Hello everyone,

What another glorious fall we are having! For many people who are lucky enough to be at the lake in the fall, it is project time. There may have been fewer boats on the lake over the last few months but there were many more busy saws and hammers on shore. Here is to hoping that you were all able to finish your projects before the cooler and wetter days of the last few weeks. Thank you to everyone who posted fall photos on our 1225-member Facebook page, including the beautiful photo above from Jeanette Mandel. You’ll note in reading this fall’s newsletter that thank you’s abound, which is a wonderful testament to the Pemichangan community’s commitment to preserving the pristine nature of the lake and its surroundings and proof that the Board’s ongoing efforts are resonating within the community. It takes a village, as the saying goes. The FLP Board was busy over the summer and into the early fall organising the AGM and seeing to the trout study logistics and fundraising. Read on to know more.

2025 AGM

At the July 6 AGM held at the Gatineau Fish and Game Club, the Board reported on membership, lake health, camping and financials, and members present elected the current Board. FLP President Jeff Stanier thanked departing directors Karen Butterfield and John Hilbrich for their contributions and welcomed new directors Joe Irvine and Susan Annis, both from the North end. The Board continues to be composed of members from all over the lake, which is ideal.

Mayor Mathieu Caron was present to answer questions. The two main preoccupations of members were road maintenance and boat washing.  We learned that road maintenance, including snow removal and employee salaries, takes up a good chunk of Gracefield’s nine-million-dollar budget. The MRC (regional authority) is tasked with planning roadwork and applying for government financing for roadwork. Meetings were held with Québec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbeault to change this way of doing things but the new provincial budget did not address the issue. Gracefield has 200 km of roads, and the cost of repairing 1 km is $1M! A first boat washing station is now open in Gracefield and a second one is set to open near Lac Heney. The Federation of Québec Municipalities has lobbied the provincial government to make boat washing a requirement. Gracefield has sought help from the MRC to put pressure on the government to find ways to enforce boat washing – if boat washing becomes a provincial requirement then game wardens and the Sûreté du Québec (provincial police) could fine violators. Currently, the Municipality has neither the manpower nor the jurisdiction to do this. Unfortunately, the provincial government has not been responsive.

Thank you to everyone who came out, including the greater number of South enders.

2025 Municipal Elections

As we learned from Mayor Mathieu Caron at the AGM, there is no voting by mail in Gracefield for the Sunday November 2 elections due to the very weak outcome of the last voting-by-mail experience, which proved costly and complicated for the Municipality. Lac-Sainte-Marie has allowed voting by mail. Property owners eligible to vote in Gracefield will therefore need to do so in person. Before rushing out to vote in either Gracefield or Lac-Sainte-Marie, however, make sure your property appears on the electoral list. As some of us have discovered too late this time around, properties which were on the list for the last municipal elections do not necessarily remain on the list if they are owned by non-Gracefield residents. The voting process is complicated for Canadian voters from outside Quebec. If your property IS on the list, you will generally need to provide two pieces of identification, including one with a photo. Contact Allyssa Ross in Gracefield (819-463-3458 or info@gracefield.ca) or Yvon Blanchard in Lac-Sainte-Marie (819-467-5437 or municipalite@lac-sainte-marie.com) for more information. Under Elections Canada regulations, US citizens cannot vote in municipal elections.

Lake Trout Study

The lake trout study is now well underway. FLP volunteers are currently involved in the final step of checking that spawning is in fact occurring in the sites studied by the RAPPEL biologists over the summer. The water temperature needs to be between 6 and 14 degrees Celsius for this exercise, which was delayed by our balmy autumn weather. If no spawning is seen this way, RAPPEL will need to send divers to examine the sites. Luckily, thanks to FLP members’ great response to this summer’s fundraising efforts, the FLP has the funds needed to pay for divers if needed. A total of about $6,000 was raised! Thank you to everyone who contributed! RAPPEL’s final report (due in the spring of 2026) will have recommendations and an action plan for improving any compromised spawning beds, which could include milfoil mitigation work. The FLP would then pursue further grant applications to implement the action plan.

Lac Pemichangan was previously identified as a trout lake, a designation that, at the time, came with a recommendation of protecting provincial (Crown) land from development. Lake trout are important because they are a sensitive species and an excellent indicator of the health of an aquatic ecosystem. For this reason, ongoing support for the lake trout population remains an important and meaningful way to foster overall lake health and help keep Lac Pemichangan the special place that it is.

Camp and Picnic Site Corner

Thank you to the numerous volunteers who stepped up to look after the 16 campsites this past summer. Some volunteers managed two sites, which meant that all of the sites were looked after…a first! Great work! As you are aware, there is no official management of the campsites located on provincial land around the lake either by the surrounding municipalities or by the Province. Our collective efforts help ensure that the sites will remain healthy in the future for our children, grandchildren and families camping on Lac Pemichangan, and for all campers coming to the Lac Pemichangan watershed. We did not get around to all of the sites requiring a new toilet box this season but the boxes are made and should be installed in May or June 2026. A special shout out to Robert Dyes and Menes Pierre-Pierre for volunteering to construct the toilet boxes on behalf of the FLP. Many of you have expressed an interest in volunteering again and you can be sure that the FLP will be reaching out again next spring asking for volunteers to assist in the Adopt-a-Site program for the summer of 2026.

Gatineau Fish and Game Club

The Gatineau Fish and Game Club in Point-Comfort was incorporated in 1894 and continues to this day to be a meeting place for many cottagers from Lac Pemichangan and Lac 31 Milles. Although the Gatineau Fish and Game Club and the Friends of Lake Pemichangan are two very distinct entities with different roles, the Club supports the FLP in many ways, including by kindly letting the FLP use its premises for our AGM and by collecting FLP membership fees along with its own membership fees. Thank you to the Gatineau Fish and Game Club for their continuing support. Learn more about the Club’s fascinating history by reading the Gatineau Valley Historical Society’s excellent article.

Membership

The FLP currently has 190 members out of a possible 300 or so. By joining the FLP, you are showing that you are part of the village committed to the preservation of the lake. Thank you! If you have not yet joined, you can always become a member here. Renewals occur automatically unless your email or credit card changes. Please contact Wanda Taylor to update your information. As mentioned above, Gatineau Fish and Game Club members can pay their FLP membership with their Club membership.

Have a general concern? Please contact Jeff Stanier. The FLP wants to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Jeff Stanier
FLP President