A change that causes concern at the La Vérendrye reserve

A few weeks ago, SEPAQ announced that it was taking over the management of canoe-camping reservations at La Vérendrye wildlife reserve. This sector is very popular with enthusiasts of this activity and the news has worried some. Explanations.

Mary Tison
The Press

Will the Society of Outdoor Establishments of Quebec (SEPAQ) gradually abandon the large circuits intended for experienced canoeists? Will it increase ready-to-camp and other glamping facilities?

SEPAQ wanted to be reassuring. “We don’t want to distort this activity, it’s a winning formula,” says the company’s spokesperson, Simon Boivin. We just want to make the activity more accessible, to highlight it so that it benefits outdoor lovers. »

Previously, Canot Kayak Québec managed canoe-camping reservations at La Vérendrye wildlife reserve, which included boat rentals.

Release pressure

Marc-André Pauzé, photographer and great outdoor enthusiast, discussed the situation with other canoe-camping enthusiasts and wrote a letter to SEPAQ and Canot Kayak Québec to express all of their concerns. More than 540 people have co-signed this missive. They fear in particular that the SEPAQ will abandon the major circuits of seven to ten days to concentrate on the small circuits of two or three days, which are very popular with less experienced and thus more profitable customers.

Simon Boivin argued that there was no question of ruling out long journeys. “Our idea is to facilitate access to the territory in order to take the pressure off certain sectors that are currently too busy, namely the places located near the current rental center,” he says. In particular, it is a question of adding at least one other rental site, and thus facilitating access to a larger territory. SEPAQ also intends to offer a shuttle service for certain routes.

Mr. Pauzé particularly liked the flexibility of the system in place, which facilitated the organization of courses in the hinterland.

“We’re really going into the wilderness, you have to know how it works, a map, a compass, you have to know how to manage your time on an expedition,” he said in an interview.

“Commodification” of the outdoors

He believes that the situation is very different in most SEPAQ parks, which he says are succumbing to a “commodification” of the outdoors. “It’s as if we were transforming wilderness into amusement parks. The forest is a natural setting: it’s all very well, but we see more and more infrastructures being set up. And this, to the detriment of the wild nature and the experience that one can live there. »

Experienced canoe-campers also fear that SEPAQ will force them to determine in advance each of the campgrounds they intend to use during their expedition. “It’s not compatible with an expedition of seven or ten days, maintains Mr. Pauzé. At the limit, it is dangerous: we would thus force people to move in the hinterland when the situation might not be conducive to that. Crossing a large lake in high winds… you better stay where you are and wait for it to pass. »

Once again, Simon Boivin wanted to reassure people. “The system remains the same. You choose a circuit of x days, but within this circuit, you have the freedom to sleep on the site you want. There are plenty of places you can stop. »

Simon Boivin confirms that SEPAQ and Canot Kayak Québec have modified their partnership by mutual agreement and that the organization will retain an advisory role. “Everyone’s expertise is put to better use,” he says. We manage the reservations, that’s what we do. They have a sensitivity as to what canoeists want to do, or how things can be arranged. »

“A change often leads to anxiety. We understand it. It starts from an attachment to the territory that we share. We are aware and sensitive to the concerns these people have,” said Mr. Boivin.