My Comments to the NCC Board

On April 6 the NCC Board of Directors will be entertaining comments and questions at its Annual General Meeting. I plan to address the board concerning the old ski trail names and the Charles Mortureux monument. Here’s what I hope to say:

After thanking the board for inviting the public to speak with them I’ll explain that I’ve already been in conversation with many NCC staff about aspects of Gatineau Park and that I’ve found them very cooperative; that I flatter myself in thinking that they see me as a constructive participant.

With respect to ski trail names I’ll explain that during the 1970s the NCC changed the trail name system to numbers, replacing names that had been there since before the existence of Gatineau Park. One name even commemorated an Olympic gold medalist.

Ever since there has been an enthusiasm for a return of the old names, particularly recently.

Those old names were in general English and of course it is only appropriate that be bilingual versions developed should the old names be revived.

People don’t object to keeping the numbers too, it’s just that there is an enthusiasm for the original names.

How important is it to users of Gatineau Park?

1. I helped reproduce a 1967 trail map with the old names on it as a fundraiser for the Canadian Ski Museum. Park users were hungry enough for this nostalgia that we raised over ten thousand dollars for that charity.
2. This inspired another park user to create a tee shirt celebrating the old trail names, also for charity. The retailers have picked these up and they have been selling well – we’ve gone to a second printing.
3. Lastly, I’ve been collecting names on a petition to bring back the  names and I’ve collected more than 600 signatures.

The NCC have explained to me that they are currently undergoing a heritage conservation planning process for Gatineau Park and that any decision on trail names can be considered after that. I’ve actually had some involvement in this planning process and feel that both those with subject area expertise and the involved NCC staff are sympathetic to the idea.

So the point of telling the Board all this is to make them aware of the issue, of the fact that it’s being approached constructively, and hope for their support when the time comes to make a decision.

Turning to Charles Mortureux: I’ll remind the Board that before Gatineau Park existed the Ottawa Ski Club made extensive use of the area. By far the chief motivator in this was a man named Charles Mortureux. After his death those who knew and respected him put up a cairn to his memory in the upper Camp Fortune valley.

That cairn is now in disrepair. No one seeing it without already knowing why it was there would have any clue what it was for.

The NCC have already agreed that it’s appropriate to recognize the importance of Mortureux. There are plans for an interpretation panel and discussion on how and where to display the original bronze plaque.

Text Reads: To the Memory of Charles Edmund Mortureux President Ottawa Ski Club 1919-47 His Work Endures in these Gatineau Hills

But there are also budget concerns about restoring the cairn; even though the Camp Fortune Ski Club offered some money to help, as long as two years ago.

The reason I’m bringing this up to the Board is simply to make them aware.

My hope is that they will share my feeling that, in the scale of things, restoring this cairn is not a big expense. It may not be a priority but it shouldn’t be ignored.

This man was a giant.

It is arguable that without his energy there might not even be a Gatineau Park.