No Price for Peace of Mind

Five years ago Michele Brideau was a single mom living in Montreal.  An accomplished HR professional, by all outward appearances she looked like she had everything one would want.  She lived in a townhouse development for professionals and families in a nice neighbourhood, had a high paying job, her daughter had educational opportunities – it was a life many people strive for.  But something wasn’t working for Michele – she was getting sick and tired of the line-ups, the traffic and the frenetic pace.  She was constantly worrying about her daughter’s safety.  Suddenly she realized that she was living with a lot of stress, and in a light bulb moment she realized “There had to be a better way to live.”

When she began looking for alternatives her attention was drawn to the east coast, but she “didn’t know Saint John from a hole in the ground”.  She wanted to live in a bilingual environment similar to Montreal and so focused her attention on Moncton, NB because she knew of their reputation as a bilingual city.  But a local Saint John law firm was interested in her, interested enough to bring her to Saint John for four days to get to know the community.  Being here was all it took – she discovered the tight-knit Francophone community she was looking for and fell in love with all that the city had to offer.  She accepted the position and she and her daughter made their move.

Since then Michele has completely integrated herself into the community she proudly calls home.  She has volunteered with the Saint John Volunteer Centre, the Human Development Council, the Saint John Arts and Culture Board and many other local events and causes.  She and her family love to go for nature walks and hikes, and enjoy parks and trail systems that are conveniently located within ten minutes of their home.  They enjoy the vibrant arts and culture scene in the city, where they attend shows at the Imperial Theatre and Harbour Station, not to mention grabbing a coffee and croissant at the French bistro Nougatine et Chocolat.  According to Michele, “These are some of the advantages of a smaller CMA in the Maritimes.  Green spaces galore right at your door. Affordable lifestyle and everything close by!”