About Us
West Bolton
Between Montérégie and Estrie
Bolton-Ouest is a small municipality located in the extreme east of the administrative region of Montérégie on the border with Estrie, with which it shares several characteristics of the land. It is part of the regional county municipality (MRC) of Brome-Missisquoi (BM) and has the city of Lac-Brome (MRC of BM) to the west, the township of Shefford (MRC of BM), to the northeast the municipality of Stukely-Sud (MRC de Memphrémagog (M)), to the east the municipalities of Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton and Bolton-Est and to the south, the municipality of the Canton of Potton (all three from the MRC de M). Link to map here
A 100% rural municipality without urbanization
Bolton-Ouest is a small municipality located in the extreme east of the administrative region of Montérégie on the border with Estrie, with which it shares several characteristics of the land. It is part of the regional county municipality (MRC) of Brome-Missisquoi (BM) and has the city of Lac-Brome (MRC of BM) to the west, the township of Shefford (MRC of BM), to the northeast the municipality of Stukely-Sud (MRC de Memphrémagog (M)), to the east the municipalities of Saint-Étienne-de-Bolton and Bolton-Est and to the south, the municipality of the Canton of Potton (all three from the MRC de M).
The MRC of Brome-Missisquoi at the heart of the Montreal – Sherbrooke – Burlington triangle (USA)
Link to the Bolton-Ouest road map pdf here
The Sleeping Beauty of the Eastern Townships
Hilly and bucolic landscapes
Located in the Appalachian plateau, the topography of Bolton-Ouest is made up of mountain ranges that reach heights of more than 600 meters in the southeast. The highest peak is Mount Glen with about 650 meters. The municipality is almost entirely drained by the watershed of the Yamaska River, including the tributaries of the Quilliams, Cold, North-Branch, West Field and Hume streams. Only a small area to the southeast is drained by the Missisquoi Bay watershed.
An agricultural and forestry heritage
The more rugged part of Bolton-Ouest offers land less suitable for agriculture (thin soils on rock). For the rest, 54% of the soils of the territory are categorized in class 4 and 5 with an average potential for agricultural activities, 44.6% in class 7 with a low potential and 1.4% in organic soils (source: Inventory of Canada Lands (1998)).
Predominantly, the forest cover represents 82.1% of the territory of Bolton-Ouest. It is made up of 55% deciduous trees (hard woods), 32% mixed forests (mixed woods) and 6% softwoods (soft woods). The dominant species are red maple, white birch and balsam fir. 48% of the territory is made up of maple groves of 4 hectares or more.
An insistent call for agricultural transition
The strategic planning exercise for the Municipality of Bolton-Ouest concluded in 2014 with the publication of a report produced by an external consulting firm ( https://bolton-ouest.ca/wp-content/uploads/ 2020/02/Strategic-Development-Plan_BO.pdf ). One of the objectives sought was to provide the Municipality with a vision of the future regarding its development and the priorities to be put forward, according to the results obtained from the citizen consultations.
Vision
“In the heart of the Eastern Townships, Bolton-Ouest offers its citizens, visitors and artists an authentic and inspiring environment, favoring nature and its rural and historical heritage. Elected officials and employees from diverse backgrounds are mobilized and actively contribute to the sound management of the municipality and the protection of its environment, while listening to the needs of its citizens. The citizens of Bolton-Ouest play an important role through their involvement in bilingual community life. Under a starry sky, Bolton-Ouest has stood out for its development of sustainable tourism and high value-added agriculture. »
Challenges and axes of development
1. Financial health :
at. Innovate in the search for sources of income
b. Support niche agriculture
vs. Facilitate access to property
d. Facilitate the development of sustainable tourism
2. Environmental quality:
at. Preserve rural and environmental heritage
3. Community sense:
at. Foster a sense of belonging and a community spirit
b. Improve quality of life
