Jean-Louis Corriveau has long been a farmer on L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet. He served as a councillor for more than 30 years before being appointed pro-mayor in 2017 following the resignation of then-mayor Pierre Fréchette. Corriveau was elected to the mayor’s seat in the 2021 municipal election and is now seeking a second term.
“I decided to run for another term because there are things we started on council that aren’t finished yet, and I’d like to see more of them completed,” he said, adding that his priorities will focus mainly on continuing infrastructure projects.
“We’ve wrapped up a lot of projects, but for the library we’re still waiting for a response from Hydro-Québec. The water system — we’ve made good progress along [chemin des Outaouais]. Then there’s Monseigneur-Martel Road, which is rough, plus chemin de la Montagne.”
Corriveau said the municipality will continue seeking grants to beautify the island and update infrastructure.
“In the last term we got several FRR 2 and FRR 4 grants. We built an outdoor rink, a small park, and did infrastructure work. We’ve been applying for funding to improve the municipality, and we’ll keep going in that direction.”
In this election, Corriveau is relying on his long record of dedication to the community.
“I hope people vote for me because I’ve been dedicated to the municipality. I’ve been involved for 30 years, and the people of the island are important to me. People know me, and they know I’m a man of action,” he said.
At the MRC level, he said waste management remains a key issue, along with efforts to create more local jobs.
“The big issue at the MRC is waste. We’ve got recycling coming, composting too, and we’re trying to create jobs here in the Pontiac.”
He also wants to encourage tourism on the island, though he acknowledges it will require private investment.
“On the island we’re lucky — we have rafting and the rapids, and of course we’d like to keep building on that, to keep attracting people for tourism. We can try to make the island more attractive so people want to visit, but we need someone willing to invest in it.”
Corriveau said he’s also eager to see how the new intermunicipal fire service agreement between Campbell’s Bay, Litchfield, Bryson, and l’Île-du-Grand-Calumet will benefit residents.
“The firefighters work outside the area, they’re not always here. So we said, we’ve got four municipalities working together, we’ve got a stronger force that way. I’ve got nothing against working with the MRC, but it still needs to be studied. We just have to make sure we still have service here [on the island].”
In this election, four of the municipality’s six council seats were filled without opposition. Asked whether his council had considered reducing the number of seats to four, Corriveau said the council voted against the province’s proposal, which had been prompted by a unique situation on the island — several councillors had left their posts early due to health issues, resignation, or death.
“When I came in, Alice Pieschke stepped down because of her health, so that brought us to five. Then [Pierre] Jolicoeur passed away, and six months later Mr. Paquette passed away. When you lose two councillors and drop to four, if one is absent, you barely have quorum. Sure, we could save money, I’ve got nothing against that, but it was a bit hard to go through,” he said.
Sylvain Tremblay still lives in his childhood home on l’Île-du-Grand-Calumet. After working in his family’s restaurant and then in the kitchen of the Shawville hospital, he spent time in Alberta and Northern Ontario in the oil industry. He later worked as a foreman for the Municipality of l’Île-du-Grand-Calumet but is no longer employed there.
In his work at the municipality, he said he saw many things that he felt could be done more efficiently.
“I saw things that, to me, just didn’t make sense [ . . . ]. I saw situations where they’d just put a band-aid on something, and I thought if it were done right from the start, it would save money,” he said.
Having attended council meetings over the past few years, Tremblay said his first priority would be improving communication with residents.
“It’s those famous council meetings where they sit in front of everyone, pass resolutions, and then at the end they ask if anyone has questions. Where’s the chance to have a discussion or to vote against something? Citizens didn’t have a voice, and that’s something I’d like to bring back,” he said.
He said he wants to make meetings more interactive so people feel heard.
“If it’s possible for a proposal to be made and then discussed with the people who are there [ . . . ] We could even start giving out door prizes or something like that. It sounds silly, but people need to feel like they matter.”Tremblay said he wants to better inform residents about events and news in the municipality.
“It’s about making videos and posting them on the website, saying, ‘Hi everyone, next month we’ll be having our community picnic.’”
He said he wants to rekindle a sense of community spirit on the island by supporting local activities.
“There have to be people who can get out there and try to organize something to bring everyone together. Things like a community picnic, or at Christmas giving prizes for the best-decorated houses.”
Tremblay said a vote for him is a vote for a new generation of leadership.
“Another thing I hear a lot about is the age gap. I think that’s what makes the difference between what I can bring and what my opponent can. When younger people come forward with new ideas, people are afraid of change, but you’ve got to evolve. I’d like to bring that back and get people involved so the municipality can grow.”
Economically, he said he wants to focus on the island’s attractions and boost tourism by improving infrastructure.
“There are projects that could be done to make the island better. There could be development to add a sort of boardwalk [by the river], places to sit, fix the sidewalks. There are grants we could get.”
He also said he wants to organize public town hall-style meetings where residents can talk directly with council about issues.
“You’ve got the village, and then the areas around the village, and they don’t have the same needs. But if we could bring them together, have a kind of town hall meeting to get people out and say, ‘OK, do you have ideas?’” he said.
Tremblay admitted he is still learning about the MRC, but said he wants to ensure regional projects are worth the investment for all involved.
“What really rubbed people the wrong way was that slaughterhouse thing and the amount of money they put into it, and so far, not much has come of it. And tourism has always been a problem. There were projects they tried to push forward that just didn’t happen.”
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