Two Quebec towns battle to become international ‘capital of maple syrup’

The Globe and Mail's Maura Forest says identity, heritage, and a sense of pride are at the heart of a dispute between the towns of Mirabel and Plessisville.

Two Quebec cities have found themselves in a bitter feud over the title of “Maple Capital.”

Plessiville has been known as “The World’s Capital of Maple” for decades, but this past January, the city of Mirabel trademarked the title, “The International Capital of Maple.”

The new trademark prompted Plessiville’s mayor to write a letter to Mirabel, demanding the city rescind the title.

Globe & Mail Quebec correspondent Maura Forrest spoke with CTV Your Morning on Monday to boil down the battle.

“I think it really has a lot to do with identity, heritage and sense of pride. I think that’s what’s really at the heart of this dispute,” Forrest said. “This goes back decades. Plessiville is a pretty small city, and they’ve called themselves the ‘Maple Capital of the World’ for the last 50 years.”

Maple syrup is a key industry in Quebec, accounting for 90 per cent of Canada’s output and 72 per cent of the world’s production.

Forrest said the relationship between the maple towns began as complimentary, with Plessiville being the industrial maple hub, while Mirabel offered more tourist destinations, such as sugar shacks, for people in nearby Montreal.

However, Forrest said that complimentary relationship spiraled into a sticky dispute after Mirabel applied for the trademark.

“To Plessiville, it sort of sounds like they’re trying to sort of steal their identity.”

Mirabel, Forrest added, was surprised that Plessiville got so upset and refused to rescind the trademark. According to Forrest, it was the city’s tourism agency that applied for the title and money has already been invested in promotion.

CTV Your Morning out to both mayors for comment.

“The words ‘world’ and ‘international’ refer to distinct realities, driven by different strategies and territories,” Mirabel Mayor Roxanne Therrien wrote. “Quebec’s maple industry is large enough to have several champions.”

Plessiville Mayor Marc Morin has yet to respond.

As for what’s next in this sappy dispute?

“It’s kind of a stalemate this point,” Forrest explained. “This may unfortunately be a bitter pill that Plessiville has to swallow.”