Saint-Donat: once upon a time there was a mountain, a mayor, residents and a promoter

Listened, perhaps, but certainly not heard, according to several citizens who denounce the lack of transparency of the Municipality in connection with the approval of a recreational tourism project in a residential area.

That evening, many of them wanted to take the floor to express their concerns and their dissatisfaction.

They deplore the fact that the Municipality allows a promoter, owner of a land of more than 10 million square feet, the construction of two projects which, according to the residents, have the potential to harm wetlands, swamps , but also to bank swallows, which make their nests on this land, and to the ducks of Lac Archambault.

Jean-Philippe Cloutier, like many residents, denounces above all a great lack of transparency from the Municipality. He says the City is trying to get people to swallow a big project bit by bit. A way to make it more easily adopted, according to him.

” One has the impression of being presented with accomplished facts without being consulted. We are not necessarily against the project, we are against the management of the City and its lack of transparency. »

Jean-Philippe Cloutier lives less than a kilometer from the land purchased by the project promoter, Kevin Richer. He also fears the light pollution that could be generated by the arrival of more tourists around Lake Archambault.

In a petition launched by the collective Action citoyenne Saint-Donat, signed by more than 5,500 people, we can read that the Municipality has not implemented any measure of transparency or public consultation aimed at ensuring the social acceptability of this megaproject. This is strongly denounced by the mayor of the City, Joé Deslauriers. According to him, the city council was very transparent in presenting the project in good and due form during one of its meetings.

Despite a packed house of concerned residents and a petition that garnered thousands of signatures, city council voted in favor of the project. The mayor and his team could have, as permitted by conditional use, at least put conditions on the approval to guarantee greater protection of nature, according to some citizens.

But the mayor persists and signs. He thinks that the information has circulated badly and that the claims of the petition are false. According to him, all the information was available and the municipal council had free rein to approve the project.

The project

On the huge terrain, on the mountainside, 10-wheel trucks parade one after the other. Then, a crawler bulldozer sweeps his shovel over the freshly laid gravel. Kevin Richer explains to us that he is in the process of building a road over a kilometer long on his land that will be able to serve the 38 chalets he wants to build.

These 38 units, intended to be sold, are part of the first phase of his major project. The Municipality authorized this subdivision two years ago as part of an integrated project. However, he will have to request authorization for each of the chalets, which he intends to do as construction progresses. Added to this is access to a club house which includes a swimming pool, jacuzzi, dry sauna and training gymnasium.

Kevin Richer now wants to build a hotel complex consisting of eight short-term rental cabins, for which he has obtained a conditional use by the Municipality last month.

On the promoter’s website, www.montagnenoire.com, there is also the presence of a hotel complex and a spa with the mention project in development.

The Montagne Noire, a major tourist attraction

According to the mayor, 50,000 to 100,000 hikers a year come to enjoy the lush forest of the Montagne Noire.

A mountain notorious for having been the scene of the crash of the Liberator Harry in 1943, in which 24 Canadian soldiers lost their lives.

During the summer season, the Régimbald road is crowded with vehicles of hikers who go on an adventure.

According to the requirements of the contribution for the purposes of parks, playgrounds and natural spaces from the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation, the developer has decided to transfer part of its land to the City, so that it can build another parking lot that gives access to the Montagne Noire, parking lot P2.

The new parking lot helps make Chemin Régimbald safer, argues the mayor.

But area residents see it as a problematic partnership. The Municipality is in a way judge and jury in this file, because they have an interest with the P2. Ditto for access to the Montagne Noireexplains Daniel Bulota, a resident of the area.

” Access to the Montagne Noire is provided by the P2 parking lot, and the promoter has a ringside seat. We go through his project to go to the Black Mountain. He appropriated one of the jewels of Saint-Donat, the Montagne Noire, for his corporate benefit. »

An unloading of sand that worries

Citizens wonder if the City ensures that the construction of the project respects all the laws and all the regulations put in place to protect the wetlands present on the land of Kevin Richer and Lake Archambault.

According to the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MELCC), all work carried out in wetlands and bodies of water is subject to ministerial authorization under the 4th paragraph of the 1st paragraph of Article 22 of the Environment Quality Act (LQE).

However, certain works could be exempted from an authorization if their impacts were negligible.

The promoter, Kevin Richer, certifies that he has taken all measures to protect the wetlands on his land. It is also the second of the major watersheds of Lake Archambault.

Kevin Richer assures that, if he needs government authorization, he will follow the rules to the letter.

But citizens reported, in a meeting of the municipal council, that an unloading of sand was carried out in a wetland located on the land of Kevin Richer. The City even confirmed the fact. The MELCC specifies that it has received a complaint on this subject and that an inspection will be made in due course.

A protected species

Another criticism voiced by opponents of the development is that the project involves construction near a nesting site for the Bank Swallow, a protected species in Canada.

In fact, under the Migratory Birds Regulations (MBR) and the Species at Risk Act (SARA), it is prohibited to destroy active bank swallow nests.

Reached by Radio-Canada, a spokesperson for Environment Canada referred us to the brochure intended for operators of sand and gravel pits. This document gives the procedure to follow before starting work, during and after the Bank Swallow’s nesting season. You can read in particular: In areas that will be mined during the nesting period: profile your cliffs and piles of soil/aggregate with a slope of less than 70 degrees.

The proponent, on the recommendation of Environment Canada, wishes to keep them away by building slopes at 45 degrees, before the swallows arrive, to avoid nesting in the sector.

Pierre Drapeau, director of the Center for Forest Studies, finds it hard to understand Environment Canada’s recommendation: It seems a bit odd to propose such a measure. It’s surprising that we send a compensation measure approach when the habitat as such is there and will be affected by development workhe explains.

Framework too lax

Lawyer Philippe Biuzzi, from the Center québécois du droit de l’environnement, who was contacted by the citizens of Saint-Donat, considers that the project complies with municipal regulations. But he specifies that this does not mean that it does not threaten biodiversity.

” The planning framework is too lax, allowing municipalities to approve projects in natural environments outside urbanization perimeters. »

The lawyer specified that the proponent could, depending on the structures, interventions or work planned in the wetland, have to obtain authorization from the Minister of the Environment or produce a declaration of compliance.

” What is unfortunate is that the targeted wetland is essential to the water quality and biodiversity of Lac Archambault. »

As for the current zoning, he specifies, it paves the way for the development of most of the Montagne Noire. What is difficult for citizens to understand is that the current zoning allows the development of the vast majority of the Montagne Noire. It is a mountain that citizens have frequented for a long time and to which they are attached. The project that is currently worrying citizens is probably not the last in this location which, it should be remembered, is outside the urbanization perimeter. This is a problem that is often found in the planning tools of the municipalities of Lanaudière and the Laurentians. When citizens become aware of the natural environments that these planning tools make it possible to develop, they are scandalized.

Saint Donat: Inhabited natural park

In 2016, the City of Saint-Donat obtained certification Inhabited natural park, a first for a municipality in Canada. In order to obtain this recognition, the municipal council adopted in 2015 a charter in which the Municipality undertook in particular to remain an environment where the natural heritage [est] protected.

We say to ourselves “Inhabited natural park”, we attract customers with a slogan, but we make a false representation, notes Daniel Dupont, retired resident of Saint-Donat. Commercial use is approved on land that is fragile.

Daniel Dupont believes that by authorizing the project, we have just left a permanent scar on a jewel of the region.