nelson sergerie

The Gaspé Peninsula needs 1,500 housing units

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The Gaspé Peninsula faces an urgent need for 1,500 housing units in the very short term – within a year – to address immediate shortages. Despite this, the Gaspé Peninsula Table of Prefects estimates that there will still be a shortfall.

Several elected officials took advantage of the visit of the Minister responsible for housing to Maria on August 27 to take stock of the situation prevailing on the Gaspé Peninsula.

“This is very difficult data to obtain and we did some quick calculations and, at the very least in the short term, in the next year, 1,500 housing units would be needed and we know that each year, more will have to be added. It’s difficult to assess it. The needs are immense and the challenges are great,” says Mathieu Lapointe, president of the Table.

Mr. Lapointe believes that Minister France-Élaine Duranceau is aware of the region’s needs which have been conveyed many times.

“The particular challenge in the Gaspésie is the cost of construction, which is higher than elsewhere in Quebec. There are projects that come out at $600,000 or $700,000 per door. We have to find solutions and that’s what she’s working on to reduce costs. This means that we’re not able to complete the financial packages and carry out the projects,” notes Mr. Lapointe.

In the private sector, a four-and-a-half unit costs nearly $300,000 while social housing can reach $450,000.
On several occasions, the Table has proposed possible solutions to stimulate construction. “What the private sector is telling us is that it’s not profitable enough, especially the down payment, which is too high. That’s why we suggested various measures such as tax credits or enhanced depreciation that could make a real difference and apply only to our region,” says Mr. Lapointe.

“She (the Minister) is analyzing these measures and she was thinking about concrete solutions of this type or loan guarantees to encourage people to invest in rental housing without requiring a 20% down payment, which is too high given the return,” says Mr. Lapointe.

On August 22, the two levels of government announced a call for projects to build 500 modular units across Quebec to speed up construction.

“We wanted the details to position ourselves and for the region to benefit from it but the minister did not commit. As soon as we have solid files, we can go back to see her and present potential files to the municipalities. Her number one issue is to have additional housing quickly and we will position ourselves quickly to respond to this concern,” notes Mr. Lapointe.

In Gaspé alone, there is a shortage of 400 housing units. Last week, the Quebec government presented a strategy to build 560,000 housing units quickly in Quebec. The Mayor of Gaspé, Daniel Côté, believes that this could help with construction.

“It could help on the financial side in particular. In her statement, the minister asked the municipal sector to be more flexible. Here, we are doing it. We had a private meeting with her Monday morning (August 26) and she quickly understood that municipalities in Gaspésie were not the type to slow down projects,” indicates the mayor.

Mr. Côté highlighted the importance of flexibility in financial assistance. The Affordable Housing Program Quebec (PHAQ) could be revised.

“The program is good for nonprofit organizations. The private sector has access to it but few get on board because it is a bit complex. She understands that. She is ready to reopen the PHAQ program. When she talks to us about a new financial assistance program that is better adapted to reality, that speaks to us. If we are told that municipalities must adapt their regulations, that speaks to us less because we have already done so. In short, there is some good in what has been said. There are things that may be good for others but, for us, the financial assistance speaks to us,” comments Mr. Côté.

The minister believes that her program, which has two development axes, has been well received. She wants to create an environment conducive to construction, affordable or not.

“We have new financial tools to support groups so that projects can be built at a lower cost. While waiting for everything to be built, we want to help people who have difficulty paying their rent. There are a multitude of measures to help people while waiting for the housing supply to increase in Quebec,” mentions France-Élaine Duranceau.

The Gaspé Peninsula needs 1,500 housing units Read More »

Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia abolition contested – not before 2025

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The judicial review request following the decision to abolish the federal riding of Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia will not be heard before the beginning of 2025 according to a report by Droits collectifs Québec following a management conference on July 25.

The judge asked the attorney for Droits collectifs Québec, François Côté, to file his brief on August 16.
“The case is continuing but, unfortunately, for a hearing in the fall, hopes have been dashed out of hand by the length of the legal proceedings,” explains Mr. Côté. The Attorney General of Canada contested Droits collectifs Québec’s right to act, a motion that Justice Alexandra Steele dismissed in July.

