Mont Orford Privatization
As I was watching the TVA 18 heures news feed on SCOLA last night (my Canadian TV news source deep in Yankee territory), I noticed a plan by the Quebec government to privatize about 649 ha of the Parc national du Mont-Orford. Such land would likely be used to expand the existing commercial development located within the park. Similar plans, such as those proposed for Greylock Glen in Berkshire Co., MA, have recently failed or stalled. A grassroots group, SOS Parc Orford, has formed to fight the proposal.
The issue stimulated my interest because my mum grew up about 45 km west of the park in Granby, QC and enjoyed the area during her 12 years in the Eastern Townships. No similar resource area along the A-10 corridor between Montreal, QC and Sherbrooke, QC carries equivalent protection, and it is important that the natural heritage of the region be transmitted unimpaired between this and future generations. If the private sector wishes to develop additional property to support the use of current recreational facilities (including Ski Mont Orford), I'm sure they have the wherewithal to do so without requiring park lands. This has been done rather successfully in the upper Pemigewasset Valley in New Hampshire, New England's most conservative state. As said in an earlier post, environmental protection equals long-term economic protection, both of which are good conservative values.
UPDATE: It turns out that the land involved represents just over 11% of Parc national du Mont-Orford's area, so most of the park will clearly not be privatized. However, such a deal would set an unfortunate precedent which affords a less than desirable level of protection for our critical natural heritage (remember the traditions we conservatives love to conserve?) spaces.
The issue stimulated my interest because my mum grew up about 45 km west of the park in Granby, QC and enjoyed the area during her 12 years in the Eastern Townships. No similar resource area along the A-10 corridor between Montreal, QC and Sherbrooke, QC carries equivalent protection, and it is important that the natural heritage of the region be transmitted unimpaired between this and future generations. If the private sector wishes to develop additional property to support the use of current recreational facilities (including Ski Mont Orford), I'm sure they have the wherewithal to do so without requiring park lands. This has been done rather successfully in the upper Pemigewasset Valley in New Hampshire, New England's most conservative state. As said in an earlier post, environmental protection equals long-term economic protection, both of which are good conservative values.
UPDATE: It turns out that the land involved represents just over 11% of Parc national du Mont-Orford's area, so most of the park will clearly not be privatized. However, such a deal would set an unfortunate precedent which affords a less than desirable level of protection for our critical natural heritage (remember the traditions we conservatives love to conserve?) spaces.
posted by E. J. Neafsey | 16:10
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