Dear Editor,
The organizers of the Municipality of Pontiac’s all candidates meeting of Oct. 15 should be thanked for doing this useful public service.
People are eager to learn what their aspiring candidates promise for their town. Needless to say, there was a lot of wishful thinking disguised as serious proposals. Given that more than half of the council candidates have not even attended a council meeting makes it hard to see how their candidature can be taken seriously.
Many of the candidates spoke about bringing investment to Pontiac through building projects and the like, as if unencumbered growth could possibly be considered as a viable blueprint for the future. Recent municipal election discussions in Aylmer show that citizens there are seriously concerned about the quality of their bumpy roads and the dysfunction of traffic efficiency. More growth as has happened in Aylmer, is not necessarily going to boost the quality of living people want.
If we want Pontiac Municipality to retain its country charm and way of life, much more thought has to go into its future. The municipalities have a lot of challenges as citizens expect more from their local government, and improvement will not happen without increased provincial and federal financial assistance. Its fine to talk about paving dozens of kilometres of roads, but is this supported by the budget?
Candidates did not discuss such serious issues as Quebec’s recent Law 122 which makes it unnecessary for municipalities to publish legally mandated notices in local newspapers. Or the fact that contracts for amounts up to $100,000 can be given out without public tender. How will our councillors guarantee transparency in these matters, so that there is no abuse?
The population of the MoP is an aging demographic. This fact is not unique to our town. It is a fact of rural life. We have more seniors as a proportion of the whole population. They will need the municipality to gear services to their needs. Candidates did not seem to be aware that the MoP has adopted a Senior Friendly policy.
The MoP councillors could be looking at growing their town in an environmentally friendly way, paying attention to new building techniques which limit the use of carbon energy and use sustainable technologies in a more systematic way.
The MoP is attractive for citizens. It has potential for continued growth. But please, a little more thought would make us more hopeful for the future and less worried.
Carl Hager
Pontiac, Que.
