performed this study in order to convince young people to go settle there in the context of scarcity of labour.

“It is in competition with the other regions “, says the mayor of Victoriaville, André Bellavance, who explains that the salary should not be the only criterion taken into account for choosing to settle in one place.

Houses three times less expensive

The biggest difference is on the expenditure plan related to housing.

In 2016, a family house was worth 168 755 $ Victoriaville, against 497 $ 600 to Montreal.

“It costs three times the price in Montreal,” insists Mr. Pinette.

The monthly cost of a 4 1/2 is about 525 $ in Victoriaville against 812 $ in Montreal.

Victoriaville has no universities or technological centres, which explains the income a bit lower.

Doctor

In addition to having less expenditure, the Victoriavillois have easier access to a family doctor and are waiting for two times less time in the emergency department.

If the young people of the regions are likely to migrate to larger centres to study, Victoriaville now hosts more of the “25 and over” as it loses. However, the aging of the population means that the 20 to 49 years of age, who accounted for almost half of the population in 2001, make up only one-third of the population. This translates into fewer workers.