Hundreds of trees being chopped down to make way for Quebec's 1st Club Med

A forest the size of 20 football fields 10.25 hectares in all is beingclear-cutto make way for a new Club Med on the St. Lawrence River, northeast ofQuebec City.

The hundreds of trees being cut downat the foot of Le Massif ski hill in Quebec's Charlevoix regionaren't just any trees, according to local resident Franois Lessard.

They include maples that first emerged from the ground two centuries ago, said theforestry technician.

The $120-million resort, announced last year, is beingfinanced in part by a $26.3-million loan from the Quebec government and a $9.8-million loan from the federal government.

Lessardquestions whytaxpayers' money is going into destroying a unique ecosystem, and he saysresidents don't know enough about Groupele Massif's plans.

"[The promoter] once again is putting the cartbefore the horse, because we haven't seen any public presentation about the project," he said.

Groupe le Massif, the promoter, says it has the necessary permits to clear the trees, and it will hold a news conference this fall to provide an update on itsproject.

The Club MedQubecCharlevoixis toinclude a 300-room, seven-storey hotel. It is slated to open in 2020.

The environmental impact of this kind of project doesn't have to be evaluated, and so nopublic consultations must be held, according toClment Falardeau, spokesperson for the Environment Ministry.

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Bylaw change allows more trees to be cut

Until recently, a bylaw allowed only up to 25 per cent of thetrees to be chopped down in four designated areas near the site.

However, to make room for the Club Med project, that bylaw was changed in August. While the percentage of trees that can be cut down is the same, the areas themselves wereexpanded.

The clear-cutting going on now appears to respect the rules set out by the municipality. The trees are being cut down in order to put up a building, which doesn't require a permit from the Environment Ministry, Falardeausaid.

But work at another site, to create new ski trails and broaden existing ones, was halted last month because that job does require permits, and the promoter didn't have them.

At the beginning of September, at least two complaints were lodged with the Environment Ministry regarding work being done to level the ground, including dynamite explosions, according to Radio-Canada.

Residents also reported finding contaminants in a nearby stream.

After inspectors checkedout the site, the ministry issued a notice of non-compliance because the work didn't respect the province's Environment Quality Act.

Katherine Laflamme, head of marketing for the Massif de Charlevoix, the existing ski hill, told Radio-Canada at the time that it was looking into the issue and would make any changes the ministry deemed necessary.

FrdricFournier, a spokesperson with the Environment Ministry, says the promoter has since applied for permits, and the ministry is still analyzing whether they will be granted.

With files from Radio-Canada's Marc-Antoine Lavoieand Alexandre Duval