By Dominique Laverdure, President of the Fiducie du Domaine Saint-Bernard.

After more than a year spent working on it, the Domaine Saint-Bernard revealed its master plan on November 12.

The plan’s goal is to present the Domaine’s objectives for the next twenty years in line with the following three themes: innovation, environment and education. Following analysis of the state of the site, the plan presents the history of the Fiducie (trust) and the vision of its fiduciaries (trustees): to make the Domaine Saint-Bernard an innovative model for ecological tourism in North America.

The plan also reveals a series of recommendations proposed by WAA, the company which is internationally known for its environmentally sustainable projects…a concept central to the creation of the master plan. The recommendations include the proposal of creating a balance between nature and use by humans to permit the Domaine Saint- Bernard to achieve its full maturity, for generations to come.

In addition, the plan shows the importance of converting some of the high-energy-consuming buildings to use renewable energy. The plan also suggests maximizing the network of trails to improve the quality of the user experience while protecting wetlands and ensuring the safety and security of the network as a whole.

The Domaine Saint-Bernard wishes to work with several partners from the fields of education and science, hoping thus to develop or further develop permaculture, phytotechnology, limnology, astronomy and an experimental forest in order to become a place of discovery for eco-tourists, with autonomous buildings and a safe and protected playground.

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