Sophie Kuijper Dickson, reporter
Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative
New money will be flowing to a handful of projects that advance social and economic development in the MRC Pontiac thanks to funding from the MRC’s regional revitalization initiative.
“The vitalization committee received in the number of about 35 requests for grants,” said Guillaume Boudreau, director of economic development for the MRC, at the October 18 meeting of the Council of Mayors.
“The investment committee went through an analysis phase of all the projects. All these analyses were presented to the vitalization committee which decided on 10 municipalities, three not-for-profit organizations, four private companies as well as one MRC project.”
The 18 projects selected will share $1,782,000 of the $2,000,000 available.
Each funding application was considered on the basis of whether it would bring specialized labour to the MRC, whether it would strengthen a village core, whether it would encourage community involvement, and whether it would showcase the community’s attractions, among other qualifications.
These grants come as part of a funding agreement signed between the MRC Pontiac and the provincial ministry of municipal affairs and housing in 2021 to support economic and social growth in the region.
Projects receiving funding
• The Groupe d’Entraide et de Solidarité Sociale pour Hommes du Pontiac (AutonHomme Pontiac) is receiving $100,000 to renovate and furnish apartments for fathers with children.
• Bouffe Pontiac will receive $20,734 to remove carpets from its premises and replace the floors with commercial tile, which is better suited to the organization’s activities.
• The Parish of the Anglican Church of Western Quebec in Clarendon will receive $64,079 to purchase and install commercial-grade kitchen equipment, upgrade the electrical system, and refresh the floors with an epoxy finish. The organization will also be able to install wheelchair-accessible doors.
• The Brauwerk Hoffman brewery in Campbell’s Bay will receive $58,115 to build a greenhouse where it will grow food for its restaurant and host events, and to install a sound system for those events.
• Sheenboro’s Pontiac Hotel in Fort-William will get $60,750 to insulate its plumbing so it can host visitors through the winter season.
• Pontiac’s first cheese factory, Fromagerie La Drave, will get $100,000 to purchase new production equipment.
• The Hub 21 shared business and workspace center (Century 21 Élite) will receive $40,937 to create a shared business center based on a flexible workspace model equipped with state-of-the-art technology for videoconferencing and working remotely from the office.
• The Municipality of Alleyn-and-Cawood will get $100,000 to install trail and campground signage, wildlife-proof waste management equipment and environmentally friendly outhouses at Parc du Mont O’Brien.
• Clarendon will get $93,230.37 to convert a vacant lot it owns into a recreational green space for its residents.
• Otter Lake’s Pontiac Nord EcoRecharge project will receive $100,000 to integrate charging stations into Hydro-Québec’s Circuit électrique, for residents who use an electric vehicle.
• Fort-Coulonge will receive $100,000 to develop its Escale sur la rivière project, which involves transforming municipal land that became vacant following the 2019 floods into an open-air relaxation area along the Ottawa River. It will also feature a parking lot for recreational vehicles for up to 48-hour stays.
• The Municipality of Île-du-Grand-Calumet will receive $70,960 to create a multifunctional gathering place for the community.
• Litchfield will receive $100,000 to increase its visibility at its road entrances with new welcome signs, and install public and accessible infrastructure for people with reduced mobility.
• Portage-du-Fort will receive $100,000 to create a multifunctional community center.
• Rapides-des-Joachims will receive $38,676 to install a new boat docking system for fishermen and recreational boaters visiting the community.
• Shawville will receive $88,902 to carry out a feasibility study on the future of its arena.
• Thorne will get $87,345 to proceed with major renovations to its community center.
• Finally, the MRC Pontiac will get $450,000 towards its AgriSaveurs project which will see the creation of a commercial kitchen that would be available to local producers and restaurateurs for product packaging, and food processing and preparation.
The MRC will release final details concerning this funding in the coming weeks.