Library books from a small town in the Pontiac region of Quebec are about to be checked out for the last time and with no due date.
"This used to be our library, unfortunately we had to close," said Fort Coulonge, Que. Mayor Christine Francoeur, while standing in the space that was formerly the library.
The town about a 120 km west of Ottawa is giving the remaining books away, after the library closed its doors for the final time in December, according to the mayor.
"It was a hard decision to make, it’s something we’ve been talking about for a couple of years already at the council table," she says.
The town has a population of about 1,300. Francoeur says the library costs around $42,000 annually to operate and, after years of declining use, a decision had to be made.
"We have less than three per cent of the population using our library and the ones that were coming in, most of the time was just to use the internet, not even to borrow books."
More than 5,000 books have been returned to a larger regional library network in the Outaouais. Approximately 1,000 books are left. Residents of the town only are invited to pick them up over two days this week.
"Residents of Fort Coulonge have already paid for these books in their taxes, so I think they should have first choice," said Francoeur.
She says this isn’t the first library in the area to close its doors — she adds that nearby Campbell’s Bay closed its library around two years ago.
Residents in the town have mixed feelings about losing their local library.
"It’s going to be a sad thing for kids around here," said one resident.
"I think it’s really important that we have that service. It’s awful that we don’t have it," said another.
One woman said, "I’m a person that didn’t go because we do everything with this today," as she points to her iPhone.
According to the mayor, residents can pick up books on Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. and Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m. at the library and administration building at 134 rue Principale, closing a chapter many wish had a happier ending.
"People that did use the library will be missing it a lot," said Francoeur.
U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have announced updates on a number of cross-border issues, after a day of meetings on Parliament Hill.
As Joe Biden makes his first trip to Canada as president of the United States, CTVNews.ca is offering live coverage of the leader's visit. Follow our live blog on CTVNews.ca and the CTV News app for the latest updates.
Sky-gazers and shutterbugs across much of Canada were treated to a spectacular display of northern lights Thursday night and into Friday morning.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Notable people will be in attendance at Friday’s gala dinner with U.S. President Joe Biden, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum, including former prime ministers and celebrities.
The first lady of the United States got a sweeping introduction to Canadian sports culture in Ottawa Friday as Sophie Gregoire Trudeau took Jill Biden to the curling rink for her first trip to Ottawa.
The immigration deal announced Friday by U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the two countries along a back road between New York state and Quebec.
W5 investigates aging asbestos pipes across Canada and the potential health hazards if it ends up in your tap water. Watch W5's 'Something in the Water' Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
Gwyneth Paltrow is expected to testify Friday in a trial over a 2016 ski collision at a Utah ski resort, where a man claims that the movie star's recklessness caused broken ribs, brain damage and lasting physical injuries.
Police say a woman is in hospital following a shooting in west Saint John, N.B., early Friday morning and three suspects have been arrested.
As competition for health-care workers heats up, so too does the bidding.
While one round of snow and rain has passed, another is lined up for the end of the weekend.
Ontario's so-called sunshine list is out and the top salary in the province was a little more than $1.7 million.
Ontario’s self-described crypto king was allegedly abducted, tortured, and beaten for days as his kidnappers looked to solicit millions in ransom, his father told a court in December.
Short-term rental company Airbnb says it will pull listings that don't have a proper permit from the Quebec government. The San Francisco-based company made the announcement eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.
The immigration deal announced Friday by U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau aims to shut down a process that has enabled tens of thousands of immigrants from across the world to move between the two countries along a back road between New York state and Quebec.
A Quebec man is asking the court for permission to bring a class action against Ticketmaster, alleging that the American ticketing company intentionally misled customers to make more money.
Ontario's so-called sunshine list is out and the top salary in the province was a little more than $1.7 million.
CTV News has learned an Ontario Provincial Police sergeant with 22 years of service has been charged in Sudbury with criminal harassment.
Merrilee Fullerton, a longtime cabinet minister in Premier Doug Ford's government, has resigned.
A London man was arrested early Friday morning after being spotted throwing a cinder block through the front door of a restaurant, according to police.
An elderly Byron man said he received numerous offers of help to clear away rotting barn rubble from his property, after a London, Ont. city council committee endorsed a recommendation to grant a demolition permit.
A woman is in hospital with critical injuries after an overnight house fire in north London. Crews were called to the scene on Adelaide Street near Dufferin Avenue around 1:20 a.m.
A Manitoba First Nation is enacting measures to combat an ongoing drug and addiction crisis while also calling on the federal and provincial governments to do more to address drug-related deaths within northern remote Indigenous communities.
Manitobans were treated to a stunning display of the northern lights on Thursday night, as the sky was lit up with swirls of green.
Manitoba Public Insurance is working on a special licence plate meant to raise awareness on the societal issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people that will be made available to the Manitoba public by the end of the year.
A Kitchener man has been arrested by Waterloo regional police for making alleged death threats towards Region of Waterloo Chair Karen Redman.
An uncommon phenomenon lit up the skies across southern Ontario on Thursday night, including in Waterloo region where the aurora borealis – also known as the northern lights - shone bright enough to see with the naked eye.
The Region of Waterloo’s highest-paid public sector employee made just under $500,000 in 2022.
One person is missing and a dog is dead after two homes caught fire Friday afternoon in northwest Calgary.
Emergency crews rushed to the community of Chaparral on Friday after the driver of a garbage truck lost control of the vehicle, causing it to crash.
Alberta's police watchdog has cleared two Calgary police officers in their dealings with a speeding drunk driver who hit and killed two pedestrians.
The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival has announced its 2023 ticketed lineup.
Many residents across Saskatchewan had a prominent view of the Aurora Borealis also known as the Northern Lights Thursday night and Friday morning and are sharing the pictures they captured with CTV News.
A group representing Canadian restaurants says the Saskatchewan budget missed an opportunity to help the food service industry.
The procession is scheduled to leave the Alberta Legislature grounds toward Rogers Place at approximately 11:45 a.m.
A tuition increase of 5.5 per cent for domestic students and current international students was approved by the University of Alberta Friday morning.
The City of Beaumont says one of its community peace officers was threatened while issuing a parking ticket.
A legal advocacy group in Vancouver is calling for B.C. to overhaul its approach to mental health care in order to eliminate involuntary treatment options.
Mounties in Kelowna say they have responded to 78 reported catalytic converter thefts so far this year, a total that works out to nearly one per day.
A micro suite in Vancouver is being rented for $700 a month—a steep price considering the space is just 150 square feet.
Saskatchewan’s 2023-24 budget highlighted healthcare as one of its main priorities, with Emergency Medical Services getting a small cut of the new funding.
Saskatchewan is likely taking a cautious approach when it comes to the surplus announced in the 2023-24 provincial budget, according to an associate professor of economics at the University of Regina.
Two cars that have become a curiosity in Regina's north end are slowly emerging from a massive pile of snow as the spring thaw starts in the Prairies.
