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 Association des propriétaires du lac Gagnon |
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Water level at Lac Gagnon Last reading : cm -
(March 31, 2023) Feeding white-tailed deer  Feeding white-tailed deer now prohibited in Quebec. Click here for details (French)CBC story available here
(July 22, 2022) Reminder to all that fireworks are prohibited by the municipality following an MRC regulation. Article 7.6.1 du règlement uniformisé en prévention d'incendie (French only)
(July 17th 2022) Les sentinelles  An information sharing session abouut the Sentinelles project took place on July 17th, and it was a real success. More than thirty people from the Lake Gagnon, Doré, Petit Poisson Blanc, Barrière and Simon attended the event. A wonderfull example of collaboration. There are 35 vonunteers that inspects the shores of the lake Gagnon to detect the presence of the Eurasian Watermilfoil. It is a program where each volunteer is trained on the identification of the plant and an area is allocated to him. Thank you to Paul St-Georges for sharing his expertise, to Elsa Dussault responsable of Lake Simon for her collaboration, to all the Sentinelles and to the municipality of Duhamel, who is a strategic partner against the Eurasian Watermilfoil since the beginning. Don't hesitate to talk about this porject to your neighbors.The Lake Gagnon is huge and we need the collaboration of everyone! For more information, go visit the Eurasian Watermilfoil section of the website. Thanks and enjoy the summer!
(7 juilllet 2022) Can you recognize the Eurasian Watermilfoil? (French only)
(July 1st 2022) The Lake Gagnon was chosen for the Month of Water. We have a wonderfull lake. To know more, we will welcome you at the annual meeting this Sunday July 3rd 9am, at Duhamel's townhall.
(June 22nd 2022) An article about the thread from Eurasian Watermilfoil.  Ramer fort contre l'envahisseur aquatique (French only).
(21 March 2021) A unique event in Duhamel soon. The author Michel Tremblay will give a talk at the church about the place occupied by Duhamel in his work. The event will be free. We will keep our members informed when the ticket office opens. For more details, please read the following article.  Duhamel rendra hommage à Michel Tremblay (French only)
(December 4th 2021) Lakes in danger: An article interresting for everyone (French only). 
(October 12 2021) APLG annual meeting 2021
The 2021 annual meeting took place at Duhamel last Sunday. Many people attended in person, and some also attended through a Zoom meeting.
The recording is available through this link.Among the topics that drew the most attenion:
(June 5 2021) Pilot project 2021
This is the APLG’s proposal so everyone can enjoy their boating activities safely. This year, we are presenting it as a pilot project. We will be taking note of your comments throughout the summer (info@aplg.ca) so that next year we will have at a definitive map that will become our code for “A Lake for Everyone”.
Click here to view the map in high resolution.For more details see the June 2021 Remous.
(March 28 2021) This is a sad day for Duhamel!
We regret to inform you of the passing of Guy Poliquin, someone we all knew. Guy passed away from cancer on Sunday, March 28, at the age of 76. Since 1962, Guy worked tirelessly at the family convenience store 7 days a week, 363 days a year, while also being the postmaster. With his great calm and discretion, he was a quiet force for the community of Duhamel and Lac Gagnon. With his passing, we are losing an important part of our collective history.
Guy spent the final moments of a retirement that was far too short on Pointe-à-Baptiste, surrounded by his family and friends.
The Association extends its sincere sympathies to all of his family and friends, in particular his brother Richard, his sister Monique and brother- and sister-in-law Daniel and Louise. We can attest to the fact that Guy passed away in a warm and loving environment.
If you have any message you would like to convey to the family, please send them to us by return email and we will pass them on.
The APLG Board of Directors
(28 février 2021) By giving its authorization to a to an open pit near the Parc du Mont-Tremblant, Québec open the door to ming in the south of Quebec  Une bombe à retardement dans un paradis de plein air (French only)
(12 January 2021) Chronicle of Long Lake Richard Chartrand, former APLG president and former mayor Duhamel, started writing about Lac Gagnon's history. Here is the third Chronicle of Long Lake, 3rd part (French only).
(1 October 2020) Newspaper article from Le Droit about the RPLPN meeting with the minister of Energy and Natural Resources (French only).Développement minier: des intervenants de la Petite-Nation rencontreront le ministre Julien.
(30 August 2020) Excellent swimming water test results again for 2020. The 50 samples were taken on August 5th following two days of heavy rain. The results of the samples taken were rated as “excellent water quality”. We also conducted four PH tests (average of 7.2) which are well within the preferred range (between 6.3 and 8.3). The lake water can therefore be qualified as neutral, which is the desirable measurement. These are excellent results for our lake water. Let’s continue our good practices, such as:
(10 August 2020) An article about the thread from Eurasian Watermilfoil.  Un été inquiétant pour la lutte au myriophylle. (French only)
(22 July 2020) Chronicle of Long Lake Richard Chartrand, former APLG president and former mayor Duhamel, started writing about Lac Gagnon's history. Here is the second Chronicle of Long Lake, 2nd part.
