Jean Lauzon, one of the great protectors of the Mille Îles river

Forty years ago, the Mille Îles River did not look like much. The sewers flowed directly into its waters, outdoor enthusiasts did not scramble to navigate, and the wildlife was not particularly vigorous.

Marie Tison
Press

“In 1985, when I arrived there, there were two little wood ducks,” says Jean Lauzon, co-founder of the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park. It was exceptional to see it. Since then, the flora and fauna have come back to life. The river is now a heritage gem, we can’t lose that. ”

It was to recognize Jean Lauzon’s role in the preservation and enhancement of the Mille Îles River that Lieutenant-Governor Michel Doyon recently awarded him the Medal of Outstanding Merit.

“Yes, I did good things, recognizes Mr. Lauzon. I was a kind of leader, but this medal, I received it on behalf of all those who helped me and who made me grow. ”

The great adventure of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park began modestly, with young people who wanted to organize camping trips for children on Kennedy Island.

“We went to see Claude-Ulysse Lefebvre, who was mayor of Laval,” says Jean Lauzon. He told us: “It’s a great project. I’ll give you $ 45,000, go away. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t work, we stop it. ” ”

It worked. Eco-Nature, an organization from the Laval Outdoor Conservation and Development Association, began to manage the project. This included the rental of boats and became the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park.

Purify the waters

At the same time, in the 1990s, the authorities embarked on a vast water purification program.

“The river has returned to acceptable water quality,” says Mr. Lauzon. We have worked hard to protect the natural environment. At that time, it was quite avant-garde. ”

It was not always easy, especially during the administration of the mayor of Laval Gilles Vaillancourt. “It wasn’t easy. Vaillancourt being Vaillancourt… he was a promoter, we didn’t have the same atoms. ”

What has helped the park is its enormous popularity with the citizens. “There were a lot of people coming to our house. For a politician, it was more complicated to pack that. ”

Now, the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park welcomes 150,000 visitors a year. It employs 150 people and can count on an annual budget of $ 4.5 million.

There is still a lot of protection work to be done, but there are positive signs: the Municipality of Laval recently announced its intention to acquire Locas Island, an important area located in the center of the Rivière-des- Mille-Îles, to ensure its protection. And a few months ago, a group of citizens derailed a huge $ 900 million residential project on Île Gagnon (which was once owned by singer Céline Dion) and on the adjacent shore.

“There are 2,500 people who have come together under the Vigile Mille-Îles banner,” says Jean Lauzon. It threw me down to see that there were so many people who cared about protecting the river. ”

Upcoming projects

After nearly 40 years at Eco-Nature, Jean Lauzon is retiring. But he does not intend to stay far from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park. “I will continue to get involved so that the projects continue. ”

In particular, we are talking about reducing the protected area of ​​the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park from 26 to nearly 700 hectares. Mr. Lauzon also piloted Erre écomobility, a recreational and utility transport project that will connect nine municipalities along the river, notably through the rental of boats and bicycles. The Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park has already opened four new boat rental offices in the summer of 2021. “I’ve been talking about this for 10 years. It will happen! He says.

Jean Lauzon has other dreams, notably to bring back swimming in the Mille Îles river. “By having this objective, we ensure that the quality of the water is good and we ensure that flora, fauna and man benefit from it. ”

Jean Lauzon finally hopes that one day, we will no longer find gasoline-powered boats on the river. “There could be canoes, kayaks, electric boats… I think that would make sense. With all that we put in money on pollution control and treatment plants, it is time to stop polluting the river, ”he said.