CALEB NICKERSON
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Aug. 15, 2018
On Aug. 15, the MRC council met at the offices in Campbell’s Bay, the first public meeting since June.
The evening opened up with a question from TNO lease-holder Randy Smith, who was concerned with the amount of taxes he is currently paying, and how much taxes have increased in recent years.
The council assured Smith they would look into the matter.
It was announced that the next public meeting would be moved from Sept. 19 to the 17 due to a scheduling conflict.
Engineer
The council was then introduced to the new MRC engineer, Kim Lesage, who started on July 23. Holding a Masters degree in geotechnical engineering, and hailing from Otter Lake, Lesage has over a decade of experience with the firm Golder Associates.
Pontiac Warden Jane Toller was pleased with the new hire, and explained that her expertise will be available for local projects across the region.
“It’s going to be a savings for the MRC to have an in-house engineer that can work directly with the municipalities,” she said.
Lesage herself was eager to get to work.

“I’m really excited to be close to home,” she said. “My heart’s here, I’m happy to be able to help with our engineering projects and needs.”
The council will be creating a priority list for projects in the region to maximize her time.
Provincial Park
Entrepreneur Joe Kowalski, owner of the popular Wilderness Tours in Beachburg Ont., gave a presentation to the council during their closed meeting earlier in the day, detailing his plans for turning the Rocher Fondu rapids near Calumet Island into a provincial park.
Though the plan is still in the early stages, it involves suspension bridges and shared-use paths as well as campsites on the islands. Kowalski asked that the MRC nominate an elected official to join Calumet Island mayor Serge Newberry on the planning committee, along with the MRC’s economic development officer (once the position has been filled). The council selected Campbell’s Bay Mayor Maurice Beauregard.
The islands around Rocher Fondu are currently administrated by the MRC, and Newberry sought to encourage their development in the past, prior to seeking elected office.
“I’m very excited,” he said during the meeting. “Since I found out they’re public land I’ve been trying to develop it.”
Speaking after the meeting, Toller was cautiously optimistic about the project.
“It’s the early stage of this whole plan,” she said. “We’re not accepting his plan today but we are saying that we’re interested in exploring opportunities.”
Community Forest
The council sent a request to the provincial government to start a pilot program to designate a large swath of MRC land as a community forest.
“I did quite a bit of reading about community forests, they’re very popular in British Columbia,” said Toller, explaining that the designation would give the region more control over its own natural resources. “We’re not doing this alone, we wanted to do it in partnership with the Algonquin. Régent Dugas and I met with Chief Whiteduck and he told us that he liked the idea and wanted to partner with us.”
The area would cover 150,000 hectares, stretching from Lac Dumont down to Bryson, including the Coulonge and Black Rivers.
“We’re asking for a pilot, we’re asking that it will be recognized as the first community forest but we will be the first community forest in Quebec,” Toller said. “If we’re successful, it will mean that we are managing this area and we will not … it will be very unlikely that there will be any contracts available, in this area, for Louisiana Pacific and Lauzon. They still have lots of other areas. One thing I’ve learned is that the Pontiac has always had to be in a defensive position with its forestry because we are so rich in our resources here.”
Investor search
The MRC has hired a company, CAI Global to seek out big businesses that could invest in the region. The project was launched by former Economic Development Officer Emilie Chazelas and Toller said that the MRC has received a $40,000 grant from Caisse Populaire Desjardins to help cover the costs.
“When we did the tender, we heard from two companies. We went with the lower bid, and the lower bid was $49,000,” she said, adding that the MRC will cover the difference.
Toller currently sits on the economic SWAT team that was created to address such issues as attracting business to the Pontiac.
“The SWAT team, or GTI Taskforce, we’re also looking at different ways of investor attraction but frankly I don’t think you can have too many people working on investor attraction,” she said.
PPJ Repairs
The repairs to the PPJ trail washout near Moorehead Rd. in Litchfield were discussed at the meeting. Repairs to the section of trail that passes through a ravine were completed in November 2017. In the spring of 2018, the section around the culvert washed out, closing the trail for the entire summer while the exact cause of the damage.
“I’m sure you’d agree that this has taken far too long,” Toller said. “So, what’s going to now happen is that Tom Orr [Cartage] is going to re-do the work at no additional expense to us. But that we will provide $12,500 to buy the new culvert.”
Lesage will oversee the reconstruction. Toller was hesitant to lay blame on one specific cause.
“There are many different theories, best not to zero in on one,” she said.
Electric vehicle grant
The MRC will be applying for a $74,000 grant that would allow them to purchase an electric vehicle and charging station for the MRC office.
“Employees currently can claim gas milage, if they’re driving to Gatineau and back,” she said. “It adds up. If that same employee used an electric car, that could mean savings.”