Faced with the outcry raised by a group of Mauricie citizens to save the Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc recreational forest park, I cannot remain silent.
I understand that the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Pierre Dufour, in granting this woodlot by auction to the Rémabec company, complied with the prescriptions of the Forest Act.
I also understand that the regional officials of this department have only applied what the law requires of them.
I understand that Rémabec, to whom the logging and forest rehabilitation contract was granted according to the law, is entitled to carry out the planned cutting and rehabilitation. By the way, Rémabec is a recognized company that respects forestry work. It’s not like that mafia company in Gatineau.
I understand that the members of the citizens’ group contest the Minister’s decision by saying that the 2018 consultation was not sufficient to allow them to assert their opposition to this contract, which disrupts the recreational tourism projects of this local forest. .
Faced with these observations, the minister is, in my opinion, faced with a logical choice, that is to decree a moratorium so that the coalition offers him other ways of developing this place in order to preserve its vocation as a forest. recreational tourism.
The group, wanting to turn into a non-profit organization, could be empowered to make this file a reality by proposing other ways of cutting wood and developing this wooded area.
As for Rémabec, the Minister has the power to revoke the contract while not penalizing it, and even compensating it for the costs incurred during the implementation of this contract.
In doing so, the Minister would allow citizens to preserve this wooded area, which would be included in the green reserve (protected area).