The year ending was marked by extreme weather conditions and disasters that multiplied almost everywhere in Quebec, destroying homes and roads, reducing millions of hectares of forests to rubble, ruining crops and leaving victims in dire uncertainty.
In Quebec, 4.5 million hectares of forest went up in smoke during the fires that raged for several months this summer, a Quebec record.
Although no lives were lost, the fires left many scarred.
This is particularly the case in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, where most of the chalets and trees went up in smoke.
“Normally at this time, on Friday around noon, I go to my cabin by snowmobile,” says Mayor Guy Lafrenière. This is also the usual winter routine of many of his fellow citizens.
Photo TVA News
“But no one will go into their hut because they don’t have any left,” he continues. This winter will be difficult for many people, including me.
Mr. Lafrenière has already begun rebuilding his chalet, this time with materials that do not burn.
“But there are some who don’t want to rebuild. It's more difficult for them, he admits. We usually meet in the forest every day. But there’s nothing left.”
Photo provided by Guy Lafrenière
Repeated floods
The year was also marked by numerous episodes of torrential rain, breaking rainfall records.
The Le Genévrier campsite in Baie-Saint-Paul has been badly hit not just once, but four times this season.
The owners are trying to find adaptation solutions, but are already planning to operate at 50% capacity next summer.
“The biggest impact is the inability of the government to adapt and respond to situations like the ones we experienced,” emphasizes one of the owners, Bruno Labbé.
The latter assumes that about 800 meters of the river that crosses his campsite needs to be rehabilitated to avoid further floods of this type.
A multi-million dollar project that he doesn't want to tackle alone. Mr. Labbé is still waiting for the aid promised by the government, while asset losses are estimated at $12 million.
Photo provided by Bruno Labbé
Camping brings economic benefits to the region of $10 million per year.
“From an economic perspective, there are still a lot of people who can afford camping, but not everyone can afford Richelieu Manor,” he says.
Photo Jean-François Racine
Quebec's food pantry is under threat
The agri-food industry has also suffered from the climate emergency and 2023 proved to be the worst season in 18 years with episodes of hail, drought, heatwaves and torrential rain.
“The term ‘disaster year’ is apt,” says Patrice Léger Bourgoin of the Quebec Market Gardeners Association.
“We know very well that it will happen again. That’s the challenge,” he continues.
Photo Dominick Menard
Due to climate change, risk management in its current form is no longer really possible for vegetable gardeners.
“The average vegetable farm needs to invest at least $500,000 before it even generates a dollar of income. We can no longer afford to risk so much money at the beginning of the season without ever knowing what misfortune awaits us,” notes Mr. Léger Bourgoin.
According to him, it is imperative that the provincial government develop a food security plan before vegetable gardeners can no longer meet demand and Quebec experiences a scenario like Ireland or the United Kingdom, where there is a shortage of fresh vegetables and fruits.
“This situation almost happened here,” concludes Mr. Léger Bourgoin.
The planet experienced a year 2023 marked by natural disasters and extreme weather phenomena, from which even Quebec could not escape. Mother Nature's lightning strikes have struck the province on several occasions The newspaper listed the most important events.
Millions of hectares went up in smoke
Quebec burned like never before, with devastating forest fires lasting throughout the summer. 4.5 million hectares – record areas for SORFEU – went up in smoke and obscured the skies as far away as Europe and the United States. These fires resulted in a $200 million bill for Quebec and particularly raged in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the North Coast, the Lac-Saint-Jean region and Nord-du-Québec.
More than 25,000 people were evacuated, particularly in Chibougamau, Clova and Normétal, as well as the Cree communities of Wemindji, Mistissini and Waswanipi.
The citizens of Lebel-sur-Quévillon were forced to leave their homes for the first time in more than two weeks on June 2nd, and a second time on June 22nd. This is the municipality that saw the largest fire ever known in an intensive protection zone, with a total of 481,991 hectares of forest burned.
AFP PHOTO / Olivier PILON/SOPFEU
Floods repeat
The regions of Lanaudière, Laurentides, Gaspésie, Charlevoix and the rest of the Capitale-Nationale were the scene of numerous floods. In Baie-St-Paul in particular, the Gouffre River caused devastating damage when it burst its banks on May 1st. Two firefighters were killed during a rescue attempt.
Images of Route 138, badly damaged by the flood, and those of a motorized vehicle swept away by the Mares River, which also flowed over its bed, captured the imagination.
About five months later, the nightmare was repeated when a second flood of the Gouffre River caused significant damage to the Le Genévrier campsite. An uninhabited chalet was also swept away by the waters of the Petit Bras river.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Severe flooding occurred in Sherbrooke, Ascot Corner and Eastman in Estrie in July. Sherbrooke's municipal garage was completely flooded.
The municipality of Saint-Raymond in Portneuf also had a taste of this in July when heavy rains occurred, isolating several homes and destroying parts of Rang du Nord and Rang Saguenay.
Landslides mortal
Landslides occurred in several regions, mainly caused by heavy rainfall. Several municipalities were affected, including Trois-Rivières and Grandes-Piles in Mauricie, Saint-Ours in Montérégie, Rivière-Éternité in Saguenay, Baie-Saint-Paul in Charlevoix and Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine, Gros- Morne and Manche-d'Épée in Gaspésie.
Even more tragic were these landslides on July 1st in Rivière-Éternité, where two people lost their lives and were washed away by the subsidence of the ground. They were two residents of Quebec, about forty years old. A third man, who was with one of the victims, was rescued at the last minute. He spent over two months in the hospital.
Photo agency QMI, Roger Gagnon
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