In order to better understand the issues surrounding North Hatley’s new master plan, recently adopted by the municipal council and set to be rolled out over the next few years, I will be publishing a series of articles focusing on its main themes and the projects that could come to fruition.
To begin with, here is a summary of the objectives and actions outlined in this master plan. It should help you visualize the changes planned for the village over the next decade.
Of course, a clear timeline and excellent project management will be required to carry out this plan, starting with setting priorities, planning budgets, and assigning responsibilities. This is the difficult part: making the dream a reality. As they say, dreaming is easier than taking action. That’s human nature.
It should be noted that in North Hatley, several master plans have been produced over the years… without ever really being implemented. For example, here is the plan developed by the previous municipal council.
Even in the private sector, completing a ten-year master plan requires vision, rigor, and organization. In politics, there is an additional difficulty: each new group of elected officials often wants to have “its own” master plan, rather than a plan designed for the community and adapted to the municipality’s actual capacity. The result is a succession of plans… and very few achievements. It should be noted that some municipalities do succeed in this endeavor. Magog is a prime example of this.
In order to help you fully understand the future challenges facing the village in relation to this master plan, I will now outline the main thrusts of the master plan, which I will then detail in a series of articles, each devoted to a specific theme, with concrete examples of similar projects carried out in other municipalities, both here and elsewhere in the world.
This summary is based on the master plan, which you can download here.
1. Community & Recreation – “Year-round conviviality”
Objective: Strengthen community life, health, and intergenerational ties.
Main measures:
- Create a multi-purpose recreational and community hub at Parc de la Rivière (4-season facilities, showcasing nature).
- Improve access to and the offer of sports and outdoor activities (skating rink, tennis, soccer, canoeing, cycling, exercise circuits, etc.).
- Support spaces for all generations (childcare centers, intergenerational spaces).
- Set up a civic hub (marina, town hall, public square) and shared spaces (coworking, community gardens, collective kitchens).
- Develop a structured cultural program (workshops, trails, seasonal events) and an integrated digital platform for services, activities, and investments.
- Introduce public art and eventually a museum / interpretation space in the village core.
2. Natural Spaces & Landscapes – “Nature as identity”
Objective: Protect nature, biodiversity, and landscapes while strengthening climate resilience.
Main measures:
- Create educational and interpretive tools (themed gardens, panels, interpretation stations).
- Implement a “sponge park” to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and support biodiversity.
- Designate protected areas where no development is allowed, especially near sensitive environments.
- Limit cars in protected zones and prioritize the pedestrian experience along the river and the lake.
- Create habitats for wildlife (birdhouses, insect hotels) and control invasive species.
- Support projects in adopting bioclimatic design (renewable energies, stormwater management, tree canopy, durable materials).
- Integrate a local climate plan in line with MELCCFP rules, including retention basins, artificial wetlands, and permeable materials.
- Improve public access to Lake Massawippi and manage the shoreline in partnership with Bleu Massawippi, by rehabilitating parks, green spaces, and lookouts.
3. Mobility – “A connected, smooth, and accessible village”
Objective: Promote active transportation, reduce dependence on cars, and make travel safer.
- Create a network of safe walking and cycling paths within the village core.
- Redesign pedestrian crossings (notably Main / chemin de la Rivière) and create people-friendly streets (e.g., Mill Street).
- Install appropriate street furniture (benches, lighting, signage).
- Review low-speed zones at village entrances and introduce traffic-calming measures (speed bumps, curb extensions, raised intersections, restricted truck access).
- Connect bike paths to strategic hubs and neighboring municipalities; add bike shelters, repair stations, and transition zones between cycling and walking.
- Develop a comprehensive parking strategy, with better road markings and citizen consultation.
- Pilot shuttles or car-sharing services, add electric charging stations, and integrate everything into an active mobility plan with an awareness campaign.
- Create walking and cycling discovery routes (themed routes) to promote active tourism and citizen engagement.
4. Housing & Architecture – “Living in North Hatley”
Main measures:
Objective: Provide suitable housing while preserving the village’s architectural and landscape identity.
Main measures:
- Promote a mix of housing types in the village core for different kinds of households.
- Integrate intergenerational housing and frame the development of a seniors’ residence near the heart of the village.
- Encourage affordable housing for permanent residents.
- Implement an architecture and design guide linked to a landscape charter, and revise the PIIA (Site Planning and Architectural Integration Plan) accordingly.
- Redesign public spaces in the commercial area (paved streets, lighting, street furniture).
- Restore certain heritage spaces (notably the footbridge on the lake) as cultural sites, and enhance village entrances as “identity gateways.”
- Develop compact residential ensembles with low/medium density, well integrated into the landscape, including conservation areas and parks / recreational areas on land to be developed.
- Ensure efficient waste management in the village core.
In conclusion
It is essential to be familiar with our master plan, since the actions of our elected officials should, in principle, align with it and comply with it for at least the next four years. This document is precisely meant to guide their decisions and the administration’s actions so that they all move in the same direction—a direction that is clear, coherent, and consistent with the expectations of the population as described in this master plan.
