Coming together for the safety of outdoor enthusiasts
Pictured: Patrice Guay, Operations Coordinator, Major Projects at Rio Tinto’s Alma Works; André Boudreault, Dam-en-Terre resident and trail maintenance manager; Frédéric Blackburn from City of Alma Public Works; François Carrier, City of Alma Municipal Councillor; Daniel Simard, President of the Lac-Saint-Jean snowmobilers’ club; Patrice Bergeron, Operations Director at Rio Tinto’s Alma Works; Jean-Sébastien Martel, Lac-Saint-Jean snowmobilers’ club member.
Rio Tinto is proud to have collaborated with Dam-en-Terre area residents, the City of Alma and the Lac-Saint-Jean snowmobilers’ club to relocate a snowmobile trail on Alma Works grounds.
Local outdoor enthusiasts and snowmobilers near Alma Works were running into safety issues at an intersection between their respective trails. This was only made worse by COVID, which had increased traffic significantly, according to André Boudreault, President of the Dam-en-Terre residents’ association, and François Carrier, Municipal Councillor.
So, a group of citizens decided to come together and find a safe solution.
Marie-Kim Bouchard, Communities and Communications Advisor at Rio Tinto, explains that a great deal of thought and hard work went into designing the new three-kilometre route. “We didn’t want to cut down any trees, and we also had to be careful of wetlands. There were a number of meetings with the various parties involved, and we were able to settle the matter in late November. Everyone was very cooperative!” The relocation was completed at a total cost of $20,000.
The new trail was built a few metres away from the Alma Works grounds. The snowmobile route now runs underneath the towers, allowing both groups to keep using their respective trails safely. We want to congratulate all the parties involved on their excellent teamwork in coming up with a solution where everybody wins!
