‘Heavy blow’: Wilderness outfitters shut down by massive forest fires in Quebec

Quebec's massive forest fires have forced most of the province's wilderness outfitters to shut down during one of their busiest seasons.

Quebec’s massive forest fires have forced most of the province’s wilderness outfitters to shut down during one of their busiest seasons.

While some have been closed due to active fires, dozens of others have been forced to cancel reservations by a government order limiting access to forests in much of the province.

Dominic Dugré, the president of Fédération des pourvoiries du Québec, an industry association, said that of the more than 500 outfitters who operate in Quebec’s forests, 350 have been forced to close.

“These are the best weeks of the year,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s the peak for trout fishing, walleye, bear hunting, so those are precious weeks for the profitability and sustainability of the operations.”

Dugré said only one outfitter’s operation has been confirmed to have burned, but it’s impossible to know whether others in the fire zones have been damaged or destroyed.

“There is insurance for the infrastructure, but there’s no insurance for the loss of revenue, and we’re talking about thousands and thousands of dollars each day,” he said. “So, if the situation is still here in two weeks, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars for a single outfitter.”

While some hunters and anglers might be able to return later in the year, or change their bookings to next spring, he expects most will ask for refunds.

Dugré said he hopes there will be government compensation for the lost revenue. “An unprecedented situation needs unprecedented remedies and support,” he said.