Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
2 Dec 2025
Reply rate
96.3 %
Usually responds within 7 days
Feedback
53
Email verified
Badges (3)
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Details
Description
This is is warm and welcoming century home that has become a touchstone for many who have visited over the years. I am a 61 year old holistically oriented realtor, with 3 adult kids. My 29 year old daughter Bénédicte, is currently studying and working in Berlin, my eldest son Ben, (32), bought a fixer upper house nearby and has recently taken a break from work to go back to university and my middle son Daniel, 30, who travelled the world for several years as a digital nomad, has started a career in politics Ottawa . Our house is located in Chateauguay, a small community south of Montreal, only a few minutes walk from a bus that will take you to the Angrignon métro. The atmosphere is relaxed and easygoing, this is a great place to step back, breathe deeply , disconnect from the craziness and have good conversations.
Welcome to digital nomads, good cooks, handy types, artists and gardeners. Staying here is generally a pretty laid back gig, as long as the work gets done you can generally set your own schedule. If you want a few days off to go visit Quebec for example, just work more on the preceding days. There is always cleaning and weeding, sometimes painting or repairs, and in August there is preparation for and helping at my big annual BBQ. (I am less laid back at that point, lol!) I have heard the average is 5 hours per day for most hosts, I don't really look at hours per day, it is fine to get more work done on some days and take other full days to go downtown and explore the city. I want to create a win-win.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
Carpentry
Hiking
Cycling
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Camping
Fitness
Sailing / Boating
Water sports
Outdoor activities
Cooking & food
Gardening
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Life does not have to be about what others tell you is 'success'.. we believe that 'success' means looking within, finding your sweet spots and intentionally creating a life in accordance with your values and beliefs. Here you will have a chance to discuss your beliefs and aspirations, maybe set some goals, see what freedom and open mindedness look like. 2 of my kids have done great workaways, we want to contribute to the community.
Help
Historic riverfront home, located not too far from downtown Montreal and accessible by public transit, needs a few more hours than what I can spare at the moment. Some renovations happening at my son's house a few blocks away as well.
The gig is chill, in this house we like to talk about life, goals directions and experiences over a few glasses of wine and a lot of laughter. Once the bigger jobs are done (spring and fall clean up, gardening and weeding, prepping the big August BBQ) aside from helping keep this huge house clean and helping to cook dinners so I can focus on other responsibilities, I don't need a ton of hours, just some blitzes now and then in a few different areas. NB I have found that 2 week stays are the best on our end.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Accommodation
Depends on the time of year. Fall and Spring there are usually 2 Queen beds and a single in the Air bnb, summer there is one king bedroom and a double. The workaways have a bathroom for themselves. there is a front deck that faces the river and the sunrise, big back yard great for tenting, yoga and campfires. We have parking and new this year is the cold plunge, an old clawfoot tub set up outside and filled with cold water, amazing on a hot summer day!
What else ...
In Montreal? Anything and everything!! The bus to the metro (subway ) line is about a 7 minute walk, and you can get downtown in about 70 minutes, much less if you have a car. Montreal is a world class city, several universities, affordable eats, lots of young people and a thriving indie music and arts scene.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Wifi is good and works outside too, you can use your computer on the front porch and enjoy the view.
Space for parking camper vans
flexible
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
Host ref number: 778837122996
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
+18
Feedback (26)
2 Dec 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Cyrielle & Herve)
How wonderful to see a father daughter team up for adventures like this! Cyrielle and Hervé just pitched in and got things done, no complaints when work was a bit strenuous or dirty like going to the dump. You will not be disappointed, just hand them a list and it will be taken care of. they have had some very interesting life expeirences, the… read more
(Excellent
)
11 Nov 2025
Left by Workawayer (Cyrielle & Herve) for host
Catherine is a wonderfully welcoming host who loves to entertain and share her life experiences. She goes out of her way to help others and offers the best way to discover the area outside of Montreal. The house is beautiful and inviting. We had a fantastic experience and highly recommend it.
