Following the August 28 public consultation held at Coteau-du-Lac's Pavillon Wilson, many citizens are concerned about the residential project that could be developed on the site of the former Camping Koa. At the public meeting of the municipal council on September 10, a citizen revealed the results of a survey on the subject.

The nine-question exercise was shared on the Survey Monkey platform, and 72 people agreed to have their say. 

“We put the survey online this Friday, September 6, and over 70 people have responded so far. We'd be happy to share the responses with you and tell you more about the results to help you form an opinion on the issue, or even to form the basis of your own survey,” said François Vallières, former District 2 city councillor and fervent environmentalist at heart. 

During the public consultation held at the end of August, MARE and Mères au Front expressed their concerns about the environmental impact that redevelopment of the site could have on the surrounding natural environment. 

Convincing results 

Despite the low participation rate of 72 respondents, the results of the survey are convincing. 

To the question: “Would you agree to Coteau-du-Lac's population exceeding 12,000, as suggested by the MRC? only 19 people said they were in favour, while 53 were opposed. 

Question 2 was worded as follows: Should the City of Coteau-du-Lac act preventively to preserve natural environments and thus prevent or limit the future degradation of ecosystems on its territory? garnered 70 positive responses and two negative. 

The next question was: Are you concerned about the development of residential neighbourhoods in natural areas? 65 people answered yes, while eight said they were not. 

Question 4 reads as follows: Should the City of Coteau-du-Lac limit development in natural areas? received 66 yes responses, compared with 7 no responses. 

A total of 69 respondents answered yes to question 5, which read as follows: Should the City of Coteau-du-Lac limit development in natural areas? Should the city exercise greater control over tree-cutting by developers?

Would respondents be willing to consider high-rise construction (4 to 6 storeys) between Route 338 and Highway 20 to preserve as many natural environments as possible? To this question, 58 said they would, while 14 admitted they would not consider this option. 

Do respondents think it's important to keep green corridors along Highway 20 so that wildlife can circulate and get to water sources? A total of 67 respondents (93.06%) answered yes, while five answered no to this seventh question. 

Finally, the last question on the project asked: Should the City of Coteau-du-Lac partner with organizations to purchase woodlots? A total of 59 respondents supported this proposal, while seven opted for a no answer. 

“The very last question on the survey asked respondents where they live, and 58 of them indicated that they live on the Coteau-du-Lac territory. That's 89.39% of all respondents. It's important to mention this,” concluded Mr. Vallières. 

Coteau-du-Lac mayor Andrée Brosseau invited the former elected official to share the survey results with clerk Chantal Paquette, who would then distribute copies to council members. The latter undertook to read them.