Despite an unfavorable poll and harsh remarks from Premier Legault, the mayor of Beaupré still believes that the Quebec government must invest in partnership with RCR, the current manager of Mont-Sainte-Anne.
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Pierre Renaud has not changed his mind. According to him, an agreement with the unloved operator is the best solution for the region which is suffering from the ongoing situation.
“Yes, the government needs to invest with RCR. It’s not just a mountain. It is an extremely fragile tourist industry. We need to stop demonizing RCR. It is the government that is currently withholding the money, ”repeated Mayor Renaud on the sidelines of a city council meeting on Monday evening.
A waste of time
According to a Léger poll, no less than 81% of residents of the greater Quebec City region say they are in favor of the Quebec government intervening to force a change of manager at Mont-Sainte-Anne.
A month after asking Quebec to agree as soon as possible with the Alberta manager RCR on a reinvestment plan, Mr. Renaud remains entrenched in his position. An attempted expropriation remains a useless waste of energy towards an owner who does not want to leave.
“If the government had wanted to kick them out, it would have done so years ago. They don’t have a pogne. It is not like that a mountain operator. The Massif de Charlevoix has not been a beneficial experience so far,” added the mayor, who is to meet with the minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region, Jonatan Julien, in the coming days.
The president of the Friends of Mont-Sainte-Anne, Yvon Charest, for his part, must meet the minister in about two weeks.
The mayor of Beaupré is also not afraid to see the ski resort closed definitively by opting for the status quo. “I don’t have that fear. No way. »
A little before Christmas, after the fall of a cable car, Prime Minister François Legault did not seem inclined to grant a grant to the company to modernize its facilities.
The biggest playground
“We are not there at all, had launched Mr. Legault about a potential subsidy of $ 50 million granted to the operator. “I find it scary what happened. There is a monstrous catching up to be done on the equipment at Mont-Sainte-Anne. The operator has not shown in recent years that it can properly manage Mont-Sainte-Anne. »
Pierre Renaud believes that elected officials must convince the Prime Minister to back down. “It’s our role to make him change that idea. »
In front of a few citizens, the mayor praised a jewel considered in danger by many. “Mont-Sainte-Anne Park is the biggest playground in the Quebec region. People come for that. »