Road washouts along Jim’s Lake Road (ch. Bois-Franc) have left outfitters in the Pontiac’s remote backcountry scrambling at the start of their season, cutting off access to the key route that brings in clients, supplies and staff.
Jim’s Lake Rd. serves as a main access point to the Territoire non-organisé (TNO) Lac-Nilgaut, a sparsely populated region spanning more than 8,500 sq. kilometres that is home to several remote hunting and fishing lodges. Washouts discovered on Apr. 22 rendered the main artery impassable in two locations, forcing detours that are either unreliable or incomplete.
MRC Pontiac crews have been working on detours to establish temporary access, including one on chemin Schyan, which remains impassable due to two washouts. An ATV trail near Jim’s Lake Rd. remains the only temporary detour for the moment, leaving outfitters uncertain whether clients will be able to reach their properties in the coming weeks.
With no clear timeline for permanent repairs and limited funding available for infrastructure in the TNO, business owners say the situation is threatening a crucial spring window that sets the tone for their season.
For Joey Raven, owner of Forant Lake Outfitter at kilometre 84, the timing of the washout couldn’t be worse. With trout season under way and bear season fast approaching, the washout is preventing him from completing critical work deep in the bush, preparing hunting sites and laying bait for the bears.
“There’s two to three weeks of work we have to do in advance to prep the sites and open everything up. There’s 57 kilometres of road that we have to maintain,” he said.
Raven said after taking ownership of the outfitter a few years ago, he is now in the position of telling customers that the roads aren’t reliable enough to make the trip.
“We’ve invested just under a million dollars in our property [ . . . ] Within a few days of those washouts happening, we were starting to lose money.”
Raven added that the uncertainty around road access is already discouraging customers from booking, with potential clients hesitant to commit to trips they may not be able to make.
“We’re a few weeks away from putting up a for sale sign,” he said.
Colin LeBrun of Bryson Lake Lodge said the road is a vital artery to and from his family’s business, as nearly all customers use the road to reach them. He said customers have already been contacting the business about the status of their bookings.
So far, he estimated the business has already lost about $10,000 in revenue after delaying opening due to the washouts. He said the uncertainty now looms over the spring bear hunting season, which typically represents nearly a quarter of the lodge’s yearly revenue.
LeBrun said the current alternate route is only accessible by off-road vehicles, and not something he is willing to recommend to guests.
“We at Bryson don’t want to send our clients up there because we don’t know the conditions, and we don’t want anyone to get lost or led astray,” he said.
LeBrun, also a councillor in Mansfield-et-Pontefract, said the impacts of the washouts reach beyond just their own business.
“A lot of businesses are being affected very clearly, and not just us. There are two other outfitters that are in the region. There are forestry people. There’s the cottagers and people from Ontario that maybe have cottages up there that can’t go up,” he said.
Jason Durand, the MRC Pontiac’s territory director, said crews have been working to identify washouts across the TNO and establish temporary detours, though access to some areas remains difficult.
When it comes to permanent repairs, Durand said the MRC does not make the final decisions. Roads in the TNO are owned by Quebec’s natural resources ministry, meaning that any project is subject to environmental studies and provincial approvals. These processes can take time, particularly with high water levels still delaying inspections.
Durand said the MRC is still trying to determine whether the damaged sections will require replacement culverts or even bridges, a decision that rests on provincial approval and would carry a large cost. With only around $500,000 a year to spend on transportation in the TNO, he said the MRC does not have the resources to fund these major infrastructure projects on its own.
He said the MRC also needs to keep in mind that other emergency situations could arise throughout the summer that could require additional spending from the TNO budget.
“It’s important not to blow our TNO budget, definitely not, because there could be even worse issues in the summer or this fall. Two years ago on the weekend of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, we had some floods [ . . . ] Or it could be wildfires – three years ago there was a wildfire up the Black River bridge,” he said.
Durand said his teams will focus on making sure washouts and alternative routes are clearly communicated to residents. Meanwhile, he has been on the line with the province, as well as with Pontiac MNA André Fortin to bring this issue to light.
“That’s how the MRC is trying to work, that’s how we’re doing our share,” Durand said.
Fire at Bryson Lake Lodge
For LeBrun, these challenges became very real this past weekend. He said he would normally travel to the property the week before guests begin arriving for a routine check, but this year, that trip was delayed due to the road closures.
When he finally made the trip on Saturday afternoon — taking a three-hour detour by side-by-side — he arrived to find four of the outfitter’s cabins reduced to ash.
“It really didn’t feel real. I started bawling,” he said.
Security camera footage later showed that the fire had started on Friday in or around their electrical room, spreading to four cabins, a stack of wooden docks, a swing set and other play equipment. When he arrived, the fire was still smouldering.
After extinguishing what they could with a fire extinguisher, he said the family began assessing the damage and considering next steps.
LeBrun said before the family tries to rebuild and move forward, they first have to go ahead with an investigation of the fire. He said as they try to make this happen, the Jim’s Lake Rd. remains at the centre of their logistical concerns.
“Are they going to have to come up and do an investigation? Will they have to do a police report? Does that mean the insurance and police are going to have to come up to the camp by side-by-side? And then what about the cleaners? Do we need excavators to take out the debris and material?” he said. “It always comes back to the road.”
LeBrun said he cannot say for certain they could have prevented any of the damage, but he believes the delayed visit may have made a difference.
“If we would have found it in the state that it was, we could have maybe prevented it,” he said.
MRC public security coordinator Julien Gagnon confirmed a team will be headed up to the lodge to examine the site and determine the cause of the fire.
Durand said the MRC is working as quickly as possible to find a solution for residents and businesses on Jim’s Lake Rd. He added that no timeline has been confirmed for permanent repairs as the MRC awaits inspections and provincial approval.
