Already feeling nostalgic for last year? Well you’re in luck, THE EQUITY’s 2024 Year in Review is here. Over the month of January, we are taking some time to look back on some of last year’s most memorable Pontiac stories.

July

Litchfield salmon farm plans move ahead

Former MRC Pontiac director general Remi Bertrand spoke with THE EQUITY about the work he is doing to bring a large, land-based salmon farm to the Pontiac Industrial Park in Litchfield. Bertrand, now a senior business director for Samonix, the company behind the project, said the farm will produce 12,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon a year and plans to raise the fish entirely indoors, in large pools of treated water drawn from the Ottawa River. In July, the project still needed to get environmental permits and proper electrical hook ups before contruction could begin.

Serres Amyotte hit hard by ongoing power outages

Paul Amyotte’s greenhouse on Rue Principale in Mansfield lost power around a half-dozen times during the series of outages that hit Mansfield, Waltham, Chichester, Allumette Island and Sheenboro in the last two weeks of June. The power outages affected the productivity of his crops and cost him about 80 per cent of his cucumbers and a quarter of his tomatoes. Mansfield and Pontefract mayor Sandra Armstrong, said that some of the outages were due to problems at the Waltham station, which has been in need of repairs for years.

New beach building for Norway Bay

The Municipality of Bristol celebrated the grand opening of its new beach service building in Norway Bay. The facility has two accessible washrooms, a storage room and a small canteen. “We did phase one with the sidewalks and streetlights,” said Bristol mayor Brent Orr. “This was phase two
[. . .] The sills and everything were rotten in the old building, and it was showing its age, so we wanted to update it.”

Bristol chooses next steps for pier repair

Bristol council approved rock revetment as the best method for repairing and preserving the historic Norway Bay pier. Earlier in the spring, the council voted to keep the pier closed for the summer season after an engineering report found it to be unsafe for continued use due to sinkholes in the pier’s interlock.

New agritourism route highlights local producers

THE EQUITY spoke with Stéphanie Hébert-Potter, MRC Pontiac economic development agent, about the MRC’s “Land & Flavours” agritourism route launched in June. The network of 22 agricultural producers and restaurants spans from Bristol to Sheenboro. “We have a vast territory, so it’s not always easy for everyone to know from one end to the other what’s available,” she said. “[Producers are] the backbone of our area. It’s important to highlight the work that they do, but also the passion they have in harvesting and creating their products.”

Stop Nuclear Waste group rallies support in Shawville

Members of Kebaowek First Nation and its environmental assessment team were at the Pontiac Archives to raise awareness about concerns with the plan to build a nuclear waste disposal facility at the Chalk River nuclear research station. The stop was the last before the group headed to Ottawa for a federal court hearing that challenged the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) January decision to grant the license to build the facility.

Mayors still frustrated after meeting with Hydro-Québec

Mayors from the Upper Pontiac municipalities and Pontiac MNA André Fortin met with representatives from Hydro-Québec to discuss the issue of ongoing outages in the area. Allumette Island mayor Corey Spence said they were hoping for some new answers but that the responses were “lip service” and that “they told us what we already knew.”

New Fort Coulonge skate track makes space for teens

The town of Fort Coulonge opened a new pump track, a kind of skate park with an undulated paved loop with bumps and corners designed for the rider to power themselves through it with momentum. The park is the first of its kind in the Pontiac, and the largest in the province. Professional skaters Mike McDonald and Mat Lavigne from Pembroke attended the track’s opening to give a demonstration and to show kids how to use it.

Heavy rains wash out roads in Luskville

Two roads in Luskville were washed out after a heavy rainstorm. On rue Thérien, just north of Highway 148, the rainwater washed out a culvert, bringing the road with it, and south of Highway 148 on chemin Parker, the rain created some road erosion which the municipality was able to repair the next day.

