Compiled by Caleb Nickerson, Emily Hsueh and Stephen Riccio
JULY
The Quyon Canada Day Committee managed to host an outdoor Canada Day celebration at the Quyon ferry landing despite COVID-19 restrictions, holding a barbeque, an outdoor Zumba class and finally raising the Canadian flag. The event took place on . . .
June 30 and there were roughly 50 people in attendance.
Committee president Mitch Trudeau said the event had to make up for fireworks, a parade and much more, but he was glad to have heard lots of positive feedback from locals.
Residents gathered to celebrate Canada Day at the Shawville Fairgrounds on July 2 to the tune of a barbeque and a car rally contest. Entrants to the rally had to pay $5 and were given a sheet of paper with clues that required them to drive around the region to get to the end. Winners of the rally were: Cindy Smiley, Sara Graveline, Kaara Brown, McKenna Richardson and Erika Richardson. The celebration was hosted by the Pontiac Agricultural Society (PAS) and PAS director general Sara McCann-Richardson said some of the proceeds from the event would go to the Parents’ Voice.
David Gillespie, a local farmer who keeps track of outages in the area of L’Isle Aux Allumettes, found that there were significantly less outages in the first six months of 2020, 19, than in 2019, when there were 28. Gillespie found that 68 per cent of the outages were a minute or less, which was the best result since 2010. L’Isle Aux Allumettes Mayor Winston Sunstrom was pleased with the decrease after a disastrous 2019, in which the month of July alone had 22 outages.
Several dozen Sand Bay residents gathered outside Clarendon municipal hall on July 14 to make their displeasure felt regarding one resident’s installation of a septic system. The installation required a pipe go across a stretch of municipal land that is treated by residents as a public beach. Protesting residents had blamed a recent green algae bloom on the installation.
More than $10,000 was raised by a group of residents to hire legal representation as a result of what they described as a lack of information coming from Clarendon council.
The wearing of masks inside businesses became mandatory province-wide on July 18, meaning businesses would have to refuse entry to those not wearing one. Business owners expressed a mix of optimism and concern regarding the mask mandate. Shawville Valu-Mart owner Joanne Dumouchel said she hoped that all customers were able to abide by the rules. Fort Coulonge Metro owner Sylvie Beland said that while she felt the responsibility of enforcement was slightly unfair, her staff would do their best to enforce the new law.
911 call transfer issues persist
The timeless issue of cell towers in Ontario picking up 911 calls reared its head once again in the Pontiac, with a call regarding a July 7 Luskville house fire being delayed by four minutes. The issue has gone on for some time, and is out of the hands of the Municipality of Pontiac or the MRC Pontiac. MoP Mayor Joanne Labadie said that while the July 7 incident was largely without issue, a four minute delay could cause safety problems in other circumstances. MRC fire and public safety coordinator Julien Gagnon said that the issue is still common in municipalities on the river, but was actually far worse prior to 2016.
Local barber calls it a career
Bernie MacDonnell, the owner and barber at Bernie’s Barber Shop in Shawville, called it quits in early June after a successful 52 years of business. MacDonnell said he was already considering retirement, and the pandemic ended up forcing his hand. Born in Bryson, he started working with former barber Bill Fletcher in 1968 before taking over in 1982. MacDonnell said that he missed the job and that people missed him but added that he’s happy to be retired.
Long-time owner of Shawville’s Giant Tiger, Ken Pack, celebrated his retirement on July 29 with former staff, friends and customers all gathering at the store to wish him all the best. Pack had been working retail since being a young man, earning a management position in his early 20s before being chosen to work at Giant Tiger’s corporate office.
Pack said that he was happy that he ended up moving and opening up back in Shawville in 1997. The decision to call it quits at the age of 63 was mostly due to wanting to spend more time with his family, but Pack said the pandemic also likely sped up the timeline.
AUGUST
Another successful annual Sand Bay fun day was held on Aug. 1, despite having to adapt to COVID-19 limitations. The event kicked off at 1 p.m. with a social distanced parade where residents dressed up and decorated their vehicles to parade around the community. Jackie McBane, one of the four parade organizers, was blown away by the turnout and said that the day exceeded expectations.
Later in the evening, there was a sand castle contest for children, a scavenger hunt, virtual Amazing Race and fireworks to cap off the day. The event has been a staple in the community since the 1940s when it was launched as a war effort fundraiser.
