By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Hatley Township Mayor Vincent Fontaine says the rising cost of waste management is placing increased pressure on municipal budgets—and that residents can help keep those costs down by planning their trips to eco-centres more efficiently.
In a wide-ranging interview, Fontaine confirmed that the township currently pays between $38 and $40 per visit to the Sherbrooke eco-centres, regardless of the quantity of material brought in. “We have an agreement with Sherbrooke,” he explained, “and they calculate an average at the end of the year.”
Although residents do not pay out-of-pocket, every trip costs the municipality, and those charges add up quickly. “If you go two or three times a day, it multiplies quickly,” said Fontaine. “If you have a trailer or a truck, you can put more stock and the municipality will pay just once.”
The township has looked at other options, including Coaticook and Waterville. However, Fontaine noted that while the pricing is roughly the same, distance and accessibility make Sherbrooke the most viable choice for now. “In Sherbrooke, there are two eco-centres, one in Fleurimont and one near Rock Forest. Coaticook is far for the people of the township, and Waterville is a bit closer, but we’re still negotiating with them.”
Hatley Township currently pays between $30,000 and $40,000 annually in eco-centre fees—an amount that has more than doubled over time. “At the very beginning, it cost about $16 [per visit],” Fontaine said. “Now it’s almost $40. With the costs and the labour involved, that’s for sure gone up a lot.”
The mayor said the municipality encourages residents to combine trips and consolidate their loads when bringing materials to the eco-centre, to reduce the number of billable visits. “We asked people during our decommissioning consultation to accumulate their things and go with a bigger trip instead of just small trips.”
Fontaine also addressed questions about his political plans, saying he has not yet made a final decision about running again in the next municipal election. “Most of the people who are there want to return,” he said. “But I’m going to meet with all the councillors in early September when I get back from vacation. There are people who’ve asked me to be part of the Township, and we’ll see. There are still empty seats at the moment.”
He said the main challenge facing the township is maintaining services with limited resources. “Apart from that, we don’t have a city centre, we don’t have a big challenge,” Fontaine said. “The main work is maintaining roads and providing services at the community level.”
Several small projects are ongoing or in the planning stages. Fontaine mentioned that the new bistro space in the community centre should be completed by November or December, and that the township would like to expand trail networks near the Massawippi Trail and possibly extend cross-country s skiing services into Lennoxville.
Wildfires and the risk they pose to rural areas are also on the mayor’s radar. “After that, there will be fires—that’s going to be a major issue,” he said, referring to brush and organic material build-up that increases fire risk.
Another persistent issue is finding good people to serve on council. “The challenge is to find good councillors,” Fontaine said. He explained that while remuneration is modest—“A councillor earns about $12,000 per year, and part of that is for training”—the real hurdle is time commitment.
“It’s not the money, it’s mostly the ‘implication’,” he said. “People think when you’re a councillor, you’re just there a few hours a month—it’s not quite that. There are committees, you have to be present, there are all sorts of little things that take time.”
Fontaine said that many potential councillors struggle to balance the role with work, family, and other obligations. “People today have less time than before, they’re all busy, they work a lot, they have children,” he said. “It takes people who are well-organized and able to plan their time.”
On the topic of councillor remuneration, Fontaine explained that municipal compensation varies widely and is often tied to property values and budget sizes. “It depends on the budget we have,” he said. “Some municipalities have huge budgets—like Eastman. There, you have big house values and people make bigger salaries. Here in the Township, there’s a part that’s more fortunate, near the lake, but most of the area is rural. We try to make sure it doesn’t cost too much to the citizen.”
Finally, Fontaine confirmed that due to vacation schedules, Hatley Township council will not meet in early August as usual. “We’re going to hold our meeting on the 29th of August instead,” he said. “There are too many people on vacation—we made a resolution about it. It’ll be posted online.”
The next regular council meeting after that will be at the end of September. Fontaine expects things to be “back in order” after that point.
Quebec-wide municipal elections will be held Nov. 2.