Letter from Jeannie Vondjidis-Miller, Lac-Brome

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More than a Matter of Colour

Last fall, the Town of Brome Lake resurfaced Chemin Byers using a bright white aggregate that is jarringly out of character with the rural landscape that defines this area.

Where we once had the quiet, earthy look of a country road—enjoyed by walkers, cyclists, and tourists—we now have a surface that would be more at home in an industrial park.

The contrast with adjacent roads is striking; Sugar Hill received a grey-toned surface that blends naturally with its surroundings. Byers did not.

When I raised this with the Town, I was told the material met provincial MG-20 BMTQ standards and that colour is not part of the public tender criteria, so it could not be rejected. That may explain how this happened. It does not explain why nothing is being done about it.

This is not only an aesthetic concern. Byers Road sits within the Lac Brome watershed. Limestone-based aggregate generates alkaline runoff that affects the pH of roadside ditches and the waterways they feed—with real consequences for aquatic life. Traffic on the surface produces fine particulate dust that coats roadside vegetation and suppresses the pollinator habitat that lines this road.

These are environmental impacts, not matters of personal taste.

The town has a responsibility to maintain both the visual integrity and the ecological health of the communities its roads pass through. Practical options exist: dust suppression treatments, natural-toned fines, and—going forward—tender specifications that require aggregate compatible with the rural and natural character of the surrounding landscape. Whatever the solution, it should enhance this road, not trade one problem for another.

If other residents have been affected—on Byers or elsewhere—I encourage you to contact the town. These roads belong to all of us, and this landscape is worth protecting.