29 Oct 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Yi Ting)
Phoebe was such a joy to have here, I miss her happy smiles, great conversation and amazing cooking. No host will be disappointed if the host her, Phoebe was very proactive, did not wait around for me to give her things to do, she is extremely bright and figured things out on her own. We had really interesting chats on a multitude of topics,… read more
(Excellent
)
29 Oct 2025
Left by Workawayer (Yi Ting) for host
When we first met, Catherine cheerfully said that I was going to have an interesting experience here — and she was absolutely right :) I loved the tasks she gave me, some of which were even quite challenging! Living in her beautiful home has become one of my most precious memories in Canada. I really admire her bright energy and all the… read more
24 Apr 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Leonie)
Leonie was fabulous, a great person to talk to, a hard worker, knew how to take a chaotic situation and make sense of it and just got things done. I was sorry to see her go. Any host lucky enough to snag her in your home will have no regrets. She is welcome back here any time!!
(Excellent
)
24 Apr 2025
Left by Workawayer (Leonie) for host
Staying at Catherine's place was a truly amazing experience! I stayed two weeks in March and did mostly some easy work and tasks including cleaning, cooking and taking care of the space and her two foster cats in the house. Catherine is an open, very kind and easy going person who was always willing to help or support, giving some recommendations… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
+18
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(4.9)
2 Dec 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Cyrielle & Herve)
How wonderful to see a father daughter team up for adventures like this! Cyrielle and Hervé just pitched in and got things done, no complaints when work was a bit strenuous or dirty like going to the dump. You will not be disappointed, just hand them a list and it will be taken care of. they have had some very interesting life expeirences, the… read more
(Excellent)
11 Nov 2025
Left by Workawayer (Cyrielle & Herve) for host
Catherine is a wonderfully welcoming host who loves to entertain and share her life experiences. She goes out of her way to help others and offers the best way to discover the area outside of Montreal. The house is beautiful and inviting. We had a fantastic experience and highly recommend it.
29 Oct 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Yi Ting)
Phoebe was such a joy to have here, I miss her happy smiles, great conversation and amazing cooking. No host will be disappointed if the host her, Phoebe was very proactive, did not wait around for me to give her things to do, she is extremely bright and figured things out on her own. We had really interesting chats on a multitude of topics,… read more
(Excellent)
29 Oct 2025
Left by Workawayer (Yi Ting) for host
When we first met, Catherine cheerfully said that I was going to have an interesting experience here — and she was absolutely right :) I loved the tasks she gave me, some of which were even quite challenging! Living in her beautiful home has become one of my most precious memories in Canada. I really admire her bright energy and all the… read more
24 Apr 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Leonie)
Leonie was fabulous, a great person to talk to, a hard worker, knew how to take a chaotic situation and make sense of it and just got things done. I was sorry to see her go. Any host lucky enough to snag her in your home will have no regrets. She is welcome back here any time!!
