National park expansion project in progress

Seven expansion projects are currently underway, each at a different stage of completion. Information on the progress of each project is updated regularly.

The Parc national du Bic expansion project primarily aims at integrating lands located in the Saint-Fabien sector. The expansion project involves the addition of land located mainly in the Saint-Fabien area. These lands include peatlands and other natural environments that are home to plant species in precarious situations. The total area of the national park would reach 34.5 km².

Consult the map of the proposed boundaries modification (in French only) (PDF 452 Kb).

For more information on the expansion project, consult the following documents:

• Project summary (in French only) (PDF 2.44 Mb)
• Information document (in French only) (PDF 13.95 Mb)

Established in 1984, this protected area covers 8.14 km². The expansion project involves the addition of a 0.2 km² parcel located on Île Charron and adjacent to the national park, which was acquired by the government in 2011.

Two adjustments are also proposed:

• Remove a 4,500 m² parcel located in the Ville de Longueuil, near the wastewater treatment plant;
• Remove an 860 m² parcel owned by the Ville de Longueuil.

The total area of the national park would reach 8.34 km².

See the proposed national park boundary change map (in French) (PDF 3.88 Mb).

For more information on the expansion project, consult the following documents:

• Project summary (PDF 2.21 Mb)
• Information document (PDF 6.90 Mb)

This first national park created in Nunavik is located near the Village de  Kangiqsujuaq. The expansion project involves the addition of a 27.1 km² area on the north bank of the Rivière de Puvirnituq. The inclusion of this territory aims to protect the entire portion of the Rivière de Puvirnituq within the national park by establishing a 1-kilometre-wide buffer zone along its northern bank. The total area of the national park would thus increase to 1,161 km².

Located in the Eastern Townships, in the Monts Sutton natural region, this national park currently spans 59.5 km². The expansion project mainly involves the addition of approximately 48 km² of land acquired by the government over the past few years. The project also proposes the removal of six parcels of land totalling 0.02 km², which would be removed and transferred to the Municipality of Orford Township for public utility purposes. Following these changes, the total area of the park would exceed 100 km².

See the national park expansion project map (in French) (PDF 7.19 Mb).

The area covered by the proposed addition lies mainly to the north of the national park and stretches about 15 kilometres from north to south. It includes several municipalities in the RCMs of Val-Saint-François and Memphrémagog, including the municipalities of Racine, Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, the Township of Orford, and the Township of Melbourne.

The project was presented at a public hearing held by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) in winter 2023. The report (in French only) is available on the BAPE website.

The project is under development and the steps are underway in relation to the regulatory review, which will allow the proposed expansion of the Parc national du Mont Orford.

For more information about the area concerned by this expansion, consult the knowledge report (in French only) available on the BAPE website.

The expansion project aims to add a 4.4 km² parcel of land owned by Canada’s Department of National Defence, which was used as a firing range until 2017. The inclusion of this area in the national park would increase its total area from 8.84 km² to 13.2 km². However, the transfer requires an agreement with the federal government and prior decontamination of the land by National Defence, which could take several years.

Moreover, the transfer must comply with the requirements of the federal Directive on the Management of Real Property. National Defence has indicated that the timeline remains undetermined, but that it will reissue its notice of intent to dispose of the land in order to transfer ownership to provinces, municipalities, or Indigenous groups, with the goal of ensuring its conservation and recreational use by the public.

In parallel, the government is exploring the possibility of acquiring additional land.

The expansion project involves the addition of 2.03 km² of land, including the Chutes du Moulin site, on both sides of the Rivière de la Petite Nation. A parcel located in Thurso and owned by the Gouvernement du Québec would also be incorporated into the national park.

A withdrawal of 0.16 km² of land is also proposed to correct certain irregularities, notably in waterbodies.

These changes would increase the total area of the national park from 28.24 km² to 30.11 km².

See the proposed national park boundary change map (in French) (PDF 3.80 Mb).

For more information on the expansion project, consult the following documents:

• Project summary (PDF 3.56 Mb)
• Information document (PDF 7.27 Mb)

Located near the Village d'Umiujaq in Nunavik, this national park is the largest in Eastern North America. It protects exceptional sites, including the Hudsonian cuestas ^{Read the content of the note 1} ,  Lac Wiyâshâkimî—the second-largest natural lake in Québec—and several other lakes, including Petit lac des Loups Marins, which are home to freshwater harbour seals considered to be an endemic subspecies.

The expansion project involves the addition of 145.3 km² of public land. Between 2013 and 2018, mining titles in the Petite rivière de la Baleine area and northwest of the national park expired, which now allows these lands to be incorporated. The total area of the national park will thus reach 26,252 km².