Residents of Allumettes Island and the Municipality of Pontiac had a chance to vent their frustrations about a lack of responsiveness in the wake of the floods that have pummelled the Pontiac over the last three years.

The first meeting took place in the Municipality of Pontiac (MoP) with representatives from the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) on June 10.

Residents were told about the relief package that’s in place for flood victims – which is only available to full-time residents.

Both MRC Pontiac and the MoP are regions that see their population explode when cottage season opens up.

Unfortunately, the province has told those cottagers that there will be no assistance for them.

Last year the MoP was forced to raise business taxes by more than 50 per cent after losing a significant amount of ratepayers after the 2017 floods.

Now it appears that most of the region might have budget shortfalls that current ratepayers will have to make up. Residents can be forgiven for their heart beating out of their chest when opening the envelope of their tax bill next year.

To make matters worse, some at the meeting in Luskville complained that they still haven’t received compensation in the wake of the 2017 floods. Even getting a quote to get an idea of how much the work will cost has proven elusive for many.

One resident complained that it took two years to get her windows replaced because of a backlog of work in Gatineau and, in many cases, companies refused to make the journey to the Pontiac in the first place.

Another major roadblock residents are facing is a shortage of those willing and able to do the labour in the region.

Contractors who work in Quebec must be registered with the Régie du bâtiment du Quebec (RBQ), a certification that many Ontario companies don’t have.

You would think that when residents have faced tworecord breaking floods in a three-year span, the government would realize that exceptional circumstances call for exceptional measures.

Instead of exempting some Ontario contractors to come over the river and work legally, the Quebec government is essentially forcing homeowners to pay premium prices to entice companies from the city to the Pontiac or forcing those residents to wait for years for work to be completed.

At the Allumettes Island meeting on June 17, the same sense of desperation was on display.

Like the MoP, the upper Pontiac is home to many cottagers who want to be included in the province’s relief package.

About 200 people have signed on to a class action lawsuit seeking compensation for costs not covered by insurance.

The MRC has asked for out-of-province residents and cottagers to be included in the compensation package as well as asking for the cap to be raised.

MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller described the treatment of cottagers by the provincial government as “discrimination.”

She pointed out that the Pontiac has been disproportionately affected by the floods. More than 1,000 homes have been affected in the region, which has a population of just over 14,000. On the other hand, the City of Gatineau, with well over 285,000 people, seemed to have received more attention from the province for the 2,000 homes affected there.

Municipalities are shouldering much of the burden associated with the aftermath of some of the worst flooding the region has seen.

Allumettes Island alone has spent over $100,000 in response to the floods while that number stands at over $400,000 in the MoP.

With so many differences between regions, the Quebec government needs to realize that a one-size-fits-all approach is not realistic.

The province should take advantage of the unique factors that are present in different regions throughout Quebec.

In the Pontiac, that happens to be the fact that we’re right across the river from plenty of Ontario businesses that are willing to do the work that Quebec businesses aren’t.

On top of that, the province needs to realize that the region’s out-of-province residents and cottagers are massive drivers of the local economy.

Overall, a little bit of flexibility on the part of the provincial government would go a long way to help residents who are understandably upset with a sub-par response to a natural disaster.

Chris Lowrey