Deborah Powell
BRISTOL – A group of outdoor enthusiasts, residents and local elected officials gathered at Coronation Hall, February 15, for the official launch of the Outaouais Outdoors website, outaouaispleinair.ca, a tool that will direct users to outdoor activities throughout the Outaouais.
Deborah Powell
BRISTOL – A group of outdoor enthusiasts, residents and local elected officials gathered at Coronation Hall, February 15, for the official launch of the Outaouais Outdoors website, outaouaispleinair.ca, a tool that will direct users to outdoor activities throughout the Outaouais.
“The idea is to make it easy to play outdoors throughout the region,” enthused Charles Antoine Rioux, outdoor project manager for Loisir Sport Outaouais (LSO), the organization behind the project. While the website only lists places for hiking and snowshoeing so far, new activities will be added each season, starting with cross-country skiing and places for flat-water excursions.
The project is part of phase one of the Outdoor Action Plan developed by the Outaouais Outdoor roundtable members. During the summer of 2018, LSO, in partnership with regional promoters and Québec outdoor activity federations, visited and evaluated more than 80 trails. While not all sites met the quality standards set by LSO, promoters have been offered personalized support to make necessary improvements.
Unlike some other sites promoting tourism, there is no cost to promoters to be included on the website. Financial support for the project comes from the Québec government’s fund for regional support (FARR), the Ministry of Education, the four Outaouais MRCs, the City of Gatineau, the National Capital Commission and LSO.
The website is user-friendly: simply select the activity and location, and then select preferences such as family-friendly or dog-friendly places. The map is interactive and descriptions of each location are detailed.
“Bristol is one of our great tourist destinations. The Pontiac has just scratched the surface in terms of recreational opportunities at this point,” said MRC Pontiac warden Jane Toller, adding that a meeting would be organized in the fall for other Pontiac organizations interested in a listing on the website.
