Vaudreuil-Dorion District 4 De la Seigneurie Councillor Karine Lechasseur tabled a notice of motion at the November 4 municipal council meeting, asking the municipal council to place a reserve notice and submit a subsidy application in order to proceed with the acquisition of the Camping D'Aoust lands with a view to annexing them to the Harwood Nature Park.

The municipal councillor expressed her concern after noticing that Bernard Lefebvre, a consultant lobbyist acting on behalf of Habitations Sylvain Ménard inc., had registered with Carrefour Lobby Québec. His mandate was to take steps to dezone Camping D'Aoust in order to turn it into a residential and commercial real estate project. Camping D'Aoust comprises three lots adjacent to Harwood Nature Park. Considering that Council had adopted on March 6, 2023 the subjection of the lots to the right of first refusal, for the purposes of natural, public and park spaces, she considers that the Town must stay the course and preserve these spaces.

In her opinion, Councillor Lechasseur proposed that the Town take the necessary steps to obtain government subsidies to protect the land, as the municipality of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot has done for the acquisition of four lots in the Pointe-du- domaine sector.

“I am convinced that we must acquire this land to protect the future needs of our population. Expanding Harwood Nature Park or even operating a municipal campground would allow the population to benefit from this green space,” said the Seigneurie district councillor. Demographic growth in Vaudreuil-Dorion is significant and it's imperative to concentrate our development within the current urban perimeter. We already know that recreational and outdoor spaces are insufficient to meet demand, so imagine what will be needed for tomorrow's citizens. Rushing into residential development is not the best urban planning practice to which a city like ours should aspire. Let's seize this opportunity to develop our network of nature parks or promote the development of a recreation and tourism project, an objective we also set ourselves in the city's last Environmental Policy.”

The councillor's proposal will be debated at the November 18 council meeting. Ms. Lechasseur invites concerned citizens to contact her and make their views known at that time. 

Here is the notice of proposal filed on the evening of November 4:

Reservation of lots 1 830 538, 1 834 113 and 1 834 114 (D'Aoust
Camping D'Aoust) by the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion in order to integrate them into the Harwood
Harwood Nature Park and thus ensure their conservation.

CONSIDERING that on March 6, 2023, the Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion decreed́
the subjection of lots 1 830 538, 1 834 113 and 1 834 114 (lands of the
Camping D'Aoust) to a right of first refusal, and this, for purposes of natural, public spaces, and parks, in accordance with By-law relating to the exercise of the right of first refusal on the territory of the Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion no 1830 ;

CONSIDERING that the Town Council's objective in subjecting these lots to the right of first refusal was to give itself the power to limit the development of real estate projects on the lots listed so that the Town could acquire them for the benefit of the population;

CONSIDERING that a registration with Carrefour Lobby Québec has been made by Bernard Lefebvre, consultant lobbyist, acting on behalf of Habitations Sylvain Ménard inc., for the purpose of approaching the Town with a view to permitting the development of a real estate project on the site of Camping D'Aoust;

CONSIDERING that among the objectives of the Environmental Policy 2018-2022 are the development of the nature park network and the preservation and enhancement of natural environments;

CONSIDERING that the expansion of Harwood Nature Park would enable the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion to develop its network of nature parks and preserve a natural environment of great ecological and forestry value;

CONSIDERING that the area is an integral part of the green and blue network proposed by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal as part of the Plan métropolitain d'aménagement et de développement, and is thus identified as a metropolitan woodland and forest corridor;

CONSIDERING that during the public consultation process held in July 2022, in conjunction with the definition of the new Environmental Policy 2023-2027, citizens identified the conservation of natural and wetland environments as one of the most important priorities of the project.
and wetlands as one of the priority issues;

CONSIDERING the possibility for the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion to obtain a grant from the Climate Solutions Fund and the Nature Fund of Canada for the acquisition and protection of these lands;

CONSIDERING the total incompatibility of a zoning change to authorize residential and commercial development on these lands, considering the objectives of the Quebec government's Politique nationale de l'architecture et de l'aménagement du territoire and those of the regional planning regional planning and our city's Environmental Policy 2023 - 2027;

CONSIDERING the Orientations gouvernementales en aménagement du territoire (OGAT), which come into effect on December 1, 2024, and set out guidelines for sustainable land development, including the consolidation of existing living environments and integrated transportation planning to promote sustainable mobility, meet housing needs and ensure the protection of natural and agricultural environments;

CONSIDERING the importance of concentrating the current
current and significant demographic growth on the municipal territory of the city of
Vaudreuil-Dorion, which necessarily leads to an increase in the need for services
services within the current urban perimeter;

CONSIDERING the importance of providing available space to meet the future needs of the population in terms of recreational spaces, sports activities and outdoor areas accessible to the population;

I, Karine Lechasseur, municipal councillor for district 4, de la Seigneurie,
propose that the Ville de Vaudreuil-Dorion :

- maintain the recreational zoning of lots 1 830 538, 1 834 113 and 1 834 114
(D'Aoust camping grounds);

- initiates the necessary steps to obtain a grant from the Climate Solutions Fund and the Canadian Nature Fund;

- reserve lots 1,830,538, 1,834,113 and 1,834,114 for the purpose of acquiring andand integrate them into the existing Harwood Nature Park, to ensure their preservation and conservation.