The Legault government is once again postponing the adoption of caribou protection measures by extending consultation on the pilot projects announced in April until October 31, La Presse learned, exposing itself even more to the possibility of intervention of the federal government, according to various observers.
Initially set for July 30, the deadline for commenting on projects targeting the very vulnerable herds of Gaspésie mountain caribou and Charlevoix woodland caribou is thus postponed by three months.
Quebec unveiled in April a partial plan for habitat restoration, territorial protection, management of uses and regulatory changes for these two herds, instead of a global strategy for protecting all of the dozen or so herds. herds of forest and mountain caribou in the province.
The extension of the consultation was announced without fanfare Monday afternoon to various stakeholders by the Assistant Deputy Minister for Biodiversity, Wildlife and Parks, Jacob Martin-Malus, in an email that La Presse obtained .
“We hereby wish to inform you that the public consultation relating to the pilot projects for the woodland caribou population of Charlevoix and the mountain caribou population of Gaspésie and the intentions for regulatory modifications accompanying them is extended until the 31st October 2024,” it is written, without further details.
A press release was then published on Wednesday afternoon, after La Presse asked questions on the subject.
This extension will likely postpone the adoption of any caribou protection measures until next year, fears biologist Alice-Anne Simard, general director of Nature Québec, who has difficulty explaining this new delay.
“We hoped that the regulatory modification processes would begin in the fall, but there, the government will have to analyze the recommendations, and there will be no new actions taken before 2025,” laments -she. Three months adds delays to a parliamentary session. »
At the same time, the overall strategy to protect all of Quebec’s caribou herds is still awaited, underlines Ms. Simard.
Quebec justifies this delay by saying it “heard the requests of local elected officials”, who called for an extension of the consultation.
The pilot project for the protection of mountain caribou in Gaspésie was sharply criticized in particular by the regional county municipality (MRC) of Haute-Gaspésie, which deplored “significant restrictions on access to the territory” hindering the practice of different recreational and tourism activities such as off-piste skiing, hunting and snowmobiling.
“We agreed on a date which allowed, on the one hand, the partners to do diligent work so that they could comment on the regulatory intentions and which, on the other hand, did not significantly modify the initial schedule,” Amélie Moffet, press secretary to the Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks Benoit Charette, told La Presse.
This new delay, granted under “pressure from lobbies”, compromises the very objective of the caribou protection strategy and “the possibility of a just transition of regional economies”, believes biologist Alain Branchaud, general director of the Quebec section of the Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP Quebec).
“We must build tomorrow’s economy today, taking into account the real constraints of environmental crises,” he told La Presse.
