July 14th, 2020
Safe escapades at the Soulanges canal. The enchanting site adapts and is animated this summer!
(Press release)
The current pandemic period changes vacation plans for a lot of families. The Soulanges canal has become for several weeks a choice place to practice one’s favorite activities and to take a sunbath. Local and regional partners mobilized to offer visitors safe activities to allow them to fully take advantage of this great space. « Since the start of spring, traffic near and in the Soulanges canal is very high, which brought a revising of our strategy for this summer to adapt to the new COVID-19 reality», mentions Mrs Marianne Sigouin-Lebel, project lead for the Soulanges canal at Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges (DEV). To take on this challenge, DEV could rely on numerous partners, such as the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the riverside municipalities as well as the collaboration and enthusiasm of the Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CJE) and of the Comité Jeunesse La Presqu’île (CJLP).
This summer, in addition to the popular Soulanges cycle path, outdoors activities will be there at the canal (kayak, SUP, yoga, bicycle rally, etc.). Moreover, an offer specially dedicated to teens and young adults was developed.
Coteau-du-Lac’s Kayak Shack
In the heart of Coteau-du-Lac, right in the dedicated parking lot for the Soulanges cycle path, is installed the Kayak Shack , a single or double kayak and SUP rental container. Also, citizens possessing a non-motorized boat can use the wharf to launch them on the rental site. This year, DEV partnered with CJE for the rental service to allow the organism to promote its services. « The Kayak Shack offers us the opportunity to go beyond our walls and to directly meet young people in a totally different context », mentions with enthusiasm Eve Bélec, the organism’s general director. « Our support service allows us to support young people aged 15 to 35 in their professional career», adds Mrs Bélec while reminding us that these past few months were particularly hard for them.
Projet X on the shores of the Canal
Still for young people, the popular initiative Projet X will be deployed for the first time on the shores of the Soulanges canal. At various places and in a spontaneous manner, animators from the CJLP will offer three times a week various activities for teens. According to Judith Girouard, general director of the organism, « these playful animations will bring healthy alternatives for young people while balancing socialization with physical distancing» Deployed for a few years in parks of certain Vaudreuil-Soulanges municipalities, Projet X allows to reduce misdemeanors and substance abuse while offering teens a caring ear as well as an adapted intervention.
Besides, thanks to collaboration between organisms, the« jeudis des jeunes » will allow teens aged between 14 and 17 to have a preferential location fee for kayaks and SUP and the possibility to be entertained on site with Projet X’s animation. Several surprises will make these Thursdays interesting.
Return of Zen Saturdays
Again this year, yogis will meet up to recharge on the shores of the Soulanges canal, as part of Zen Saturdays. At 9:30 am every Saturday morning until August 29, free, one-hour long sessions lead by a yoga or Qigong instructor will be offered near the Kayak Shack in Coteau-du-Lac. Participants must bring their towel or yoga mat.
Bicycle rally with family or friends
Two bicycle circuits will be held on August 23 at the Soulanges canal, a 25 km rally or a 50 km one. Participants will need to go as a team along the cycle path and riverside neighborhoods, looking for clues while seeing the Soulanges canal under a new light. For the low cost of 60$ per team (maximum 4 members per team), participants will receive gifts, taste local products and will perhaps go home with the grand prize of a value of more than 600$ (escapade for 4 in Vaudreuil-Soulanges). Teams can sign up on the ExploreVS website at the following address.
Dedicated cycle path patrol and hygiene rules
Bicycle patrol teams will raise awareness about municipal rules and the respect of hygiene measures. The Anges des parcs, a project also spearheaded by the CJPL, was made in partnership with the Sûreté du Québec. This patrol will also lend help in case of an injury, an accident, minor bicycle damage, etc. Their presence is also reassuring because they’re also certified to intervene on the canal’s waters.
« The 23-kilometer-long Soulanges canal and the 35-kilometer-long Soulanges cycle path going through six municipalities, from Rivière-Beaudette to Pointe-des-Cascades, will offer this summer a place to be entertained and take advantage of the great outdoors, in a enchanting and safe setting» underlines Joanne Brunet, DEV’s general director. «Many of these projects were made possible thanks to the financial participation of the Fonds d’aide et de relance COVID-19 of the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, and I want to take the opportunity to thank the Conseil des maires for their participation», she concluded.
Hygiene measures reminder
All the actors insist that users of the Soulanges canal’s facilities respect hygiene measures, to keep a two-meter physical distancing and to avoid large gatherings. Many municipalities make their public toilets accessible and ensure their frequent cleaning. As such, we recommend visitors bring their own personal belongings, as well as disinfecting gel or towelettes . Actors and municipalities free themselves from all responsibility concerning eventual inconvenience stemming from the usage of sanitary blocs. Visitors must be vigilant.
In addition :
- Information concerning kayak and SUP rental : https://explorevs.com/en/attrait/kayaks-sup-at-the-canal/
- Information for Zen Saturdays : https://explorevs.com/en/evenement/samedis-zen-au-canal/
- Information for the Soulanges canal rally : https://explorevs.com/evenement/rallyes-explorevs-canal-de-soulanges/
- Information about the CJE Vaudreuil-Soulanges : https://www.cjevs.org/en/
- Information about the CJLP (Projet X and Anges dans les parcs)https://www.comitejeunesselapresquile.org/
