Local Journalism Initiative

PASPÉBIAC – Following heavy rainstorms in June and August, along with the lingering effects of Hurricane Lee on September 16 and 17, the town of Paspebiac will be examining the capacity of its infrastructure against increasingly severe weather events.

Between August 7 and 10, the area received 135 millimetres of rain resulting in damage to several municipal infrastructures and residences.

“It’s a good lesson. It’s when we realise that weather events can take us by surprise. The priority at the moment is public safety,” explains the mayor of Paspebiac, Marc Loisel.

The town wants to make sure that its municipal facilities are well-adapted to withstand intense, short-duration storms.

“We’re looking at the network and analyzing its capacity to handle such situations. It’s obvious that when there’s a sudden downpour like in August, there are municipalities with larger networks than ours that suffer fairly major impacts. The important thing is to ensure that our infrastructure is compliant,” continues the mayor.

Although some damage was recorded, Mr. Loisel does not yet have a precise estimate of the costs incurred by the completed repairs.

The government of Quebec has included Paspebiac in the decree offering financial assistance for towns affected by the rainfall, as published in the Quebec Government’s Gazette officielle. The municipality intends to submit invoices for the repairs in an attempt to obtain compensation for the expenses incurred as a result of the heavy rainfall.

The neighbouring town of New Carlisle experienced more extensive damage. Their mayor David Thibault estimated the cost of repairs to be around $200,000.

GASPÉ – The issue of housing jurisdiction for the MRCs should have been resolved, but new obstacles are emerging, according to the president of the Table of prefects de la Gaspésie.

Almost 18 months ago, the Gaspésie MRCs faced opposition from the Quebec Ministry of Housing, which would not allow them to provide funding or assistance for projects to promote the construction of apartments, one of the regional priorities.

At the time, Gaspé Member of the National Assembly, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, expressed a desire to find a solution to address the issue.

“The MRCs want to support the construction of private rental housing. After some political work, the Municipal Affairs Ministry came up with a proposal. After analysis, this proposal, which is a roundabout way rather than going directly to the field of competence, does not meet the objectives because it is too restrictive,” explains the Table’s president, Mathieu Lapointe.

During discussions in the past year, rather than introducing a bill to grant this competence, it was agreed to go through administrative channels.

As a result, under the existing rules, it would not be permitted to build outside urban perimeters or in areas not served by water and sewer systems.

“A large part of our territory is not served by these services. So, we are back to square one, and we ask that the MRCs be given jurisdiction to intervene,” Mr. Lapointe reiterates.

Again questioned on this issue, the MNA for Gaspé and assistant to the regional minister understands the concerns raised regarding the current rules.

“It’s important to remember that MRCs can delegate this responsibility to municipalities. When you look at the Haute-Gaspésie and the Côte-de-Gaspé, there are some major projects underway. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s possible under the current conditions but, obviously, something isn’t working for the representative of the prefects,” says Mr. Sainte-Croix.

The MNA suggests that the table des préfets president call on the Union of Quebec Municipalities and the Quebec Federation of municipalities to bring the issue to the attention of the Quebec government.

“We understand that, if this is the case, it has an impact on all Quebec municipalities, and I imagine that the Quebec government would listen carefully,” suggests Mr. Sainte-Croix, who understands some of the constraints mentioned by the president of the Table des préfets.

“We don’t disagree with Mr. Lapointe’s position, but there are objectives in terms of land use planning objectives, and Mr. Lapointe would do well to raise the matter with his counterparts,” adds Mr. Sainte-Croix.

The incentives totalling $2 million are working.

Each MRC has $400,000 to stimulate the construction of 40 apartments per territory at a rate of $10,000 per door.

“The entire envelope is reserved for the Haute-Gaspésie and Côte-de-Gaspé. There is still a little room in Avignon, Bonaventure and Rocher-Percé,” mentions Mathieu Lapointe, who expects the entire amount to be used by the end of the program in December 2024.

Despite very significant needs, the Table of prefects has not yet decided on phase 2 of this successful program.

“With the Regional-Rurality Fund, we still have some money left over from Phase 1, but it’s too little to provide the kind of support we have. We are working on other plans hence the idea of the MRC competence which has funds that could be used. We are working in other ways at the moment, and we will also look at the new fiscal pact,” mentions the resident.

GASPÉ – The Marinard shrimp processing plant in Rivière-au-Renard has been purchased by a numbered company formed by Bill and George Sheehan, of Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé. They are notably known as shareholders of the firm E. Gagnon et Fils with their father Raymond, who presides over the latter.

The information that had been circulating in the industry for several weeks was transmitted to SPEC on October 30 and confirmed on October 31 in a press release.

