🦫 From Orford to the World Stage — This Week in the Townships

Hey there, Townshippers

Big story this week: an 18-year-old from Orford just represented Canada at the Paralympic Winter Games in Italy — and it started with a promise she made to herself at age seven. We've also got five solid events across the region, feel-good news from Lennoxville to Granby, and a Knowlton property that might make you rethink your living situation.

Let's get into it. 👇

When Florence Carrier was seven years old, watching the 2014 Sochi Paralympics on TV, she turned to herself and made a decision. Not a wish — a decision. She was going to compete at the Games.

Twelve years later, on March 12, the Orford-raised, Magog-based skier stepped into the start gate at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — representing Team Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Carrier was born with fibular hemimelia, a malformation of the fibula. Her right leg was amputated below the knee when she was nine months old. She received her first prosthesis at 13 months and was on skis by three. Growing up in an active family in the Townships, she tried everything — triathlon, swimming, cycling, baseball — but alpine skiing is where she found her edge.

She went to Princess Elizabeth Elementary School in Magog, where her mother Lisa Gauthier still teaches. After winning two gold medals at the 2023 Canada Winter Games with Team Quebec in Prince Edward Island, Carrier joined Canada's para-alpine development team. By the 2025–26 season, she'd earned her spot on the national squad — competing in three World Cup races, including a fourth-place slalom finish in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, and an eighth in Feldberg, Germany.

At the Paralympics, she raced in the women's standing classification. In the slalom, she finished 11th in a field stacked with the world's most experienced para-alpine athletes. For a first Games at 18? That's the kind of result that marks a beginning, not a ceiling.

The next Winter Paralympics are four years away. Carrier will be 22 — and if the trajectory holds, she won't just be competing. She'll be contending.

Somewhere in the Townships right now, a kid is watching what Florence did and thinking exactly what she thought in 2014. That's the thing about stories like this: they don't just look back. They start something.

Source 👉 Sherbrooke Record | Canadian Paralympic Committee

🎸 É.T.É — Saturday, March 28 — Sherbrooke (La Petite Boite Noire): Saturday night at LPBN is always a good bet, and É.T.É is the kind of act that fills the room with energy. The venue consistently books some of the most interesting live music in the region, and the Wellington St. surroundings make it easy to grab food before or after. If you haven't been to LPBN in a while, this is your excuse. Details 👉 bandsintown.com

🎤 Bruno Pelletier — Sunday, March 29, 2:00 PM — Granby (Le Palace): One of Quebec's most powerful voices brings his catalogue to Granby for a Sunday afternoon matinée. Pelletier's stage presence is the real deal, and the daytime slot makes it easy to pair with brunch in town or a walk before the show. Great if you want something cultural without a late night. Details 👉 bandsintown.com

🎵 Kim Churchill — "It's Lovely To Have You Here" — Thursday, March 26 — Magog (Le Vieux Clocher): Australian indie-folk artist Kim Churchill brings his signature one-man-band looping style to one of the Townships' best small venues. Raw guitar, layered live loops, and real storytelling — the Vieux Clocher's acoustics do the rest. A strong Thursday night opener to the weekend. Details 👉 easterntownships.org/events

🎶 Madeleine Peyroux — "Let's Walk" — Thursday, March 26 — Bromont: Jazz-folk singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux plays Bromont tonight. If you like your evenings warm, unhurried, and beautifully sung, this is your pick. Her voice sits somewhere between Billie Holiday and Joni Mitchell — and the intimate setting will make it feel personal. Details 👉 easterntownships.org/events

🍻 Les Mercredis de l'humour au Siboire — Wednesday, April 1 — Sherbrooke (Siboire): Mid-week comedy at one of Sherbrooke's best brewpubs. The Wednesday humour nights at Siboire are a reliable good time: rotating local comics, solid craft beer, low commitment. Show up, laugh, drink something good, go home happy. Details 👉 eventbrite.ca

🏀 Bishop's Gaiters bring home silver from nationals — and a hero's welcome: The Bishop's University men's basketball team came home to Lennoxville on March 10 after the best season in program history. The Gaiters made the U SPORTS national championship game for the first time in 28 years, falling just short to Carleton 78–75 in a final that came down to the last 30 seconds. Along the way, they upset top-seeded Victoria 66–65 in a semifinal thriller and saw Charles Robert set a program record with 30 points in the quarterfinal. Coach Matt McLean won U SPORTS Coach of the Year, and forward Étienne Gagnon was named national Defensive Player of the Year. Dozens of students, staff and alumni greeted the bus with pom-poms and bells. For a school with roughly 2,700 students — the smallest in the league — this run was something special. Source 👉 Sherbrooke Record | Bishop's Athletics

💼 $6.8M in federal funding for English-speaking job seekers: The federal government announced $6.8 million over five years to support roughly 1,800 English-speaking residents in the Eastern Townships through the Townshippers' Association's Guide employment program. The funding covers tailored job assistance, skills workshops, and hands-on learning. For a community that often has to navigate services in a second language, this is a real commitment. Source 👉 fundsforNGOs

📱 Mon Lennox becomes Mon/My Lennoxville: After months of pushback from borough councillors and residents, the City of Sherbrooke has added an English component to Lennoxville's municipal branding. The borough was quietly switched from the locally created "Explore Lennox" to "Mon Lennox" last fall — without consultation. Councillors argued the move disrespected the neighbourhood's bilingual character. The revised "Mon/My Lennoxville" name is a compromise, and it landed because people spoke up. Source 👉 Sherbrooke Record

🏛️ Sherbrooke launches defence and security tech strategy: On March 12, Sherbrooke's Chamber of Commerce, Entreprendre Sherbrooke, and the Distriq quantum innovation zone launched DEFSEC Sherbrooke — a regional strategy to position Estrie in the growing defence, security, and dual-use technology markets. With Canada increasing military spending, the initiative aims to help local firms access contracts that have historically gone to larger centres. One to watch. Source 👉 Publisher PT

🎓 Townshippers' Association marks 45 years: The organization behind some of the Townships' most important English-language services — from employment programs to the annual Townshippers' Festival — is celebrating 45 years of community work. If you've ever used their calendar, attended a workshop, or forwarded their resources to a neighbour, this milestone is partly yours. Source 👉 townshippers.org

Character Home on Victoria Street, Knowlton — $695,000: In the heart of one of the Townships' most walkable villages, this two-storey home on Rue Victoria stands out for the details — meticulous upkeep, recent renovations, and the kind of character you can't fake. Three bedrooms, a practical basement with workshop and cold room, and a beautifully landscaped double lot that blooms all summer. The fully restored double garage and covered terrace seal the deal. You're steps from Knowlton's cafés, shops, and restaurants — no car required for your Saturday morning routine.

👉 View the full listing here

Florence Carrier made herself a promise at seven years old — and kept it. What's a goal you set as a kid in the Townships that actually came true? Maybe it was buying that house, opening that business, landing a job you once thought was out of reach, or finally learning to ski without a death grip on both poles. Hit reply — we'd love to hear it.

That wraps another week. If Florence Carrier's story made you feel something, forward this to someone who could use a good local win in their inbox. We'll be back next Thursday with more of what matters around here.

Until then — get outside, grab some tire sur la neige while the season lasts, and enjoy the last stretch of winter turning into spring. ✌️

- The Eastern Townships Now team 🦫