The communities of Mansfield et Pontefract and Fort Coulonge got their first chance at enjoying the fun of a local beach on Aug. 1 with the official opening of Plage du Pont Blanc on the Coulonge River. The beach project was funded by both municipalities and various other partners, and was spearheaded by Guillaume Lavoie-Harvey of the Cooperative Adventure Hélianthe.
Due to COVID-19, no official opening ceremony was held. However, a group of residents still gathered for the sign unveiling at 2 p.m. The goal is to have the beach, which is located next to J & A Bowers Restaurant, open for day use every day in the summer of 2021, according to Lavoie-Harvey.
Two separate incidents in the span of three days made for a deadly week on the Coulonge River in Mansfield et Pontefract. On Aug. 5, police received calls regarding a man who was swimming being spotted swept away by rapids roughly 45 km north of Fort Coulonge. The body was found on Aug. 10. On Aug. 8, a woman was found unresponsive in the river near the new Plage du Pont Blanc in Mansfield. The woman, 68 year-old Debra Wittenburg Lytle of Fort Coulonge, was transported to hospital where she was declared deceased.
A Beachburg man with a Pontiac connection is set to begin a courageous 125-km walk for charity from his home in the Ottawa Valley to CHEO in Ottawa on Aug. 24. Charteris native and 82 year-old Russell Mackay had been given eye treatment by a specialist at CHEO and was moved by the service, so he wanted to give back by walking to raise money for sick children. “I really feel for those kids,” said Mackay, who is diabetic and legally blind. Mackay will be accompanied on his journey by his daughters Sherrie and Crystal, who will take turns walking alongside their father while driving an RV. The journey took 10 days, and Mackay raised $105,200 for the children’s hospital.
Durocher receiving volunteer award
An award honouring contributions to the Pontiac sporting community was given to Stéphane Durocher in the presence of family, friends and colleagues on Aug. 12 at the Maison des jeunes headquarters in Mansfield et Pontefract. The award, Dollar-Morin Sports and Recreation Volunteer Support Award, would typically have been given in Quebec City but was instead done locally due to COVID-19. Durocher, who has been key in rejuvenating youth soccer and softball leagues, was honoured to be the Outaouais recipient of the award and was happy to be able to receive it while in the company of fellow people of the Pontiac.
Campbell’s Bay splash pad opens
Over 75 residents gathered on Aug. 14 to celebrate the official opening of the Campbell’s Bay splash pad. Mayor Maurice Beauregard, councillor Tim Ferrigan, MP Will Amos and MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller all delivered brief speeches to the crowd at 4 p.m. before performing a symbolic ribbon cutting. Ferrigan, who helped to lead the project, thanked all the volunteers and financial contributors that helped make the splash pad possible. The splash pad, located on the Campbell’s Bay RA grounds, was phase two of the downtown parks improvement plan. Phase three is scheduled for 2021, and it will require improvements to the playground and ballpark on the grounds.
Local veterinarian Dr. Alida Jong decided to hang up her scrubs at the end of August after a successful 40 years of work in the region. Jong established her current office on Hwy. 148 in Clarendon in the early 2000s after moving to the Pontiac in 1978 for a job opening. She originally focused on farm animals, which she said was a gruelling line of work given the remote locations of farms, before shifting her focus to pets. Jong said she was looking forward to enjoying more free time, but added she was sad that Pontiac residents would need to now travel further to get pet care.
A section of Shawville’s Main Street was closed off on Aug. 22 in the name of art, with seven artPontiac printmakers turning out to display a public art demonstration called InterconneXion. Dozens of residents attended the event, which went from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as the artists inked hand-carved printing plates that were then taken to the street and pressed on paper and fabric by a steamroller. The artists present were: Susan Cartwright, Tina Petrovicz, Laurence Finet, Valerie Bridgeman, Dale Shutt, Louise Guay and Robert Hinchley.
SEPTEMBER
Parents and teachers on return to school
While the return to school in September happens every year, Pontiac staff, students and parents alike were all preparing for classes with a different set of adaptations required due to the reality of COVID-19. With various guidelines in place, some parents and teachers who talked to THE EQUITY expressed hope that things would go smoothly while also acknowledging the risks that exist. Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School kindergarten teacher Roxanne Gauthier said that the first day back had gone quite well, and she reassured people that everyone at the school was working very hard to ensure a safe return. Stacey Albert, whose son Riley Barry was going into grade eleven at Pontiac High School, said that she was comfortable with the situation as long as Riley was, and she added that the lack of cases in the Pontiac helped ease concerns.