Jardin éducatif pilot project hires youth to work on their mental health

Le Jardin éducatif du Pontiac transformed its usual summer camp program for at-risk youth into a summer job program. Over the summer, 23 Pontiac youth were hired to tackle their mental health challenges head on while learning how to grow vegetables. “The idea behind the kids applying is to put the responsibility in the hands of the youth,” explained Martin Riopel, the organization’s director general. “We wanted the youth to try the process of getting a job.”

Mansfield horse owner urges action on vet shortage

Garrett Vekaryasz, one of the owners of Little Haven Farm in Mansfield, met with Pontiac MNA André Fortin to urge action on addressing the shortage of equine veterinarians in the Pontiac region. Vekaryasz suggested virtual vet meetings might help to fill service gap in the western half of the Pontiac, which often isn’t served by Ontario vets on temporary Quebec licences.

Touring bus to offers shelter for Pontiac’s unhoused

A new service out of Gatineau teamed up with a local Pontiac organization to offer essential services to people experiencing homelessness in the area. The “Réhabus”, equipped with showers and a washing machine and dryer, began touring the Outaouais, making stops in urban and rural communities including one at AutonHomme Pontiac in Campbell’s Bay. At each stop, people in need of these services could hop on board for a few hours, and even be connected with a counselor for mental health support, or for help finding a job.

Alleyn and Cawood gets funding to kickstart composting

The Municipality of Alleyn and Cawood received over $14,000 from the provincial government to help start a composting program. The amount went towards acquiring rolling compost bins for each residential property and smaller indoor compost bins.

FilloGreen wins MRC garbage contract

The MRC Pontiac signed a new household waste collection contract with FilloGreen, which operates a transfer station at the Pontiac Industrial Site in Litchfield. The contract began on Aug. 19 and will last for three years. The company won the bid over incumbent McGrimmon Cartage based on an evaluation chart with scoring categories including experience, knowledge of the territory and cost.

Exodus of Pontiac imaging techs looms large

The union representing medical imaging technicians in the Outaouais said that five of the six full-time technicians that were serving the Pontiac were pursuing jobs in Hull and Gatineau, where the Quebec government had offered $22,000 bonuses in an attempt to keep workers from moving to higher paying jobs in Ontario. In July, the technicians in Pontiac, Maniwaki and Wakefield hospitals were offered $18,000, but according to the union, this was not enough to convince some of Pontiac’s techs to stay put. “For us, it’s necessary the government finds a solution to keep the technicians in place,” said Christine Prégent, Outaouais representative for the technicians’ union.

August

Norway Bay watches former cottager swim Olympics

Wilf Brousseau hosted family, friends and other invited guests on his lawn to watch his granddaughter Julie Brousseau compete in the Olympics for the first time. The swimmer spent her summers in Norway Bay and competed for team Canada in the 4x200m freestyle relay. “She’s such a nice kid, and she’s just a goofball, and very smart academically [. . .] but when she gets in the pool she’s absolutely single-minded; so competitive,” her uncle-in-law Don McGowan said. The team narrowly missed a medal, coming in fourth.

Chapeau celebrates opening of new farmers market building

The Chapeau Agricultural Society hosted the official opening of its new farmers market building with live music, refreshments, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by society members and mayors of the upper Pontiac region. “This sort of solidifies the agricultural society to still be operating and supporting the agriculture that we have around here,” said Gene O’Brien, president of the agricultural society, which was founded in 1879.

Young Portage artist shows work at Renfrew gallery

Mak Souliere, a 17-year-old artist from Portage du Fort, started selling his work at the Renfrew Art Factory and was one of the youngest artists on the local scene. “I’ve always loved art, so I just kept drawing and eventually realized that I was good at it, so that progressed me further and I just kept learning.”

Bryson’s only restaurant closes its doors

The rising cost of food resulted in Bryson’s only restaurant, Suzie’s Diner, closing. Other restaurants in the Pontiac raised prices to maintain their already-thin margins, but Suzie Romain-Pullen, the owner, kept her prices the same. “People will notice if you raise prices by even a quarter,” she said. She knew many of her customers wouldn’t be able to afford a price hike.

