The mayor of Percé remains confident about the future of the Geoparc, which experienced a major financial crisis in 2022. According to Cathy Poirier, 2023 has been much better.
PERCÉ – The mayor of Percé remains confident about the future of the Geoparc, which experienced a major financial crisis in 2022. According to Cathy Poirier, 2023 has been much better.
The mayor, who has been involved since the beginning and who has chaired the organization, did not want this situation to arise.
“I think financial difficulties happen to a lot of organizations. Interest rates make a huge difference on a $2 million loan. That’s just one factor among many. I think we’ve come to a reflection to improve the situation,” comments the mayor.
The organization is seeking a general manager who specializes in restructuring after recording a deficit of $350,000 in 2022.
“The Geoparc had a very good season, with very good visitor numbers. We had a general manager who did a very good job of restructuring. No one thinks that the future of the Geoparc is in jeopardy,” the mayor continues.
The pandemic years were busy, but on the other hand prevented any development.
“The Board of Directors is very committed and very present, with a new chairman, Daniel Leboeuf. This is excellent news for Percé. He was involved in the initial discussions and in the birth of the Geoparc. Now that he’s retired, he has all the time in the world to devote to the Geoparc,” says the elected official.
The organization aims to find stability in the general management after several people have occupied the position since 2020.
Finding the right fit is difficult in the current labour shortage.
Rue du Piedmont
Work will finally begin on Rue du Piedmont, which will connect Route 132 and the Geoparc.
The first phase involves building the water and sewer infrastructure for a project that the mayor did not have in her plans when she took office in 2017.
In 2016, the population rejected a $2 million project proposed by the former administration in a referendum.
“We worked on an eco-responsible project, which changed the game for developing the commercial street and a different way of subdividing the land and financing the project. We embraced this project,” explains Ms. Poirier.
“It took a while with the Ministry of Culture, the subdivision and the pandemic. The processing of the file slowed down during this period. The subdivision is finished, and we don’t want to go ahead with a global project. We want to phase it,” continues the mayor.
The start of the work will allow the sale of four of the six remaining plots still available.
“There are still plenty of people interested. People are asking around. We’re very confident that the sale of the four plots will enable the second phase to get underway,” explains the mayor.
Meanwhile, the recipe for making asphalt from recycled plastic has been found.
“The studies have been conclusive. An initial trial will be carried out in the autumn to conduct laboratory tests,” she says.
A good tourist summer
Contrary to previews, the summer of 2023 was better than expected, while elsewhere, a certain slowdown has been noticed or a decline was expected after three intense years.
Without having any concrete figures, the trend looks good.
“The Sépaq (Société des établissements de plein air du Québec) indicated that it is equal to or better than 2022. That’s what the tourism industry seems to be telling us. A very, very good season. Maybe a little less extreme traffic in the middle of the summer season, but an earlier start and a season that’s not over yet. What we’re hearing is that the season will be equal to or better than 2022,” says the mayor.
Seeing the tourist season extend is perceived as excellent news.
“It’s a trend we’ve been working on for a long time. When the Geoparc opened in 2016, the plan was that we should stay open all winter to attract new investors. As well as those that are very seasonal, we’re seeing more and more businesses open all year round,” suggests the mayor.