“All revolutions on planet Earth start from a few oddballs who believe in something and who try to lead the others along. Let’s say I’m one of the oddballs. »
In sneakers in the snow, René Cloutier takes us around his Bromont property. Behind, we can see Mount Brome streaked with ski slopes. Right next door stands Mount Bernard, covered in immaculate forest. This last mountain will always be special in the eyes of René Cloutier.
Lead by example
About ten years ago, the president of Ski Bromont, Charles Désourdy, wanted to build luxury homes on Mounts Bernard and Horizon. Mr. Cloutier is one of a handful of citizens who have stepped up to the plate to preserve the site. This portfolio manager at RBC Dominion Securities even took a sabbatical to devote himself to the fight.
A fight that he and his allies ended up winning.
But René Cloutier is not the type to advocate conservation only on other people’s lands.
In 2018, he decided to dedicate his own 5.54 hectares of land in Bromont (the equivalent of about eight soccer fields) to conservation. In doing so, he renounced in perpetuity the right to build a property there or to cut wood there, for example.
The land he is now showing us, divided into three lots, suffered the same fate a little over a year ago. On the first lot, Mr. Cloutier had a magnificent property built. But on the other two, which are the equivalent of nearly six soccer fields, he has renounced any development through a mechanism called a “conservation easement” (see text in the next tab).
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
On the first lot, René Cloutier had a magnificent property built. But on the other two, which are the equivalent of nearly six soccer fields, he has renounced any development.
“I’m still at home, I can walk around my land. But I wouldn’t even have the right to cut down a tree,” he illustrates while an owl, nearby, lets out a hoot.
A conservation organization, Appalachian Corridor, has certified that these lands have high ecological value. They notably shelter a small wetland which contributes to the water quality of Lake Bromont and represent a habitat of choice for several species in precarious situations including the hoary bat, the little brown bat, the pipistrelle of the Is (another bat) and the monarch.
No less than 35 species of birds also frequent the area, 9 of which are considered “priority” by the Canadian Wildlife Service.
René Cloutier’s projects concern areas that I would describe as modest, but which have very high ecological value. We are on Montérégiennes and when we can protect that, we jump on it.
Mélanie Lelièvre, general director of Appalachian Corridor
The organization carries out regular visits to the site to ensure that Mr. Cloutier’s land is well and truly preserved. An endowment fund, specific to the field, was even created to finance these verifications.
Tax credits
With the ban on building anything there in perpetuity, the value of the two lots protected by Mr. Cloutier has obviously declined, going from $810,000 to $55,000, according to the appraisers assigned to the project. A charitable receipt equivalent to the difference, $755,000, was given to Mr. Cloutier thanks to federal and provincial government programs.
“I’ll be able to get about half of it back in taxes. The other half, I leave it on the table,” says Mr. Cloutier.
One could say that he is not to be pitied and, in a sense, that is true. Mr. Cloutier enjoys a property with no immediate neighbors and can benefit from tax credits today without having to sell it. If he had sold his lots at their full market value, he would also have had to pay capital gains.
The fact remains that his land has undeniably lost value. And if the State had wanted to buy them on the market to protect them, the bill would have been much higher for taxpayers.
What are René Cloutier’s motivations?
At this point in our discussion, the man becomes animated. We feel that the subject concerns him deeply and he has a lot to say.
“You have to start somewhere, you have to stop waiting after everyone,” he replies. It’s a horror what’s happening on the planet, but I’m not a defeatist. I tell myself that we must act. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
René Cloutier and Mélanie Lelièvre, general director of Appalachian Corridor
What I am doing is a small step. But if, in the region, there are 10 people each protecting 10 acres, it will start to gain ground.
René Cloutier
“I am a privileged person in life,” he continues. I have the means to do it, so I do it. »
He talks at length about the “visionaries” who once had the idea of preserving vast green spaces like Mount Royal Park in Montreal or Central Park in New York.
Mr. Cloutier also recalls that, particularly since the pandemic, Bromont and the surrounding areas have been taken over by city dwellers. The municipality’s population growth is four times that of Quebec as a whole.
“Protecting the territory does not mean opposing construction,” he insists. On the contrary, we create a quality of life and a power of attraction. Let’s not forget that people come here for nature. We would be shooting ourselves in the foot by developing everywhere. »
René Cloutier specifies that he is never keen on the idea of putting himself forward and talking about himself. “I’m a very low profile guy,” he said. But if there is just one person who reads your report who does the same thing, it will be a win. »