By Taylor McClure
Townships’ Daily News Bits
CIDI 99.1 FM 

Protection Mont-Gale, a citizens group in Bromont, with the help of conservation group Appalachian Corridor, have reached an agreement with the Town of Bromont and current owner of Balnea Spa Denis Laframboise that is expected to result in the conservation of 32 acres of land, land on which the spa currently stands, to be reintegrated back into the Domaine naturel du lac Gale. 

With financial contributions on part of the town and Laframboise, Appalachian Corridor is now seeking provincial and financial grants, while Protection Mont-Gale is looking for donations from the local community to raise the money that is needed to purchase the land. Protection Mont-Gale was given a deadline of December 7 to come up with the funds.

“In 2021, we realized that there was a project that was going to move forward with the construction of a street and 12 houses on land that has been recognized for its high ecological value,” explained Stephanie Latour, spokesperson for Protection Mont-Gale. “We realized that in 2015, the Town of Bromont signed an agreement with the previous owner of this land.”

Latour continued to explain that the original agreement involved donating 200 acres of land to the town, as long as construction for the development was given the green light. 

“In 2021, knowing with the pandemic how important forests are, everything happening with climate change, and knowing it’s already been recognized as a high value place, (…) we decided to work together to see what was possible to do if we actually talked to the owner and the town,” she added. 

Wanting to avoid social media and develop a respectful relationship with all parties  involved, Protection Mont-Gale started by writing to the mayor of Bromont. 

“Right at the beginning, he was super honest and said ‘okay, legally there is nothing that we can do, everything has been done by law,’ but he said that ‘if the owner is actually ready to talk, go knock at his door and see what is happening,’ recounted Latour. “(…) So, we asked the owner if he was ready to actually work with us to find a solution.”

Latour said that Laframboise was open to collaborating right from the beginning, and Protection Mont-Gale sought the help of non-profit conservation group Appalachian Corridor. 

“They are the ones that actually negotiated with the owner and the town to see what type of deal we could find to pretty much protect most of the land that Balnea is on,” noted Latour. 

Together, Laframboise, the town, Protection Mont-Gale, and Appalachian Corridor, worked together to come to an agreement that suited all parties. The new agreement will avoid the construction of a road through the land. 

“The total land is 40 acres. By negotiating with the owner and Appalachian Corridor and respecting the value of the land, (…) we will able to, if everything goes well, protect 32 acres of this 40 acre land,” explained Latour. “It will allow the owner to build four houses and the rest will be protected for life.”

Latour noted during our interview she could not speak on all of the financial details of the agreement, but that the town and Laframboise have invested in the project. 

“Appalachian Corridor is now looking to get funds through the provincial and federal government, which we hope will be okay, and on our side we have to raise $370,000 throughout the community,” she said. 

Protection Mont-Gale already raised $125,000 at the beginning of this year, but it will launch another financial campaign in the upcoming months. 

“That was something that was super important for the town and the owner to see. They were asking us if we were serious because at they said at one point citizens will need to be a part of this financial agreement,” mentioned Latour. 

For more information about Protection Mont-Gale and the conservation project. 

CIDI is following-up with the Town of Bromont and Laframboise for comment.

Listen to the full interview below: