Public participation

Project conducted in collaboration with the community

To ensure the project’s success, the Hydro‑Québec team worked in close collaboration with the community by:

communicating from the initial project stages
adapting the project to establish a win‑win solution
making sure the project team was open and committed to the community
maintaining open lines of communication with the community throughout the project

For more information, watch the video to discover the new Patriotes substation project, developed in collaboration with the community.

Enlightening consultations

A public participation process was carried out from fall 2015 to spring 2017.

After conducting technical and environmental studies, Hydro‑Québec developed two line route variants (A and B) and two possible sites for the substation, which were presented to the local community to gather any concerns.

Hydro‑Québec employed various means to inform and consult the community on the project:

Numerous in-person meetings with local organizations
Information bulletins
Open house information and consultation sessions in March 2017. One session was held for affected landowners and the other for the general population
Public notice in local newspapers and letter of invitation to open house sessions
Individual meetings with affected landowners
Information on the Ville de Saint‑Eustache website
Online survey and social media posts

Consultation activities were held with local organizations, affected landowners and residents living near the route variants. Through these exchanges, Hydro‑Québec gained a better understanding of issues related to urban development, landscape, agricultural vitality, agritourism and other local realities.

Route B was the more favorably received variant, and it was subsequently modified by Hydro‑Québec to minimize the final project’s impact on the community. For more details, please refer to the information bulletin on the selected solution.

Support for community development

Hydro‑Québec sees its projects as an opportunity to participate in the development of host communities. With this in mind, through the Integrated Enhancement Program, it provides a grant equal to 1% of the value initially approved for facilities covered by the Program.