Mario Belsad had to cancel 45 concerts he had planned to give at his vineyard this summer

Pain, disappointment and a great lack of understanding. Mario Belchat is at pains to explain why he has not received authorization from the Commission for the Protection of the Agricultural Region of Quebec (CPTAQ) to host shows at his vineyard this summer. In total, he had to cancel 45 scheduled shows and return thousands of tickets. “I cried all I could to cry,” he said.

Domaine Pelchat Lemaître-Auger, owned by Mario Pelchat and his wife Claire Lemaître-Auger, announced the news on its Facebook page on Tuesday morning. The couple confirmed that “despite our good will”, all events at the Saint-Joseph-du-Lac vineyard for the summer of 2024 must be cancelled.

“In fact, the Commission for the Protection of the Agricultural Territory of Quebec (CPTAQ) has issued an order banning them from being offered in the vineyard. At the same time our agricultural operation highlights the vineyard, its products and its artisans,” write the two entrepreneurs.

bad dream”

Contacted by Newspaper, Mario Pelzad noted that he received the news “with surprise”. He ensures that he has followed all the procedures to the letter and sought the necessary permissions. “But I find that when we start a business, we are left to ourselves,” he laments.

CPTAQ informed him of its decision only on March 12. In the following weeks, Mario Belzat tried his best to persuade the Commission to change its mind. “I tried to get their consent or leniency, but they threatened to go to the High Court. At one point, it was stressful enough. I have been hyperventilating since this nightmare started. I am very anxious. So, on Friday, I decided to stop everything.

Chantal Poirier / JTM

Job losses

This summer Mario Belzat had planned to give 45 performances in his garden. He alternated between a performance of his songs and a tribute to Gilbert Beckaud. About 9,000 of the 11,000 tickets were sold. Clients included people from Quebec, New Brunswick and France.

“We have groups that have told us they still want to visit us, buy our wines and find space,” he says. We will refund the money for the display area.

In addition to the thousands of tickets to be refunded, the singer is also grieving the job loss associated with the announcement. He said 35 people have lost their jobs. Despite everything, he asked CPTAQ for time to conduct the summer. without success.

A complaint

Mario Belzat understood this decision even less, knowing that he gave about forty shows in his vineyard every summer in 2022 and last year. “In all orchards [de la province]All vineyards have events and programs like ours,” he adds.

When he made this comment to CPTAQ, he was told that the commission acted on complaints because “we only have seven inspectors on our roads.” Therefore, this is the single complaint that ensures that no concerts will take place at Domaine Belchat Lemaître-Augère.

“I want to know who did it, because no one complained about the noise from the neighbors,” assures Mario Belzat. My production manager lives 1,500 feet from the room and we don’t hear a thing while the shows are going on.