samedi 17 mai 2008

L'ile Canard Blanc Development - Municipal Incompetence?

"Any law which violates the inalienable rights of man is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all."

-- Maximilien Robespierre

"Any law which violates the inalienable rights of the environment is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all."

--me

Spring 2008 - L'ile Canard Blanc Development

New septic tank & weeping field are under water.
Photos taken May 3, 2008.

Home 1: Water has penetrated behind the house under construction. Septic tank & weeping field are under water.


Home 2
: High spring water has surrounded yet a second home. Septic tank & weeping field are under water.


Ministère du Développement durable de l'Environnement et des Parcs
Direction régionale de l'Outaouais
98, rue Lois
Gatineau (Québec) J8Y 3R7

RE: Ile Du Canard Blanc - Les Chalets du Manoir Housing development

The Municipality of Lac Simon granted the developer the right to develop all the lots as they were surveyed in 1926. Thus lot #60 is at 10,350 sq/ft, lot #52 is at 11,407 sq/ft and lot 61 is at 12,000 sq/ft. The biggest lot, lot 28 is at 30,000 sq/ft. Remember there are 60 lots for sale.

These lots are too small. Hence the septic tanks & weeping fields are not far enough back, on higher ground.

The maire of Lac-Simon, Serge Thivierge and Building and Environmental Officer, Guy Roy should have said to the developer, "Go ahead with the purchase of the 60 lots from mr. Archambault, but the municipalité de Lac-Simon will authorize lots of only 44,000 sq ft." There must be a Responsibility to Protect: Environment.

Hence the developer would have re-surveyed the land in 2006. The developer would then have payed a price based on a housing development with 44,000 sq ft lots and not 10,000 sq ft lots.

I argue that it is incompetent to do otherwise in 2006/7.

With 12 cases of e-coli in the lake in the summer of 2007, are we not going backwards?
See August 9, 2007 post E. coli au lac Simon.

Sincerely,

Paul Malouf

CC: Norm MacMillan, Député de Papineau
Jean Perreault, Coordonnateur du service de la planification et de l'aménagement de MRC Papineau
Association des Propriétaires du Lac Simon


For August 5, 2007 letter warning of dangers & pics
Letter/Photo Gallery: Destruction Environmentale ou "Droit Aquis"?
+
For September 18, 2007 barge pics & "ordre de détention" by Transport Canada
Photo Gallery: L'ile Canard Blanc & illegal barge
+
For October 22, 2007 Québec ministre de l'Environnement letter
Lettre/photo gallery: Proteger la Grande Plage de Canard Blanc


Here is a photo of Home 2, under construction, summer 2007
************
????Questions????

How many more homes will be built on the island by the developer with septic tanks & weeping fields under spring water?
How is this situation going to be remedied?
Who is going to protect the waters of Lac-Simon?

11 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit...

Certainly building septic systems in the flood plain is a no-no. Not to sure how they do lake capacity assessments in Quebec. In Ontario, inland lakes are divided into 2 basic categories: Lake Trout lakes & all others. Lac Simon would be a Lake Trout lake I would assume due to its depth and natural habitat to support Lake Trout. Whether there would be a natural lake Trout population or stocked I don't know. In Ontario we use a standard of 7.0 milligrams per litre of dissolved oxygen in the lower water level as a cut off for any further lake development. Anything less than 7 mg/L won't
sustain Lake Trout, and we recommend no further building lots or severances. Lake trout lakes represent the most pristine water quality.

For other lakes we look at the Total phosphorous levels (see link below) & basically look at the background levels (before human inputs) & allow an increase of 50% above background. Anything more than this & we recommend no further development.

Ultimately it is up to the Municipality to adopt planning processes, based on provincial policy statements. Exactly what these are in Quebec I'm not sure. I'm not suprised there is development pressure on Lac Simon, now & in the foreseeable future. In Ontario if you're not happy you can go the
the Ontario Municipal Board to argue your case.

Read this:

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/env_reg/er/documents/2008/Lakeshore%20Handbook.pdf

Anonyme a dit...

Hope you were not trespassing when you took those pictures.

Anonyme a dit...

show me a picture of your system paul i hope it is in perfect condition

Phil a dit...

To the perwon who suggested Paul was trespassing... Get your head together for one second and realize that we all will have to make do with a polluted lake thanks to a bunch of short sighted opportunists...

I'm ashamed for you.

Phil a dit...

To the indidvidual who questions the Malouf's septic tank... Nice try on evading an issue by redirecting this towards Paul...

Seriously, be serious for a second this is a high school debating squad tactic...

There is a serious issue here folks try to focus on that...

Unknown a dit...

Paul you are doing a great job! Keep up the good work. We citizens of the Lake need to know what is going on.

Finally when we have our chance to vote it will be time to vote out the mayor and his councilors.

Marc

Anonyme a dit...

SHOW US A PICTURE OF THE WORK YOU DID ON THE SHORE LINE ON YOUR PROPERTY PAUL IF YOU DONT HAVE SOME WE DO.... NO DROIT ACQUIS

Anonyme a dit...

NO DROITS ACQUIS??? Une joke? Sérieusement tu compares des travaux fait il y a 30 ans ou le développement sur l'île.

Voyons donc? C'est pas vrai? Es-tu si en manque d'argument?

Écoutes si tu veux être pris au sérieux faut que tu fasses mieux que ça...

Anonyme a dit...

30 ans bull sh...

Anonyme a dit...

Amazing....follow the leader, with no independant thought or intelligence whatsoever. Absolutely amazing.

Anonyme a dit...

Wow!

I'm looking to buy in the area and reading about how the resident are more interested in arguing stupid details when some are really concerned that you might loose for ever the joy of spending your summers playing in the water or fishing!!!!!!!
STOP acting like children! if you don't act now your cottages and residences will be worth nothing, who will loose then