Allumettes residents experience landline outages

Allumettes Island has experienced power outages over the years, and although they have slightly subsided, in the past year they have been facing issues with breaks in their telephone service. Allumette’s farmer David Gillespie has been tracking the power outages in the region for more than a decade and said that he had also started to track outages of his Bell landline, noting at least 10 days with interrupted service since the start of January 2021.

Report shows 2020 housing boom in the Pontiac

With the world moving online during the pandemic, it seemed that people chose to spend it in Pontiac. According to a report published by JLR — a firm that “compiles and analyzes more than 784,522 real estate transactions in Quebec” — Pontiac saw the second highest increase of single-family home sales in the province in 2020. This is up by 56 per cent since the year before. The highest increase in . . .

the province occurred in Pays-d’en-Haut, which saw an increase of 58 per cent. Jarod Croghan, a Royal LePage real estate agent in the Outaouais explained that he expects to see an increase in first-time homebuyers in the future, due to the soaring costs of homes in bigger cities being a deterrent for people looking for their first house.

Province sends funds for cultural projects to MRC Pontiac

The Ministry of Culture and Communication announced Cultural Development Agreements with the Outaouais for a three year period on Feb. 19, with a contribution of $1,779,542, including $91,350 for the MRC Pontiac. The money will in turn be used by the MRC to put toward projects that are proposed to them, with an emphasis this year on activities for seniors, cultural leisure, and historical and heritage projects. According to the MRC, “The Cultural Development Agreements aim to improve and support the cultural vitality of the region for the benefit of the entire population. The type of projects that are funded must include structuring and innovative actions, promoting the development and consolidation of cultural vitality while respecting local and regional priorities.”

Snow sculptures galore as Otter Lake competition wraps up

For the last month, the residents of Otter Lake have been turning their little corner of the Pontiac into a winter wonderland in hopes of winning prizes in a snow sculpture contest. The competition concluded on Feb. 28, with 19 households participating. The sculptures that were created ranged from monsters to teddy bears to unicorns and much more. Many of the sculptures were even vibrantly coloured. The winners included– In third place were Riley and Wesley Richard with a family of polar bears. Payton Dubeau-Harris and Kyla and Braylee Zacharias took home second place with life-size, full-colour renditions of Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. And the grand prize went to Alexis and Damian Paquette for constructing giant colourful beasts that rested outside their front door. The winners won $50, $100 and $150 respectively.

Fire destroys historic Waltham Inn

The long-standing Black River Inn and Outfitter in the Municipality of Waltham was destroyed by a fire on Saturday afternoon. Larry Perry, fire chief with the Waltham fire department, said that they received a call about the blaze at 2:48 p.m. on March 6. Four trucks responded to the scene: two tankers — one of which was requested as backup from the Mansfield fire department— one pumper and a rescue vehicle. The fire was considered under control at 7:00 p.m. At the time of fire the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Chelsea wins dispute with NCC, Pontiac municipality awaits similar hearing

A recent recommendation that the National Capital Commission (NCC) pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Municipality of Chelsea over a tax dispute signals a possible outcome for the Municipality of Pontiac, who face a similar dispute. The recommendation that the NCC pay $590,000 to Chelsea came from the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel (PLTDAP), a federal committee, two weeks ago. It stemmed from a disagreement between the municipality and the commission over Gatineau Park property assessment that began in 2018, whereby the latter has withheld a portion of tax payments over the past three years.

Master athlete recognizes past achievements with PHS hall of fame

After careful consideration, Pontiac High School (PHS) is inducting 13 notable people in the sporting industry, past and present, into its first ever Hall of Fame. A few of the walls at the Shawville school will soon be adorned with photos, plaques and shadow boxes filled with memorabilia of those who attended the school and have had significant influences on the sporting world. The new project is the brainchild of PHS physical education teacher Darcy Findlay, who is also an inductee in the Hall of Fame’s class of 2021. He had previously worked at Philemon Wright high school in Hull, where they had a similar initiative, and when he moved back to teach at his alma mater last year, he decided to establish his own version.

A window to the past

A Shawville man is looking to uncover some history surrounding an old window that used to adorn the original St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Allan Dean was given the old window in March 2019, and painstakingly removed all the old glass over the course of nine months. Though he is unable to confirm it, he believes the window is from the original church, which sat in what is now the cemetery that sits across from the current building. Construction began on the old church in 1840 and continued until 1855 when it was consecrated, but services had been held there since 1842.

Four notable Pontiac women added to the history books

Four notable women from the Pontiac were honoured in a virtual presentation on March 11, presented by the Fairbairn House, a historic house in Wakefield serving as a heritage centre. The presentation was a part of a larger exhibit called Notable Women of the Outaouais and the Gatineau Valley that recognized 18 women who lived between 1816 and 2018 who “altered the physical and social landscape of the Gatineau Valley, Aylmer and the Pontiac in ways that continue to shape our lives.” The four women from the Pontiac were Abbie Pritchard, Adelaide Devine, Elsie Gibbons and Rosaleen Dickson. The presentation went into detail about each of their lives, presented by researcher Tina Therrien.

Bryson generating station work to begin

Refurbishment of the Bryson generating station will begin this spring, continuing until 2023, Hydro Québec announced in a press release on March 10. All three generating units at the near-century old station will be refurbished as part of the work. According to a statement from MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller, Hydro Québec should be applauded for their efforts to stimulate the local economy through its encouragement of refurbishing contractors to support local businesses during the three-year work period.

