Canada/Citizens want Sherbrooke to take care of Boisé-Fabi

Citizens are mobilizing to protect Sherbrooke's Boisé-Fabi. They want the city to develop the area while protecting its biodiversity.

A letter of support is circulating asking the City to take care of this woodland, which it acquired in 2014. Just over 300 people signed the letter on Saturday.

What we're advocating is local nature. Nature in my backyard starts with easy access around my home," explains Lucie Desgagnés, spokesperson for the Comité citoyen du Parc du Boisé-Fabi.

For example, the citizens' group is calling on the city to provide clear access to Parc du Boisé-Fabi. The ecosystem is deteriorating more and more because of increased use. And it's going to get even worse, because there's development all around it," fears Lucie Desgagnés.

Around a hundred housing units are due to be built near Boisé-Fabi. The municipal council authorized the extension of rue Homère and the opening of rue Hollis-Smith on February 17.

Rock Forest municipal councillor François-Olivier Desmarais is ready to support the citizens. He maintains that housing development will continue as the land near the woodland is privately owned.

That said, Boisé-Fabi as such remains protected, and it's this park that we'll be trying to maintain and develop. After all, it's a park as large as Jacques Cartier Park.

The City of Sherbrooke protects 13 hectares of this site, which corresponds to half of the Boisé-Fabi forest.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/