The story of Oasis campsite begins…

Nicole: We were 20 and 27, with two young children and we were poor. When they sold us the campsite, the previous owners said to themselves: they’ll do it for a year and we’ll pick up the pieces. It could have happened. We were lucky…

Yvon: We lost 60 seasonal customers the first year, but the following year we gained 75.

Nicole: The wages we earned in the winter were reinvested in the campsite. Yvon was the visionary, the one with flair, and I mastered customer service, so we made a good team! By going to the camping associations, we realized that the campsite owners were mostly professionals or entrepreneurs who had money. We were the new kids, with few resources, but visionary and hard-working!

Buying a campsite meant opting for a certain lifestyle...

Nicole: Yvon always wanted to work in the summer and be on vacation in the winter, but it wasn't possible for a long time! Vacations were always the most important thing to him. He's still the same today.

You are among the longest-serving campsite owners in Quebec…

Yvon: Owners usually wait 10-15 years before selling. Because it's difficult!

What keeps you here after 45 years?

Nicole : The next generation. I thought about selling 82,000 times since the purchase. (laughs) But my children worked with us. My daughter finally chose a career in management, but my son wanted to take over the business. So my son-in-law and my son bought 50% of the campsite and we remain shareholders of the other half. When we saw that our children were interested, we continued to grow the campsite with them, to improve it over time to invest in their future.

Yvon: Without the next generation, we would probably have sold after 25 or 30 years.

Have you finally fulfilled your dream of a winter escape?

Nicole: It took us 25 years before we could afford to go on vacation. We visited Europe, Asia, Indochina. We bought a pied-à-terre in Acapulco where there are 200 sites, all owned by Quebecers. I organize activities there, put on shows…

Yvon: Denise Filiatrault, that's her! (laughs)

So the campsite is never far away…

Nicole: We're still here, but we've reduced our activities. I do accounting and I don't feel like I'm working. Yvon works on strategy and development, but he takes more and more time for himself. He's old at 72, while I'm young at 66! (laughs) One thing is certain, we don't see ourselves retiring anytime soon.