While CISSSO authorities had provided December as a tentative date for re-opening the Pontiac Community Hospital’s (PCH) obstetrics ward that has been closed since Feb. 21, a senior staff member at the hospital is doubtful that the goal was realistic, adding that it may not even be open by August 2021. During an Aug. 25 press conference at the Shawville CLSC, CISSSO President Josée Filion announced that a project manager will be hired to develop a team of midwives and doctors that will form a hybrid model of pregnancy monitoring in the Pontiac. The source at the hospital told THE EQUITY that while there were six new nurses hired at the hospital in 2020, they would need 12 who are obstetric-qualified to fill the unit. The source was also skeptical of the idea of using midwives as a method of pregnancy services returning, explaining that many midwives already have clients in Gatineau which would then spread birthing services even thinner in the Outaouais.
Fort Coulonge’s Johan Mitchell Blake MacLennan, 37, is facing a first-degree murder charge after an altercation on rue Principale in the evening hours on Sept. 2 that left Harry Plugowsky, 61, dead. MacLennan was arrested on scene shortly after police arrived at 6 p.m. while Plugowsky, also of Fort Coulonge, died of head trauma in the early hours of Sept. 3. He was charged in a hearing at the Campbell’s Bay Courthouse on Sept. 3 and is being held at Hull’s detention facility. The case is moving forward within the Campbell’s Bay Judicial District and the next hearing will be on Oct. 7, but they will be carried out with the help of video streaming due to COVID-19.
A ball tournament put together in support of local minor hockey took place at Amoyette Park in Mansfield et Pontefract from Sept. 4 to Sept. 6. Eleven teams paid to take part in the tournament, which was split into two divisions. Organizer Terry Charette said that he wasn’t affiliated with the minor hockey association but said that he wanted to contribute to a cause that was especially hurt by COVID-19. While some COVID restrictions were in place, a canteen and chip stand were permitted to be opened. In the final B division game, the Krushers beat the Ballers on Sunday afternoon 17-13. Meanwhile in the final A division game, Mean Machine A beat Overrated 15-10 to wrap up the tournament.
Local officials met in Chapeau on Sept. 14 to announce a significant investment in the community’s water and sewer services worth $4,983,644, which will be spent over a several-year period to replace most of the pipes in Chapeau that have been in use for roughly 58 years. Pontiac MP Will Amos, MNA André Fortin, L’Isle aux Allumette Mayor Winston Sunstrum and Warden Jane Toller were all in attendance for the announcement. Amos explained that a new formula was used to determine the funding, with the federal and provincial governments contributing 40 per cent of the bill each while the Municipality of L’Isle aux Allumettes would have to chip in just 20 per cent, which is a change from the old model that required each party to contribute 33 per cent. Sunstrum thanked both Fortin and Amos for their work on helping to secure the funding and said the replacement work would be well overdue.
Two accidents involving motorcyclists occurred in the Pontiac in the span of three days, leaving two men dead. On Sept. 19, a 21 year-old Ontario woman driving an SUV collided with motorcyclist Sylvain Bégin, a 50 year-old from Mansfield et Pontefract, on Hwy. 148 in Mansfield. Bégin, a two-time municipal director general and a firefighter who has been described as a “pillar in the region”, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital while the woman driving the SUV was in critical but stable condition. During the evening of Sept. 17, a person traveling on Hwy. 148 north of Fort Coulonge called authorities after finding a motorcycle off the road. Upon arriving on scene, first responders found an unresponsive man who later died in hospital. He was identified as 49 year-old Evan Brown from Aumond and was believed to have lost control as he came around the curve in the road.
The Shawville Lions Club had their yearly Terry Fox Run barbeque take place on Sept. 17, outside of Joanne’s Valu-mart in Shawville. The event, which had to adapt to COVID-19 guidelines, raised $1,248.05 for the cause. While the barbeque would normally have taken place at the Pontiac High School, Lion member Arnold Yach said that the turnout was fantastic. Meanwhile, the Pontiac Terry Fox challenge surpassed their goal of 5,737 km, the amount that Terry ran, hitting 5,900.14 km last week. Participants of the challenge: walkers, runners or bikers have up until Sept. 30 to log distance for the cause.
First COVID case in the Pontiac
The MRC Pontiac recorded its first case of COVID-19 since the pandemic began on Sept. 18, as a resident of the Fort Coulonge/Mansfield et Pontefract area self-reported her positive test on Facebook. The resident works for the health authority, CISSSO, and contracted the virus while working in a medical “hot zone.” MRC Warden Jane Toller commended the woman for speaking out and warning people that she had tested positive to ensure that it would not spread in the community. The resident said through her Facebook that her husband and daughter have both tested negative for COVID.