Kuehl carries Quebec to softball gold

Pontiac High School graduate Cade Kuehl scored the game-winning run for Team Quebec in the U17 national fast-pitch championship final which propelled his team to a gold medal finish.

“It was a pretty cool feeling, but I knew the job wasn’t finished,” he said of scoring the go-ahead run. “We had to go out and play defence and try to finish it off.”

Investigation finds former Waltham DG broke municipal code

An investigation conducted by Quebec’s municipal commission (CMQ) found that the former director general of the Municipality of Waltham contravened the province’s municipal code in multiple ways during the 40 years he was at the administrative helm of the town. The commission concluded the DG used the municipality’s resources for personal purposes and that through his actions, he took advantage of both his status at the municipality and the council’s trust in him. The DG started his tenure with the municipality in 1985 and resigned in February 2024.

Heavy rains wash out more roads in Pontiac municipality

The Pontiac region received 36.3 millimetres of rain from the remnants of tropical storm Debby which hit southern Quebec. Damage included chemin Elm on the section between Highway 148 and chemin Terry-Fox, a culvert washout on the western portion of chemin Kawartha, and some damage along chemin Crégheur in Heyworth. This was the second time heavy rains caused road washouts in the municipality last summer.

Comets return to the ice

The Pontiac’s only semi-professional hockey team returned to the ice this past fall in Fort Coulonge, joining the Eastern Ontario Super Hockey League (EOSHL) after a nearly five-year hiatus. When the Bytown Royals, a team from Ottawa’s Gloucester area, was put up for sale, Sébastien Bonnerot and the new co-owner Danick Boisvert bought the team and moved it to Fort Coulonge. This made it possible for the Comets to play against teams closer to home.

Fire destroys Clarendon home

An overnight fire at the Clarendon home of Reuben and Doug Hodgins destroyed the entire house and three-car garage on the property. “They would have been dead if they didn’t have a smoke alarm, one hundred per cent,” said Shawville-Clarendon fire chief Lee Laframboise. He noted that neither of the two men in the home were injured in the fire, nor was the dog living on the property.

Mayors vote to hand over recycling to MRC

At a special seating of the MRC Pontiac’s council of mayors, all 18 mayors voted unanimously to adopt the resolution which will see the MRC Pontiac take over the management of recycling across all 18 municipalities.

Pontiac producers form abattoir co-op

A group of local producers who last spring collaborated with MRC Pontiac to purchase the Shawville abattoir formed a co-operative to run the facility . The co-operative, called Coopérative de solidarité Agrisaveur du Pontiac, consists of six agricultural producers from MRC Pontiac and three from MRC des Collines. Bristol beef producer William Armitage was elected president, Kyle Kidder vice-president, Roger St-Cyr secretary, and Ben Younge treasurer.

Shawville Fair ambassadors named

Rosie McCann of Bristol was named Shawville Fair Ambassador for 2024 at an event held in the Homecraft Pavilion at the Shawville fairgrounds. Five well-spoken young candidates from the local farming community, each representing a different division of the fair, participated in the competition which consisted of giving a short speech before a panel of judges and the assembled audience. Other ambassadors for the 2024 Shawville Fair were Patty Egan, Felix Vereyken, Mason Vereyken and Ben Judd.

September

166th Shawville Fair

The 166th edition of the Shawville Fair saw the community gather at the fairgrounds for a weekend of fun. With various 4-H competitions, food, the beer tent and rides, the five-day event featured fun for the whole family. The Pontiac Agricultural Society honoured fair board volunteers Dorothy Morrison, Doug MacDougall and Beryl Smart with “dedicated service awards” during the fair’s opening ceremony.

CAQ denies equal bonuses to radiology techs

The provincial government denied bonuses to radiology technologists working in Pontiac, Wakefield and Maniwaki hospitals, bonuses that would have brought their salaries on par with other technologists in the region. Earlier in the summer technologists in Hull, Gatineau and Papineau hospitals were awarded a $22,000 bonus, while those in Pontiac, Wakefield and Maniwaki were only offered $18,000. Pontiac MNA André Fortin said with this decision health minister Christian Dubé was not listening to the needs of Pontiac residents: “By refusing to offer the same bonuses across the region, he is pushing people to work in the city, and to the detriment of services here in the Pontiac.”