Quad Club building vandalized

The Pontiac Quad Club is looking for anyone with information related to one of their shelters being vandalized near Bell Lake in Mansfield et Pontefract. President René Barrette said that the damage to their building took place between March 7 and March 13. The hoodlums broke everything in sight, from windows to walls, and Barrette said repairs would be in the range of $2,000. He added that the wood stove in that building had been stolen the previous year. At the time of the incident. Barrette said that the police were investigating and said the club was offering a reward for information that resulted in any arrests.

First Bristol COVID-19 case appears

COVID-19 has found its way to the Municipality of Bristol, as of March 18, and the community had five or less (minimum one) cases as of March 22. The municipality is now the tenth within the Pontiac service area (RLS) in which the virus has emerged. The RLS had eight active cases as of Monday, with a cumulative amount of 88 since the pandemic began, which is an increase of six since last week.

Fatal car crash on Mountain Road

A 21 year-old from L’Île du Grand Calumet is currently in critical condition after suffering life-threatening injuries in a fatal single-vehicle accident in Chelsea on March 20. The accident took place at roughly 10 p.m. near 195 chemin de la Montagne. A 22 year-old Gatineau man, Aramis Vigeant, who was driving the car, died in the accident while a third passenger, also a man in his 20s from Gatineau, was ejected from the vehicle and suffered minor injuries. According to MRC des Collines spokesperson Sgt. Martin Fournel, speed is believed to be a factor in the accident. As of print time (March 22), Fournel said the 21 year-old was still in critical condition

Regional French courses halted

A regional series of French language classes has halted, leaving former students in turmoil. Put on by the Regional Association of West Quebecers (RAWQ), the classes had been offered to hundreds of residents of the Outaouais for free for the past three years. The multiple sessions were offered each year in Shawville, Aylmer and Wakefield. Program coordinator Jeanne Nivischiuk said that the program had been funded through a recently modified grant program called the FARR. The RAWQ initially applied for funding in 2018, and were approved for a two year extension. “Fall 2019 we applied to grow the program, we were denied then,” said Nivischiuk. Nivischiuk explained at the time that they were looking for funding and hoping to start up the program once they had funding.

MRC Pilot project on plastic waste recovery

The MRC Pontiac will be implementing a new pilot project in April to tackle the issue of agricultural plastic waste disposal. “The goal of the project is to collect agricultural plastics and send them to some facilities for recycling,” said Thierry Raimbault, environmental coordinator for the MRC Pontiac. “We will try to find a solution to transform [the waste] into small pellets that can be put in a new process. The issue is that you can’t put it in the blue bin, it’s not a household [recyclable]. The issue is to find a system that is not too expensive to collect and recycle.” The three-year project has been in the works for the last three or four years, with Raimbault teaming up with MAPAQ to review the needs and wants of farmers and to determine the best way of disposing of the plastics. The project was finally able to launch after the MRC received a donation of $113,000 from the Desjardins GoodSpark Fund and collaborations with CREDDO and MAPAQ.

Mansfield weightlifters bring home the gold and bronze

A young weightlifter from Mansfield took home three gold medals at the Canadian Junior Weightlifting Championships on March 20 and 21. Xavier Lusignan took home the top spots in three categories: the snatch, where he lifted 128 kg; the clean and jerk, where he lifted 161 kg; and highest total lifted, awarded for most weight lifted in the previous two categories. His sister, Naomie, is also a weightlifter who brought home her first medal at this year’s competition — which is for competitors under the age of 20 — placing third in the snatch in her division

New joint investment of $147 million for Outaouais internet

This past week, representatives of both the federal and provincial governments unveiled a new plan to connect homes across the province to high speed fibre internet, with a deadline of September 2022. Titled Operation High Speed, the plan has allocated $147 million for the Outaouais region specifically to hook up 29,001 homes, out of a total envelope of $826.3 million for Quebec. The Outaouais was by far the largest recipient in terms of homes connected and money invested.

Muscular dystrophy advocate with new diagnosis strives for accessible medical information

At 16 years-old, Jenna Keindel was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy. As the years went on her condition worsened and because LGMD has many genetic subtypes, the doctors could not find any genes responsible. After 23 years of not being diagnosed she finally had an answer and a treatment plant, Keindel was tested for the autoimmune disorder anti-HMGCR myopathy in 2019, and since then has been an advocate and sharing her story.

Dead animals dumped in Beechgrove

Some residents of the Beechgrove community in the Municipality of Pontiac recently came across a dead animal dumping spot near chemin Mohr and the old rail line, with several different types of animals found on March 18 by one resident. According to local farmer Blake Draper, the way that the animals had been disposed of led him to believe it was a single trapper who was responsible for the piles. “We figure they’re a trapper because there was at least one coyote in the pile I could see that had been skinned, but then there were a couple of other coyotes that weren’t skinned that were also thrown into the ditch,” he explained. After speaking to both the warden and the MRC des Collines police about the incident, all that could be done at the time was removal of the pile.

New Quyon cafe combines heritage with homemade meals

Quyon’s got a brand new place to chow down. The Clarendon Street Cafe is now open for business as of March 27. Upon walking into the restaurant at 1099 Clarendon Street, visitors will notice the modern yet rustic decor, the vibrant yellow walls and the historical Quyon photos and documents lining them. A separate room to the right is dimly lit with fairy lights and black drapes, imitating a night sky. Hungry customers can choose from a menu of salads, sandwiches, pizza and more. The cafe has been in the works since October 2020. “We’d like to see as many people as we could, especially familiar, local people. It’s a place where friends can gather especially after COVID’s over,” said owner Mitch Trudeau.