The town of Saint-Pie, Que., about 70 kilometres east of Montreal, is drawing the ire of motorsports enthusiasts who fear a recent decision by municipal council will mean the end of the road for an iconic racetrack.
Earlier this week, the council passed a resolution for a land reserve encompassing the grounds of the Sanair speedway, to potentially build a high school.
“It’s scary,” said race-car driver and instructor Bertrand Godin. “It’s scary to know that, because Sanair has been there for 57 years.”
The site, he said, has everything, from a drag racing strip, to a road track and a tri-oval. “It’s fantastic.”
The track, located in the Montérégie, has hosted racing greats like Gilles Villeneuve in his Formula Ford days and numerous large-scale events like Nascar races.
Kevin Leduc, vice-president of the Sanair foundation, told Radio-Canada that Sanair is emblematic in the world of motorsports and continues to be used as a home track by people all around the province.
The mayor of Saint-Pie, Mario St-Pierre, acknowledged the importance of the track in the region’s history, and understands why people might be upset.
He said, however, that the role of municipal council is to plan for the town’s future development and that a high school is desperately needed.
Region will be short 2,400 high school spots by 2034
The regional school service centre, known as the Centre de services scolaire de Saint-Hyacinthe (CSSSH) confirmed in an email to CBC that population growth in the area is putting pressure on its schools.
It says that recently compiled data indicates that by 2034, there will be a shortage of nearly 2,400 high school spots in the region.
On Tuesday, the town of Saint-Pie, Que., in the Montérégie voted to establish a land reserve on the grounds of the 57-year-old racetrack. The site is being considered for a new school that officials say is desperately needed in the region.
The nearby city of Saint-Hyacinthe, with a population of over 60,000 compared to just over 6,000 for Saint-Pie, already has several high schools on its territory.
“They weren’t interested in providing land to the school service centre,” St-Pierre said, adding that’s why his town met with CSSSH officials and is evaluating different scenarios.
Land reserve is a planning tool, mayor says
With a land reserve, municipalities are able to set aside land for future public use. St-Pierre reiterated it doesn’t mean immediate expropriation.
He described a reserve as a legal planning tool for municipalities to protect the lots from speculation. So while there is no expropriation yet, it does remain a possibility in the next two to four years.
Leduc, the Sanair foundation’s vice-president, said he was disappointed with the council’s decision and would have liked to be warned ahead of time.
He says in a meeting in March with Saint-Pie officials, Sanair shared its desire to build on the legacy of its late founder Jacques Guertin and continue to develop the circuit and infrastructure.
Others, also critical of the decision, chimed in on social media and during the council meeting, but some took their grievances further.
St-Pierre says his vehicle was vandalized and a councillor was allegedly targeted by threats on social media. In a release on Thursday, the town said provincial police have been made aware of the situation.
Both Leduc and Godin, the race-car driver, entreated supporters to refrain from such behaviour.
“That’s not the way we’re going to improve things,” Leduc said. “We want to work with the town, not against it. We want to keep our circuit, but we want to do it the right way.”
Track plays important role in road safety, driver says
Sanair made headlines in July, after a crash on the track killed one man and left another in critical condition. It was one of several fatal crashes at the track over the years.
Godin said the deaths are tragic, but the crashes could have been much worse if they had happened on a public road and not a closed circuit.
“Every time you see people over there [at Sanair], that means you don’t have street drag races,” Godin said. “If people don’t have a place to do it, they’ll try it on the road, and that will be really, really worse.”
By providing a safe space to race and practice, Godin and Leduc say Sanair plays an important role in contributing to road safety.
They also noted that several police forces also use the grounds to learn and hone their emergency-driving skills.
Future school not a done deal
Both the mayor and the school service centre confirmed that nothing has been finalized yet.
The CSSSH said it submitted a funding request with the Education Ministry a year ago for the construction of a new high school able to accommodate up to 1,500 students.
“We are still awaiting a response,” the CSSSH said.
“Even if the response regarding funding were positive, it would take approximately 10 years to complete the construction of a high school of this scale.”
St-Pierre said that if the idea of building a school at the location in Saint-Pie doesn’t pan out, the land reserve on the track will be dropped.