(June 22 2020) The APLG invite you to caution for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste. With the dry and hot temperatures of the past days, the SOPFEU danger level is set to extreme, and the government of Quebec forbids open fires on his territory, including fireworks.  SOPFEU's website. The APLG also invite you to install the SOPFEU application for iPhone or Android. Incendies de forêt: une Saint-Jean-Baptiste sans feux d’artifice (French only).
(June 10 2020) An excellent article from the newspaper Le Droit about the fight against the Eurasian Watermilfoil. The article mention the APLG as an initiator of the project.Une escouade de «sentinelles» sur les lacs de Duhamel pour détecter le myriophylle à épi. (French only)
(7 May 2020) Instructions regarding the lifting of barriers in the Outaouais and Laurentien regions The members of the APLG’s Board of Directors would like to thank our members for their support and patience in light of the stress and inconveniences resulting from this period of limited travel. You have likely heard that the roadblocks restricting access to the Outaouais will be lifted on May 11th. The APLG Board of Directors wants to keep you up to date with respect to the latest official directives which deal with travel in the region(s). Below you will find links to official communications which highlight conditions and restrictions on travel which, in turn, will help you determine whether travel to your cottage is permitted.
From the Government of Québec. If you have questions or if you want to know if it is possible to obtain specific permissions, you should contact the SQ at 1-877-644-4545. The APLG and the Municipality have no authority in this matter. A Communiqué on Facebook from Maryse Gaudreault, MNA for of Hull and vice-president of the National Assembly of Québec. We have provided an unofficial translation below. While it is not the role of the APLG to interpret what constitutes acceptable travel, the Board of Directors does have the interests of the owners on lac Gagnon at heart. Protecting the health and well-being of the Municipality by avoiding non-essential contact between people is to the benefit of lac Gagnon owners. If you need to make an essential trip to the cottage, we encourage you to do all your shopping (gas, groceries etc.) before leaving your region so you can travel to your cottage without making any stops on the way. This way you can to do your part in protecting the Municipality, the residents and those who work in the region. We would also like to remind you that all measures apply when you are at the cottage, such as physical distancing, no gatherings of more than two people, etc. Remember to consult the water level graph on the APLG site. The lake is completely thawed since May 3, 2020 and we can confirm that the levels are much lower than last year and should not cause damage or concern.
The APLG Board of Directors
Several questions were sent to us concerning the lifting of police roadblocks between the Outaouais and Laurentian regions. Since the roadblocks will be lifted in the Laurentians on May 4th and in the Outaouais on May 11th, here are some details concerning inter-regional movements that will apply as of May 4th: It will be possible for residents of the Outaouais to enter the Laurentians region if they affirm that they are travelling for a legitimate essential reason or for an essential need that cannot be met in the territory where they reside. Upon their return, they will be informed that they must be quarantined for 14 days. If they have symptoms, they could be turned away and have to stay in the social and health facilities in the Laurentians. Laurentian residents should also be able to provide a legitimate essential reason for entering the Outaouais. If they cannot, they could be turned away. The police, in the absence of a roadblock, will still retain all their powers to enforce Quebec's laws and regulations and the ministerial orders in effect. If they are stopped by the police under a Quebec law or regulation, residents of Ontario or another region of Quebec who are in the Outaouais without a legitimate reason could be fined under the application of the orders. A complaint from a citizen of the Outaouais could also lead to the issuance of a statement of offence.
It may happen that a cottage owner has a legitimate reason. Building owners have duties regarding their property and insurers. A breakage, a risk of theft, an alarm system triggered or an insurance clause requiring regular monitoring of the insured property are legitimate reasons if the citizen can prove it.
(25 April 2020) Chronicle of Long Lake Richard Chartrand, former APLG president and former mayor Duhamel, started writing about Lac Gagnon's history. Here is the first Chronicle of Long Lake.
