Chris Lowrey
CAMPBELL’S BAY
March 21, 2018
The newly-elected MRC council had its third evening meeting on March 21 and the goal of getting the public out to the meetings seems to be working.
The meeting started with the floor being opened up to citizens with questions.
After a local roofing contractor told his story about coming back to the Pontiac, Jovalco founder Gaetan Turgeon took his turn addressing the council.
Turgeon was upset because he said the MRC hasn’t been doing enough to help his business. He pointed to a recent news story about a biomass facility in Thurso getting federal funding and said that it should have been the Pontiac’s funding.
After a heated exchange, Warden Jane Toller pounded her gavel on the desk and had to ask for order.
Toller said that she and her staff have met with Mr. Turgeon several times over the previous weeks and was surprised by his outburst.
“Multiple attempts have been made to work with him over the last few months,” Toller said.
Turgeon and Fort Coulonge resident Ronnie Godin also complained that the MRC meetings are carried out only in English.
Toller had both the MRC Director of Territory, Regent Dugas, and Director General Bernard Roy translating for her.
Toller responded that there are people on council who only speak English and they need to understand the meeting in order to serve their constituents.
Last council meeting, Calumet Island Mayor Serge Newberry inquired about a translation service for the meetings. The mayors were told that the MRC is currently looking at prices for translation services.
Godin asked if he could address the council directly without Toller in the room, which the council rejected.
After another heated exchange, Godin and Turgeon prepared to leave the room.
“You’re going to [speak] French next meeting,” Godin exclaimed before exiting the room.
Godin was in attendance to ask the MRC to pass a motion that would give more control to locals when it comes to decision-making about the region’s lumber.
Once things cooled down, council got down to business.
The mayors were briefed on a plan by the Quebec government to map the Ottawa River using new technologies in the wake of last springs devastating floods.
The Outaouais is due to get $2.8 million from the provincial government for the project.
Several mayors wanted to make sure the MRC was going to approach the province in order to get funding to map the Black and Coulonge Rivers.
“We have to do this anyway but there is a chance of a subsidy,” said MRC Pontiac Director of Territory Régent Dugas.
The mayors were also briefed on the recent case of the MRC being defrauded of more than $170,000 from bylaw fines that were paid to RPGL Avocats by residents.
The MRC is currently re-evaluating how it will process bylaw fines in the future.
It was also revealed that the plan that was announced at the last council meeting to hire a private firm to recruit businesses for the Pontiac has been put on hold.
Toller said that the MRC will be in contact with the representatives from Investment Quebec on the economic SWAT team.
The council of mayors also approved a newly-formed committee which aims to increase the amount of women to take part in politics.
Sheenboro Mayor Doris Ranger, Thorne Mayor Karen Daly-Kelly, Otter Lake Mayor Kim Cartier-Villeneuve and Jane Toller will head up the committee.
The MRC will also look at implementing a composting program by 2020. The Quebec government has mandated that municipalities must divert 90 per cent of their waste from landfiills.
Toller mentioned that this would be a good opportunity to explore waste-to-energy conversion.