Thus, the Attorney General and Elections Canada will have until November 15 to file their complete case to defend the abolition of the riding.

“We must file a request for a hearing by November 29, 2024, at the latest. We have completed our steps and the ball is now in the court of the Attorney General and Elections Canada,” said Mr. Côté.
“I don’t expect to get through (to be heard) before November 29, even with a miracle. I would be surprised if there were dates available between November 29 and December 31. We are heading towards something a little later than I had hoped,” notes the lawyer.

In the event of an early election call, the application for judicial review may not have been heard. Voting is scheduled for October 2025.

“We can only find it unfortunate that the courts did not uphold our request for a stay during the proceedings. If we find ourselves in a situation where we win our case while an election is called, there are questions to be asked about the speed and manner in which the rights of voters will be guaranteed by the Attorney General and Elections Canada. For the moment, we are in a hypothetical situation. We will hope for a resolution in the best-case scenario and everything is going well,” says Mr. Côté.

The application for judicial review is based on an opinion rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada referencing the Provincial Electoral Boundaries in Saskatchewan and the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act.

“The basic argument is that of effective representation and effective representation is not just a question of numbers. Regions, communities, geographic areas and regional histories also matter. If we only had a system with one head, one vote, we would have a democracy where the large metropolises have all the political power, which means that the less dense regional entities could not make their voices heard in a democracy,” argues Mr. Côté.

“Our parliamentary system tries to balance the two by having a system based on the right to vote, but which also takes into account the regions, the regional specificities, so that the diversity of everything that makes up a society does not only take into account the simple number of the population, but also its variety,” he maintains.

The adopted map presented in the summer of 2022 provoked an outcry from the entire political community in the Gaspé Peninsula.

Avignon-La Mitis-Matane-Matapédia abolition contested – not before 2025 Read More »

Construction is underway for 32 social housing units in Gaspé

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The official groundbreaking for the Han-Logement project, which will consist of building 32 affordable and accessible housing units, took place on August 26. This $10.3 million project, located on Forest Street, is set to accommodate individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities or those with autism spectrum disorders. The first tenants are expected to move in by July 1, 2025.

The Government of Quebec is providing $5.6 million to the project through the Société d’habitation du Québec and the Government of Canada is contributing $222,343 through the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund.

Desjardins is injecting $3.2 million in mortgage financing, the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ is injecting $800,000 in long-term capital, and the Town of Gaspé is contributing the land and a tax credit for a total of $443,000.

These homes will be affordable. “They are affordable because there is a subsidy from the various levels of government but also because we will offer the rent supplement program and tenants will not pay more than 25% of their income in rent,” explains the Minister responsible for Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau.
“We are looking to increase all types of housing in Quebec. This one is for clients who live with a disability and this group that is leading the Han-Logement project is a community group that is very effective in the way it builds housing and makes it available. We are delivering in a shorter time frame and within a tight and reasonable budget. For me, this is a project to support and see repeated elsewhere in Quebec,” adds the Minister.

The Han-Logement Gaspé development will consist of four buildings with 32 units, including 24 one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units. It will feature landscaped outdoor spaces, easy access, proximity to services and private parking.

Stakeholders are also planning for a second phase of the project. “We agreed with the Town to look at this. With the land acquired, there would be the possibility of adding units. When we signed for this land, we were given a challenge and we are looking at when it would be possible to do a phase 2. Maybe other projects. There are several requests,” says Han-Logement President and Chief Executive Officer Anik Roy Trudel.

The group’s goal is to raise $100,000 for each complex built. Dr. Thierry Petry has already contributed $100,000 to the Gaspé project. “It’s an excellent project. He wanted to move quickly. We organized ourselves to move quickly,” says Mayor Daniel Côté.

The project came to fruition in less than two years. “We worked extra hard to be on the fast track and we’re already seeing the results. A second phase is planned and we’re ready to hand it over. It’s a model to follow. The developer arrives with plans and specifications. He also has his builder and financiers attached. When he knocks on our door, he’s ready and needs land and for the zoning rules to be changed quickly,” says Mr. Côté.

