Will Club Med resort rock the sleeping Massif mountain?

Once upon a time there was a giant sleeping mountain. It was so big people called it le Massif, and, just so it wouldn’t be confused with other giant sleeping mountains, they added “de Petite Rivière Saint-francois.”

The Massif de Petite Rivière Saint-francois had slept mostly soundly since the beginning of time, or at least for about 350 million years since a 2 km-wide asteroid smashed into what is now the St. Lawrence River area creating the Charlevoix Crater, and the mountains bounced up from the shock.

That impact created the Charlevoixkamouraska Seismic Zone, described as one of the most highly hazardous in Canada, and the scene of regular earthquakes. The doozie was in February, 1663, when a rumble of 7.9 magnitude caused massive destruction to the landscape, including crumbling the side of a mountain into the St. Lawrence and making a huge waterfall on the St. Maurice River disappear. The Jesuits wrote reams of vivid accounts of the jolt felt across much of the eastern part of the continent.

Although not seismologic in nature, the sleeping mountain, now known corporately (and conveniently) as le Massif de Charlevoix, is experiencing shocks - okay, changes - that have transformed the magnificent mound forever.

Certain hardy ski enthusiasts and winter outdoorsy types will recall that not so long ago, at the turn of the current century, the Massif was still a mysterious and pretty much virginal destination, boasting the highest elevation in eastern Canada and copious snowfalls thanks to favourable climatic conditions. Back then, to ski down the beast you first had to mount it, which was accomplished with a school bus up a rough road.

Then, as has become legend, Daniel Gauthier, ski buff and co-founder, in Baie Saint-paul, of le Cirque du Soleil, finding himself with an excess of liquidity and a dream in his heart, bought Le Massif, lock, stock and panoramic view. That was in 2002.

Le Massif de Charlevoix recreationaltourism project was a big dream, indeed, with eco-friendly lodging, gourmet restaurants and even a train excursion to get there from Quebec City. Some $300 million has been poured into the development of the mountain, about a third of which is public money through Quebec government investment agencies. Along the way there have been labour woes, a catastrophic fire to a historic building, and slumps in revenue due to weather conditions.

Gauthier, though, has held firm to his vision and had his eye on a particular attraction for the mountain, one that he hopes will stabilize the vagaries of seasonal revenues. Last week, Gauthier announced he finally has succeeded in landing a Club Med resort, the first yearround mountain destination in the France-based, Chinese-owned company’s 20-resort chain, and the first Club Med in Canada.

Ignoring the misspelled “St. Laurence” in the press release, Club Med, backed by other investors including $9.8 million from the federal government and an unstated amount from Quebec, plans to build a $120 million, 300-room playground.

Said Xavier Mufraggi, CEO of Club Med North America, “the future resort promises to be a haven for family and couple getaways as well as ideal for groups, with spaces provided to accommodate seminars and events.”

Building the resort, according to the promoters, will create 700 jobs; the place itself expects to generate 325 direct and 400 indirect jobs when it opens, possibly in 2020, although no specific target date has been identified.

“The agreement with partners,” the press release adds, “guarantees a mutually profitable endeavour for all.”

While no local politician would wish to shake the premise of such a statement, the risks to such a venture are apparent: increased global tourism competition; the relative remoteness of the mountain compared to comparable ski resorts in Quebec; the uncertainty of the future market for ski holidays; the durability of the attractiveness of a resort in the Laurentian woods to an international clientele.

Government money was apparently the key to the deal. Should Club Med flop on the foot of the Massif, it may be taxpaying voters who are stirred from their slumber. DEAR EDITOR

A response to M. Pierre Petelle's letter to the editor Oct 26, 2017

How very reassuring to operate under the belief, as M. Petelle writes, that Health Canada and it's predecessors stand as a bulwark to protect the health and well being of all Canadians. Less a bulwark than a sieve when we recall the use of mercury in medicine to treat syphilis in the pre-antibiotic era; the common use of DDT found to accumulate in the food chain until banned in the US in 1972; the permission to market thalidomide to pregnant women resulting in many children being born with malformed or missing limbs; the marketing of asbestos, and the reassurances given to workers in the industry that their respiratory problems had nothing to do with their work, when they suffered from asbestosis or worse mesothiloma, an incurable lung cancer.

The one that has received less public attention was the prescription of a synthetic hormone, DES, to possibly prevent miscarriages In some cases female children born to women who took the drug were found at puberty, 10 - 15 years later, to have malformations of their genital organs, as well as some rare vaginal cancers. In the third generation of women who took DES some are also showing some evidence of similar health issues. Unto the seventh generation.?

All of which is to say that there may well be, to use the words of Donald Rumsfeld, known unknown and even unknown unknown consequences of the large scale use of any product, that in the short term, seems a solution to the worlds food supply.

With recent concerns in the press over food wastage, and increasing rates of obesity in the western world, perhaps our concern should be directed to distribution, accessibility and affordability of food stuffs.

The concentration of ownership of seeds resistant to the chemicals used to control weeds commonly found among crops, and the chemicals themselves creates a feedback loop that generates increasing income for those who own the patents on both these products.

At a time when we are attempting to support small, locally produced products which employ local labour and generate income for the owner, reduce shipping costs and food wastage and limit the use of another kind of chemical to retard spoilage when products arrive at our local grocery in pristine condition from California. Buy local !!

Finally when in doubt of the validity of one's position, denigrate the messenger, in the case of M. Petelle's letter, David Suzuki. Personal attacks dismissing this renowned scientist are not only unseemly and unkind, but do not offer any positive options.

MARGERY STROM SHERBROOKE QC