For immediate release
GATINEAU, Quebec, June 19, 2007 – Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) wishes to clarify the information about the services it provides to recreational users to ensure safe and continued access from Kipawa Lake to the Kipawa River during the reconstruction of the Laniel Dam. A special shuttle service is being offered again this year to allow recreational users with kayaks and canoes to bypass the dam and have safe access to the river, away from the potential hazards of the construction site.
As the owner of the dam, PWGSC has a responsibility to manage the dam according to operational requirements. The shuttle service being provided gives users access from the lake to the river and takes them to the nearest and safest point downstream of the dam. PWGSC has never intended nor requested the cancellation of the Festival de la rivière Kipawa.
During the Kipawa Festival, from June 22 to June 25, 2007, the shuttle service will use two pickup trucks for kayaks and canoes and will run continuously from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., from the Town of Laniel Parking Lot to a point underneath the bridge at Highway 101. PWGSC will also install a launching area at a rest stop about 3 kilometres north of Laniel on Highway 101. Festival goers are invited to make their own way to the rest stop between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. every day to access the river. Please note that camping activities will not be permitted at the rest stop.
For the full summer period, from May 15 to November 15, 2007, the shuttle service (using one pickup truck) will continue to be offered on demand for kayakers and canoeists coming from Lake Kipawa to the Municipal Quay in Laniel. The shuttle service will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day, including weekends. It will leave from the Municipal Quay in Laniel and travel to a rest stop about 3 kilometres north of Laniel on Highway 101. Users must request access from the owner of the restaurant, “Eau bord du quai”, located approximately 12 metres from the Municipal Quay in Laniel. Signage will be posted to direct the public.
For more information about the shuttle service, users can call the PWGSC National Service Call Centre at 1-866-212-2278 or consult the public notices in the local newspapers (Le Reflet, Le Contact, et Le Témiscamien).
A portage trail will also be available at all times from the Télébec station to provide all users access to the river. Signs will be posted on site to direct the public.
PWGSC wishes to remind the public and all recreational users to stay clear of the construction site, to respect all construction signs, that the dam is part of the construction site and that passing through the dam sluiceway is prohibited at all times for safety reasons.
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For further information, media may contact:
Media Relations Unit
Public Works and Government Services Canada
819-956-2315
PWGSC news releases are also available on our Internet site at http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/text/generic/media-e.html.