(11 April 2020) News from the Lake in the days of Covid-19. We thought we would provide a quick update on this long holiday weekend. There is still snow on the ground, however most of it has melted and in a week’s time we should expect to see it only on the northern slopes. The ducks have started to return and we are beginning to hear the Canada geese overhead. Naturally this is a time when spring melting and rainfall causes concern for high lake levels and localized flooding. As of today, the melting appears to be ahead of recent years while the lake seems to be averaging the level of the last six years. In addition, there has been a considerable slowdown in the water level rise over the last few days. Although there is significant rain forecast for the beginning of this week, there is nothing to suggest that we will experience a situation like last year. This information also seems to be confirmed by the Sécurité Civile. We are following this very closely and invite you to do the same on our web site. We would like to thank Jay Tardif and Olivier Bodard for keeping us all informed. In terms of security at the lake, everything seems very quiet. We’ve spoken with various people around the lake and have not heard of any concerns. What we have heard is that people at the lake are keeping an eye on their neighbours’ properties. The last municipal council meeting was held by conference call and we were in attendance. Here is some information of note:
The APLG Board of Directors.
(4 April 2020) Restricted access to the region. We have received a number of inquiries asking whether there would be special situations where the municipality of Duhamel would allow access to cottage owners. We would like to remind you that it is the Government of Quebec that has restricted access to the region and not the municipalities. The restriction is quite broad and covers a number of different territories within the province where the Quebec Government is working to reduce the spread of the virus. If you have questions or if you want to know if it is possible to obtain specific permissions you should contact the SQ at 1-877-644-4545. The municipality has no authority on this matter. Please also note that the APLG continues to monitor the lake level and will keep you informed of any flood risks. You can view the current lake level from the APLG website. Take care, The APLG Board of Directors.
(28 March 2020) Quebec's government forbids cottages rental.  Quebec orders most types of tourist accommodations closed until further notice
(27 March, 2020) News About the Lake and Reminder. Hello, Judging by all the lights around the lake, which is unusual at this time of the year, it appears that many property owners have decided to spend some time at the cottage during this difficult time. It’s certainly a good place for it. This may be your first time seeing the arrival of spring at Lac Gagnon. It is a special time when you can see the ice change colour almost every day until it becomes very dark grey, the prelude to the return of open water. Remember to be very careful, at this time of the year, the lake can be treacherous. For our part, at the APLG, like everyone else, we are adapting to a situation that no one could have foreseen. We’ve opted for conference calls for our meetings and will continue with our various activities as much as possible. Here is some information that could be useful to you in the coming weeks: Following the heavy rains of the last few days, the lake level has begun to rise. We have updated the lake level graph. For the time being, the updates are weekly, but as soon as necessary, we will move to daily updates. We’re hoping that this year there will be a respite from the floods. According to the Mayor, the civil authorities believe that if the long-term weather forecast is accurate, we should not have problems this year. We’ve been in touch with the municipality’s management even though municipal services are reduced. The offices are not accessible to the public, but employees are providing essential services. For information, communications and recommendations, we invite you to consult the municipality’s website and Facebook page. If you have an emergency, you can call the following numbers: Public Works: 819-428-7100 Administration: 819-576-3134 The project to protect the lake from Eurasian water milfoil is well under way. We have been holding discussions with the municipality to ensure sufficient progress is made so that tangible measures can be taken this summer before the boats are launched. Lastly, a REMINDER: you recently received your membership notices for 2020. If you have already paid, thank you. We remind you that you can always go to the APLG website and pay through PayPal, which is preferable under the circumstances. You know the projects we work on and are aware of our involvement. More than ever, thanks to our strong membership we play a key role in the community. This is why we encourage you to renew your membership or become a member for the first time. If you’re at the lake, we hope you enjoy your stay however please remember to abide by all government guidelines meant to slow the spread of the Coronavirus. If you can’t be here, rest assured that we will continue our work to defend your interests and protect this place that is so important to all of us. The APLG Board of Directors
(March 9th 2020) Here are three recent articles the mines (French only).  Développement minier: importante mobilisation en Outaouais
(January 11, 2020) One of the priority issues for the APLG in 2020 is Eurasian Watermilfoil.Watermilfoil is an invasive aquatic plant that grows at a depth of 1 to 10 metres and, once established, reproduces exponentially. It has no natural “predators” in Canada, and each end cut by a boat propeller or oar can take root and form a new plant. Click here to read more details.
Here is an early gift for you to unwrap. We are very fortunate to have among us two talented videographers who have a great love for our beautiful part of the country. Thank you Pierre and Raymonde from Drône-Images. A Happy Holiday Season to all our members on behalf of your Association
(November 24, 2019) In the six months since the founding of the Regroupement de Protection des Lacs de la Petite-Nation in response to mine drilling near one of our lakes, our attention has shifted from a single mining exploration company to a multitude of them whose objective is to carry out exploration activities and operate open-pit graphite mines throughout the Outaouais, Laurentians and Lanaudière region.In addition, we have also learned that the Quebec Government has repeatedly demonstrated a strong interest in developing a strategic mineral sector for both domestic needs and to export to our neighbour to the south. The government has just announced a “Reflection on Quebec's place in the development of critical and strategic minerals” that will begin in a few weeks and continue through to January-February. As you can see on this map, the entire Outaouais, Laurentians and Lanaudière region is dotted with mining claims (in red) and could become an important mining region with all the devastating effects on the environment and communities. The general public is not aware of this information. SHARE THIS MAP as much as you can with your family, friends, acquaintances, elected officials and various media before it is too late. Louis St-Hilaire For the Regroupement de Protection des Lacs de la Petite-Nation Click here to see the map in high definition.
