Ever since the year 2000, occupancy in the Jacques-Cartier River National Park has more than doubled, going from 70 000 visit-days to over 145 000. In order to meet the demand and maintain service quality, the park infrastructure will be refurbished next spring, with the help of a 2.3-M$ investment from the Québec government.
“This money will allow the Jacques-Cartier river National Park to improve and enlarge its discovery and services centre, to renew its permanent exhibition, to build a new boat rental centre, to stabilize the Valley road and to improve its drinking water distribution system,” said Line Beauchamp, Minister for Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks in a press conference.
For Nancy Bolduc, General Manager for the Jacques-Cartier River Park, this is excellent news. “The drinking water plant was built when the park opened, and there were no housing unit with services at that time. Now however, we have over one hundred such units. So far, we have been able to maintain adequate distribution, but an increase in the capacity of the network is welcome.”
Work should begin next spring.
As for the Station touristique Duchesnay, an investment of 865 000$ has been committed to refurbish its pavilions, a few of which are beginning to show their use. The Laurentide Reserve will refurbish and maintain its cottages with the help of a 2.1-M$ investment. And lastly, the Portneuf Reserve will get 500 000$ to solidify its cottages on lakes Travers and Lapeyrère.
This announcement follows the granting of a 55-M$ budget to the Sépaq in the last provincial budget. “The tourist industry is a major development factor for the Québec City region, and these investments are important to the region’s economic well-being,” said Sam Hamad, Minister for Employment and Social Solidarity.