(Excellent)
24 Apr 2025
Left by Workawayer (Leonie) for host
Staying at Catherine's place was a truly amazing experience! I stayed two weeks in March and did mostly some easy work and tasks including cleaning, cooking and taking care of the space and her two foster cats in the house. Catherine is an open, very kind and easy going person who was always willing to help or support, giving some recommendations… read more
15 Apr 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Jule)
Jule is a sweetheart, smart, funny, easy to get along with and wants to learn and work well. We had a lot of fun together, and she never hesitated to pitch in and help. I would host her again any time. Jule, I hope you have a wonderful remainder of your Canada journey, you will carry these experiences with you for the rest of your life! Bitte mehr… read more
(Very good)
15 Apr 2025
Left by Workawayer (Jule) for host
Catherine is an absolutely fantastic host! She's really kind and tries to teach you new things and wants you to learn something from your stay which makes it really memorable. I didn't stay long but it was a diverse week. The tasks are not physically demanding and it was okay to explore DT a whole day and do nothing on the property (which is… read more
2 Mar 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Harsangeet)
Info notice: Workawayer cancelled stay or there was a no show at the last minute
(Workawayer cancelled last minute / no-show)
2 Mar 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Grégoire)
Info notice: Workawayer cancelled stay or there was a no show at the last minute
(Workawayer cancelled last minute / no-show)
6 Jan 2025
Left by Workawayer (Mirjam & Thomas) for host
Thank you, Catherine, for having us! We felt so lucky to have had the chance to stay at your place! You have such a beautiful house, a welcoming home and we've enjoyed our conversations a lot! Thank you for all the time you took and effort you made to chat with us, find tasks that would suit us and even taking us to Ottawa and Montreal! All the… read more
7 Nov 2024
Left by Workawayer (Felix & Alicia) for host
We loved our stay at Catherine’s! She’s a bundle of energy and joy with some great stories, recipes and perspectives on life. We learnt a lot and laughed a lot! She taught us so much about home restoration, meat curing and finding contentment. She had lots of projects on the go and it was inspiring and exciting to see her version of life. She’s a… read more
10 Sep 2024
Left by Workawayer (Allegra) for host
The two weeks I spent at Catherine's were amazing. Her and her beautiful family treated me with exceptional kindness and her riverside house is simply beautiful. Even if she's a very busy person, she always found the time to talk with me and to show me Châteauguay. Her attention to people is what makes staying at her place so special: her house is… read more
26 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Nicola)
Nicola...I miss you already! A kind, sensitive and introspective soul with a heart of gold. If he does not know how to do something he will learn it..if you ask for help he pitches in 200% to get it done. He got along very well with all kinds of people, he is honest, trustworthy, thoughtful, very interesting to have conversations with (ask him… read more
(Excellent)
26 Aug 2024
Left by Workawayer (Nicola) for host
Wow, I wouldn't know how to sum up the experience in a few words. The most appropriate description I think is: mind blowing. Being at Catherine's was a journey outside and inside, it gave me the chance to see some magical places but most of all to explore parts of myself I didn't know or had forgotten I had. Sometimes in life you feel stuck for an… read more
26 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Teresa & Eugenio)
Just wonderful people, talented, funny, happy and a delight to spend time with. I highly recommend Teresa and Eugenio for any workaway position needed. They can be trusted with your home, your animals and your family and are welcome back in my home at any time!
(Excellent)
29 Jul 2024
Left by Workawayer (Teresa & Eugenio) for host
It was a real pleasure to spend two weeks with Catherine. She is a dynamic and energetic person. Even though she is very busy with work, she always finds ways to make you have a pleasant time, like taking us to the dock to watch the sunset, or walking around Montreal or Chateauguay to see the beautiful houses.
We shared many delicious meals… read more
We shared many delicious meals… read more
6 Aug 2024
Left by Workawayer (Aurélie & Pietro) for host
A huge thank you to our Canadian Mom for two wonderful weeks of fun, gardening, cooking and sharing!
Catherine is a really beautiful soul and we are glad our paths crossed. She has been the first person we met here in Canada and we couldn't wish for any better.
Missing you, Luna and our super cozy room everyday. Hope to see you soon :)
Catherine is a really beautiful soul and we are glad our paths crossed. She has been the first person we met here in Canada and we couldn't wish for any better.
Missing you, Luna and our super cozy room everyday. Hope to see you soon :)
6 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Aurélie & Pietro)
AMAZING PEOPLE!!! I had such a wonderful experience with Aurelie and Pietro, great cooks, great communicators, lovely hearts and souls...Iand hard workers! would adopt them if I could and they are welcome back as guests at any time!!
(Excellent)
6 Aug 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Laura)
Smart, well organized and a take charge and get it done kind of person, Laura is Mission Control with a sense of humour and a happy energy, I really loved my time with her and so did everyone else at my house. Go go go Laura, happy travels! ;-)
(Excellent)
1 May 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Sze long)
What an absolute jewel. Sze Long (nickname Candice) was such a joy to have around, she is a great cook, she has a lovely attitude, cleaned things up and organized without being asked to and was flexible about the kind of work being done. She is welcome back any time. Good luck with your next adventures, Candice!
