In 2016, Quebec ceded 62 hectares of land to a small Beauceron village to turn it into a green space. Eight years later, the elected officials of Saint-Simon-les-Mines authorized “for monetary reasons” the cutting of thousands of trees in an area of high ecological value. The municipality risks being fined for violating a federal law intended to protect migratory birds.
Posted at 2:29 a.m.
Updated at 8:00 a.m.
What there is to know
The municipality of Saint-Simon-les-Mines, in Beauce, wants to sell the wood cut on land ceded by Quebec in 2016 on the condition that it turns it into a green space.
The area is considered to have high ecological value, according to conservation organizations.
The municipality faces fines for violating a federal law intended to protect migratory birds.
“Know that cutting down trees for the sake of cutting down trees, we have no interest in doing that. The only reason why we decided to do it was a monetary reason for the municipality. We administer money, unfortunately,” responded the mayor of Saint-Simon-les-Mines, André Lapointe, at the last meeting of the municipal council, on June 4.
The mayor then responded to a question from a citizen about a tree felling operation on land belonging to the municipality, land located near a private protected area, the Cumberland nature reserve, recognized by the Ministry of the Environment.
“What we calculated with this cut, we could easily withdraw a net $100,000,” said the magistrate in an interview with The Press. However, the contractor hired by the municipality was only able to cut down 2 hectares out of the 26 that were planned, underlines Mr. Lapointe.
Trimming the wings to cut
On May 27, the municipality announced that it was “temporarily suspending regeneration cutting” on its lot in order to respect the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994. Federal law provides in particular that it is prohibited to destroy bird nests during the nesting period in the country.
An Environment Canada spokesperson confirmed to The Press that a verbal and written order was sent to the municipality to put an end to the tree cutting operation. ” If they [les agents] notice suspected infractions, agents will act according to the compliance and law enforcement policy,” specifies Samuel Lafontaine. It should be noted that federal agents recovered the body of a dead baby bird after the trees were cut down.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY A CITIZEN OF SAINT-SIMON-LES-MINES
Trees cut in Saint-Simon-les-Mines during an operation supposed to bring in $100,000 for the municipality
“It was done in good faith. […] We didn’t know this law. We know that there are protected species somewhere in Quebec, but knowing that this law had as much teeth as that, we didn’t know. We learned it,” summarizes the mayor.
The municipality says it wants to resume the cutting operation after August 16, to comply with Environment Canada’s order.
A gift with conditions
In 2016, this lot was transferred free of charge to Saint-Simon-les-Mines by its former owner, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MERN). The notarial contract provides that “the transfer is granted free of charge for the purposes of a municipal park-green space”. It is also provided that the lot cannot be used for other purposes or sold without the authorization of the Ministry for a period of 30 years.
In October 2021, Saint-Simon-les-Mines had also adopted a resolution to negotiate the sale of the lot to a conservation organization, Capital Nature, which said it was ready to acquire it. Another resolution proposed by André Lapointe, then municipal councilor, supported the creation of a protected area on the land in question.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY A CITIZEN OF SAINT-SIMON-LES-MINES
According to a study, the lot has a “strong ecological value” where endangered species are found.
According to the general director of Capital Nature, David Viens, there were no real negotiations with the municipality since the MERN was opposed to the idea that Saint-Simon-les-Mines could sell the land that had been given to it. offered free of charge.
“In 2016, when they ceded the land [à la municipalité]the objective was to remove this lot from the forestry possibility, to protect it,” maintains Mr. Viens.
Green gold
“Their point is that we were given the land, we should give it back. We don’t agree with that. If you inherit a piece of woodland from your grandfather, you don’t have to give it away. It’s a bit the same principle,” says Mayor André Lapointe. “It’s land that seems to have value,” he adds. From them [Capital Nature], this is because it is a mature forest. On our part, this is a forest that is due to be thinned. »
A study carried out in 2015 by the Appalachian Corridor organization on behalf of the Association for the Protection of Cumberland Wetlands targeted the lot as having “strong ecological value”. “There are several species with status, including the eastern wood-pewee and the Canada warbler. [deux espèces inscrites au registre fédéral des espèces en péril] », Points out the president of the association, Jean Poulin.
For its part, the Ministry of Natural Resources says it takes “very seriously the denunciation of the forest development work underway on the lot”. In a written communication obtained by The Press, the public land management advisor, Marie-Ève Paré, indicates that a site visit will be carried out during the week of June 17. The Ministry also intends to verify “whether the actions taken by the municipality contravene the restrictive clause included in the act [notarié] “.
“I don’t see where the breach of contract is. We never said we wouldn’t do the municipal park-green space. […] Yes, they may find it annoying, but in life, annoying things happen,” replies Mayor Lapointe.
