Caleb Nickerson
PORTAGE DU FORT
Oct. 18, 2017
A local business person is looking to become mayor of Portage du Fort with the aim of eliminating the village’s water woes.
Nicole Thompson came to the Pontiac 38 years ago and served as Portage du Fort’s postmaster from the early 80s to the late 90s. She studied nursing at the University of Ottawa and served on the administration council for the Office municipale d’habitation (OMH) on Calumet Island.
She and her husband Edward, who is running for a seat on council, raised ten children and for the last nine years they have owned and operated the dépanneur in town.
“We basically took that from a little corner store and made it into a multi-million dollar business,” she said proudly.

Nicole said that their family has become increasingly frustrated with interruptions to their water supply.
“We have issues, the primary one being that we don’t have drinking water here,” she said. “We’re on a boil-water advisory and have been since Sept. 5. Things are not going well and we don’t see council making headway.”
She pointed out that even getting a hold of the municipality is difficult – as the office is open for three hours, twice a week.
“It’s a matter of priorities. We question the priorities that have been set for the council up till now,” she said. “It’s important for citizens to be able to access their municipal office. We as citizens don’t have that access. It’s frustrating for people.”
Thompson said that she would be a strong advocate for her community and added that she believes there is a fighting spirit in the walls of her store, as the previous owners were Cecile Essiambre as well as the first woman mayor in all Quebec, Elsie Gibbons.
“We want to revitalize the council and make people feel like they’re heard when they come,” she said. “I know how to knock on doors and get answers.”
She added that her French-language skills would be an asset when dealing with provincial bodies as well as in meetings at the MRC.