Woodland magic in the iconic Des Compagnons Forest of Quebec City, Quebec
We raised our two sons in Quebec City, more precisely in a neighbourhood known as La Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy, which was carved out of an old-growth forest, the remnant of which has remained intact behind the local high school, Le Collège des Compagnons.
This 16.7-hectare wooded area became a refuge for our entire family and an oasis of natural wonder for our sons. We wandered the trails almost daily in all seasons.
www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/quebec/boise-des-compagnons-de-cartier
All sorts of family adventures and rites of passage took place within the friendly confines of these woods.
We buried our sons’ goldfish and gerbils therein, organizing elaborate funerals and interring the deceased creatures with the honours reserved for a revered dignitary.
After one such ceremony closed and the requisite tears were shed, a neighbouring child’s semi-domesticated pet squirrel fortuitously leapt out of a tree and onto my wife Anne’s shoulder.
This put an end to the woodland funeral ceremonies, but not to our explorations of this fragile corner of paradise, now threatened by bureaucratic blindness.
The local school board intends to eradicate or truncate the woodland, designated as a wetland of interest, in order to expand the high school by building a network of modular classrooms.
You can help curb this expansionist zeal by signing the petition here:
Pétition : Demande visant la conservation intégrale du boisé des Compagnons
Your friend,
Robert
https://robertmcbrydeauthor.com/
P.S. This is an English translation of the petition, if you are unable to read the French:
Petition (translation of the French text):
Request for the complete preservation of the Des Compagnons woodland
To sign this petition, you must complete three steps:
- Step 1: Fill out the form below the petition text and submit it (you must accept the terms and conditions before you can sign the petition).
- Step 2: Check your email and open the message sent by the Assembly.
- Step 3: In this message, click on the link enabling you to register your signature.
You can only sign the same petition once.
Text of the petition
WHEREAS the Centre de services scolaire des Découvreurs (CSSDD) has announced its intention to expand the Collège des Compagnons by building modular classrooms within the Compagnons wooded area;
WHEREAS the Compagnons wooded area is a 16.7-hectare wooded area listed in the City of Québec’s Register of Natural Areas of Interest;
CONSIDERING THAT this wooded area is one of the remnants of the ancient forest of Pointe-de-Ste-Foy;
CONSIDERING THAT near the zone designated for the construction of the modular classrooms is a wetland identified in the City of Québec’s Regional Plan for Wetlands and Water Environments as a wetland of interest;
CONSIDERING THAT in 2022, the CSSDD was entrusted with the woodland by the government to ensure its protection;
CONSIDERING THAT this woodland constitutes a recreational facility that is heavily used by local residents, including a 1.5 km trail that allows for nature observation and sports activities.
We, the undersigned, ask the Gouvernement du Québec:
- to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Centre de services scolaire des Découvreurs chooses a better expansion scenario in accordance with best environmental practices, those that do not destroy the nature that our children will need;
- to entrust the protection and conservation of the Compagnons woodland, particularly the part that was returned in 2022, to an organization whose mission is to do so.
Deadline to sign: May 11, 2025