Dubeau takes hockey career to Montreal

Paige Dubeau, a 17-year-old from Shawville, left for Montreal to join the Dawson College Blues women’s hockey team, marking a significant step in her hockey career. After years of dedication, including many years as one of the only girls with the Pontiac Lions, she was recruited by Dawson’s coach. Dubeau, excited about the growing opportunities for women in hockey, said she hopes to continue her hockey journey at the university level while also pursuing a career as a physiotherapist.

Pontiac imaging techs get full bonuses

The Quebec government agreed to pay radiology technologists in four rural Outaouais hospitals, including the Pontiac Hospital, an additional $4,000 in bonuses on top of the $18,000 already offered over the summer, equalizing all bonuses offered to technologists across the healthcare network. Some of the technologists working at the Pontiac Hospital were slated to leave for higher bonuses in hull and Gatineau, but the majority chose to stay in the Pontiac once equal bonuses were offered there.

CAP gets a facelift

Shawville’s Centre d’Accueil Pontiac (CAP) received a major facelift for the first time since its construction in 2011, including the addition of several themed rooms, art and murals intended to improve residents’ quality of life. The Pontiac Reception Foundation gave $30,000 to make the changes possible. President Katharine Hayes Summerfield said the goal was to make the facility feel more homely and less institutional.

Bristol honours volunteers at annual Fireman’s Ball

Bristol’s Jack Graham Community Centre played host to the Bristol Fire Department’s annual ball on Sept. 7, celebrating the fire department’s dedication to the community. Chief Kevin Kluke took to the mic to celebrate the accomplishments of the department over the past year.

Shawville Terry Fox run returned with new organizers

Jennifer Mielke and Carolann Barton took over the Shawville Terry Fox run from longtime organizers John Petty and Rick Valin, who stepped down in 2022. The event raised over $6,200 for cancer research. Mielke was grateful their first run went so smoothly. “I was reminded about how blessed I am to be raised in a small community. Everyone rallied around us and got this race off the ground.”

Bronsons owners open new boutique

The owners of Shawville’s Bronsons Boutique unveiled a new store with a grand opening on Sept. 14. The new store, called Plaza 305, houses primarily clothing items, whereas Bronsons focuses on gifts and accessories. The owners, who are both from Quyon, said they felt the community support at the grand opening. “It’s nice to do work in the community in which you live,” said Kim Boucher. “I find it very rewarding.”

CISSSO helps anglo patients find English service

Outaouais’ healthcare network (CISSSO) launched a new initiative aimed at helping anglophones navigate the healthcare system in facilities that do not have official bilingual designation. The initiative gives yellow name tags to staff who identify as bilingual. Joanne Dubois, CISSSO’s coordinator for accessing English services across the network, said the program is intended to reduce anxiety for anglophones who need to access services in French-language facilities.

PHS students win $10K prize for welded replica tractor

Students in Pontiac High School’s welding program won second place in a national competition for the tractor they welded last academic year, including $10,000 that the school plans to use to improve the program. PHS welding teacher Megan Tubman said the last cash prize the school won as part of the competition was used to purchase a new plasma cutting table, and she hoped this money would be used for a similarly useful tool.

CISSSO users’ committee hosts first AGM

The users’ committee responsible for advocating for the rights of residents accessing healthcare services in the Pontiac hosted its first annual AGM since its founding in Nov. 2023. Topics of concern that emerged in the region were related to the quality of food at the Pontiac Hospital and in long-term care homes, as well as a lack of provincial healthcare funding.

Comets sign head coach

The Pontiac Senior Comets signed Bryson resident and former junior hockey player Luc Danis as head coach in preparation for the team’s return to play. “We wanted a coach that comes from the Pontiac that knows the local players,” said team co-owner Sebastien Bonnerot.