Dear Editor ,

I am writing today as the chair of the 370% Taskforce who recently read about the dissolution of the MRC Pontiac waste management committee, and the lack of inclusiveness and transparency in Warden Toller’s approach. I found it very interesting that the warden’s response letter mentioned respect and treating people the way one wants to be treated (Treat other people the way you want to be treated, Oct.23, 2024 THE EQUITY). I’m not buying it, and there is much to do to earn trust before the next election.

First, prior to the last MRC monthly meeting of mayors, I requested that the MRC move their meeting to a larger venue, given the flood of concerned residents who wanted answers about their property evaluations — many of which have doubled or tripled overnight. Instead of accommodating this perfectly reasonable request, the MRC stonewalled us referring to an MRC bylaw which indicates that regular council meetings are to be held at the Salle Elsie Gibbons unless council decides otherwise by resolution, and that this was not voted on at the September meeting, therefore they could not move the meeting.

Respect, transparency and inclusiveness would suggest that accommodating such a simple request for ratepayers should have been top of mind. Half the ratepayers, some of them elderly, not only had to stand for the meeting, many of them were in the hallway because there was not enough room. Is this what we get for the shares we pay? We should at minimum be felt welcome and respected at the meetings.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In August, our taskforce presented a by-law to eliminate the comparative factor in the shares calculation. We asked that this by-law be addressed at the MRC’s meetings to alleviate the crushing financial concerns to all municipalities in MRC Pontiac. Not only has the MRC refused to bring it forward, it also ignored the request of the mayor to put the item on the agenda, with no explanation, two months in a row. Instead of transparency, we were met with silence and more delays—much like what they did to Chichester over two years ago, when similar promises were made and nothing was done. Finally at the last MRC meeting, we were advised that the by-law as drafted by Alleyn-Cawood did not provide enough information and required further review — this after months of having the information.

Is that treating people the way you would like to be treated? This is not just about Alleyn and Cawood. Nearly every municipality in the Pontiac is now dealing with similarly shocking property increases. While the MRC claims our by-law isn’t good for other municipalities, it has provided no evidence or reasoning to back that claim. In reality, the entire Pontiac region is now seeing skyrocketing property values, and the failure to address this issue leaves every municipality vulnerable. We are not just fighting for ourselves; we are fighting for everyone in Quebec and beyond. We understand this may be embarrassing for MRC Pontiac, but our concerns are legitimate and deserve respect, transparency and inclusiveness.

More disturbingly, despite being one of the poorest municipalities in the region, Alleyn and Cawood receives minimal services from the MRC, yet we are expected to pay inflated shares to line the coffers of an MRC that gives us little in return. Did you know that in 2023 Alleyn and Cawood was twelfth in line for the highest invoice of the shares and in 2024 because of the comparative factor, we jumped up to sixth position receiving an increase of 226.18 per cent?

Angela Giroux, chair of the 370% Taskforce