Lasting development: 

Lake Manouane is situated about 160 km west of La Tuque and north of Saint-Michel Des Saints. For the past 10 years, I have witnessed the environmental deterioration.  We are approximately 50 chalet owners in the forest on the Lake Manouane and Lortie territory. We are trapped with degrading forest roads, some even dangerous and at places bridges are closed, open air dumps etc…If nothing changes in the next few years, we will be isolated and we will no longer have access to our chalets in the forest. The open air dumps are starting to appear all over the territory threatening even the river situated a few meters away. Shelters and illegal camps are constructed here and there.  We are victims of overwhelming, excessive and uncontrolled growth, encouraged by our governments and all without doing serious studies on the impact it would have on the environment. It is all about making money for the government coffers. 

The lake Lortie measures about 6 km long by a few meters in width and there are about 40 cottages constructed on the lakeshore. The MRC who are supposed to bring citizens closer to their municipalities, have become, for the government of Quebec, a milking cow. A way to impose their development projects without the regard of the citizen. With their pretentious plans for accommodations and developments, the MRC have an unpleasant surprise for their citizens. Their plan foresees a totally new and dangerous affect on the territory. All lakes within 500 hectares situated on these territories will be for recreation. Vacation resorts will come next. So in the near future, the development of these lakes will be centered on tourist attractions, much more profitable for regional and local economy than a cottage vacationer. 

Out you go Mr. Soucy, with your cottage in the forest, and welcome to mega vacation centers and outfitters, with their loads of American and European tourists. It is much more profitable for regional economy than the taxes Mr. Soucy could pay. Welcome to seadoo, water surfing, speed boating and parachuting, out of our way Mr. Soucy with your canoe. They want to create tourist traps like ‘St-Tropez’. All the wild animals will disappear for sure and they don’t care, there is always a solution, the Granby or St-Felicien Zoo.  

The minister of development, the MRNF and the MRF of Haut-Mauricie anticipate giving 20 more pieces of land in 2007-2008 at Lake Lortie that will take up about 83 hectares. The lakes are already over-fished. In the spring, everyday we see, in the bay of about 150 meters in diameter, right in front of our cottage window, over 14 boats going back and forth continuously from sunrise to sunset. Often we are awakened around 05h00 am, by either the noise of boats arriving at full speed and the loud voices and laughter coming from the guys on the boats or by four wheelers, sometimes over a 100 of them going from one outfitter to another.  

Remember the juridical scrape with the snowmobiles on the trails of the P’tit Train du Nord Park in the Laurentians, the citizens couldn’t take the living hell with the constant noise anymore and made a collective appeal. The Courts accorded compensation that cost up to 10 million dollars to compensate hundreds of families that had been affected by the noise and aggravation. The Quebec government announced that they will go further in their fight against the citizens, just by simply suspending their rights to appeal to the courts up to 2011.  

The deaf dispute is still ongoing in Quebec and the juridical Bar and Citizen Protection has denounced the Quebec government.  They demand that the government re-establish without delay, the right to address the tribunal, for all people living along off-road vehicle trails. The juridical Bar does not fool around. They reiterated that no government has the right to suspend any citizens’ civic rights just to protect the economic fallout of a tourist attraction. According to them, it is not justified to suspend a right as fundamental as a juridical appeal without grave and apparent reasons.  Our peace of mind and our tranquility are actually threatened by a development centered on tourist attractions and profits to the detriment of the citizens and nature.