Dear Editor,

It’s always been comforting for me to know that living in the small communities of the Pontiac came with the ability to live in our homes and pay taxes on realistic property evaluations. Today, that comfort is being stripped away. Property evaluations are skyrocketing to levels where many of us would never be able to sell our homes based on the new inflated evaluations. Where do we go when we can no longer afford to live or retire in the Pontiac?

Over the years many folks who left the Pontiac for jobs in the city have kept a strong connection to the Pontiac by buying cottages, visiting family and friends, and planning to retire here. Why? Because even though these folks have worked and lived outside of the Pontiac for many years, home is still the Pontiac. How many times have you heard “Are you going home this weekend?” I remember that all week folks in the city would count down, a couple of more days to get home to Otter Lake, Shawville, Campbell’s Bay, Alleyn and Cawood, and many more. All of us who have lived the Pontiac will always call the Pontiac home regardless of how long or how far we have travelled.

What will happen when folks from the Pontiac can no longer afford their homes or cottages because the property evaluations and taxes have increased to unrealistic and unaffordable numbers, and municipalities are forced to pay inflated shares to the MRC Pontiac forcing service cuts to boot? Going home to the Pontiac may be a thing of the past if the present MRC Pontiac and its Council of Mayors continue with the behavior we have seen over the past months.

Retiring at a reasonable age was always an option for those of us in the Pontiac who had good jobs because we always counted on evaluations and taxes being lower than the city, which no longer seems to be the case. Are we going to allow this dream to be a thing of the past by handing our future over to an MRC Pontiac and Council of Mayors that don’t seem to be concerned?

We have been attending the MRC Pontiac meetings for many months and pleading for fairness and accountability in the calculation of municipal shares for Alleyn and Cawood and realistic property evaluations for all. The MRC Pontiac is not willing to listen to us, put forward our by-law publicly, explain themselves or their decisions, nor change anything for the benefit of its communities. Over many months we have witnessed the Council of Mayors raising their hands and voting “yes” on multiple items they are not completely informed about.

In fact, the 2025 budget was presented and reviewed by the Finance Prime and the Council of Mayors and was approved in approximately 20 minutes at the last MRC Council meeting. While that is certainly efficient, how can they make that decision with zero questions from council? As a resident, I had questions. Unfortunately, the MRC structures the question period for residents prior to most meaningful items being presented such as the budget or the new highly anticipated by-law for calculations of shares. The process is set up to block civic opinion.

What are we paying the MRC for? Last time I checked, there were approximately 43 MRC employees and they continue to get raises. The mayor of Otter Lake left his post for a job as the Assistant DG and walked in the door being paid over $100,000 per year, and raises were approved for all in 2025. We are paying for this – and we need to demand that it stop.

I could go on about how defeated I feel about showing up at these meetings every single month and the multiple letters we have sent that are met with minimal interest to address any of our legitimate concerns.

But instead, I am writing today to plead to the good citizens of the Pontiac and those of you who are from away, if you are in the Pontiac or have connections with the Pontiac, please join us at the MRC meetings. We need your voices. Fighting this with two dozen people at most is not getting us anywhere.
If you care about the Pontiac, living here or coming home on the weekends or summers, you need to engage and help us preserve our way of life in an affordable way. The options to relocate to a more affordable place, that will never feel like home, is not really an option, for me anyway. We are in a crisis. The MRC Pontiac can fix it, but they seem unwilling to do so, and we need more support from you.
Please attend the MRC meetings, get involved, apply pressure so that the mayors stand up for you and question decisions rather than providing approval on topics without being fully informed.

If we don’t, coming “home” will be a thing of the past. Now is the time to act. If we remain silent, the affordability and quality of life that have defined this region will disappear. Attend MRC meetings with us, and join us in demanding accountability. Hold your mayors and the warden to their responsibilities. They were elected to serve you.

Special thanks to the mayors of Waltham and Litchfield for standing up for their communities. We need more leaders willing to challenge the status quo.

It’s time for the MRC Pontiac to fulfill its duty to serve the people of the Pontiac—not to dismiss and burden them financially. Let’s keep the people of the Pontiac in the Pontiac.

Angela Giroux, Chair of the 370 Evaluation Taskforce, Alleyn and Cawood