CALEB NICKERSON
CAMPBELL’S BAy
Aug. 12, 2019
At the MRC Pontiac Council’s extraordinary sitting on Aug. 12, council heard a proposal from a local businessman about his intentions to . . .
capitalize on the upcoming refurbishment of the Bryson dam, while investing in the local community.
Roderick Quinn is the owner of Mistay Enterprises, a company that builds and operates camps in northern Quebec for a variety of clients, such as First Nations, exploration companies and, most importantly, Hydro Quebec.
He explained to council that the Bryson dam is set to be refurbished in the next year or so, which is projected to require 200 workers for a two to three year period.
“We understand that there’s a big opportunity here in Bryson,” he said. “They’ll be spending a lot of money in the area and presently there is no solution for accommodations. I don’t know if Hydro Quebec will be bringing their own. If that happens, there will be no residual benefit to anybody in the area.”
“You can see it’s been delineated on the map for the project. They haven’t called it their camp site, but they’ve delineated it from the work area,” he continued. “The reason they’ve done that is to keep people on their site, minutes from the project, that saves them millions and millions of dollars in travel time and wasted gas. Presently, my clients are Hydro Quebec, they stay in my camps up north.”
Quinn asked the council for their support for his proposal, in which he would purchase three buildings in the area, Rafters Sports Bar and the CLSC building in Bryson and the Auberge Mont Blanc in Portage du Fort, to convert them into living quarters and dining facilities for the workers.
“We’re not trying to bring something new in, we’re trying to use something that exists and has no real future,” he said. “We want to keep the revenue in Bryson, we want to bring property values up by establishing sound places to stay.”
He said that a contact at Hydro Quebec had alerted him to the project, and he said he’s reached out to their managment. He added that he’s already moved his family to the Lawless Lake area and is looking to make a long-term investment into the region’s infrastructure with an eye to the tourism industry.
Warden Jane Toller, who invited Quinn to present his idea to the mayors after speaking with him on Aug. 2, said that she was in support of the project.
“What I like about this is that it’s breathing new life into some existing buildings” she said. “He’s had direct experience doing this, providing very nice accommodation. If it benfits two municipalities in the Pontiac, it benefits all of us.”
Following a brief discussion, council resolved unanimously to support the project in principle, while awaiting further details.
