Proponents of the partial burial of a Hydro-Québec line in Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard converged on the head office of the crown corporation in downtown Montreal on Sunday afternoon. They were demonstrating to call for a direct intervention by the Premier of Quebec to safeguard the landscape of their Laurentian municipality.
Protesters sought to remind him that he must be consistent in adopting the same position from one place to another. In the past, Mr. Couillard said he was open to the burial of the line that must cross the protected forest area of Mount Hereford.
According to the former Mayor of Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, Lisette Lapointe, the participants in the event wished to tell her loud and clear that "the tourist landscapes of the Laurentians are as important as those of Estrie".
According to Ms. Lapointe, there would be "clear and unequal discrimination" if the same treatment was not granted to both regions.
In an interview with the Canadian Press's French-language service in the run-up to the rally, this ex-elected woman mentioned that if the airline option is retained in Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, "the landscape heritage will be destroyed there."
To prevent this scenario from happening, critics of the project really want to go out of their way.
As she was speaking on their behalf, Lisette Lapointe launched a message that reflected their strong commitment to action.
"We will not give up. Even in legal terms, there will be developments very, very quickly, " she promised, refraining from providing more details for now. "We will ask the Premier not to ignore the will of citizens," she said.
Sarah Perreault, who belongs to the advisory committee sic of the municipality of Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, also spoke to Philippe Couillard when she was interviewed. "I think there is still time for him to intervene on this issue, stop deforestation and consider partial landfill," she said.
Ms. Perreault added that Mr. Couillard justified his position on Mount Hereford, citing the fact that an in-air line would enjoy a lower level of social acceptability.
According to her, that same argument could apply in the case of Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard. "It is clearly demonstrated, in my opinion, that Hydro-Québec is not able, in this municipality, by maintaining the air-line, to arrive at acceptable impacts for citizens," she said.
According to Perreault, the Premier must absolutely realize that "the local economy is based on the quality of the landscape".