Launch of the ALUS program in Outaouais

ALUS is expanding in Quebec with a second community in the province

Des membres de l'UPA et d'ALUS au lancement d'ALUS Outaouais le 25 novembre 2021.

From left to right: Christian St-Jacques, ALUS Montérégie Farmer Liaison, Stéphane Alary, President of Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides, Maria José Maezo, ALUS Outaouais Coordinator, Justin Alary, President of ALUS Outaouais Partnership Advisory Committee, Lynn Bishop, VP Finances & Operations at ALUS (photo: Philipe Boivin).

 

THURSDAY, November 25, 2021 – The ALUS Outaouais program was officially launched today, the result of a partnership between ALUS and the Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides. The launch was marked by an event attended by thirty people, including program partners, agricultural producers and media. The event took place at Brylee Farm, property of Brian Maloney, a recognized figure in regenerative grazing and member of the ALUS Outaouais partnership advisory committee.

This new community program is for all Outaouais agricultural producers who wish to create ecosystem goods and services on their land to address agricultural and environmental issues specific to their region. ALUS provides farmers with financial support and access to technical expertise to restore wetlands, install riparian buffers, plant windbreaks, manage sustainable drainage systems, create pollinator habitat and implement other ecologically beneficial projects.

The ALUS program started over 15 years ago and has been established in the province of Quebec for the past 5 years, in partnership with the Fédération de l’UPA Montérégie. Outaouais becomes the second region to take advantage of this national program, which is currently the only one in Quebec to offer an annual monetary reward to farmers who agree to carry out biodiversity improvements on their farms.

Seven major projects have already been completed in the territory in the last year:

  • Installation of windbreaks;
  • Two grazing reserves (delayed or rotational mowing to protect breeding habitat for ground-dwelling birds)
  • Two extended riparian buffers landscaped with plantings;
  • Two extended riparian strips developed as flowering meadows for pollinating insects.

The Fédération de l’UPA Outaouais-Laurentides and ALUS wish to acknowledge the financial involvement of the following partners Environment and Climate Change Canada (within the framework of the Partnership for Species at Risk on Agricultural Land (PEPTA), the Entente Sectorielle bioalimentaire de l’Outaouais, the WWF Canada (World Wildlife Fund Canada) as well as the MRC de Papineau.

Producers interested in participating in the ALUS Outaouais program should contact Maria Jose Maezo, program coordinator.

Quotes

“Since my arrival at the Federation, it has been a priority for our Board of Directors to have a resource entirely dedicated to the agri-environment. I am very happy that we are deploying the ALUS program in Outaouais. Producers are part of the change: if each of us does a little something to improve our soil structure and the environment, we all win!”
Stéphane Alary, President of the Fédération UPA Outaouais-Laurentides

“When we launched the ALUS program in Montérégie, we hoped that it would extend to all of Quebec. I am very excited about the launch of ALUS Outaouais and especially very proud that the work started 5 years ago in our region is continuing beyond our territory!” Christian St-Jacques, ALUS Montérégie Farmer Liaison

“As producers, we often want to do projects, but we don’t always have the means to buy trees or the knowledge to choose the right species. Now I know who to call to do projects to better protect my streams! “
Justin Alary, Chair of the ALUS Outaouais Partnership Advisory Committee

“We are delighted to launch the second ALUS program in Quebec in partnership with the UPA Outaouais-Laurentides. With funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, the UPA was able to quickly develop the material and outreach activities needed to launch the program. Thanks to their staff and the ALUS Outaouais coordinator, there are already a number of outstanding demonstration projects in the field. We are really looking forward to seeing the evolution of this community.”
Lynn Bishop, Vice President, Finance and Operations, ALUS

About ALUS
ALUS (originally an acronym for Alternative Land Use Services) is a charitable organization that sustains agriculture and biodiversity for the benefit of communities and future generations. ALUS provides direct financial and technical support to a network of more than a thousand farmers and ranchers who deliver ecosystem services in more than 30 communities across Canada, such as cleaner air, cleaner water, carbon sequestration, erosion control, flood mitigation, pollinator support and wildlife habitat.

 About the Fédération UPA Outaouais-Laurentides
The Fédération de l’UPA de l’Outaouais-Laurentides is a union organization that represents some 2,500 agricultural businesses in the 16 MRCs located in the Outaouais, Laurentians, Laval and Montreal regions. The UPA contributes to the improvement of the social, economic and cultural living conditions of agricultural producers.

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