Shawville arena boards get upgraded
With the minor hockey season still up in the air, the Shawville Arena still managed to have its boards upgraded as volunteers and staff were able get the funds together for the replacement work. Arena Manager Wes Tubman said that the project exceeded $25,000 and took roughly eight weeks of work done by himself, his son Bryan and crews of volunteers. Funding was made doable by the Flying Elbows hockey tournament that took place in addition to community partners. Tubman said that not only did the board upgrade improve the aesthetic aspect of the arena, but it made for an opportunity to fix worn-down portions of the boards.
OCTOBER
The Shawville Men’s Fastpitch League finished up it’s season on Oct. 3 with a pair of games, bringing an end to a season shortened by COVID-19. League organizer Matt Greer said that they actually had a decent year of ball, despite having to start late, and added that it was very competitive as a result of players coming over from the cancelled Greater Ottawa Fastball League. Due to a recent orange zone designation for the Outaouais region, fans were asked not to attend. The Trudeau Collision Brewers handily defeated the Gannon/Blackburn Electric Inc. Bucks 8-2 in the final game of the evening.
Physio interruption at Pontiac Hospital
Physiotherapy has been unexpectedly put on hold at the Pontiac Community Hospital and will likely remain limited in some capacity for the near future. CISSSO media relations agent Patricia Rhéaume said that two of the hospital’s physiotherapists are on sick leave and it is unclear when they will return. An anonymous hospital source familiar with the problem said that there is a staff member who can carry out certain physio regimens, but they lack the training required to carry out an evaluation. CISSSO had been getting a Hull-based therapist to travel to Shawville twice a week for the previous month but were unable to do so since last week. Rhéaume said that no patients have been redirected to Hull so far for physio purposes.
A week-long archeological survey on a Davidson property yielded encouraging results as a hired team of archeologists recovered artifacts that predated European colonization. Greg Piasetzki’s ancestor was the clerk of a fort that stood on that property in the early 19th century, and he paid to have Ethnoscop archeologists survey the site and perform several small digs to examine likely building foundations and look for artifacts. Among the most interesting findings were a 1,600-2,500 year-old piece of pottery, a 500 year-old arrowhead and a piece of Lake Mistassini quartz rock that could be up to 7,000 years-old. Piasetzki thanked Bella and Sandra Boisvert for allowing him and the team to inhabit their property for the week-long dig, adding they were very generous in providing coffee and hot meals.
Michaela Cahilll goes to finals
Fort Coulonge’s own Michaela Cahill sung her way to the final round of La Voix on Oct. 11, performing live against her Team Marc teammate and winning 61 per cent of the audience vote as she sang a rendition of Les uns contre les autres. Cahill said that her ultimate goal was to get to finals, adding that she was trying to remain calm despite being unable to contain her happiness. She was glad that she was able to return home to Fort Coulonge and celebrate with her family. Cahill said that she was very grateful for the tremendous support she received from all over the Pontiac, as well as anyone else in Canada who voted for her performance.
Municipality of Pontiac enters red zone
As COVID-19 numbers continue to slowly increase in Pontiac region, larger increases in the Gatineau area have caused the city and MRC des Collines to be declared red zones by the provincial government, meaning the Municipality of Pontiac (MoP) is a red zone effective Oct. 15 . Most significantly among the red zone changes for MoP residents is that private gatherings are no longer permitted, as well as the closing of dining-in services at restaurants and bars. The news came at a particularly inconvenient time for the Pontiac Community Gym, which had just completed moving into its new home at the Quyon Community Center last week. Government guidelines require that gyms be closed in red zones.
Protest in Luskville against mayor, councillors
A group of protestors gathered outside of the Luskville Town Hall on Hwy. 148 in the evening of Oct. 13 to demand the resignation of Municipality of Pontiac Mayor Joanne Labadie and several other councillors. The protest style was roughly a dozen cars driving in circles around the town hall and honking their horns in protest to the mayor, who protest organizer Dianne Lacasse said lacked the ability to communicate and be transparent. Labadie denied a lack of transparency or favouritism, which she was also accused of, and said she was willing to sit down and have a dialogue. Lacasse accused Labadie of negligence as mayor and said that she has tried reaching out to have a dialogue with no success.
