“I came to the MRC Pontiac in 2016 with a background of experience previously gained in other organizations. Working with you has also been a learning experience,” wrote Roy in the release addressed to MRC staff.

“I am now at a point where it is time for me to pack up my experience and move on to other challenges. It is therefore by mutual agreement with the elected officials that I am leaving the general management of the MRC Pontiac and passing the torch. I am proud to have contributed to a renewed, involved, supportive and tightly knit management team. I am also proud to have fostered respectful, friendly and positive relationships with all MRC employees. I leave behind a wonderful team. A team at the MRC that is full of competent, dedicated and committed employees. I will keep an excellent memory of it. Thank you for your welcome over six years ago. Thank you for having trusted me over the years. Keep up the good work.”

Roy assumed the position of director general in June 2017, after serving a little over a year as assistant director general.

“I would like to thank Bernard Roy on behalf of the Council of Mayors for his years of hard work and dedication,” Warden Jane Toller wrote in the press release. “I have appreciated working together with him, especially on the revitalization of the Pontiac. We wish him every success for the future.”

The appionment of an interim director general will be voted on during an extraordinary session of the Council of Mayors this Thursday.

The MRC will also begin the search for a permanent replacement.

“We will be working on a job posting in the next week. We are hopeful that we will find a director general in the coming months,’’ said Annie Vaillancourt, director of human resources and accounting at the MRC Pontiac.

Roy’s departure represents only one staffing change at the MRC.

Earlier last week, the MRC also announced the hiring of a new director of economic development for the MRC Pontiac, which was announced at an extraordinary sitting of the Council of Mayors last Tuesday.

The council voted unanimously to hire . . .

Guillaume Boudreau, who previously served as the assistant-director of the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario.

According to a press release announcing Boudreau hiring, he has “more than 14 years of experience in human resources management, finance and project development as well as a background of work experience in the environment, entrepreneurship and school management.”

He is also currently undertaking an MBA in Business Administration at the Université du Québec en Outaouais.

The position of director of economic development has been vacant for six months since the position was Bernard Roy vacated by Cyndy Phillips last May.

Toller said that Boudreau’s first priority will be to get to know the economic development team and settle into the job.

“On behalf of the MRC Pontiac Council of Mayors, I am delighted to welcome Mr. Guillaume Boudreau as our new director of economic development. With his management experience and his knowledge in leadership, we are sure that he will be a great fit for our team. Mr. Boudreau has a variety of experience and we believe that it will be a great asset that he has work experience in Ontario with the school boards. We look forward to his start date in late November, and we know that he will provide inspiration for the wonderful and dynamic team in the economic development department. We look forward to continuing our work on revitalizing the Pontiac with you on our team!’’ wrote Toller, in the press release announcing his hiring.

Toller said that during the interview process Boudreau impressed the hiring committee with his knowledge of the Pontiac vision 2030 plan, his interest in developing a waste-to-energy plant in the area, and his knowledge of the importance of both the forestry and tourism industry.

Toller also highlighted that Boudreau’s experience in working in Ontario fit with her vision of working more with municipalities across the river.

“I think differently because I’m a person from Ontario,” said Toller. “You know, in Quebec, there has been a tendency to just look within Quebec. He is in the position of understanding how important it is not to consider a border that we don’t cross and instead that they are neighbors.”

Toller said the hiring of the new director of economic development is a cause for optimism.

“There’s apparently a residential development plan for Clarendon. We know we have plans in Mansfield, we have plans in Fort-Coulonge. We know we’ve got one mill opening shortly. We know that for the Jovalco mill the hydro is getting hooked up so hopefully we’ll have some good news on that soon,” said Toller.

She also outlined what she hopes is progress towards getting the waste-to-energy plant in the region which she has made one of her signature issues.

“Sometime soon I’ll be going to meet the mayor of Ottawa and talk to him about our desire to be the solution for his garbage,” said Toller. “We are not a sleepy MRC. Maybe we used to be a bit sleepy. We are now a very inspired, active and if anything, we just have to work hard to keep up with everything.”

Boudreau is expected to start his duties by the end of November.

Guillaume Boudreau hired as director of economic development.

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