It’s an ice storm that couldn’t have come at a worse time for the sugar bushes. With the long and lucrative Easter weekend just days away, cancellations are piling up at the sugar shacks hardest hit by power outages and broken maple trees. For some, bad memories of 1998 or the pandemic resurface.
Thursday morning, when it was time to draw the curtains to take a look outside, the spectacle of the frosted branches immediately disgusted François Besnar. “It’s hell,” explains the father and former owner of the Ruisseau maple grove located in Coteau-du-Lac, in Montérégie. “The damage is 80% of what it was in 1998.”
As far as the eye can see, he explains on the phone, there are broken branches, maple trees lying on the ground, a desolation reminiscent of the ice storm that occurred 25 years ago.
“It’s not as bad, but it’s not badly attacked. The branches are still stuck in the ice, he explains. It breaks and it falls from 30, even 40 feet high: vlang on the ground! »,
Electricity failed from 4 p.m. Wednesday, just after the departure, fortunately, of a group of 200 people. François Besnar expects to stay in the dark for a few more days, just as the Easter weekend, which accounts for roughly 20% of his turnover, is fast approaching. Already, Thursday’s receptions are falling apart. “Today, we are going to tie up the fallen maples to try to lift them up with the shovel,” he says. Try, at least, to save some of them. »
The maple grove belonged to his grandfather, then to his father. “Me, I gave it to my children and I am almost discouraged for them, adds Mr. Besnar with spite. It’s not as bad as war, but… We didn’t need that this morning. »
In Rigaud, Sucrerie de la Montagne learned the lessons of the 1998 crisis the hard way. Menard. The ice did not surprise her twice: “For us, things are going very, very well, unless the breakdowns last a long time. Positive, she compares the branches that fall under the weight of the ice to “a free cleaning” offered by Mother Nature.
At Vignobles de Chelsa, in the Outaouais, the heart is not so light. “It’s not going very well,” explains owner Nathalie Martin. As the Easter weekend approaches, his fridges and freezers are overflowing with food, but unfortunately there is no more electricity. “I have food for around $8,000 and I don’t have a generator. My maple syrup producer is running around town trying to find one: we don’t even know how badly our maples are yet. »
Easter represents, for this sugar bush with 110 places, approximately $30,000 in revenue. “I really feel like in a pandemic since this morning, explains Nathalie Martin with discouragement. The phone isn’t ringing because people are canceling and asking for a refund. »
At Érablière Charbonneau, there was more fear than harm. In this hut of Mont-Saint-Grégoire, between Chambly and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, it is more the hot weather of the next few days that worries. “We continued to sink despite the weather,” says Mélanie Charbonneau, the owner. We rather look at the temperature because it announces very, very hot: there, that should stop streaming. »
The clientele, however, cancels even if the maple grove does not lack electricity. “People have no power at home and prefer to cancel. This morning, however, it’s mostly calls to find out if we’re open. We, explains Mélanie Charbonneau, collect our maple sap and wait for our customers. »
The shadow of 1998 grazed the sugar bush without causing any damage. “We were in the triangle 25 years ago. This time we were spared. »
On its social networks, the Association of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (PPAQ) informed, Thursday morning, of the steps to be taken to obtain assistance “in the event of a natural disaster such as the ice storm which hit part of of Quebec “.
The organization’s headquarters itself was feeling the effects of the storm. The following message greeted those who called, Thursday noon: “Please note that due to the power outage, our telephone lines are out of order. Hydro-Québec is unable to tell us when service will be restored. »
The association was working to paint a picture of the situation on Thursday morning. In addition to material damage to trees, tubing and infrastructure, power outages may have interrupted syrup boiling, further delaying operations on the eve of a crucial weekend.