Latest news with #EricDesroches
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Historic Quebec scout camp to become conservation land, recreational tourism site
A cabin and the canteen are shown at the Tamaracouta Scout Reserve in Mille-Isles, Que., Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) MILLE-ISLES, QUEBEC — The new buyers of a more than century-old Scouts camp site north of Montreal say the property will become a mix of conservation land and a recreational tourism site. Scouts Canada announced earlier this week that it has sold Tamaracouta Scout Reserve to entrepreneur Eric Desroches, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the town of Mille-Isles, Que. A project manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada told a town meeting today that the organization will spend about $3.5 million to acquire some 82 per cent of the land. Catherine Lefebvre said the organization is acquiring more than 200 hectares, but will cede around 90 of them to the town of Mille-Isles, about 70 kilometres northwest of Montreal. Opened in 1912, the camp closed in 2019 after what Scouts Canada called years of successive financial hardship and looming costly repairs. Scouts Canada previously described the property as the oldest operating Scout camp in the world. Desroches told the meeting that the portion of the land he will own will be developed into an ecotourism project, but that he hasn't yet worked out the details. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025. Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Historic Quebec scout camp to become conservation land, recreational tourism site
MILLE-ISLES, QUEBEC - The new buyers of a more than century-old Scouts camp site north of Montreal say the property will become a mix of conservation land and a recreational tourism site. Scouts Canada announced earlier this week that it has sold Tamaracouta Scout Reserve to entrepreneur Eric Desroches, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the town of Mille-Isles, Que.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Historic Quebec scout camp to become conservation land, recreational tourism site
MILLE-ISLES, QUEBEC – The new buyers of a more than century-old Scouts camp site north of Montreal say the property will become a mix of conservation land and a recreational tourism site. Scouts Canada announced earlier this week that it has sold Tamaracouta Scout Reserve to entrepreneur Eric Desroches, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the town of Mille-Isles, Que. A project manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada told a town meeting today that the organization will spend about $3.5 million to acquire some 82 per cent of the land. Catherine Lefebvre said the organization is acquiring more than 200 hectares, but will cede around 90 of them to the town of Mille-Isles, about 70 kilometres northwest of Montreal. Opened in 1912, the camp closed in 2019 after what Scouts Canada called years of successive financial hardship and looming costly repairs. Scouts Canada previously described the property as the oldest operating Scout camp in the world. Desroches told the meeting that the portion of the land he will own will be developed into an ecotourism project, but that he hasn't yet worked out the details. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2025.
Global News
4 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Scouts Canada selling historic Quebec camp it has owned for over 100 years
Scouts Canada says it has accepted an offer to sell a historic camp site north of Montreal that first opened more than 110 years ago. The organization announced Thursday it has sold Tamaracouta Scout Reserve to entrepreneur Eric Desroches, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the town of Mille-Isles, Que. The organization says the new owner will preserve over 80 per cent of the land for conservation, while opening a part to the public. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The camp closed in 2019 after what Scouts Canada called years of successive financial hardship and looming costly repairs. The president of a citizens' group that has fought to preserve the site says there were concerns that the property would be sold to a developer and that its wilderness would be degraded. Karine Peloffy says she's cautiously optimistic about the sale but is looking for concrete proof that the new owner will preserve the land and maintain access for young people. Story continues below advertisement Scouts Canada described the property in 2024 as the oldest operating Scout camp in the world. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
End of an era: Scouts Canada sells historic Camp Tamaracouta in the Laurentians
By After sitting empty for more than seven years, Scouts Canada announced Thursday it has accepted an offer to sell the historic Camp Tamaracouta in the Laurentians. Canada's first Scouts camp, which sat on a 400-hectare property 80 kilometres northwest of Montreal, 'temporarily closed' during the winter of 2018/2019. Scouts Canada cited 'significant safety, financial and environmental challenges' as reasons for the sale. 'After careful consideration of all potential options, Scouts Canada's board of governors and the board of directors of the Quebec Property Society (Quebec Inc.) made the difficult decision to put TSR (Tamaracouta Scout Reserve) up for sale,' they wrote in a press release. The property was sold to entrepreneur Eric Desroches, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the town of Mille-Isles. Desroches plans to preserve more than 80 per cent of the property for conservation while opening part of it to the public. The camp, which ran for more than a century, held a special significance for thousands of campers who attended. Scouts Canada says they understand the 'deep connection' that volunteers, parents and youth have to the property and that the sale will create opportunities for meaningful outdoor experiences in a safe and fun environment while ensuring the property is sustainable. Since the camp's closing in 2018, maintenance has cost $200,000 annually. Reopening the site would cost nearly $2 million in urgent repairs, according to the press statement. 'With our fiscal deficits and a membership base in Quebec not large enough to sustain operations, it was deemed that the camp would not be sustainable on a long-term basis,' Scouts Canada wrote. A 2019 town hall meeting explored various solutions to reopen the camp, including partnerships and operational changes. The decision to go ahead with the sale was made after a review by Quebec Inc. and the board of governors of Scouts Canada, with the support of Quebec Council leadership. Proceeds from the sale will be held by Quebec Inc. to benefit youth in Quebec.
