Patrick Boucher

In January 2008, the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, Mrs. Line Beauchamp advised of its intention to prohibit the movement of snowmobiles in national parks in 2009 a move that will affect the economy of the affected regions significantly. Minister Beauchamp decided to line up on the side of pressure groups such as the regional councils for the Environment, Nature Quebec qu'Aventure ecotourism.

By following the advice of these groups, the minister has chosen to apply to all parks the year 2000 legislation which prohibited the practice of motorsports in conservation areas. So by 2009, in parks in the regions of Mont-Tremblant, Plaisance, Oka, Mount Orford and Monts-Valin, snowmobilers will be banned from these sectors.

In the Saguenay, there was recently an announcement regarding plans for a new trail that will bypass the national park. The new trail will be financed by the Government of Quebec projected cost of $ 350,000! According to this expenditure, it would seem that in Quebec "we swim in money" even if we are experiencing the worst financial crisis ever since 1929 and that our economy is threatened as much as other economies in the world.

The Association of snowmobilers in Quebec has asked the Ministry of Sustainable Development to review its position.

In the park of Mont-Tremblant, snowmobile travel was allowed for over 35 years on roadways that are closed during the winter, but used the summer by a large number of cars and motorized vehicles.

The economic benefits generated by snowmobilers and tourists are very important to these regions.

What are the consequences on the forest, wildlife and wetlands to build new trails to work around these parks? What are the consequences for the people of these regions and the lost economic impact of snowmobiling? What will offset these monetary losses? Will the environmental pressure groups step forward to find solutions to the consequences they have created?

Constructing bypass trails is expensive as is exampled by the Parc des Monts-Valin announcment. Moreover, is new trail construction really as environmentally responsible of an action as the environmental pressure groups such as the regional councils for the Environment, Nature Quebec and Quebec Ecotourism and Adventure would have us believe that they support and represent?

Before 2000, Parc Mont-Tremblant had the status of wildlife reserve. What is the logic in spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in trails around and creating economic losses? Why not restore the park's status to what worked well under the law before the year 2000?

The AdmdQ has asked the ministry to restore snowmobile trail through the park of Mont Tremblant, its previous law gave snowmobilers the right to travel for over 35 years and became a tremendous economic engine and tourism for this region.

Nature Quebec people and others, are they really in favor of an ecological development of these areas? It seems doubtful when we see their solution is to cut down trees in untouched new areas with unaffected natural wildlife all to bypass roads that are closed in winter and in summer on which motorized vehicles of all types are used to let people enjoy property that belongs to all Quebecers.

The environmental pressure groups say that they love and protect nature, yet they should be opposed to their own solutions. If they continue to be successful in having the sport of snowmobiling moved elsewhere in the forest by cutting trees again and again with the resulting adverse affects on the natural environments, it means that they are really most interested in quietness to protect their own uses of the forest while their first mission is promoted as being, protecting the environment and the friendly development of the territory.

Read march 07 editorial Editorial march 2007 click here.