The Laurentides still offer a weekend escape for Montrealers and tourists from New England to Ontario, though with the building of a major highway through the area in the 1970s (Autoroute 15), the area has experienced a lot of growth.
The minister who holds this position is responsible for overseeing government matters in the Laurentides region, to the northwest of Montreal.
A notable chain of group homes run by Batshaw is the Shawbridge Boys' Farm in the Laurentians, 75 kilometers north of Montreal.
The territory was once part of the seigneurial system in the 18th century and was travelled by several coureur des bois for the fur industry as well as workers in the logging industry as it was located nearby rich forest lands of the Laurentians and the Haute Mauricie regions near the Saint-Maurice River.