(Excellent)
1 May 2024
Left by Workawayer (Sze long) for host
Catherine is such a beautiful lady inside out. She cherishes deep connections with people even thought she has a busy life. She will sit down at the dining table with you talking about a wide range of topics and sharing stories. She enjoys food but no pressure to cook just simple meals. She has a lovely cosy home and I am sure everyone will love… read more
28 Apr 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Daniel & Tessa)
Daniel and Tessa are welcome back any time. They are smart and open minded people, lovely to spend time with and we had a lot of great evenings discussing everything under the sun. These are people who really care about their community, their hosts, and demonstrate that with a willingness to jump in and get stuff done. They arrived at a very… read more
(Excellent)
27 Apr 2024
Left by Workawayer (Daniel & Tessa) for host
Catherine's home is beautiful and it was fun to get to know Montreal and Chateauguay through her recommendations. We had some lovely evenings together with the other Workawayers playing card games and watching movies. Catherine cares about your goals and has a lot of wisdom to offer.
In terms of work: we helped with cooking and enjoyed the… read more
In terms of work: we helped with cooking and enjoyed the… read more
18 Nov 2023
Left by Workawayer (Anna & Paul) for host
We had an incredible stay with Catherine. Her house is beautiful and we were made to feel at home right away.
We had really fun mealtimes with Catherine and the other workawayers that were staying there, sharing amazing food and stories. We also enjoyed watching live music and learning how to play Cribbage (which we have been practicing… read more
We had really fun mealtimes with Catherine and the other workawayers that were staying there, sharing amazing food and stories. We also enjoyed watching live music and learning how to play Cribbage (which we have been practicing… read more
30 Aug 2023
Left by Workawayer (Sirine) for host
This is my first workaway experience and I have to say that my stay at Catherine's place was amazing! First of all her house has a very warm vibe located in a beautiful area!
I felt so much like home thanks to Catherine and her son Daniel. Now I will keep visiting and checking on them as if I have got a second family.
I had a really fun time… read more
I felt so much like home thanks to Catherine and her son Daniel. Now I will keep visiting and checking on them as if I have got a second family.
I had a really fun time… read more
31 Jul 2023
Left by Workawayer (Catherine & Bertie) for host
We had the most wonderful stay with Catherine, we left Châteauguay feeling like a part of the family! It was a perfect arrangement, and we were lucky enough to spend some quality time enjoying amazing food, chatting (and the occasional show on Netflix!) together after a good day of work. Bertie mainly spent time working on jobs around the house… read more
18 Apr 2023
Left by host for Workawayer (Rooxiipop)
My experience with Roxana was wonderful...she is conscientious, diligent and very responsible. I have an enormous (unraked since 2022) backyard full of leaves and broken trees, after the ice storm , she took the initiative to get out there and clean it all... On rainy days she was constantly helping inside with cleaning without me having to ask.… read more
(Excellent)
22 Mar 2023
Left by Workawayer (Misaki) for host
I stayed there about 11days. I really excited while in there. I did cleaning stuff and take care lovely cat and l help cooking as workawayer, she is really nice chief I ate too much all times when she cooked, and she taught me a lot of things as person of volunteer so I highly recommend if you are beginner of workaway!