According to the mayor, between 16 and 32 additional units could be added in a second phase. Each apartment costs around $300,000.

“We’re very rigorous. We have a model and here, it’s our 2.0 model that we’ve been using for six years. This allows us to know it very well and optimize costs. Our contractor is on the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth building. He knows how much it’s going to cost him and how long it will take. That’s the predictability of the model. But it’s a challenge,” agrees Ms. Roy Trudel.

These new housing units in Gaspé are part of Han-Logement’s second project supported by the Desjardins Affordable Housing Initiative in partnership with the Quebec and Canadian governments, following a 24-unit affordable housing development in Rivière-du-Loup.

The developer also has plans for other locations in Gaspé Peninsula, with a potential project in Chandler. “We’re finalizing the details. There’s a whole preliminary project phase where we do analyses at the land level. We have to agree with the deed of donation of the land. Things are going very well despite some minor issues and we are hopeful of announcing the start of construction next year,” says Ms. Roy Trudel.
New Richmond and Sainte-Anne-des-Monts are also in the plans. “We want to go around the Gaspé and expand to the Lower St. Lawrence. We have several towns that are approaching us. You will definitely see us again in the Gaspé. The secret is a town that has the drive and wants to get on board with us. That’s the ingredient we need to start a project,” she concludes.

In fact, a building with 24 affordable housing units has been built in Rivière-du-Loup. It already accommodates people living with a physical or intellectual disability or with an autism spectrum disorder.

Construction is underway for 32 social housing units in Gaspé Read More »

End of independent workforce: CISSS prepares a plan to maintain services

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Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

CHANDLER – The Quebec government’s plan to gradually eliminate independent healthcare workers could lead to reduced services in the Gaspé Peninsula.

The Gaspé Peninsula Integrated Health and Social Services Centres (CISSS) is developing a plan in the event that the 200 agency workers who work for the organization are no longer present in October 2026, the deadline for ensuring the transition (away from agency workers) in the region.

The increasingly restrictive rules that will apply in the coming months raise concerns about the availability of resources to fill uncovered shifts. “If people from agencies are less interested in coming to the region, we could have needs that remain unmet and that would put us at a greater risk. That’s why we are looking at a critical services plan and being able to identify people in our organization to maintain these critical services. That would mean that other services would have to be slowed down to maintain critical services. It’s a plan. We want to prepare for the worst. We don’t want to be forced to deploy it, but we have to think about it to maintain 24/7 services,” says President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Pelletier.

Before getting to that point, the CISSS will attempt to recruit agency staff, particularly with the new working conditions established in recent collective agreements.

“We will solicit them to see if they would be interested in becoming employees of the CISSS de la Gaspésie. Some are in the region, but there are some in urban centres. It’s a big life choice to say that we’re moving to another region. We’re going to submit the new conditions to them. We’re able to show them what’s available now and they’ll be able to compare what they do in their agencies. They’ll understand that the network is becoming interesting in terms of money,” believes the CEO. So far, one or two people have chosen to work for the CISSS on their own.

Although about 80 international nurses will eventually join the workforce, the CISSS will not make any net gains. “We still have a large turnover of people retiring and we have many who are not very far from retirement. We’re in the process of making these projections. We hope the gap will be positive. It will all depend on the number of people we can retain from outside nurses,” says Mr. Pelletier, who also hopes that some individuals will delay their retirement.

The CISSS is registered for a third international cohort expected next spring. According to Mr. Pelletier, about twenty new candidates could move to the region.

End of independent workforce: CISSS prepares a plan to maintain services Read More »

Quebec once again asks Ottawa to collaborate in the fisheries sector

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – Quebec Fisheries Minister André Lamontagne took advantage of the annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers on August 15 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, to once again urge the Department of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to intensify its collaboration with fishermen, processors and the provinces, as climate change is impacting several fisheries.

While in Gaspé on July 5, Mr. Lamontagne deplored this lack of collaboration at a time when the industry is going through a crisis and must define its future.

