Rimouski is considering, in its new five-year plan, the possible implementation of real estate development on a major archaeological site. On the targeted site, however, artifacts over 9,000 years old were identified during excavations. In fact, the place is considered so exceptional that it has made it possible to reconsider the history of the occupation of the territory in Bas-Saint-Laurent.
It was the regional branch of Radio-Canada in Bas-Saint-Laurent which first pointed out this aspect contained in the new “redevelopment and development plan” that Rimouski adopted last November. After several requests for interviews, The duty was sent a short written statement by the municipality. This indicates that “there are no development projects planned on the site” immediately, while admitting that it is, since 2014, a sector targeted by possible development. In the five-year plan adopted in 2023, the archaeological site is indeed within the planned development fields.
Moreover, the municipality does not rule out, she indicated to Duty, the “development” of the site through real estate construction, although nothing is planned for the moment. “If necessary, there would be several steps to go through, including environmental studies and an evaluation of the project by our team from the Urban Planning, Permits and Inspection Department and the municipal council.”
However, Quebec municipalities have obligations regarding the protection of archaeological sites. At Radio-Canada, the director of the Rimouski Urban Planning Department stated that he “did not have the information” about the importance of the place. In fact, the entire municipal administration seemed to be unaware of the existence of this rich historical space.
The new development and redevelopment plan for the city of Rimouski, adopted in November, even considers that the conservation potential of the place is zero.
More than 50,000 artifacts
“We can at least wonder how a municipality can be so ignorant of the importance of such riches in its area,” says Manon Savard, professor and archaeologist at the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR). “The excavations carried out there are, however, known. In principle, municipalities have access to all this information. It’s their responsibility. »
Excavations of the site were carried out from 1991, following work by the Ministry of Transport. Claude Chapdelaine, professor emeritus at the University of Montreal, was responsible at the time. “I excavated there, with a team, in 1991, 1992 and 1993.” Information does not circulate enough, he judges, from the Ministry of Culture to the municipalities. “I would say, to give a charitable explanation, that it’s no one’s fault and everyone’s fault.”
At the same time, the professor emeritus appears perplexed by the attitude of the city of Rimouski. He notes a lack of awareness and concern regarding these collective riches. “A portion of the site, located 55 meters from sea level, is today crisscrossed by streets, lined with houses. In one summer, the higher part of the site can also disappear under new construction. However, I can tell you that there are more than 50,000 artifacts left on these places. »
A major site
It is in fact one of the archaeological sites with the highest potential, experts consider. “It was the most important site in Quebec until we discovered another, even older, near Lac Mégantic,” considers Nicolas Beaudry, archaeologist and history professor at UQAR. “This site could actually just be protected for good. »
9,000 years ago, the humans who were one with these places hunted caribou with spears, in a landscape that resembled the tundra. The vegetation and fauna were very different at the time. “It was a very open landscape, with large spaces that did not at all resemble what we know today,” summarizes professor and archaeologist Manon Savard, recalling that the knowledge acquired during these excavations was used to the publication of a book entitled 8000 years ago in Rimouski (1994).
In principle, municipalities should be perfectly aware of the importance of protecting such sites, believe Manon Savard and Nicolas Beaudry. “However, the transfer of skills and responsibilities from the government to the municipalities, with the new law on heritage, has added weight and not necessarily resources so that the municipalities can find their way,” indicates the latter.
Rethinking the future of the past
It is not the same everywhere. Claude Chapdelaine cites the city of Sherbrooke as an example. An assessment of the archaeological potential of the various sites in the municipality is now linked to the land register itself. “Everything is computerized. We know, by looking at a place, if there is archaeological potential to consider. »
Do Quebec municipalities lack similar tools?
For lawyer Charles Breton-Demeule, familiar with heritage issues, this story shows above all that “there is no link made in Quebec between heritage data and land use planning. This means that there are often oppositions between what is presented as a land use plan and the question of heritage. » These are conflicts that should not exist, he believes. Quite the contrary. “We deprive ourselves of data from the past when it comes to planning the future. » In his opinion, this results in unnecessary and counterproductive conflicts.
A directory of archaeological excavations, accessible to professionals, already exists, recalls Charles Breton-Demeule. Are municipalities unaware of its importance?
“The built heritage is already poorly protected in Quebec, so imagine what is not visible, the archaeological heritage,” observes Nicolas Beaudry, historian and archaeologist from UQAR.
Like several other Quebec cities, Rimouski suffers from a severe housing shortage. The housing vacancy rate is at its lowest. It is a local businessman who recently purchased part of the land where the archaeological site integrated into the city’s development plan is located.