30 Apr 2020
Left by Workawayer (Bonnie) for host
This is way way way over due ! My time spent with Catherine and her family was the BEST! They are all so kind, funny and considerate! There was always amazing food being dished out! The jobs were always appropriate and fun honestly ! I stained the bottom half of the house during my stay so if your lucky enough to stay here check out my handwork !… read more
14 Nov 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Bonnie)
I have not laughed so much in years...Bonnie is absolutely delightful, she brought a very particular NZ sense of humor (and accent) to our home and we had a lot of very interesting conversations. She worked hard and took great pride in doing a good job. She had to face a few challenges while at the house, (climbing on ladders) and she did so with… read more
(Excellent)
4 Apr 2020
Left by Workawayer (Wen jing) for host
Catherine was lovely. My suitcase broke on the way to her office in the morning and she let me leave my stuff at the office while I went to search for a new suitcase. She was really helpful and even offered the meditation space in the office for me to rest in as I had taken the midnight bus. We had many deep conversations over the week. I learned… read more
7 Dec 2019
Left by Workawayer (lanarosales) for host
My mom and I stayed with Catherine for two weeks (November 21 - December 5). During this time, we helped out around the house, did some organizing, holiday prep, and some light yard work. Catherine is a wonderful host who truly cares about people. Although she didn't have to, she went above and beyond for us, in every way... from drawing up a… read more
7 Dec 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (lanarosales)
Helana (Lana) and her mom Penny were so much fun to have around, they worked hard, anticipated needs (coming downstairs at 7 am to good hot coffee was a wonderful bonus!)
Lana has a great attitude, she willing to pitch in and do whatever is needed, she has an eagerness to learn and jumped in as needed. She is a great asset to any household, does… read more
Lana has a great attitude, she willing to pitch in and do whatever is needed, she has an eagerness to learn and jumped in as needed. She is a great asset to any household, does… read more
(Excellent)
7 Dec 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Penny)
OMG how am I going to manage without this magnificent woman? Penny arrived after I had just moved, and somehow she created calm organization from the chaotic mess...anything I needed doing she was ready to tackle.. plastering and paining-check, sewing curtains-check, mending-check, throw diner on, no problem...Penny is amazing! And very fun to… read more
(Excellent)
7 Dec 2019
Left by Workawayer (Penny) for host
What can I say about Catherine, her family, hospitality, friends, experience, and everything without saying thank you for everything!!!!
Catherine accepted me (and my daughter) rather last minute and at a very busy time for her and I'm so thankful that she did. I had such a great time hanging out and helping around the house. It was a wonderful… read more
Catherine accepted me (and my daughter) rather last minute and at a very busy time for her and I'm so thankful that she did. I had such a great time hanging out and helping around the house. It was a wonderful… read more
14 Nov 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Alex)
IT was great having Alex join us...he is very intelligent and conscientious, works in a focused and diligent manner and got along very well with everyone. Alex was handed a bucket of paint, a few ladders and brushes and a power washer, and he coordinated the powerwashing and then repainting of our house with another workaway so that they both know… read more
(Excellent)
14 Nov 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Olivier)
Olivier is responsible, self motivated, very intelligent individual who assessed he work to be done and implemented smart strategies for accomplishing it. His job was powerwashing and staining the second floor of our house, which involved setting up and securing scaffolding and working on ladders. His experience as a firefighter ensured he worked… read more
(Excellent)
8 Sep 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Anouk & Carrie)
Wow what a team, great attitude and energy, jumped into whatever had to be done, strong arms...they happily accomplished some heavy jobs the guys on site did not want to tackle! I will always treasure the memory of them shoveling out a trailer full of crushed rock as the men did the dishes and vacuumed the house!
(Excellent)
8 Sep 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Elisa & Alexane)
Bright, funny, great to chat with and dependable. Really lovely young women and if they did not know how to do something, they quickly took initiative to learn.
(Very good)
8 Sep 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Omar)
Bright, open to learning new skills and easy to get along with. We had some wonderful discussions and I knew I could count on Omar to get the requested task done. Was a pleasure getting to know him!
(Very good)
4 Jun 2019
Left by Workawayer (Omar) for host
I stayed for close to a month and very much enjoyed my stay at Catherines beautiful home. We had lovely dinners with her family and friends, one of my favorite memories. Catherine and her son Daniel are very kind and hospitable people. The work was mostly just doing gardening working and cleaning the house, for the most part its pretty chill like… read more
8 Sep 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Melanie & Kathrin)
Melanie is wonderful, honest, dependable, courageous, and very intelligent. No issues at all. loved having her here.