He mentioned that the federal government does not seem to have a clear vision for the future.
In the current crisis, it is more than necessary that future actions be the subject of real consultation in order to ensure the sustainability of coastal communities, said Mr. Lamontagne.

Using the example of shrimp, the Minister mentioned that despite repeated calls from Quebec for increased collaboration between levels of government to respond to this crisis, the federal government has still not indicated its intention to offer substantial structural and financial support measures for struggling fisheries sectors, including Quebec’s shrimp fishery, as the Quebec Shrimp Fishermen’s Office recalled on August 15.

Last year, 4,500 tonnes of shrimp were landed by Quebec fishermen out of the 8,193-tonne quota. This year’s quota is set at 3,060 tonnes.

Another example is the resumption of redfish fishing, which should have benefited this sector. However, the 5,500-tonne quota currently allocated to Quebec shrimp fishermen is far too small to contribute to the restructuring of this fleet, which is in a very precarious situation.

The Minister also met with his counterparts from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island to discuss the pressing fisheries issues they share.

They agreed that federal government intervention was necessary to support shrimpers and any fisheries in difficulty, emphasizing the importance of joint management of fishery resources overseen by the federal government.

“Several fisheries are currently experiencing major upheaval. I saw this again during my recent visit to the Magdalen Islands, the Lower St. Lawrence, and the Gaspé Peninsula. In the middle of the fishing season, it is inconceivable that boats have to remain docked. I took advantage of the meeting to reiterate the federal government’s responsibility to contribute to the measures needed to ensure the restructuring of fishing fleets in difficulty, particularly shrimp fishermen. We must develop a common vision, which will be supported by jointly developed strategies and action plans. Silos have no place in fisheries,” says the Minister.

Mr. Lamontagne mentioned turbot, where the quota fell by more than 50% between 2021 and 2023, from 4,500 tonnes to 2,400 tonnes, with landings of only 179 tonnes last year.

He also mentioned that since 2023, fishing for winter flounder and yellowtail flounder in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has been subject to a moratorium. While the federal government is dragging its feet, the Minister mentioned that Quebec has stepped in to provide support to the various stakeholders in the shrimp sector since 2023, including the creation of a working committee made up of fishermen, processors and the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ).

Financial assistance of more than $3.5 million has been granted to the shrimp sector, including $528,000 to fishermen in difficulty.

In addition, the Quebec government guarantees loans to those at risk for an amount of nearly $20 million.
Projects to support the sector and hire resources, presented by associations and regional county municipalities, were also funded during this period.

Quebec once again asks Ottawa to collaborate in the fisheries sector Read More »

Gaspé Municipal Update: Town Hall renovations higher than expected

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ: – Steps are still being taken to potentially file a legal appeal against the architects and engineers who designed the plans for the ongoing work at the Town Hall.

“It’s still in the process. I can’t go into it any further,” said Mr. Côté.

When asked whether the parties are in discussions or if a formal notice has been served, the mayor once again remained cautious. “We’re at the legal level, so I’m going to keep a big reserve on my comments. We’ll let the legal specialists chat among themselves. I don’t want to interfere in the process,” replied the mayor, who is a trained lawyer.

The contractor in charge of the project had discovered a problem between the design of the building’s façade wall and what had been agreed upon during planning, a surprise that should have been noted by the engineers and architects when designing the renovation plans, Mr. Côté indicated in July.

The additional costs amount to $700,000. The Town had adopted a $4.3 million borrowing bylaw, which included plans and specifications, and the work contract was initially set at $2.9 million, representing a savings of $1 million.

“It had pleasantly surprised us, but the million has melted like snow in the sun. One of the issues we have is that we have no guarantee that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs will extend the missing amount. The ministry pays 65% of the bill after the call for tenders but now they do not want to go back up to the amount initially planned. It’s not our fault if there were errors in the plans and specifications,” said the elected official.

Rue des Touristes

Work to protect Rue des Touristes, located in the Anse-à-Valleau sector of Gaspé, will not be done until 2026. The street, which has been highly vulnerable since a devastating storm in December 2016, will face a ten-year wait before it receives adequate protection but, even then, the solution may not resolve all the problems, according to the mayor.

