A real estate project on land bordering a lake arouses indignation

Should we continue to allow real estate development along the lakes of southern Quebec? A subdivision project on the edge of Caribou Lake in the watershed of the Saint-François River, in Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine, raises the question. If the promoters promise significant economic benefits and want to put in place measures to preserve the environment, citizens’ fears for the health of the lake are far from appeased. They wonder if we are not repeating the mistakes of the past.

This is a sensitive area. As soon as there is deforestation or construction, it increases the risk of erosion and then the supply of sediment into the lake.worries the citizen and owner of a chalet, Nathalie Camden, who shows the place where up to 25 residential lots could be developed on the edge of Caribou Lake.

She is one of the citizens who oppose the project of the company 9028-4183 Québec inc., which wishes to develop a street of approximately 1.4 km on land belonging to the mining company Société Asbestos Limitée in order to allow residential construction. The Asbestos Company is particularly known for its past exploitation of asbestos mines in Thetford Mines.

The problem, according to mobilized citizens, is that the targeted sector is located partly in sensitive areas since the terrain is uneven, according to a report from the Group of Associations for the Protection of the Environment of Lakes and Watersheds (RAPPEL). These should as a priority be preserved in their natural state in order to minimize the impact on the health of the lake. we can read in the report dated 2023.

The organization also comes to the conclusion that Caribou Lake is naturally vulnerable to eutrophication [ce qui contribue au vieillissement accéléré du lac]. It is essential to minimize human impact on the periphery in order to protect it from premature degradation.

Nathalie Camden says she is disappointed with the turn of events, so the municipal council officially gave the green light to the development project on January 13. There was an opportunity for the Asbestos Company to say “no, I want to preserve the mountain and then compensate for the disastrous environmental legacy of the past century”she laments.

Open in full screen mode

Unlike a large proportion of lakes in southern Quebec, which have been developed for years, Caribou Lake was still partly spared. There is already enough population around the lakes, believes citizen Gilles Gosselin. What remains should be left in its natural state.

Agreement with the City to protect the environment

The Asbestos Company and the president of the company 9028-4183 Québec inc., André Bernard, did not wish to grant an interview to -. Same position on the side of the mayor of Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine, Gaston Nadeau, who justified his refusal by the fact that the file has already caused too much controversy.

Municipal councilor Nathalie Vachon, who voted against the project, however agreed to speak with -. She is sorry that this sector of Caribou Lake has never been protected by the municipality via its zoning by-law, which could have made it easier to refuse the project. There was a gap somewhereshe believes.

Open in full screen mode

It’s a shame, but we were up against the wall.

Despite everything, Ms. Vachon is delighted with the adoption of an agreement in principle between the municipality and the developers. The agreement provides for several rules to be respected, including a 20 m riparian strip at the edge of the lake, the obligation for owners to have a phosphorus removal system, deforestation limited to 30% and the hiring of a supervisor during of the construction of the street.

The promoter could have done the same, the project, even without our agreement […]explains Ms. Vachon. What the municipality has done, which is very good, is to have an agreement in principle which is very elaborate.

Inevitable impacts, according to the COGESAF

Even if the general director of the Saint-François River Watershed Governance Council (COGESAF), Stéphanie Martel, welcomes the constraints imposed on developers, she believes that real estate development will not be without consequences, even if we put [en œuvre] best practicesshe believes.

Open in full screen mode

The precautionary principle should apply in a case like this. Many studies have shown that from the moment we bring anthropogenic activities around a body of water, there are sure to be impacts.

Ms. Martel is unequivocal: if we only considered the environment when making a decision on the future of the land, we wouldn’t touch that . Caribou Lake is a head lakethat is to say at the head of a hydrographic basin. If we have impacts on water quality, this will have repercussions on the entire rest of the watershed.she explains.

Not a closed file for a citizens’ committee

Even if the members of the mobilization committee made up of citizens concerned about the project believe that it will come to fruition, they consider that the file is far from closed. We will be particularly vigilant as a committee to ensure that it is done according to the rules of the art. underlines Ms. Camden.

Same story from the secretary-treasurer of the Caribou Lake Association, Guy Richard. We will try, as an association, to ensure that the agreement is respected by the promoter.

Open in full screen mode

The former mayor of the municipality, Gilles Gosselin, has concerns about the capacity of the municipality to ensure monitoring and respect for the agreement in principle at all stages of the project. We are not a big city, we do not have the human infrastructure and the skills to take care of all these things. [mesures de mitigations] he believes. He fears that the project will benefit more shareholders of a company than to the population.

Open in full screen mode

Mr. Gosselin has also decided to put his grain of salt in this matter, several years after having made the decision to withdraw from municipal politics. He deplores that citizens were not informed more about the progress of the project. I found it absurd that the entire municipality was not informedhe emphasizes.

You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. Except that when we make projects, we take risks, but we have to take calculated risks. Currently no calculations. Where are we going with this?

Same story with citizen Patrick Hamel, who is involved in the mobilization committee. His group collected 600 signatures as part of a petition. We are very disappointed with the way this was done.

Nathalie Camden hopes that the authorities will take an example from other MRCs, particularly in Estrie, which have adopted much more restrictive rules for construction in certain areas . I think we haven’t been at the forefront.