(Excellent)
10 Feb 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Julia & Alexandre)
WE ate, played all kinds of board games, talked incessantly and yet these two still managed to get a ton of work done! Julia had some really interesting stories about working in an animal reserve in Africa keeping poachers at bay, and her videos of animals in the wild (set up for a virtual reality experience) are amazing!!
(Very good)
5 Nov 2018
Left by Workawayer (Julia & Alexandre) for host
This was our second workaway and their first with us, we did not see the week go by at all !
You will have the best week with catherine and her sons, everybody has the best spirit we had so many nice discussions, diners together even game nights of catan ( which I would have loved to play one last time ).
we did different tasks such as… read more
You will have the best week with catherine and her sons, everybody has the best spirit we had so many nice discussions, diners together even game nights of catan ( which I would have loved to play one last time ).
we did different tasks such as… read more
10 Feb 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Janis)
Janis is an avid learner, enthusiastic and eager to help get things done. He has really pushed himself to get out of the typical graduate, get a job and start a family mode of life, and kudos to him for getting out and exploring what life has to offer. You will love him, we did ;-)
(Very good)
3 Dec 2018
Left by Workawayer (Janis) for host
I was staying with Catherine, Daniel and Benjamin for about a week. Since the moment I entered the door, I felt welcomed! We had so many great dinners with amazing, international food, tasteful wine and interesting discussions. Catherine gave us a variety of tasks, none of them were to hard, and for me it was actually fun doing them. Most of the… read more
10 Feb 2019
Left by Workawayer (Lerato) for host
I had a wonderful stay with Catherine and her family. Her son Daniel is a fantastic cook! We were truly spoiled with many amazing dinners and I enjoyed exchanging our own recipes with the family and the other volunteers. The house is abuzz with life and I'll always cherish the fun times had playing board games, eating hearty meals and enjoying the… read more
13 Jan 2019
Left by Workawayer (Anhuar) for host
I just have to say that I've been really lucky to stay with Catherine and Daniel.
At the beginning I thought it will be another single experience as a workawayer, but I not even had idea that I'll find an amazing woman who was taking care of me as another member in her family, even before I left she made sure that I was ready for the winter… read more
At the beginning I thought it will be another single experience as a workawayer, but I not even had idea that I'll find an amazing woman who was taking care of me as another member in her family, even before I left she made sure that I was ready for the winter… read more
29 Dec 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Anhuar)
Anhuar was an absolutely wonderful, funny and brilliant guest, he is welcome back here any time. His engineer mind enables him to find solutions to nearly everything, and his great sense of adventure means his conversations are always entertaining. Anhuar will cheerfully jump onto anything that needs doing, he is a natural leader and very… read more
(Excellent)
29 Dec 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Oswaldo & Laura)
Absolutely love this couple, they are full of life, love, caring and consideration. Laura and Oswaldo were a huge help at the house, offering to fix things that I did not even realize needed attention. They even took on a task I thought no one would want to do, crawled into a dark sub-basement and insulated and vapour barriered the ceiling..that… read more
(Excellent)
20 Nov 2018
Left by Workawayer (Lune & Benoit) for host
Catherine and her son were very welcoming to us! After a few days we cooked dinner together (both of them are chefs and the food was delicious), talked around a glass of wine and played games (now we are addicted to cribbage). During this 2 weeks, we switched between work and chill times, so we could even prepare our road trip and Catherine helped… read more
19 Nov 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Lune & Benoit)
It took a few days for us to get to know each other, but we were great friends by the time they left. Lune and Benoit work very hard, they are focussed and cheerful and learn new skills easily. Their stories of different workaways were really interesting. Would highly recommend them. ;-) Happy travels, guys!!
Catherine
Catherine
(Excellent)
