French Fold

The snowbirds are revolting. On the one wing, the migrating seniors are challenging Ottawa’s mandatory hotel quarantine in the courts, balking at paying thousands for a few days in “hotel hell.” On the other, they have become targets of popular disgust. Who do they think they are, the righteous want to know, basking in the sun while the rest of us have been told to stay put? Such reactions are fuelled by legitimate concerns about contagion and a reflexive scorn against perceived rule breakers. Having spent a recent week reading Le Soleil de la Floride, I must admit there’s also a less noble emotion in the mix: jealousy.

The very existence of Le Soleil de la Floride is a testament to the francophone settlement of the Sunshine State. Owned by Louis S. St‑Laurent II, a retired attorney and absolutely the grandson of a former prime minister, the newspaper was founded in...