The municipality of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac is expressing its support for singer and producer Mario Pelchat, who was forced to cancel 45 concerts he had planned to give in his vineyard this summer.
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The mayor of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Benoit Proulx, says he has supported the musician in these projects since he inaugurated his installation at Domaine Pelchat Lemaître-Auger.
However he mentions during his interview LCN now With Pierre-Olivier Zappa, he would have acted the same way regardless of the owner of the vineyard.
“Here, in the town of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac and the surrounding area, it is definitely a shock situation,” said Mr. Proulx reveals. People are very angry because of this.
The mayor underlines that agritourism is “the most important economic engine” for the municipality’s territory, which includes many vineyards.
“Each year, during the agritourism season — five weekends from mid-September to mid-October — about 50,000 cars come to visit our local producers,” he points out.
However, the use of the agricultural building is diverted, which is a crime, according to the Commission for the Protection of the Agricultural Territory of Quebec (CPTAQ).
However, Benoît Proulx is appealing for mercy from the CPTAQ and the Minister of Agriculture, André Lamontagne.
“I sometimes like to be more relaxed by having well-established guidelines, but in my opinion, if all our co-producers do not have a reception room or a performance hall, it is not possible for them. Business, he maintains. They invest a lot of money in this, taking into account all the risks that can happen. without taking
Watch the interview with Mayor Benoit Proulx in the video above.
