Tashi Farmilo
LJI Reporter

Mount Lorne rises above the Gatineau River like a sentinel of another age, its wooded slopes
still sheltering trees more than 200 years old and a riverside untouched by the wave of
development that has swept much of the region. For generations, the mountain has inspired
artists, drawn hikers and naturalists, and stood as a reminder of Cantley’s heritage. Today, it is
at the centre of a fierce battle over its future.

The controversy stems from the Nature 360 project, a proposed residential subdivision by
Rivière Mont-Cascades Inc., led by Pierre-Hughes Fortin, who also owns the Mont-Cascades
golf course. The plan envisions carving roads and homes across the mountain’s ridges and
shoreline, including stretches of land that geologists note are unstable clay deposits left behind
by the ancient Champlain Sea. Opponents say the development threatens not only a fragile
ecosystem but also a piece of the community’s identity.

Mount Lorne’s story is steeped in culture as much as it is in nature. It takes its name from Lord
Lorne, Canada’s Governor General from 1878 to 1883, who often visited the Gatineau Valley.
Between 1904 and 1960, Group of Seven painters J. E. H. MacDonald and A. Y. Jackson set up
their easels here, capturing the shifting light over the river and hills. The site also holds traces of
the region’s logging era, with remnants of timber drives still visible along the shoreline.

The mountain’s ecological importance is equally striking. More than 200 species of plants and
animals, including several at-risk species, have been documented in the area using iNaturalist.
Its 1.5-kilometre stretch of untouched shoreline is the last of its kind between Wakefield and the
Chelsea Dam, making it a rare sanctuary for biodiversity and one of the few remaining
opportunities for future public access to the Gatineau River.

Yet despite these qualities, the development has edged forward. The Quebec Ministry of the
Environment recently authorized preparatory work in natural areas connected to Nature 360
South, although a wetlands permit has not been issued. Cantley’s municipal staff referred the
revised proposal to an external urban planning firm due to internal staffing constraints. The
council rejected the original plan in April 2023, but the revised version is now under review and
may return to the council floor by September 16, the final meeting before municipal elections.

At the centre of the conflict is a legal disagreement. The developers claim the project is
protected by acquired rights, which would exempt it from the 2020 MRC des Collines land use
plan that prohibits new roads in recreational and tourism zones. However, critics contend those
rights do not apply.

“Acquired rights only exist in specific cases where all necessary formalities were completed
before the regulatory change, which is not the case with Nature 360,” said Denise Giroux, a
long-time Cantley resident and organizer of the petition opposing the project. “If the municipality
approves this, it is exposing itself to legal and moral liability.”​

Giroux and co-organizer Michel Junger have indicated they are prepared to challenge the
project in court. A legal brief is already in preparation and a defence fund is being organized,
though supporters have been asked to pledge their assistance rather than contribute funds until
formal proceedings begin.

“Our goal is not to sue the municipality. Our goal is to stop this project before irreversible
damage is done,” Giroux said. “But if council insists on ignoring their own bylaws and the
science in front of them, we are ready.”

The petition launched by SOS Mount Lorne has now gathered 3,397 signatures from Cantley
residents and those across the MRC des Collines. It calls on Mayor David Gomes, the municipal
council, and MRC prefect Marc Carrière to reject the project outright or at minimum delay any
decision until after the election. The petition stresses the ecological and cultural value of Mount
Lorne and urges the municipality to consider establishing a public nature park instead, which
would provide river access the public currently lacks despite the Gatineau River featuring on
Cantley’s official logo.

For Giroux, the stakes are deeply personal. She grew up in Niagara, where she witnessed fruit
orchards being replaced by housing developments. “We thought it would be temporary, but it
never came back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” she said. “I don’t want to see that happen here. We
have something rare, and it’s worth protecting.”
According to a source close to the opposition effort, developers have contacted residents
directly to explain their interpretation of zoning laws, a move believed to be quietly encouraged
by certain members of council.

Requests for comment sent to Mayor Gomes and Cantley councillors over the past two weeks
have gone unanswered.

Photo: A petition with 3,397 verified signatures to date, is calling on Cantley’s council to reject
the Nature 360 project and preserve Mount Lorne’s last wild shoreline and forested slopes. (TF)
Photo: Courtesy