Dear Editor,

The time to revitalize the Pontiac is now.

I have been your warden for two years. I can see that we do not need to wait with our hand out . . .

to the government or wait for a big investor who comes with big promises. Too often we are disappointed. The hard working people of this region built the Pontiac and in the 1800s Pontiac was the largest and richest county in Canada. When the mills closed we lost our way.

It is time to rebuild and move forward. We need to work together and not compete between municipalities. We need to stop the negativity and gossip. We will only defeat ourselves.

We need to be in the driver’s seat. We need to decide what we want in the Pontiac and then go after it. We need to be a player in forestry again and we will be. There are at least two opportunities for reopening of former sites. More about that when there is something to announce.

We have two projects that we can make or break … I need your full support! André Fortin, our champion, has called this his number one priority. The aqua/wellness centre for the Pontiac will bring health and wellness to us. We are applying for the funding and fundraising this month. It will be a $12 million construction project which will require many jobs for local contractors. This does not come from your taxes. Once completed it will provide 24 jobs. It will be a magnificent facility that will make us proud. It will attract many people from Quebec and Ontario. We deserve this facility and should not have to learn to swim in Ontario! This centre will be a meeting place and a symbol of hope for a bright future. It will improve the health and quality of life for Pontiacers. It is for all generations.

The second project is a state-of-the-art facility which converts garbage to electricity and steam heat. The Pontiac currently pays $1 million to cart our waste to the Lachute landfill. We believe that continuing to landfill is unacceptable. We are a willing host to build this energy from waste facility in the Pontiac. It will provide 50 jobs and will reduce our budget by $1 million. The Pontiac hopes to process waste from the Outaouais and Ottawa Valley in Ontario. The facility would be owned by the municipal regions and we would sell the hydro to Hydro Quebec. It will create enough electricity for 10,000 homes. For more information look at the York Durham Energy Centre near Toronto operated by Covanta. It is clean, green technology approved by Quebec and we will be the first facility in Quebec.

We will enable everyone else to stop burying garbage in the ground. The Pontiac will take responsibility and be the solution.

I ask for your support and let’s move forward together. Let’s put our hope and energy into real projects that we can see built.

For more information contact me at prefete@mrcpontiac.qc.ca

Jane Toller

Warden MRC Pontiac