“It required financial assistance from Civil Security and it took a long time to agree on the principle of compensation in he case of bank erosion. It was a very long and painful process, from ministry approvals to everything. In short, it was endless,” comments the mayor of Gaspé, Daniel Côté.

Once this step was completed and a financial agreement was reached, in which Quebec pays 75% of the estimated $4 million cost, plans and specifications were ordered in June at a cost of $644,000.

“If we didn’t need environmental studies, the work would have been done before the end of 2025 but we know that environmental studies always have delays of a year, a year and a half, two years, which means that there will be no potential work until 2026,” calculates the elected official.

He hopes that work will begin in early 2026 to be completed by the end of the year. “The high tides have been around for eight years, and there is still about a two-year delay left. I understand the exasperation of the people in the area,” says the mayor, who considers himself lucky that no new storm has hit the area.
However, the battle to protect the coastline is far from over.

The Ministry of Public Safety only wants to pay for the riprap for the area affected by the 2016 storm, leaving the ends of the planned work vulnerable.

“We fear the end effects. When the water hits the riprap, it will affect the sides of the riprap and create new erosion zones. We fear this effect, our specialists have these fears, but the ministry does not want to pay. We will continue to make the ministry see reason,” says the mayor, who indicates that approximately 20% of the work remains to be completed.

The plans and specifications address this end effect, which is defined as the turbulence caused by water striking the ends of a structure and eroding the soil of unprotected neighbouring properties. Severe erosion zones could emerge, potentially leading to significant land loss for neighbours.

“If we let nature take its course, it would take away the road and relocate dozens of houses. In short, we would have had to practically close the village if we had listened to what the people from the ministry told us at the beginning. No one had noticed that the road was the next to disappear and right after that, it was houses. It took them a while to realize that it didn’t make sense to let nature take its course unless we decided to condemn the village of Anse-à-Valleau. As a town, we weren’t ready for that,” says Mr. Côté.
In the event of another storm causing further damage, the mayor believes that an emergency decree could be issued to bypass environmental regulations and allow for the street’s reconstruction.

Gaspé Municipal Update: Town Hall renovations higher than expected Read More »

Increase in students at the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles is expecting 1,279 students for the fall 2024 session, which began on August 19.

This marks an increase of 42 students compared to last year and 147 more than in the fall 2022 session.
“The CEGEP is doing great promotional activities in the Gaspésie but also in Quebec with some 250 students coming from other regions of Quebec. We have about 120 foreign students and we have better retention of students from the Gaspésie. It’s a multitude of factors,” explains the Director of Studies, Serge Rochon.

Among these factors, the Director notes the twenty or so programs offered, the small groups of students, and the close relationships between professors and students, which promotes success.
“We have positioned our educational institution well in recent years, and we have more and more students in our classrooms,” he continues.

New measures were put in place to allow foreign students to come and study in Canada despite strict rules.
“We are managing to maintain the number of international students. Last year was a record year. We are maintaining these students who come from France and African countries. This is good news for our study programs, as it allows us to maintain them,” explains Mr. Rochon.

The revision of the Childhood Education Technique program is still underway. “We are going to equip ourselves with a new version of the program. We started our work last winter and we will finish it this year. This is a program where we had no registrations last year. We are going to significantly modify the study program that we will present in a few weeks,” indicates the director of studies, recalling the significant need for workers in the region.

The same reflection will be done with the Aquatic Products Transformation program offered in Grande-Rivière. “The program has been suspended for several years. We are going to start a major project this year to try to look at it in depth and see how we can make it attractive for a relaunch at the UPAQ,” emphasizes Mr. Rochon.

The Police Technology program is under development at the Gaspé campus. “We are starting to hire our first professors. We have a version of the program that is not completed but is very advanced. We will be able to unveil it very soon because we will soon begin our promotional activities,” emphasizes Mr. Rochon.
The first policing students are expected at the start of the fall 2025 school year. The work to build the laboratories for this training will be done during the year. “We need to create some pretty specific laboratories. We’re talking about apartments, bars, and police stations where we do all sorts of simulations. We’re going to prepare everything over the course of the year to be ready for the start of the 2025 school year,” says the director.

As for the idea put forward this summer by politicians to train wildlife officers in the region due to a labour shortage, particularly in this region, the CEGEP has not been contacted.

“There are other CEGEPs in Quebec that offer this training. Sometimes, it’s difficult to set up the program everywhere in the territory. We have a lot of programs at the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles, and sometimes it becomes difficult to add more since we already have Police Technology. We’re always listening and, if we can meet a need in the region, we’ll be there,” says Mr. Rochon.

International students

The CEGEP believes that it is too early to comment on the Quebec bill that would limit the number of foreign students in the province.

The Coalition Avenir Québec government intends to table a bill in the next parliamentary session to regulate the registration of international students in higher education institutions.
Since the content of the bill is not yet known, the CEGEP is unable to determine what the impacts of the legislation would be on its activities.

The college welcomes about 120 foreign students this year, representing nearly 10% of the student body.
The CEGEP indicates that it will monitor the situation closely.

Increase in students at the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles Read More »

Ian Lafrenière visits the Gaspé Peninsula

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Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GESGAPEGIAG – The Minister responsible for relations with First Nations admits that there is still a lot of work to be done before trust can be reestablished with the government.

While visiting Gesgapegiag and Listuguj on August 15, Ian Lafrenière indicated that efforts are ongoing to improve relations with these communities.

“It’s obvious that these are difficult relationships. Why? We are talking about 400 years of history, punctuated by moments that have not been glorious as Canadians and Quebecers. There is certainly mistrust. I am not comfortable telling you that everything is fine, but I am comfortable telling you that we are moving forward. We are gaining trust one file at a time. It will take time,” says the Minister.
In Gesgapegiag, the first subject that was discussed between the minister and the community was the salmon fishing conflict that escalated in late spring.

An agreement that had provided compensation to members of Gesgapegiag for 16 years expired on March 31. “The Wildlife file was transferred from the ministry, and it was more complex. Together, we agreed that we need to reach a medium and long-term agreement to avoid this type of situation that creates uncertainty and tension. We want to reach an agreement to provide more predictability,” the Minister explained.
Given the difficulties in capturing other species, alternative possibilities were also discussed. Additionally, several other priorities were mentioned.

The Minister also took the opportunity to visit the memorial dedicated to Aboriginal Veterans, a significant moment for him as a veteran, and a project in which the Quebec government contributed.
In Listuguj, Mr. Lafrenière reviewed completed projects. “In all cases, these are projects that have respected both the budget and the deadline. I am thinking of the school and the police station. There is a lot of movement and it is very positive,” the Minister mentions.

However, Mr. Lafrenière did not visit Gespeg due to a tight schedule but also for another factor.
“We know that there is a pre-election period in Gespeg. That is why I did not continue my trip. I would say that in terms of schedule and geography, I couldn’t do it. And in addition to this pre-election period, I refrain from visiting the communities. It will be soon,” he says, adding that he has visited the 55 communities in Quebec.

“It’s important to see the communities. That’s where we learn things. It’s not in our office,” maintains Mr. Lafrenière.

Ian Lafrenière visits the Gaspé Peninsula Read More »

Caribou to remain in “temporary” captivity

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Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINTE-ANNE-DES-MONTS – The ten female and three male caribou captured this winter, along with the six surviving calves, might remain in captivity at the Mount McGerrigle enclosure, in the Parc de la Gaspésie, longer than initially planned.

The Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks indicates that “recent observations regarding the low productivity and recruitment rates observed in recent years have led the ministry to consider temporarily keeping a portion of the Gaspésie caribou population in captivity in 2024, rather than using maternity pens involving the annual capture of pregnant females and their release with their calves at the end of the summer, as deployed in 2023,” states the response to an inquiry made by SPEC regarding the 19 caribous being held in captivity.”

Captivity is a final and temporary measure to protect isolated caribou populations in a very precarious situation,” mentions the ministry. The Minister responsible for Wildlife, Benoit Charette, indicated this spring in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts that there were only 24 caribou left in the Gaspésie.

“The presence of three males in the enclosure will allow one or more reproductive cycles to be carried out in captivity and provide the information needed to optimize recruitment while documenting the low pregnancy rates observed in the wild,” the ministry explains in its letter.
Various factors such as survival rates, physical condition, sex ratio or productivity could lead to occasional releases of caribou, as a proportion of nine caribou remain in the wild, assuming those not captured last spring survived predation and the winter.

“The duration of the use of this management measure will be assessed through a multi-criteria analysis taking into consideration, among other things, the parameters mentioned and the deployment of other complementary management measures, such as predator control and habitat restoration,” the ministry explains.

Temporary captivity aims to protect caribou from predators and increase their survival rates. “This reflection demonstrates the ministry’s attention to deploying a dynamic and adaptive management approach that relies on monitoring the biological indicators of the Gaspésie caribou population,” the ministry states in response to our inquiries.


The Haute-Gaspésie receives support

The Côte-de-Gaspé MRC is supporting the Haute-Gaspésie by asking the Quebec government to hold information sessions and public consultations in Haute-Gaspésie due to the impact of the proposed caribou protection measures. The Quebec government announced a pilot project for the caribou population in April and the Haute-Gaspésie is concerned that recreational tourism development could be significantly restricted due to the proposed measures.

Côte-de-Gaspé is also calling for interim measures to be lifted and for the public service to be given clear directives so that sustainable development can continue. The MRC is asking that the wind energy sector and access to territories be taken into account.

Caribou to remain in “temporary” captivity Read More »

Dr. Yv Bonnier Viger steps down from his role as Regional Director of Public Health

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Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – As of September 3, Dr. Yv Bonnier Viger, the Regional Director of Public Health for the Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands, will be stepping down.

Dr. Bonnier Viger, who is a preventative medicine specialist will take on the role of medical advisor. “We had been thinking about this for some time. We had to ensure a succession. The succession is ready and I will step down because I am a 1950 model. At some point, we simply have to make way for the succession,” says Dr. Bonnier Viger, who is 74 years old.

The physician will continue his work to support his successor in a smooth transition. Dr. Bonnier Viger has held this position twice: from 2001 to 2002, and since 2016. His tenure as Director of Public Health was especially defined by the pandemic. Dr. Bonnier Viger believes that his team is well-prepared to handle any future events. Lessons have been learned, and Public Health is now working on building a better response for what the future may hold.

“We are preparing plans and we will take the time to do simulations to be ready. We can be ready on paper, but if we have never tried it, that is when we can have surprises. The difference between theory and practice is considerable and we must take the time to properly practice what we have planned,” says Dr. Bonnier Viger.

Dr. Bonnier Viger does not want to talk about legacy, because he has not finished his work. “With my role as director, having a participatory management approach, geared towards always allowing others to do the best they can do, I think it’s a winning formula,” he says.

He says he might have a little more free time once he is no longer involved in management. “My time was already very limited. I may have weeks that are a little more normal, but I won’t have a lot of free time. There are a lot of files that we have to put a lot of time into. I’ll have my work cut out for me to continue working 60 to 80 hours as I do,” he says.

“I’m in great shape. When you get older, you’re more likely to get sick. It’s better to be in positions that don’t affect too many people at the same time if something happens,” he says.

After his first stint as Director of Public Health for the Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands region in 2001-2002, he left to create the Public Health Department in Cree territory, a role he held until 2008.
He was then recruited by Laval University as a part-time coordinator of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, while also serving as a medical assistant to the Director of Public Health in Chaudière-Appalaches. In 2010, he became the department’s director. Dr. Bonnier Viger returned to the Gaspé Peninsula in 2016.

In a 2020 interview, Dr. Bonnier Viger set himself the goal of getting public health back on track after the Barrette reform, with a younger management team and remaining a medical advisor, a role he will officially take on in September.

Dr. Yv Bonnier Viger steps down from his role as Regional Director of Public Health Read More »

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