It’s official: Tadoussac will have its national park

The Quebec government confirms the creation of the Dunes-de-Tadoussac national park. The Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, made the announcement on Monday, during the presentation of the 2030 Nature Plan.

This four-year action plan establishes Quebec’s objectives with regard to the protection of biodiversity and access to the territory, in particular. Quebec thus reaffirms its intention to protect 30% of its territory by 2030.

To accomplish these objectives, the government has allocated what it describes as a record budget of $922 million over four years.

Shared reactions

The news is well received by elected officials on the North Shore. The prefect of the MRC from the Haute-Côte-Nord, Micheline Anctil, is happy with this decision which will favor the tourism industry.

It is a jewel that must be preserved for future generationsshe demands.

However, she insists on the importance of not losing sight of the needs of the local population, who are currently freely enjoying the site of the future national park.

It would be deplorable if citizens [locaux] become external visitors to an infrastructure that is accessible to them free of chargebrings Micheline Anctil.

The Citizen Alliance of the Tadoussac Dunes demands that the site be free for residents of Bergeronnes, Escoumins and Sacré-Cœur, like Tadoussac residents. The group also has other concerns about respect for this territory.

Member of the alliance, Rosa Zacharie wants citizens to continue to be heard at the discussion tables in which elected officials will participate.

We must aim for a balance that favors nature, the people who live there and the tourist. You have to do it intelligently.

The office of the Minister of the Environment maintains that Quebec takes note of the report of the Bureau d’audiences publique sur l’environnement (BAPE) and its recommendations on the Dunes-de-Tadoussac national park, made public in September.

An incomplete nature plan

On the show Midi infoMonday, the general director of the Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP Quebec), Alain Branchaud, welcomes the unveiling of the 2030 Nature Plan, but is only partially delighted.

We are disappointed not to see [dans le plan] Walker Lake National Park, a project that has been in the works for several years.

There is a deficit of national parks on the North Shore, this would have been a good opportunity to fill it.

The Walker Lake National Park project was suspended in 2020.

Create and expand other parks

To improve access to nature, Quebec also intends to found new national parks in Nord-du-Québec and in the Charlevoix region, as well as expand five existing parks, notably Bic national park.

The protected territory of Bas-Saint-Laurent will be widened by 1.4 km².

Currently, Quebec protects approximately 17% of its territory.

According to information from Alban Normandy