Chaired by president Pierre Paradis, representing Énergie Brookfield, the board reviewed the previous year’s financial statements. He said that the transfer of the director role from Brittany Morin to Cameron Montgomery, which took place late last year, would be a major change. He also noted the departure of long-serving board member Helen Routliffe, whose service they celebrated in December.

“Also we can not ignore the departure of Helen Routliffe, and her many years, not only as chair of the board but as a director,” he said. “Everyone agrees in recognizing her excellent work and her exemplary rigour over all these years.”

Montgomery, who started her training in Sept. 2025, and began full-time in January, gave the board an overview of the previous years’ financial statements.

The park’s overall revenues for the 2025 calendar year were $558,193.46, with the majority ($267,032.55) coming from various grants, including one from the federal government for $186,577. Revenue from the aerial park ($134,033) and admission fees ($73,068) were the other major revenue streams, along with another roughly $50,000 from camping, boutique and snack sales as well as special events, like the park’s festival of lights.

Expenses for that same time period were $594,248.58, primarily driven by payroll expenses ($235,103) and development projects ($164,116).

Montgomery said the organization had a deficit due to a large capital expenditure that they made constructing a new washroom facility, which was partially covered by grant funding.

“I think probably the most important thing to note is that we ended the year with a deficit of $35,000 [ . . . ], plus another $30,000 for the bloc sanitaire [washrooms], which was a January expense, but we have a balanced budget for 2026, including that deficit so we will be able to recover it. We’re well on our way to recovery.”

In an interview following the meeting, she added that the new washroom setup would allow them to host more activities.

“That’s obviously a huge development for the park. The washrooms situation previously didn’t allow for large groups or large events, so it opens up a lot of opportunities for the park,” she said. “It’s going to be a game-changer. Now we can do other things like have more accommodation, the yurts are being booked more.”

The park saw a significant increase in visitors in 2025 (8,277) compared to 2024 (7,545).

Montgomery said that they are anticipating a federal grant this year specifically for culturally enriching seniors activities. She said she is hoping to fill out the park’s calendar with low-cost community activities like birdwatching or folk music.

“So, the idea is, I’d like by the end of the season to have an activity here every day of the week, that’s essentially free. If you have a season pass you can just come in,” she said.

The group held elections for the seats whose terms were up. Daphne Laycock and Doug Smith were re-elected unopposed to seats two and eight respectively. Seats four and six, which are filled by appointed members of SADC Pontiac and Énergie Brookfield respectively, saw Brittany Morin and Paradis elected for another term. Seat seven, open to any citizen, is currently vacant.

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