By Trevor Greenway

For the second consecutive season, camping at Lac Philippe will remain shuttered.

National Capital Commission (NCC) communications advisor Benoît Desjardins told the Low Down that “labour shortages and high inflation” continue to delay the campground’s $20 million renovation. The NCC said that the original planned opening of summer 2024 is no longer realistic. 

“The completion of the work is now scheduled for the fall of 2024, with a reopening planned for late spring 2025,” wrote Desjardins in an email on March 25.  “Most of the construction work has stopped for the winter season to ensure winter activities can continue to be offered in the park.”

He added that campsites and ready-to-camp units at Philippe, Taylor and Renaud lakes will be closed from April to November 2024 to allow construction to resume. Desjardins said the company doing the work, Pomerleau, demolished the existing buildings in the fall of 2022 and began construction on a new camp store, outdoor amphitheater and pavilion, along with 10 new, ready-to-camp cabins in May 2023. 

While the Lac Philippe modernization project will be a boon for campers in the area once complete, the loss of close to 300 local campers will certainly be felt in the Hills. In 2021, Gatineau Park booked more than 17,000 nights of camping and the only other alternative for Gatineau Park camping this summer is at Lac La Pêche, which requires a canoe to access. The NCC did not confirm if the lake’s two beaches – Parent and Breton – would remain open for the summer. 

While the loss of camping will certainly be felt by local businesses, including Marché Masham and La Patate À Carlo, the owners of  Ti-Ray , which is a few kilometres away and past the entrance to Lac Philippe, say they have their “loyal customers” to rely on and aren’t too concerned about a loss of revenue this summer. Because the Ti-Ray burger joint is further away from Lac Philippe, much of their customer base in the summer comes from either locals or cottagers, who own property in Lac des Loups. 

The Lac Philippe renovation project will see the entire campground upgraded, with increased access to water and electricity and improved accessibility for campers who have mobility issues. The NCC received $228.6 million in federal funding for “critical repairs of high impact and high-value assets,” and the NCC used just over $20 million of that on the Lac Philippe rehabilitation project.