Joanne Labadie, the incumbent mayor of Pontiac has been fascinated by politics since she was teen growing up. “At 16 years old, I skipped school to go to Parliament Hill, to watch the signing of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” she said.

After high school, Labadie studied travel and tourism and would pursue cabinet making and design in her early career. After a few years, Labadie and her husband would have three children in quick succession. Labadie then devoted herself to her children and became a stay-at-home mom for the next 20 years.

Later she would study wine which would eventually lead to an agri-tourism venture with her husband. This was Lavender Ridge which combined a winery with lavender body care products and foods. The business project, started in 2005 would last until 2019, by which time Labadie had become mayor of the Municipality of Pontiac. In 2019 the business closed for good.

Infrastructure deficit

“The lack of investments over decades in our road network,” has had a detrimental effect on the community, she said. This was especially apparent during 2019’s flooding when culverts failed and roads were washed away. In order to address these problems the municipality created an infrastructure reserve fund, where budget surpluses would be allocated for future infrastructure repairs, upgrades and maintenance out side of the regular infrastructure budget.

In 2016 the municipality did a survey of its culverts. The study found that there were more than 100 culverts in need of repair or improvement. In particular, many culverts were undersized. The municipality has worked since then to fix or repair these culverts.

Climate Change

“With the help of our provincial and federal partners, we can invest in infrastructure to make it [safer] and more adaptable to future needs,” she said.

We have created two reserve funds for natural disasters: flooding, forest fires, etc., after the 2019 flood. Which was budgeted based on the cost to the community in the years floods.

Community Growth

The land use and development plan calls for a second urban perimeter that will meet the needs of a growing business community. The community has seen huge growth from urban areas in the last year. In the last year there have been approximately 600 new developments, which is a significant increase in one year for the Pontiac. With high speed internet, current plans are for 99 per cent of the province to have broadband by Sept. 20, 2022, there will be a need for new services and amenities that former city dwellers have come to expect in their communities.

Due to existing limitations, another priority is upgrading and expanding the water treatment facility in Quyon. Under current limitations, Quyon cannot grow until these changes are made. The facility is at capacity.”

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