Donald Teuma-Castelletti
MANSFIELD ET PONTEFRACT Sept. 11, 2017
A section of heavily-used road just north of Fort Coulonge will be receiving a major revamping, after the provincial government announced an investment of over $500,000 on Monday.
Pontiac MNA André Fortin delivered the news Monday morning at the corner of chemin du Bois Franc and promenade du Parc des Chutes, also announcing that the work on the first segment had already begun.

“You’ve probably noticed in the last week or so that there’s equipment going up there,” said Fortin to the crowd gathered at the roadside for the news. “The first project has started now.”
Fortin credits the unrelenting discussion between the municipality of Mansfield and the MRC for the success of getting the work going and the money invested here. Warden Raymond Durocher reiterated these thoughts, adding that the roads needed to be maintained going forward for the success of activities and resources in the area.
But some locals are taking issue with how the money is being invested, including the hiring of outside management for the jobs.
“Why can’t we have the management part?” asked former Mayor of Fort Coulonge, Hector Soucie.
Soucie was concerned by the contracts being delegated by parties from outside the Pontiac, confident that there were plenty of competent workers available locally.
“To have people from outside [the area] come and tell us how to do it, I don’t believe in that,” said Soucie.
The Office of the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, the branch behind the investment, deemed the chemin du Bois Franc important for it’s multi-resource access roads. The office said that the road work will provide access to public land for hunting and fishing, as well as the forest industry, citing economic benefits for the region.
The investments were made by the Government of Quebec under the Multi-Resource Access Road Cost Reimbursement Plan, Part 2, and totalled to $505,893. The calls for tender on the second and third phases of the work are ongoing, with the project’s end date aiming for December.
“This road has basically been a project that they did what they could with what they had,” said Fortin. “Hopefully what we’re doing now is giving them the resources to do what needs to be done.”