The days are getting longer and we are starting to feel the warmth of the sun pushing back against winter, even when not reflected in the temperatures outside. That can only mean that the 2026 Lac Bernard season is on its way and will be most welcome.

Visions of relishing a cool one on the dock, listening to kids splashing about and prepping the BBQ for another feast will get us through these last frigid weeks.

The Board of the Owners and Residents Association of Lac Bernard wishes everyone a very happy New Year, and to help kick off the 2026 season here is some winter news:

2026 ORALB membership

We would ask that you hold off on renewing your 2026 membership at this time. Within a matter of weeks, we anticipate that the ORALB website refurbishment shall be completed and include the capacity to renew your memberships online. We are excited at the opportunities that this will bring. If you have already renewed for 2026 or paid up additional years, you do not need to do anything at this time.

At the fall meeting of the Association on December 9, 2025, the membership approved a proposal to open up the ORALB to include Associate Memberships at a fee of $25 per person commencing 2026.

Membership in our association is critical to enhancing our voice with Municipal, Federal and Provincial governments.

The Association engages in many activities which are obvious to every resident on the lake: the annual Regatta on the August long weekend, installation and removal of seasonal navigation buoys marking shoals and maintenance of the ever more prevalent yellow boys marking areas of milfoil intensification.

Though these are obvious manifestations of the responsibilities assumed by the Association, it is the mere tip of the iceberg of the representation provided by the ORALB.

Increasingly the Association is the liaison between our lake community and various regulatory authorities as well as other Lake Associations in the Province of Quebec, addressing issues ranging from maintenance of roads, emergency services, security, waste management and collection, water testing, pollution control, septic issues, shoreline preservation, milfoil abatement, navigation and water management.

It’s simple math: the more members we have, the greater and more powerful our voice when speaking on these issues.

Associate Memberships are the key to increasing our volume and providing our community with the opportunity to participate and support the work of the Association. To that end, we encourage multiple members of the families who enjoy our beautiful lake to become Associate Members.

Associate Members share all the benefits of participation in the Association including service on any and all committees, including the Board of Directors.

The only difference between an Associate Membership and a General Membership is that the latter is tied to an individual property of Lac Bernard and is entitled to vote on issues raised at the Annual General Meeting. This does not preclude Associate Members from voicing their thoughts, opinions and concerns on any issue faced by our community and fully participating in all Association meetings.

We are confident that by mid to late March, the online membership solution will be fully up and running. We shall inform you the moment the process is available!

Your participation and membership enhances and support the many facets of work engaged by the ORALB.

Our voice is an important component of our community and the louder it is, the more likely to be heard. At $75 for the voting member and $25 per associate membership, the cost is small, but the impact is huge.

Board of Directors

The Annual General Meeting of the ORALB shall take place in or about the third week of May 2026 as it has in previous years.

This year there will be three positions to fill on the Board.

Membership in the Board is an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to our lake and explore and develop the interests that you have to promote the well-being of our community.

Of particular interest is to have one or more people who are enthusiastic to develop a more comprehensive communications strategy for the Association through newsletters, multimedia, social media and such other vehicles as is only limited by your imagination. This could be done as a board member or as a volunteer.

To qualify for a position on the Board, one must be either a General Member or an Associate Member in good standing who is elected or confirmed at the Annual General Meeting by a majority of the members attending.

Regardless of the status of membership (general or associate), you would have an equal voice as any other board member on any decision required of the Board.

If you are interested in chatting about this, either virtually, in person or through email, please feel free to contact Mike Hubert at membership@lacbernard.ca. We look forward to having you contribute to this dynamic group.

Environmental News

Report on La Pêche Lake Associations Meeting – East Aldfield

By Kevin Radford
October 11, 2025

Linda and Kevin Radford attended a regional gathering of La Pêche Lake associations in East Aldfield. The session provided valuable insights and several key takeaways relevant to our own lake community.

Municipal Representation and Governance

The Mayor and Dominique Manon were present at the meeting, though no representatives from Low attended, even though many lakes span both municipalities. This dual jurisdiction adds complexity to environmental projects and municipal-provincial collaboration.

A shared taxation model for large environmental projects, such as ProcellaCOR treatment or burlap mat application, was discussed. The Mayor noted that legal experts had advised against such a model, as administrative and legal costs would likely outweigh the potential benefits.

The notary’s findings on lake access servitudes were particularly noteworthy. It appears that the lake has numerous servitudes granting access to individuals without waterfront property, including developers and multiple owners. This raised concerns about both equity and environmental oversight, reinforcing the need for a clearer municipal–provincial framework to regulate access under our current closed-access model.

Strategic Action Plan (SAP)

Our lake’s Strategic Action Plan (SAP) was recognized as an excellent model by Dominique, and several other lake associations have adopted similar frameworks for their own environmental planning.

