A completely razed outfitter, 350 whose access is prohibited, among which about thirty are under close surveillance: the fires ransack some of these hunting and fishing businesses prized by many Quebecers.
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“A major ban like that is unheard of,” said the CEO of the Quebec Outfitters Federation (FPQ), Dominic Dugré.
Among the 550 existing outfitters in Quebec, 350 have been banned from access since Sunday, under a decision by the Quebec government.
At least one establishment has already burned: Pourvoirie Moisie Nipissis, on the North Shore.
According to the FPQ, about thirty outfitters are currently located less than 10 km from the forest fires.
“VS‘is very stressful”
“It’s really, really, really stressful,” sums up Éric Richard, owner of the Baie du Nord outfitter, located near the Gouin reservoir, in northern Mauricie.
Sunday morning at 8 a.m., he had to send all his clients home after receiving an evacuation notice from SOPFEU.
One of the forest fires ravaging Quebec was on Monday just 7 km from its establishment and 2 km from some of its facilities.
“We are putting everything in our boats in the middle of the lake with our equipment in it, described Mr. Richard on the phone. We want to save as much as possible”, continues the owner, who is counting on “the good winds” so that the flames spare his business.
Courtesy Eric Richard
The managers of the Baie du Nord outfitter put the maximum amount of equipment on a few boats which they moored in the middle of the lake in an attempt to “save as much stock as possible”.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests, the measure which prohibits access to the forest on lands in the domain of the State over a large part of the territory, and consequently 350 outfitters, was taken, among other things, “due to significant risks of ignition of new fires”.
If he understands the reasons for this decision, Mr. Dugré stresses that it comes at the worst time of the year for the industry. “It’s bear hunting, trout and walleye fishing in full swing. The outfitters are full. This is an extremely critical time.”
A call for help launched
Éric Richard of the Baie du Nord outfitter can testify to this, because the numerous customer cancellations have already caused him to lose “from $30,000 to $40,000” since yesterday.
“Day by day, it continues to rise,” he worries.
For its part, the FPQ is appealing to the government for help to absorb the losses that the industry will suffer.
“It’s going to take something. We will see how the government can support outfitters to regain profitability.
“I’m thinking of people who acquired their outfitting business over the past 2-3 years, it’s very anxiety-provoking for them because they have payments to make. Insurance only covers a small part of a loss of income,” continues Mr. Dugré.
As the hours pass, the CEO does not hear anything that can reassure him, while Prime Minister François Legault said Monday that the authorities “have a long time” to fight the forest fires.
“The danger also is that several outfitters will burn. We have every reason in the world to be worried,” concludes Mr. Dugré.