Chris Lowrey
PONTIAC Nov. 1, 2017
With the municipal elections just around the corner, and Pontiac residents getting their first chance to elect a warden, some people have been asking a pretty important question: What does a warden do?
It’s a question that MRC Pontiac spokeswoman Danielle Belec has answered several times.
The simple answer: the warden of an MRC needs to wear many hats. They need to be pragmatic; have a realistic vision for the region and and be capable of executing that vision. They also have to be able to work with others.

The main goal of the warden is to be the leader of the council of mayors. Each of the 18 mayors brings their local concerns to the MRC table and the warden must work to prioritize and solve those issues in collaboration with the municipal leaders.
The warden sits on every committee at the MRC level, including: the administration committee; plenary; Investment committee; the economic SWAT team; the Cap sur l’Ouest committee (partnership with Témiscamingue and Vallée-de-la-Gatineau).
Not only does the warden have to work closely with local politicians, he or she will also have to work with different levels of government as well as politicians from other MRC’s.
The warden will be in constant contact with other MRC wardens and will formulate plans with his counterparts to work together in areas like economic development.
The warden will also have to stay on top of provincial legislation to know what resources are available to municipalities as well as staying abreast of any regulatory changes.
The newly-created warden position, which will be elected by universal sufferage, means that the winning candidate will now be able to dedicate all of their time to the warden position.
In the past, the position was elected by the 18 mayors on the MRC council. They chose one of the 18 mayors for the warden position as well as a pro-warden.
Now, the warden position will be elected by the population of the Pontiac. This means that the warden will no longer have to also handle the duties associated with holding the mayoral position at one of the municipalities. The warden will now be able to dedicate all of his or her time to handling MRC-wide business.
Belec also said that having a warden elected by the entire population of the Pontiac gives the position more credibility. Because the warden will now have the mandate of the entire Pontiac, he or she will no longer be seen as a small town mayor.
Despite the fact that the warden will now have more time to devote to warden responsibilities, those responsibilities will not be changing because of universal suffrage. The council of mayors still make the decisions at the MRC council.
“While the elected warden doesn’t have more authority or power, he or she will generally have more influence beyond our borders,” Belec said.