STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC Feb. 3, 2021
Pontiac Warden Jane Toller has retroactively vetoed an MRC resolution regarding the Litchfield biopark project that was passed amid tense discussion during the Jan. 20 meeting.
The motion was raised by Bristol Mayor Brent Orr in an effort to outline the work that has been put into developing a biopark at the Pontiac Regional Industrial Park in Litchfield. Although it was passed, it was amended to include . . .
a third stipulation to send it to the next plenary session after Toller and several others said they felt the resolution caused confusion.
The resolution highlighted the $500,000 of federal investment into project feasibility and also underlined how several companies have suggested interest, including American-based biomass conversion company Renmatix. Its directive was to be sent to several provincial and federal elected officials and ministers to reaffirm the determination of the Pontiac in completing the project.
If completed, the industrial park would be home to an integrated bio-refinery and a pyrolysis production unit that would produce high quality crystalline cellulose, lignin, pyrolysis oil, biochar and bioenergy.
Toller said she used her veto, which is well in her right according to chapter C-27.1 article 142 of the Quebec municipal code, because the resolution was not time-sensitive and because it was more important to clarify the confusion amongst the mayors. One of the mayors suggested during the meeting that Toller use the veto then, but Toller opted to wait until afterwards.
“I did [it] because there was a lot of confusion even within the mayors so rather than leaving it in a confused state I think it’s best to start fresh at our plenary,” Toller said.
Toller did not say whether there was anything that she objected to in the resolution, but she said that she expects the mayors to clarify things and get on the same page in upcoming discussions.
“I think we’re going to have some excellent discussion, ask some questions, get them answered,” she said. “We might make some changes to the resolution but at the end of the day I’m sure that we will result in something that we can all agree on.”
A Feb. 3 special council meeting was announced on Feb. 1 on the MRC’s website, where discussion and explanations are expected to be had regarding the biopark and the resolution. The meeting will be broadcasted to Facebook live at 6:30 p.m.
Litchfield Mayor Colleen Larivière was disappointed to hear that Toller made the decision to veto the resolution, suggesting that there shouldn’t be anything that the mayors object to in the text.
“This is a project that the federal government has already invested $500,000 into,” Larivière said. “There’s seven phases to the feasibility study and they’ve done four so far. What are we objecting to? Are we objecting to the federal government investing into a project in the Pontiac that could potentially bring jobs? I’m not sure.”
Larivière mentioned comments Toller made to CHIP FM regarding not telling “fairy tales” when it comes to ongoing projects that might appear as though they are not succeeding.
“OK, there have been projects in the past that had not succeeded. However, does that mean we just stop? Do we stop working towards it? There’s other projects that are being worked on by the warden, and are they fairy tales too?”
Larivière said the discussion during the meeting in combination with Toller’s retroactive veto opened her eyes to the reality that the mayors are not on the same page, as some seem to have closed the book on the project.
She added that she is totally understanding if some mayors need more information.
“But if more clarification is needed there’s definitely not a problem with that,” she said. “We’ve had a presentation in October by CanmetENERGY (the company that performed the feasibility studies) that was worked on by the [National Research Council], so yeah for sure if there’s more clarification needed then that’s why the third [be-it] resolved was put into the resolution.”
“It’s a complex project and it’s important that everybody understands for sure,” she acknowledged.
Larivière agreed with Toller that the goal of the resolution was not necessarily time sensitive, but she added that there would be no cost to passing the motion.
“There’s nothing financially attached to this, it’s just telling the people at NRC and CanmetENERGY and the federal government that we want this to continue, that we support this, that’s it,” she said.