(October 6th 2019) Saturday October 12th, the Municipality of Duhamel will host the Duhamel en Couleur march within the « Randonner le Que?bec » festival organized by Rando Que?bec. This year, the municipality invites hikers to the National Trail La Route des Zingues. Click here to view the details (French only).
(October 3rd 2019) The Regroupement de Protection des Lacs de la Petite-Nation has produced this map of all mining claims on the territory of the Papineau RCM. You will notice among other things the wide band of claims from the middle of Lac Gagnon to the middle of Lac Simon. The Regroupement continues to oppose mining activity in the northern part of the RCM. We will keep you informed of developments in this constantly changing matter. Click here to view the map.
(August 4th 2019) Here are three recent articles about Duhamel (French only). Magasin général: le gros lot de Duhamel Outaouais : inquiétude autour d'un projet de mine de graphite Un projet minier qui sème l'inquiétude
(July 22nd 2019) The summary of hte 2019 annual meeting is now available. This report highlights the main points that were discussed at the Annual General Meeting of the APLG members on June 30, 2019 and the priorities for 2019. Click here to view the summary.
(June 20 2019) The APLG’s annual general meeting will be held on June 30, 2019 (time to be confirmed) at the Duhamel municipal meeting room. We’ll be updating you about a variety of important issues, such as the potential graphite mine project, water quality and other topics. More details will be provided soon, but for now, save the date. Click here to see the agenda. We’d also like to announce that the lake was stocked with 5,000 lake trout this spring. That’s good news for the fishermen and women.
(June 1st 2019) The resistance to the implementation of the graphit mine in the region is quickly growing. We will soon get more news on the subject, but meanwhile we invite you all at this event,
organized by the Association du Lac Simon that will take place on June 8th in Chénéville.
Click here to see the details of the event.
(March 11 2019) We learned this week that drilling and sampling for an open-pit graphite mine in the Lac Doré region is currently underway. This is a project that we understood to be inactive. Currently, $1.6 million worth of drilling is underway, which should be followed by a mineral assessment to determine if the project is economically viable.You will find attached a map of the claims of Lomiko Metals, a Company headquartered in Surrey, B.C. and owner of the property. The area is 29 sq. km in size, is located between Lac Simon and Lac des Plages and reaches just south of Lac Gagnon. Although under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Lac des Plages, the drilling area is 1 km from Duhamel and only 600 metres from the east shore of Lac Doré. As promoted on their website, this would be an Open Pit, Large Scale mine! The APLG Board disagrees with a potential mine development project, particularly an open pit strip mine, in a nature-based region such as ours. We intend to defend this position with the authorities and organizations concerned. Meetings and communications have already taken place and steps are underway to bring together associations of owners of neighbouring lakes. If among our members or their families there is a geologist or mining engineer who would be willing to act as a volunteer consultant to the association, please contact us at info@aplg.ca A citizen of Lac Doré who has been closely monitoring the situation for three years has produced a report on the case. It is available here for your consultation. Be assured that your Association will monitor the situation very closely and keep you informed of further developments.
(February 3rd 2019) We recently attended the January 11, 2019 municipal budget presentation and are summarizing the highlights for our members along with a few comments. You should be receiving your Duhamel municipal tax bill shortly.
As you can see in the table, the property tax increase is about 2.60% (valuation of $300,000). We are not municipal tax experts, however, given the unavoidable expenditure for the valuation roll revision and the increase in the public security expense, we believe that the municipal council has succeeded in controlling its finances while limiting the tax increase. Additionally, given the significant capital expenses in the coming years, the fact that the debt percentage attributable to citizens is dropping from 60% to 50% is reassuring.
(February 2nd 2019) The next time you visit Duhamel, you will notice something missing! The big yellow house at the corner of Route 321 and Principale Street has been demolished. This residence, with its characteristic oeil-de-boeuf window, was in very poor condition due to extensive water damage.Built around 1900 as a rooming house, over the years the building served many purposes. It was the post office in 1922, the Singer Company offices in the 1940s, then a Provincial Bank branch, a private residence and finally a number of businesses, the last one being the Karisa restaurant. An iconic feature that has witnessed much of Duhamel’s history has disappeared from the landscape. You can see more pictures by clicking here.
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