CALEB NICKERSON
CALUMET ISLAND April 3, 2018
On April 3, Calumet Island council met for their meeting, with about thirty people in attendance. This month’s meeting was a marked departure from the previous one on March 5, which saw a packed hall and a rather heated line of questioning directed at Mayor Serge Newberry.
Several members of the community took issue with him asking for an increase to 40 hours per week, a motion he filed early this year. Prior to the previous meeting, an anonymous letter was circulated throughout the community criticizing the decision, as well as then-Director General Lisa Boisvert’s performance. Boisvert was hired in November 2017.

Two days after the letter was sent out, Newberry withdrew his motion.
At the meeting Newberry stated that Boisvert had left, and another councillor said she had resigned, a claim Boisvert denies. Former councillor Richard Lasalle criticized Newberry for his management and asked for his resignation. Newberry refused, and said he suspected several members of council had played a part in sending the letter.
At a special meeting on March 8, council filed a motion to ask the Federation of Quebec Municipalities (FQM) to send an interim DG and assistant, who were present at the most recent meeting. Local residents had a chance to speak with Paul Langlois and Phillipe Côté (DG and assistant respectively), and hear about their experience.
Several changes to the rules regarding decorum at council meetings were introduced, an effort Newberry said would make for calmer meetings.
In addition, it was announced that Councillor Patrice Dumouchel had resigned, citing health reasons. Since Dumouchel also served at the pro-mayor, it was decided that the job would rotate between councillors on an annual basis for the rest of the term, starting with Réjean Meilleur.