Chris Lowrey
CALUMET ISLAND
Oct. 2, 2017
Former Calumet Island Mayor Pierre Fréchette officially announced his candidacy for the MRC Pontiac warden position on Oct. 2.
Fréchette made the announcement at the Cafe de l’île on Calumet Island in front of a crowd of about 40 people.
Fréchette started the event by recounting his years of experience as a human resources advisor and labour negotiator with the federal government.
He also pointed to one of the most common questions he gets from residents: “Are you from here?”
Fréchette said he and his spouse have owned a property on Calumet Island for eight years and moved up here full-time nearly three years ago after his retirement.
He told voters in attendance to pay attention to what each candidate says. Fréchette said it’s important to actually seek out the candidates and what their positions are so that voters can make an informed choice.
One of the main themes throughout the night was the need for the 18 municipalities that make up the MRC Pontiac to work together.
“If we do not focus together, our future might be bleak,” he said.
He also emphasized that he plans on being careful what he promises to voters.
“I don’t want to over-promise and under-deliver,” he said.
He also said he doesn’t want to attract business opportunities here, only for the business owner to sell assets and leave. He said he will put emphasis on partnerships that will foster growth in the Pontiac.
Fréchette said that he plans on focusing on emerging sectors when it comes to employment options in the Pontiac. He specifically mentioned call centres, research centres and green energy as potential options.
He also said that with a recent trend in the federal civil service towards decentralization, there could be a chance for jobs that are concentrated in Ottawa and Gatineau to move to other regions of the country. When he spoke about this option, one of the potential avenues he listed was a correctional facility.
“Am I saying we need a prison in the Pontiac?” Fréchette asked. “No. But should we not be open to different kinds of institutions here?”
In terms of tourism, Fréchette said a Pontiac-wide effort would be better suited than the arrangement that’s currently in place. He pointed to the fact that many events in the Pontiac overlap. While that’s expected with so many events and a limited amount of weekends, he said that a Pontiac-wide tourism calendar would help.
He also spoke about the recent update the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce got from the co-ordinator of the economic SWAT team.
Fréchette said he’d like to see the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) sit on the SWAT team, as well as the Commission scolaire des Hauts-Bois-de-l’Outaouais (CSHBO).
Fréchette said these organizations do valuable work training young people, and he thinks they could have some valuable input for the SWAT team.
“If we cannot train our youth, we’re not providing for future growth,” he said.
