NCC’s purchase of former golf course raises problems for Chelsea

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Chelsea Mayor Pierre Guénard says the acquisition of the former Dunnderosa golf course by the NCC raises a series of problems for the small town on the Gatineau River.

The Crown corporation said Tuesday that it had acquired a parcel of 41.8 acres of land that was once the Dunnderosa golf course for $3.9 million.

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A popular mini-golf and dairy bar and other amenities at the corner of Notch and Kingsmere roads were not part of the deal.

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“One of the main problems is that the purchase compromises (Chelsea’s) development and protection plans,” which are used for future development, the mayor said in an interview.

“When the NCC takes over a major property within the city of Chelsea, outside of Gatineau Park, it’s a big problem,” he said.

The municipality and the NCC have been in a court dispute for several years over land revenues from federal lands. The two parties do not agree on how to establish the tax rate for certain lands located in Gatineau Park. The municipality is claiming nearly $2 million in taxes from the NCC.

In 2023, the Federal Court sided with the NCC in the Crown corporation’s five-year tax battle with Chelsea. The decision is under appeal.

In documents released at an NCC board meeting last week, the agency said the acquisition is one of the largest private land purchases by the Crown corporation since 2008.

In an interview, Catherine Verreault, the NCC’s director of urban lands in Quebec and Gatineau Park called the agreement “important.”

During the period, the NCC has acquired 63 properties with a combined area of ​​269.26 hectares.

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The acquisition of the Dunnderosa property had been one of Gatineau Park’s strategic objectives in the long term.  NCC officials said they’ve had their eyes on the Dunnderosa property for 15 years.

Verreault said the deals are done at market prices and most of the time, it is the owners who approach the agency.

She said the Dunnderosa acquisition will increase the protection of the Chelsea Creek ecological corridors surrounding the park.

But Mayor Guénard insists the municipality was already doing its part to protect the corridor.

Since 2008, the area of private lands within the Gatineau Park boundaries has decreased from 627 hectares to 357 hectares, according to the report.

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