The company is planning to upgrade the nearly hundred-year-old transmission lines between Quyon and Wyman in the coming months to increase the power capacity of the lines.

Upgrades include adding pylons, the structures that hold the power lines, increasing their size, and also adding up to two additional power lines to the pylons.

Since the pylons are going to be made taller to accommodate the new lines, explained Hydro-Québec community relations advisor Marie-Annick Gariépy, the structures must be made wider in order to accommodate them. When the structures are widened, they could begin to encroach on the properties of neighbouring landowners.

Gariépy said part of the reason for the open house was to address any questions local landowners had about the work and help them seek compensation if the new widened structures will breach their property.

Pierre-Étienne Beaudette, who works for Hydro-Québec’s acquisitions and strategy team, had a computer monitor with a map that he used to answer public questions about the upgrades and any compensation landowners might be able to receive.

“There will be agreements made with the landowners [ . . . ] compensation will be determined according to the agreement,” he said, adding that the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) and Hydro-Québec have an agreement which gives compensation to landowners if power line work like this has to be done.

He explained that the agreement is relevant for land zoned green such as wooded lots and agricultural land, but with residential properties it’s a bit different.

“When it’s residential properties It’s really the lost value of the land that we look for, which will determine the financial compensation,” he said, adding it is early on in the process so it’s hard to tell exactly how many people will be impacted.

“We don’t know the positions of the pylons yet. We don’t have an official width, so it’s hard for us right now.

We’re just giving general information,” he said.

Gariépy added that there will also be updates to transmission substations. “We’re going to change equipment, and also modernize the equipment.” she said. “We’re going to have a better energy transport capacity than before.”

Lee Robinson, who has a property north of 5th Concession outside of Quyon, said she came to the open house because she was worried the work might infringe on her property, but said the Hydro-Québec representatives answered her questions.

“I’ll be fine, unless they change their mind or something,” she said, adding that she appreciated having a public consultation where landowners are consulted and invited to participate in the process. “It’s nice that they’re explaining what’s going on.”

Upper Pontiac upgrades to come

Gariépy said there will be some work down the road to improve the power capacity of the lines leading to the Upper Pontiac.

“We want to modernize the transportation network in the Pontiac in order to have a more reliable network,” she said, adding that public consultations for the construction of a new transmission substation and transmission lines will begin near the end of May, noting exact details about the work cannot be shared until the public is consulted.

“We have a large zone that we will consult the population about, but we have not yet drawn it out.”

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