We have just returned from a short stay in an EXP cabin at Mont-Tremblant National Park. I love this extraordinary park, which for me represents the quintessence of the Laurentians. I’ve been coming here for over fifty years and I never tire of it. In addition to the exceptional value of the nature experience, I appreciate the availability and kindness of the SEPAQ staff, the variety and quality of the facilities and activities offered and the great concern for education in environmental conservation. that we support there.
In short, for those who aspire to experience a great moment of peace and serenity in nature, whether in a cabin, in a ready-to-camp or in a tent, this is an essential place.
However, if we want to go back next year, my wife and I, we will have to pay a park access fee of $9.25 per person per day, unless we buy an annual card at a cost of 83, $50 per person, which gives unlimited access to all SEPAQ parks, or $46.25, for access to a single park. There are no age discounts unless you are 17 or younger. A 50% discount had been granted on the purchase of the annual card in 2020 and 2021, thanks to a subsidy from the Ministry of Tourism, but it was not renewed this year. (COVID is still with us, but the money is gone…)
To gain access to an EXP cabin, I will also have to pay an accommodation tax (subject to GST and QST) of $4.83 per day. Finally, it would be in my interest to do so now to secure a place, because reservations for all the SEPAQ chalets have already been open since last April, for the summer of 2023.
In fact, if I managed to rent something for three days this year, it was completely by chance, and by doing it at the last minute! This is probably the best thing to do to ensure that I have good weather during my stay, since, according to SEPAQ’s byzantine pricing policy, chalet reservations are not refundable less than thirty days from the fixed date. When we know the instability of our summer weather, it is better to start from the point of view that we will go anyway, good weather, bad weather, since in any case, it is paid for!
And since we bought our annual pass, why not take the opportunity to go swimming in Lac des Deux-Montagnes, at Parc d’Oka? The beach is beautiful and supervised. But we will still have to pay $10.50 per car for parking, the same at Mont-Orford or Yamaska parks.
How, in Quebec, can such pricing be justified? I certainly have ample means to pay for my SEPAQ stays, but this is not the case for all Quebecers, especially not in a period of galloping inflation.
Québec’s national parks are a treasure appreciated by visitors from all over the world, and to the upkeep of which all Quebecers contribute. Wouldn’t it be possible for Quebec citizens to at least be entitled to a preferential rate, for example on presentation of a driver’s license? In the same spirit, a discount could also be granted to seniors. It would be the least.
A state that can afford a $500 gift to each of its taxpayers (and after the costly two years of the pandemic, from which we’ve only just emerged) is a wealthy state. It is, it seems to me, its duty to offer its constituents the widest possible access to its natural resources, when it is only a matter of raising awareness of their value…
And if it’s really too hot this summer and, wanting to lie down on a clean, supervised beach with easy access, I’m tired of my swimming pool, Jean-Doré beach on the island Sainte-Hélène will only cost me a round trip by metro and the price of an annual family subscription of $22 a year. It’s already that !