A popular West Quebec tourist attraction is reeling from Friday’s thunderstorms. Chutes Coulonge Park, an aerial zip line park, remains closed indefinitely. Powerful winds from the storm system toppled several trees and equipment throughout the park. Fortunately, no one was injured. "We're talking about microbursts here as reported by Environment Canada. And we've had significant damage done to our obstacle courses and zip lines,"
Dubois estimates the damage could cost up to half a million dollars. But there’s nothing he can do about it yet. Downed power lines and broken or weakened trees make the park too dangerous for clean-up crews. Twenty employees are out of work. The local community will also suffer as long as the park is closed. Chutes Coulonge is a major tourist draw for the area.
"You keep on saying you're going to wake up from this dream, you know? Because it's something you wouldn't imagine living," says Dubois. “You expect certain things to happen. You expect high winds. You expect storms, but nothing at this level."
Dubois has meetings with the parks’ board of directors, professional forest engineers, and the park’s insurance company before he can proceed with the clean-up. But he is confident that, eventually, they will re-build and re-open. He’s hoping at least a small part of the park can be opened in the coming weeks. But it will take a long time before the storm’s devastating effects are finally dealt with.
"As for the overall success of our season. That's definitely gone and we won't have a chance to get that back. That's for sure."
