Tuesday, the Solidarity Fund FTQ announced a financial contribution of $30,000 to the Friends of Reford Gardens for the realization of this pilot project, in conjunction with the City of Sainte-Flavie.
The mobilization, the number of people behind this project and the quality of the people involved impressed us. So when the Vice-President of the Regional Solidarity Funds FTQ of the region, David Lord told us about it, we said ”go, let’s go!”
launches the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Solidarity Fund FTQJanie C. Béïque.
Janie C. Béïque adds that climate change is very close to her heart.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Francois Gagnon
According to the mayor of Sainte-Flavie, the coastal park project could cost several thousand dollars.
” It’s a great project for us. »
It is a priority, for him, that the vacant land that will house the park be redeveloped so that citizens can benefit from it.
It is a park that will allow us to better understand our territory by installing plants by the sea that will allow us to learn and at the same time be an educational project for other communities who have to adapt to climate change
explains Mr. Fortin.
This project in response to climate change is carried out in conjunction with the City of Sainte-Flavie.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Francois Gagnon
He recalls that the sector was particularly damaged by the high tides of December 2010. Since then, climate change has affected the territory more accentuated.
At the time, we were victims of these climatic changes, so we want to do a bit of judo with this reality and say ”no, we are able to be in motion, in action’ and not not be victims, but rather actors of this change, of this important resilience of our communities”
raises the mayor.
Jean-François Fortin is proud of this project.
Photo: Jean-Pierre Perouma
” This kind of pedagogical project allows us […] to enable our communities to be better equipped. »
He estimates that starting in August, the coastal park will be open to the public.
Plants that hold the coastline
With the expertise of Les Jardins de Métis, part of the park will be converted into a garden of native plants specially chosen for their ability to retain the banks.
Since 2012, we have created a project called the coastal nursery. It is above all to produce wild lyme, which is a native plant that resists well. The root is very long, so it stabilizes the coastal area and brings a certain beauty
mentions the director of Reford Gardens, Alexander Reford.
Alexander Reford believes that these plants are all designed to hold back the banks.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Francois Gagnon
” In this project, we imagine implementing this massively, in addition to edible seaside plants. Then, we want to set up an educational space to try, test and popularize why these plants are important to protect. »
A buffer zone, with malleable installations, will also be put in place to prevent the overflows of the river from causing damage.
According to him, this approach could inspire the restoration of other sites affected by coastal erosion in Eastern Quebec.
It’s a respectful, realistic and inexpensive ecosystem approach, so all of this means that if it works well, it’s a pilot project that will be able to be implemented in other places with similar conditions.
he argues.
The Reford Gardens are located in Grand-Métis in Bas-Saint-Laurent (archives).
Photo: Radio-Canada
The Montreal landscape architect, Rosetta Elkin, participated in the creation of this development.
Alexander Reford confirms that the latter will be visiting Sainte-Flavie in July with her students from the Brooklyn landscaping program to study and document the banks as part of a project where she compares fifty similar places around the world.
With information from Jean-Philippe Guilbault
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca