Community Update No. 3
Dear Perkins-sur-le-Lac neighbours,
Please find below an update on recent Conservation Perkins-sur-le-Lac activities.
Public Consultation on the Review of Val-des-Monts Urban Development Plan and by-laws
Property owners within the PSLL domain have received information about potential zoning changes within our area (see link). Input to the municipality on these changes is required by August 7. Our group plans to study the proposal and write a letter outlining any concerns. Please watch for future emails on this topic.
The following information was received by our group from the municipality of Val-des-Monts (VDM) with regards to its review of Lauzon Development Proposals in June 2021
We believe that Lauzon has recently submitted "avant-projet" development proposals for most, if not all, of their properties in the PSLL domain. This is because as of July 6, 2021, future development in rural zones of Val-des-Monts will be more restricted from the adoption of the MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais Development Plan. The key change is that residential development in rural zones is being halted for the next 15 years. Prior to this change, municipalities could approve development proposals in any urban or rural zone. Val-des-Monts is reviewing these Lauzon development proposals and will make decisions by August 6, 2021 on whether these proposals can move forward. Approval would mean that the proposal has passed the "avant-projet" stage and Lauzon would then be able to submit actual development proposals subject to the old framework.
The municipality also informed us that it is likely that they would elect to receive monetary compensation in lieu of land for the 10 % parkland (or equivalent monetary) requirement for any Lauzon development in the PSLL domain. It is important to note that any parkland received as part of this development requirement would be public land, accessible to those outside our domain.
Update on Possible Partnerships:
Institut des Territoires (IDT), which is based in the Laurentians, is an eco-program certified land trust, a charitable organization, and a small group of consultants who offer services to conservation groups and initiatives like ours. They have been involved in projects in the Outaouais and Eastern Ontario (Forêt Larose). We are in touch with IDT to help us determine an appropriate strategy for the Lauzon lands. IDT might consider sponsoring us as a land trust until we set up our own trust, at which time ownership would be transferred to us. Creating our own land trust would take approximately 2 years and a significant amount of time and cost.
Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC) - the NCC is a large national organization with a team responsible for the Outaouais. Currently, Val-des-Monts is not a priority area, however, the NCC Outaouais team recognizes the interest in the area and have agreed to do a site visit later this summer or fall to assess initial conservation value. NCC has provided a list of biologists who could assist with establishing conservation value (at our cost).
There are other organizations such as the Réseau des milieux naturels protégés and the Éco-corridors Laurentiens which may be of assistance in the future.
ACRE (Action Chelsea for the Respect of the Environment) has confirmed that, given an increase in demand for services in its own area, it is not able to take on our project.
Lac St. Germain, Val-des-Monts Example:
A group of residents of Lac Germain in Val-des-Monts has a very similar experience to what we are trying to achieve. A small group saw an opportunity to buy 200 acres of forest land for conservation and trails. They approached community residents and owners who expressed strong interest in the concept if the trails remained for the use of the community only (no public access). Over 50 families donated funds towards a purchase. After securing the land, it was donated to the lake association, which has 100% community membership, and a stewardship group was set up to establish and fund a management plan. No charitable tax receipts were issued, but the community all believe their property values will benefit from the purchase.
Next Steps
We had a Working Group meeting in June where we agreed to the following:
We plan to engage the services of IDT to assist us on a strategy (Working Group members will fund), however, it was felt best to wait until the Municipality has decided on Lauzon's “avant-projet” proposals before determining the next steps.
We will provide an update at the upcoming PSLL AGM on July 25th at the Lac Bataille beach.
As per above, we will write a response to the Public Consultation on the Review of Val-des-Monts Urban Development Plan and by-laws.
We would like to reiterate our invitation to anyone on this list to join our working group. We would like to increase representation from as many lakes as possible in the Perkins-sur-le-Lac area. We could also use expertise in legal issues, accounting, ecological issues, and trail maintenance in our group. Thank you again for your interest and please feel free to reach out to us at conservation.perkins.sur.le.lac@gmail.com should you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Conservation Perkins-sur-le-Lac
Credit: Justine Akman