After months of unsuccessful proceedings, the municipality is asking the Superior Court to force Immeubles des Monts and Manoir du Lac-Delage, which lease their land to Empire 47 (E47), to comply with the rules.
The municipality claims that over time, traffic to the E47 center has skyrocketed, causing “significant problems in terms of environmental health, environmental protection and safety related to road traffic. »
There is particular concern that the erosion caused by the construction and repair of the trails will lead to particles in the waterways that lead to Lake Saint-Charles, an important source of drinking water.
“The City wants […] put an end to the use […] that cause environmental impacts and affect safety in the municipality”
— Excerpt from the press release from the City of Lac-Delage
The last few weeks have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Faced with “monster traffic in the city, without any measure to reduce the number of vehicles in the parking lot” and “work that continues illegally for new tracks”, Lac-Delage finally asks the courts to intervene.
The City accuses Empire 47 of having carried out work illegally and of harming the safety of its citizens through its “monster traffic”. (PHOTO: Empire 47/PHOTO: Empire 47)
“Major impacts” prohibited
When E47 settled in Lac-Delage in 2014, the municipality accepted that the activities take place in an area where it does not normally authorize it, just to give a boost to the launch of the company.
Between 2017 and 2021, traffic has more than quintupled.
Officially, the popular mountain bike trails are in a zone where “high impact outdoor recreational activities” are prohibited.
“In good faith, we had initially trusted the organization by authorizing the establishment of temporary facilities derogating from our regulations to allow the start of their operations,” writes Mayor Guy Rochette.
But the City never saw the expansion plans promised by E47 materialize, in particular the transfer of the reception of amateurs to a new pavilion in Stoneham. And the company would never have offered solutions, claims Lac-Delage.
“We have been collaborative, proactive, patient, sometimes even too […] Despite our efforts, nothing changes at E47. »
— Guy Rochette, Mayor of Lac-Delage
The sun was unable to speak with Empire 47 at the time of this writing.