Outaouais mega hospital promise
A 600-bed mega hospital that will be built in Gatineau was announced by the CISSSO and the Quebec government in an Oct. 14 press conference by health minister Christian Dubé and Outaouais minster Mathieu Lacombe. The target for building the facility is 2030, as it was a 2018 campaign promise by the Coalition Avenue Quebec government. The initial target was 170 beds, but was revised to 600. MNA André Fortin said that the hospital promise left more questions than answers, adding that although the government is not planning on closing existing hospitals in the region, he would continue to advocate for the maintenance and addition of services at the Pontiac Community Hospital.
Seniors receive thanksgiving meals
The owner of Suzie’s Diner in Bryson, Suzie Pullen, didn’t let COVID-19 restrictions prevent her from providing seniors in the community with Thanksgiving dinners. In total, Pullen cooked up 58 hand-delivered meals to seniors in the area. The meals consisted of turkey, homemade buns, stuffing, potatoes and pumpkin or lemon cheesecake. Portage du Fort Mayor Lynne Cameron helped out to deliver several of the meals, and she said that she was inspired by Pullen’s generosity in going through with the Thanksgiving gesture.
Dozens of residents gathered in Bryson on Oct. 25 for a charity walk to support local girl Zoé Burnett, who lives with Rett syndrome: a rare condition that currently has no cure and that causes loss of language abilities and some hand usage. The eight year-old’s mother said that Zoé was diagnosed with the condition in 2014 at CHEO in Ottawa. The walk was scheduled in October because it is Rett Awareness month. The goal for the Bryson walk was to raise $1,500 in funds that would go towards research on the syndrome. By Oct. 26, the total stood at $2,500.
Project New Haven, a nine-month drug enforcement investigation, came to completion on Oct. 20 when search warrants were carried out for 16 different people in Luskville, Gatineau and Ottawa. The investigation was a joint one featuring the Ontario Provincial Police, Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit, Biker Enforcement Unit and Sûreté du Québec. Two of the 16 people arrested and charged were from Luskville, Lee Marrazzo, 37, and George Glemet, 64. Marrazzo is facing two charges while Glemet is facing three. All of the people arrested were considered high-level targets associated with criminal networks in Ontario and Quebec, including the Outlaw motorcycle gang. Some of the operation’s notable seizures were 11.59 kgs of cocaine, 211 lbs of illegal cannabis, 40,000 methamphetamine pills, $227,105, five vehicles, five firearms and a cocaine press.
NOVEMBER
Campbell’s Bay reported its first case of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. It joined the municipalities of Fort Coulonge, Mansfield et Pontefract, L’Île du Grand Calumet and Shawville as the fifth municipality with five or less cases, and remained as an orange zone. Meanwhile, the neighbouring Municipality of Pontiac was a red zone with 22 cumulative cases. At the time, the RLS Pontiac had 31 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and the Outaouais had 257 active cases.
CISSSO seeks to increase hours
A virtual press conference held by CISSSO on Nov. 4 explained that health care workers would be forced into full-time work to cope with the resurging number of COVID-19 cases. It was imposed through a ministerial decree signed in March by Quebec’s former health minister Danielle McCann. Many hospital workers spoke out against the move and even protested it, with some even looking for jobs in Ontario health care. One source said that they believed the health authority might be causing more harm than they would be fixing.
“They’re going to be losing nurses, some of them are going to leave,” they said. “They’re very upset, I don’t blame them. They’re already talking about how they’ll go to Ontario, or … burn out, get a doctor’s note … [CISSSO will be] kicking themselves because they’re going to be losing a lot of nurses there.”
Grant paves the way for new Ski Pontiac trail
Ski Pontiac was able to start work on a new 3.5km trail for the winter season thanks to a grant from the MRC Pontiac. The grant for $42,899.26 was announced on Oct. 21 and will pay for the trail’s construction. The eight-foot wide ski trail will also be used as an all-season trail after the winter is over. At that time, more additions will be added to the trail, like boardwalks to avoid wet areas.
Phillip Holmes leaves Bristol council
Bristol Councillor Phillip Holmes sat in on his final council meeting on Nov. 2. Having taught theatre at PHS for the last seven years and working Netherleigh Farms, he said he was excited to be able to wake up on the farm and spend more time with his family.
“It was an honour to be able to do it,” Holmes said. “I find [municipal politics is] the form of politics where you make a real difference to the everyday lives of people. It’s their everyday stuff: it’s their garbage, it’s their roads, it’s the community events that are right next to home.”
