Nature Conservancy makes offer to purchase land-locked Bristol property

Deb Powell

Bristol councillor Greg Graham started up a discussion on social media the day following the regular municipal council meeting, January 12, concerning an offer from the Nature Conservancy of Canada to purchase a Bristol property. The offer had been presented as an item of information from Mayor Valerie Twolan-Graham who said it would be on the agenda at the next meeting in February following examination by the building inspector.

The property in question is 94.2 hectares located to the east of Pontiac Station. The municipality purchased it in 1994 from Consolidated Bathurst, the company that ran the mill in Portage. It includes a beach on the Ottawa River but no road access.

Although the matter had not yet been brought to council, Graham said in his social media post "that they are considering the offer", and that he was " strongly urging the rest of council to refuse this request...". He put forward that the land was acquired "for the purpose of development into a community park to preserve the natural flora and fauna of the region while still allowing for the public enjoyment and access to the river."

Without identifying who put forward the offer to purchase, Graham concludes his argument for not selling the property with " In Bristol, we believe that everyone has a right to access and enjoy our beautiful river. If this land were to be sold, we are denying future generations that access." He encourages residents to contact the municipality or attend the council meeting on February 2. In a subsequent email, he wrote "If it is sold, it is sold forever.  I don't believe we'd be able to build anything like camping infrastructure, trails for motorized vehicles, bathrooms, historical interpretation centres, or education facilities.  We certainly couldn't make infrastructure investments on land we no longer own."

Mayor Valerie Twolan-Graham commented on the post to add some clarification, identifying the Nature Conservancy of Canada as the organization behind the offer to purchase and noting that "The property in question is land-locked and cannot be developed because of its wetland designation. It is only accessible by water. This is an offer to purchase; any offer (if entertained) can lay out conditions by the current owner. “This offer has been sent to our Municipal Inspector who has not had the opportunity to address Council on this matter,” the mayor told the Pontiac Journal. A representative from the NCC (Nature Conservancy of Canada) is prepared to meet with Council in February and speak about the offer to purchase, as well as answer questions the public and Council may have. No specific purchase details can be shared before this meeting as specifically outlined in the offer to purchase. Our Council welcomes the public’s attendance at this and all Council meetings. Your input is always invited and welcomed."

The circumstances that led to the offer to purchase go back to last summer when a presentation was made at the MRC regarding a project of the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la faune et des parcs (MELCCFP) to create a wildlife refuge in the area of the Bristol property (as well as in the municipality of Clarendon). In an informal discussion the MELCCFP inquired as to whether Bristol might be interested in including their property in the reserve. The possibility that Bristol might entertain an offer to purchase came up during that discussion.

The government of Quebec owns 41 hectares of land fronting on the Ottawa River immediately to the west of the Bristol property. Ducks Unlimited and the Nature Conservancy of Canada together own 180 ha to the east.

A wildlife refuge serves to preserve the integrity of an important wildlife habitat that is recognized at the regional or provincial level for the abundance, density, and diversity of its wildlife. This habitat may also be an essential location for a rare, threatened, or vulnerable species. There are currently nine wildlife refuges in Quebec and an ongoing project for one that would extend along the Ottawa River from the east end of Gatineau to Thurso. Projects of this kind often take many years to complete and are subject to public consultations.