1. 2/22/2016 Big fines at Big Rock in Chelsea, Quebec | Lowdown Online
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Big fines at Big Rock in Chelsea, Quebec
by admin on August 4, 2011
This popular swimming
hole in Chelsea, Quebec is
no longer available for the
public, as police are now
handing out tickets to
those caught on the
private lands.
By James Farr
After David Newing walked his dogs to the river on the evening of July 22, he wasn’t expecting to be confronted by police.
The Chelsea, Quebec native had walked his dogs, Pablo and Kimmi, to a familiar turnaround many times before, a spot on the Gatineau well known
to Chelsea residents as “Big Rock.” It’s one of the few river accesses in the municipality. It also happens to be owned by Hydro Quebec.
When Newing emerged from the woods on Church Road, MRC des Collines police were waiting for him.
“He [the police officer] asked me if I had been on Hydro Quebec land, and I said, ‘Yes,’ ” said Newing. “Then he said I was eligible for a $220 fine
for trespassing.”
Newing said that he had been coming to this spot for over ten years without any trouble. The officer informed him that some riverside residents had
complained to Hydro Quebec about loud, late­night parties. The utility then asked police to start enforcing trespassing laws.
“It’s very unfortunate,” said Newing. “Just due to a few teenage partiers.”
In the end, Newing was let off with a warning. He returned home and called Chelsea mayor Caryl Green. She was apparently already on the case,
having had similar incidents reported to her.
“Caryl knew about all this,” Newing said.
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2. 2/22/2016 Big fines at Big Rock in Chelsea, Quebec | Lowdown Online
http://www.lowdownonline.com/big­fines­at­big­rock­in­chelsea­quebec/ 2/2
Meanwhile, Green has been working on a solution to curb the late­night partying while at the same time allowing residents access to the property.
Green has contacted Hydro Quebec officials with the intention of renting the area surrounding Big Rock to turn into a municipal conservation park.
“It’s a project that would benefit the community at large,” said Green.
The plans are “still very preliminary,” according to Green, but the municipality is already in negotiations with Hydro Quebec and has initiated
writing a grant application for financial support from the Conseil régional de l’environnement et du développement durable de l’Outaouais.
In outlining her plans for the area, Green said, “We want to work with the neighbours . . . preserve the land and make it accessible. We want to
share it and honour the fragility of the ecosystem.”
Green may be able to kill two birds with one stone: protect the area with park status and curb overzealous partying by enforcing a park curfew.
Green envisions a “volunteer group that would monitor the area.”
Swimmers may find some cause for complaint, however, as the refreshing summer activity doesn’t figure into the current plans.
“At this time, we wouldn’t be promoting swimming,” Green said with a note of regret. “It would be at our liability. Right now, it’s about walking
and snowshoeing trails.”
Nevertheless, having to choose between fined access and regulated municipal access to Big Rock, it seems many are in favor of the latter option.
“What excites me so much,” Green said, “is that so many groups are showing support.”
Friends of the Gatineau, ACRE, and the Gatineau Historical Society have all endorsed the plan. If the initiative fails, it would be a shame to lose the
land. As Green says, “it’s so much a part of our heritage.”
Tagged as: Big, Caryl Green, chelsea, Farr, Hydro Quebec, James, Qc, Que, Quebec, ROck, Swimming
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