Mélissa Gélinas LJI Reporter
The Parc des Cèdres cross-country ski trail project in the Aylmer sector will not take place this winter. According to the City of Gatineau, the project was not renewed for various reasons.
“The weather conditions were not adequate […]”, underlined Béttyna Bélizaire, municipal councillor for the Plateau district and president of the recreation, sports and community development commission.
According to Bélizaire, financial reasons as well as the lack of traffic were also part of the decision-making.
It is a pilot project that was implemented two years ago by Boris Lamontagne and the residents association Les Amis de la Marina. “What we had in mind was just a small trail of 500 or 600 meters in Parc des Cèdres,” said Lamontagne.
According to Lamontagne, it was an alternative for people who could not go to Gatineau Park. In this way, cross-country skiing enthusiasts could enjoy their sport nearby and at low cost.
However, the City of Gatineau is not definitively closing the door to the project and emphasizes the importance of practicing a sport in the urban outdoors. The city also must think about the routes that will need to be made. “We think that if we start again another year, we could have something better for the citizens,” said Lamontagne.
Residents are aware of the issues and would like more time to assess the relevance of this project. They point out, however, that there would have been a good number of users.
Photo: Parc des Cèdres during the winter (December 14, 2024) (MG) Photo: Parc des Cèdres Facebook page