He is looking to run for Clarendon council in the future.
Mun. of Pontiac to file injunction to identify Facebook account
A Facebook account under the pseudonym of Mick Mars was at the centre of a legal proceeding with the Municipality of Pontiac. It was previously banned from accessing the municipality’s Facebook page because of a history of derogatory and offensive comments. The news came out of the MoP’s Nov. 10 council meeting, with three in opposition to the proceedings. The account made all of its posts private or deleted on Nov. 7, and was unsearchable shortly after.
Mayor of Fort Coulonge steps down
Gaston Allard, the Mayor of Fort Coulonge, stepped down from his position on Nov. 11, three years into his four-year term. He left his mayoral duties to focus on a new job opportunity he got in August, which was too difficult to balance with his position in Fort Coulonge. He did not consider his time as mayor as a success but felt it was a bittersweet departure. With less than a year before the next election, the council would pick a new mayor in place of a by-election.
Fort Coulonge elects first female mayor in special vote
Following the resignation of former Fort Coulonge mayor Gaston Allard, former pro-mayor Debbie Laporte was selected by the council to be the town’s new mayor. She will hold this position until the end of Allard’s four-year term, in November 2021. She is the first woman to serve as mayor there, and Nathalie Denault is the pro-mayor, meaning women hold four of the six seats on council.
Doctors push for decentralization
All across the province, including the Pontiac, over 700 doctors spoke out against the centralization of health care services in Quebec. They go by the French acronym RQMDSS and argue that “that the ‘hyper-centralization’ of the system has led to a decline in patient care in facilities across the province.”
Pontiac physician Ruth Vander Stelt said that letting facilities like PCH make their own decisions would be the “whole difference between what we had, which was a high-performing hospital and what we’ve got now, where we can’t make any decisions at all.”
Legault calls on Quebecers to a “moral contract”
To prepare for the holidays and allow people to gather in red zones, Premier François Legault urged Quebecers to uphold a “moral contract” to isolate themselves one week before and one week after Christmas. The ban in place then prevented households from mixing, by Legault hoped that if citizens held to the moral contract, the ban could be lifted by Christmas Eve.
DECEMBER
Several Santa Claus parades toured through the towns and villages of the Pontiac towards the end of the year, beginning with Shawville on Nov. 28, Bryson on Dec. 4, Mansfield et Pontefract on Dec. 5 and Portage du Fort on Dec. 11. Dozens of people turned out to take in the colourfully decorated floats and to see Saint Nick.
Petition to lift red zone restrictions
An online petition to lift the red zone restrictions on the MRC des Collines garnered roughly 2,500 signatures in the early weeks of December. Started by Municipality of La Pêche councillor Michel Gervais, the petition pointed to the low case numbers in the more rural areas of the region and questioned the need for restrictions. Municipality of Pontiac Mayor Joanne Labadie said that she was not in support of the petition because of the regions close proximity to urban areas and the state of local services.
“Our health care system is fragile and it needs to be protected for the most vulnerable and it’s for that reason we’re in the red zone,” she said.
Council supports decentralization movement
At the final MRC council meeting of 2020 on Dec. 16, the mayors passed a resolution supporting a collective of doctors across the province pushing for the decentralization of health care administration. Several hundred doctors and specialists, including several from the Pontiac, have publically supported the movement. The group, which went public in November with their position, requested that local control return to individual institutions through the addition of a local director general and a local director of professional services.
Warden Jane Toller said the amalgamation of health care institutions that took place in 2015 had a major effect on rural areas like Pontiac.
“As we know, the impact of the centralization has had a significant effect on health care, the network, especially people that work in the Pontiac, and there have been concerns expressed by the population, [regarding] the importance of the proximity health care for the well-being of the population,” she said.
Officials react to holiday restrictions
The mayors of MRC Pontiac voiced their disappointment with the last-minute imposition of red zone restrictions on the majority of the province through a resolution passed on Dec. 16. Premier François Legualt announced on Dec. 15 that all orange zones across the province would move to the red for the holidays, effective Dec. 17, with further restrictions after Christmas.
Shawville Mayor Sandra Murray put forward the motion and stated that she was not pleased with how the changes were made.
“We did so well with our numbers, [Legault] had no right to put us in the red zone with the numbers we had and I would like a resolution sent from the MRC Pontiac to the premier, with copies going to the health minister and to André Fortin, [about] how disappointed we are with the way they did it and that it’s not fair,” she said.
