the City of Sherbrooke must have a vision

The Groupe Plein Air Terrebonne (GPAT) manages more modest facilities than those offered by Mont Bellevue.

A few trails, for beginners, to learn skiing, snowboarding, a drop of around 13% over some 600 feet of lifts.

We are far from the Alps.

A ski lift (pomolift), a magic carpet, is used for the lift.

But the non-profit organization (NPO) which manages the activities of this outdoor center, winter and summer, benefits from very different parameters from those which govern the work of the Regroupement du parc du Mont-Bellevue (RPMB).

Pierre Bégin has been the general director of GPAT for three years now.

He manages a team of around ten permanent employees, who manage the service offering, the courses offered, and the maintenance of the mountain and its lifts.

In Sherbrooke, it is the city’s blue-collar workers who take care of the quadruple lift in operation and the maintenance of the Antonio-Pinard chalet.

A fundamental difference between the operations of the two centers, which has an immediate impact on the management of activities, says Pierre Bégin.

The state of the situation at Mont-Bellevue, decried by its CEO Maxime Tardif-Rancourt, last week on the website of The Tribunemade people talk.

Let’s see what are the differences in the mode of operation between the two stations.

Pierre Bégin and Maxime Tardif Rancourt have spoken a few times in recent months.

Certainly, their installations differ in several respects.

“Our NPO, our philosophy, in its operation, I like to consider that we manage a private company. All the money we raise, through ticket sales, innovation in our activities and our programming, is with the objective of raising funds to meet our needs. We have a way of operating autonomously from the City of Terrebonne,” he confirms.

The City of Terrebonne contributes

“The City provides us with approximately 50% of our annual budget; the other 50%, I have to generate it, through ticket sales, equipment rental, room rental. It’s not easy, but we’re getting there. I practically have carte blanche. Our accounts are audited by external auditors and we are within the City’s accounting parameters,” says Pierre Bégin.

The annual budget of the GPAT, which offers winter and summer activities, is estimated at approximately two million dollars.

As in Sherbrooke, for Mont Bellevue, it is the city of Terrebonne which owns the infrastructure and equipment.

The GPAT welcomes approximately between 30,000 and 40,000 paying people per year, in addition to customers who have free access to infrastructure, such as mountain bike trails, for example.

Around ten permanent employees, in addition to seasonal employees, are busy in the mountains.

Operations carried out by City employees?

In Sherbrooke, for example, the management of customer service and ticketing, for example, is the responsibility of the RPMB.

Maintaining the slopes, the chalet or the ski lifts is the responsibility of blue-collar workers.

“There are no blue-collar workers who come to do work in the buildings, or on the slopes, here. We have the mandate to operate and manage the City’s two buildings and two parks. Despite everything, we try to respect skills; we have tradespeople who help us when necessary,” explains Pierre Bégin.

An operating model that would be viable, with blue-collar workers?

“In budgetary terms, we wouldn’t be able to do it. With the salaries and benefits of blue-collar workers, it would cost us between 30 and 35% more in human resources.”

— Pierre Bégin, general director of GPAT

“Then, on the operational side, it wouldn’t work. The collective agreements are made so that the guys work from 7 to 3, or from 8 to 4. Snow is done at night, the maintenance of alpine ski slopes, the marking of cross-country ski trails too. We have atypical schedules,” explains Pierre Bégin.

“Our employees can do almost anything. I have a snow groomer driver who does welding, mechanics, takes care of plumbing or makes snow.”

Carte blanche of the City

In addition to the operational aspect, Pierre Bégin confirms that he has carte blanche to launch projects aimed at improving its service offering.

“We are quite independent, I would say. We recently invested $600,000 in our mountain bike trails. We put together the financial project, seeking sponsors, grants from governments and financial support from the City. We also wanted to protect the forest while creating mountain bike trails.”

“We are autonomous, but respectful, in our projects. I have my projects validated by the City’s Environment division, just like any entrepreneur, even if I am an agent of the City. We work hand in hand.”

Maxime Tardif Rancourt highlighted the difficulties the RPMB encountered in advancing certain projects, such as the construction of a slope school.

Although it acquiesces, in substance, to the needs of the RPMB, the Sherbrooke municipal council does not grant the necessary amounts.

“Relationships with Terrebonne are great. I consider myself an extension of municipal service. The City gives me a management mandate, a park and the provision of outdoor services in the city. If I decide to do more than the mandate, I must organize myself to find the necessary funds,” continues Pierre Bégin.

Hard to motivate the troops

The latter hopes that his Sherbrooke counterpart can find a new way of operating, not only to develop his projects, but also to maintain the enthusiasm of his team.

“It’s an operating model that seems difficult to operate. If I’m not mistaken, the RPMB makes every effort to generate revenue and advance the provision of services, but it doesn’t even keep its revenue.”

“It is extremely difficult to motivate your employees, to be efficient and to energize the environment with an exceptional service offering, when you do not control your income or the employees who maintain your infrastructure.”

A question of vision

Starting next year, the pomolift will be removed to make way for two land lifts in Terrebonne.

In Sherbrooke, the pomolift, which dates from the 1960s, is still out of operation. And this has been happening for years.

Sums for its repair, or replacement, are planned in the budget for… 2026.

“I think it’s a question of vision. If Sherbrooke wants to have a different operating model, where the entity is responsible for everything, and more autonomous, it’s a question of choice.”

“If she is happy to inject funds into the mountain operation by blue-collar workers, that’s OK too. But if you want more services or activities, you have to go further. They are two different models.

“Are the City of Sherbrooke and its citizens getting value for their money? The question is worth asking, I guess. For us, the money that the city invests in our center is well invested.”