CALEB NICKERSON
GATINEAU Jan. 22, 2017
On Jan. 22 Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, announced the regional development projects for the Outaouais from the Fonds d’appui au rayonnement des régions (FARR) program in Gatineau.
There were 64 projects submitted for consideration and of the 21 that were selected, 14 will impact the Pontiac, amounting to roughly $1.9 million in funding.
The selection committee was made up of the wardens of the Outaouais MRCs as well as the Mayor of Gatineau, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin. Projects were chosen based on their benefit to multiple territories in the region.
“They decide on what projects get selected based on a number of criteria including regional impact,” he said. “While there are a lot of broad, regional projects, there are a lot of them that will have a significant impact on the Pontiac.”

“There’s one specifically that I’d like to mention because it’s something that a lot of people in and around the Pontiac, specifically in Shawville, had been asking for, for a long time,” he continued. “It’s a project from the [Regional Association of] West Quebecers (RAWQ), to allow English-speaking Quebecers to have free access to French language courses … They’re specifically targeting it to Anglophone parents who choose to send their kids to French school and might want to improve their skills to help their kids with homework and whatnot. I had a chat with the president of the [RAWQ] this morning and he said his intention is to open it up to all Anglophones in the region.”
Other notable projects include $490,482 for developing regional integrated rural transportation, $140,000 for the Cap sur l’Ouest program and $182,500 for regional electric vehicle planning.
“We know that in Quebec every time we can have one more electric vehicle, it’s a boost to Quebec because we use our own hydro power, which we produce here, as opposed to another product that we import and that’s not as clean as hydro energy,” he said.
There is also $245,913 set aside for a project to increase student access to technology through mobile labs.
“We see more and more kids wanting to work with 3D printers, for example. We see kids wanting to learn coding,” Fortin said. “As a region being so close to a high-tech sector in west Ottawa, it’s certainly something that’s going to be useful for our kids’ future employment opportunities.”
MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller was pleased with the announced funding.
“I believe that the Pontiac has benefited significantly as 14 out of 21 approved projects affect issues in the Pontiac region. It is important to collaborate with the [four] other MRC regions in the Outaouais,” she said in a press release. “Next time we will ensure that the Pontiac applies for more funds which will have an even greater impact.”