Shared Initiatives and Best Practices

A number of common themes emerged across the participating lake associations:

• Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) Awareness: Many lakes are running door-to-door educational campaigns. Lac Gauvreau, for instance, produced a pamphlet - Our Lake, Our Community, Our Future - highlighting that EWM can re-root in water as deep as 10 meters. They’ve also installed yellow buoys and introduced boating boundaries to limit the spread, receiving strong community compliance and municipal funding support.
• Lake Mapping and Boating Zones: Lac Gauvreau developed colour-coded lake maps demarcating boating restrictions: red zones (6 km/h within 50 m of shore), yellow zones (25 km/h), and green zones (40 km/h). These mapping strategies could inform our own lake management planning.
• Association Memberships: Membership fees range from $25 to $120 and are commonly used for road maintenance and snow removal. Membership rates typically range from 30–50%, but our association stands out with approximately 250 members out of 450 cottages (55%). Our two annual AGMs—spring and fall—also drew attention as a best practice.
• Septic Systems and Water Quality: The municipality is collaborating with the province on a $6M fund for septic system upgrades. Complaints must now include the complainant’s name and contact information, eliminating anonymous submissions. Lac des Loups is dealing with blue-green algae issues linked to outdated systems, demonstrating the urgent need for proactive maintenance supported by water-quality testing.

EWM Treatment Challenges

Lac des Loups reported difficulty managing dense EWM infestations in narrow channels, citing regulations that restrict buoy placement and limit burlap mat use. Only one 75 m² burlap sheet per lake is allowed without a permit, and only removable weights may be used.

There was broad interest in exploring benthic mat trials as a scalable alternative for EWM management. One suggestion was to coordinate a collective procurement system, allowing property owners to purchase mats individually while the associations manage logistics. The possibility of a bulk permit or a shared pilot project with the province was raised as a potential avenue that requires further legal clarification.

Several participants also noted that Notre Dame Lake, which feeds into our lake, has discontinued its privately funded EWM threshing program. With limited provincial direction and insufficient resources, participants expressed concern that some of these issues may escalate legally unless stronger coordination is established.

Procellacor and Natural Alternatives

There was no significant discussion of ProcellaCOR. Dominique commented that the province is prioritizing natural methods, such as introducing species that feed on EWM, and chemical treatment approaches are unlikely to be approved in Quebec.

Additional Topics

• Surf Boats: A video demonstrating the damaging impact of surf boats on shallow benthic layers was offered for sharing among associations.
• Beaver Management: Several lakes are using “beaver deceivers” (approx. $750) to manage flooding and damming at culverts and outlets—something we may want to explore near Kalalla Road.

Final Thoughts

The meeting underscored the importance of collaboration among lake associations. By sharing strategies, data, and advocacy approaches, local groups can collectively push for more consistent and transparent environmental action from both municipal and provincial levels. Many associations urged the Mayor to designate one lake as a “proof of concept” site for joint initiatives - an idea worth considering for our community as well.

Report of the Environment Committee at the Fall Meeting in December 2025

Environment (Kevin Radford): Kevin showed several slides that demonstrate the challenge Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) is creating for Lac Bernard. It now covers 110 hectares of the lake and is expanding yearly. Kevin provided updates on the action items from the EWM Strategic Management Plan.

• Benthic mats. Kevin indicated that the strategic plan pointed to piloting Benthic mats to control milfoil in swimming areas. Five Benthic mats were purchased by the association. Three of these were placed in the Regatta Bay swimming area used for the regatta, one in Paddy’s Bay and another near the outlet. Kevin indicated that the installation, particularly the removal of the mats, is challenging, but that they have proven effective in controlling milfoil. Next year, a call will go out to cottagers who wish to buy them in bulk, as this will be more cost-effective. The preferred size is 10x50 feet. Kevin indicated that the ability to move and reuse these mats is one of their attractive features.
• Oxygenators. The environment committee suggests purchasing two of these in 2026. Kevin will seek funding from the municipality’s Green Fund to help subsidize the purchase. These need to have an electrical source. Kevin indicated that two volunteers are willing to trial the units.
• ProcellaCOR herbicide (florpyrauxifen-benzyl). Kevin indicated that research and discussions are still ongoing on this front. While Canada has approved the use of the herbicide, it is expensive, has been tested only on one small lake in Ontario, and is not yet approved provincially in Quebec. The environment committee will continue to track developments on ProcellaCOR.
• Burlap. Given the range of EWM contamination in Lac Bernard, the environment committee believes that, in the short term, the most promising mitigation technique would be the large-scale application of burlap in the heavily invested areas of the lake. This would be expensive ($ 1M+), so it would be necessary to secure government funding. The Quebec government would need to approve the methodology for holding down the burlap. The environment committee continues to support this option, noting that the private operator will need to make the application, and the association will need to ensure its approval as a pilot test site for large-scale burlap application.

History Committee

The History Committee continues to thrive in its good works. Maps, news clippings, photos and fabulous links to the past can be found at https://lacbernard.ca/social-activities/history/.

The Lac Bernard History group on Facebook has over 200 members, with new posts added virtually every week. Please feel free to join and participate.

The history committee is currently engaged in recording oral histories to preserve the memories of cottagers in days gone by.

Behind the Scenes

It is without exaggeration to suggest that the largest undertaking in administration overhaul in the Association’s history is coming to fruition.

Over the course of the past year the Board has digitized not only our history and documentation, but our manner of doing business by embracing Google Workspace.

Once complete, this will allow for the continuous access by the Board to documents, decisions, minutes, and financial data at the click of a mouse that will be readily available as one Board is succeeded by the next far into the future. This will replace the less than adequate and often frustrating process required to access previous decisions and data that has plagued the Association administration in the past.

The most important outcome will be the integration of an online membership solution to lacbernard.ca, which will allow members to manage their own memberships. We hope it will be operational by the end of March at the latest.

Special thanks go to Will Lockhart, John and Richard MacDonald, and Alex Profeit who have been instrumental in making this happen.