The latest data is in, and the MRC Pontiac has climbed two spots on Quebec’s socio-economic rankings of MRCs.
The oft-repeated statistic that the Pontiac is the second-poorest MRC in the province is no longer true – we’re the fourth-poorest.
The main statistic that dictates socio-economic well-being in a region is disposable income per capita. In the Pontiac, the average person has $22,306 in disposable income.
This is good for 84th place out of 87 MRCs.

Obviously it’s nothing to celebrate. But incremental improvement is improvement nonetheless.
After the decline of several important industries in the Pontiac, local governments and businesses have been racking their brains trying to come up with ways to improve the economic fortunes of the area.
Pontiac MP Will Amos hosted wide-ranging socio-economic forums (one of which turned out to be the second highest hospitality expense in parliament last year); Pontiac MNA André Fortin helped to establish the economic SWAT team and all three levels of government have helped inject funding into the local economy.
The Pontiac SADC, the Pontiac Tourism Association and the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce have all done admirable jobs helping businesses with their bottom line as well as increasing their exposure.
But still, people point to local government as one of the reasons for our struggles, which is a bit unfair.
Governments don’t create jobs – or at least they shouldn’t be relied on to create jobs. The best a government can hope to do is create an environment that is favourable to private sector job creation.
Unfortunately, the private sector in the region hasn’t been able to fill the void that was left when bigger industries packed up and left.
There aren’t many large-scale businesses in the area anymore that can provide a few hundred jobs. Instead, we have many different small businesses dotting the landscape, but they can only do so much.
It’s unfair to blame the local government for the region’s lack of economic opportunities, and you certainly can’t blame these small businesses who are doing everything they can to make ends meet as it is.
What can we do to attract major employers to the area?
It’s a question that politicians and business owners have been grappling with for years now and we don’t seem to be any closer to an answer.
The MRC and several local businesses have decided to hitch our wagon to the tourism sector.
It makes sense since the Pontiac is home to several tourist attractions that, unfortunately in most cases, are the best kept secret.
But, in case you haven’t noticed, the online presence in the Pontiac isn’t exactly strong. There’s a good reason for that: our internet speeds are slower than molasses in January.
The MRC could have an entire page dedicated to the promotion of local tourism businesses. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for all your tourism needs instead of having to search dozens of Facebook pages for the information you want.
But more needs to be done to let people in Ottawa know what we have here. I grew up in Kanata my whole life and had no idea about the Chutes of Coulonge, the Marchand Bridge, or the many rafting expeditions in the area.
But there is one drawback to focussing so hard on tourism: we need more accommodations. Sure, people can camp all over the place in the region, but not everybody wants to do that.
My idea of a good vacation isn’t camping out and hoping it doesn’t rain. It involves lounging on a beach and sipping a cold one. Good news! We have several beaches up here. But after a few beers, if I don’t want to camp out, I’m out of options for the most part.
A quick look around Airbnb.ca shows that there are plenty of options that aren’t top-of-mind for many people. Let’s leverage this and use it. Communities like Norway Bay are full of people who rent a cottage for a couple of weeks each summer.
There are options, but they aren’t visible enough.
There is no magic bullet solution for how to fix the Pontiac’s economic struggles. But if we want to make tourism a centrepiece of our economy, we need to do a better job promoting it.

Chris Lowrey