“There are still assets and facilities that correspond to our needs. We can talk about the cold room, the laboratories. With the plant, it’s certain that it will be a big challenge with the shrimp crisis, but we’re going to try to meet it,” says Bill Sheehan, Vice-President of E. Gagnon et fils.

The Sheehans are making a bold decision considering the confirmed shrimp crisis.

“A little, yes. Audacious, that’s the right word. Certainly, in the short term, we have storage needs. The warehouse made a big difference in the decision. We also have to think about the employees. If we think of the Gagnon plant, we have more than a hundred foreign workers. We are facing a labour shortage. The 140 employees at Marinard are resources that ensured that the transaction was possible on our side. The 140 people in the current (labour shortage) situation, I think it (the acquisition) is good positioning,” continues Mr. Sheehan.

“We intend to continue with shrimp but we will see what will happen in the coming weeks,” says Mr. Sheehan.

The goal was to restart operations on November 6. They were suspended on September 1 due to a shortage of shrimp to process.

“We will have shrimp coming from outside to conduct tests, and then there will be repackaging. We will do everything in our capacity to allow employees to complete their weeks. This is our priority,” says the vice president..

As shrimp is becoming increasingly scarce and with a possible return of redfish fishery, the plant could be adapted.

“We are always on the lookout for new species. My father got into salted-dried cod. We moved on to lobster, crab, and shrimp. Plants in Gaspésie have always adapted. If the opportunity presents itself, at Marinard, we have the location. The plant has already processed many of them (species). There’s a lot of refrigeration, cooking, flour mills. There’s a lot of possibilities. If the opportunity presents itself and it can be profitable, we will be there,” says Mr. Sheehan

The plant currently has a shrimp processing permit only.

The laboratory’s research activities will be maintained.

The value of the transaction between E. Gagnon et Fils, based in Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé, and Daley Seafoods of Newfoundland and Labrador, which announced the acquisition of the company on December 20, 2021, has not been disclosed.

E. Gagnon will take over the cold storage. A new company will be created to oversee Marinard Biotech, IT (technology branch), the fish market, and the processing plant.

“We are quite proud to repatriate a plant owned by Quebecers and even better Gaspesians,” says Mr. Sheehan humbly.

E. Gagnon is always open to opportunities that may arise.

“But we will still have good challenges to face with this plant which still has good potential,” concludes Mr. Sheehan.

Positive reactions

The political community, the shrimp industry and the workers are all optimistic about the news.

“We understand the intention of the new owners, who are people from the region, is first to secure the employees and ensure they qualify for employment insurance so that they can get through the winter,” says the mayor of Gaspé, Daniel Côté.

Mr. Côté notes that the new owners will be able to better control what happens in the fishing sector and bring the “luster” back to the plant.

“We want to look at other possible solutions to use all of the plant’s facilities. They didn’t buy it for nothing. They are savvy business people. I look forward to hearing about their plans,” the mayor continues.

In the context where shrimp is experiencing a sharp decline, Mr. Côté breathes a sigh of relief. “I have high hopes for the future,” adds the elected official.

The Quebec government was aware of the discussions between the parties and of E. Gagnon and fils’ intentions, however, the provincial government was not called upon to intervene in the matter.

“We’re very happy with the outcome. We understand that this was a priority issue for the riding,” says Gaspé Member of the National Assembly, Stéphane Sainte-Croix.

“We’re proud of the company’s return to Quebec and, more specifically, to the Gaspé region, and for our employees, we’re helping to secure their situation in the short term,” continues Mr. Sainte-Croix. “We didn’t want to lose this asset in the fisheries,” he adds.

The buyer mainly processes lobster and crab, and the purchased plant processes shrimp. If E. Gagnon et fils requested new permits to make the plant profitable, the Quebec Government would be open to assisting.

“We will have to evaluate the ins and outs of all that. We will have to let the committee do its work and make the necessary recommendations. These are discussions which, I imagine, will take place over the coming weeks,” explains the MNA.

The Quebec Shrimp Fishermen’s Office is delighted for the plant’s workers who will be able to qualify for employment insurance.

“We will see what the new owner will do in the shrimp sector which will change over the coming days. It will be interesting to see how the new owner positions himself in the context where the resource will be limited next year,” reacts the director of the Quebec Shrimp Fishermen’s Office, Patrice Element.

“This is very good news, and I think everyone will be happy,” says Luce Jean, the president of the union representing the plant workers affiliated with the CSN.

“I think it should go well over the next year. I hope that the new owners will meet us soon to discuss where we are going and to find out if we are going to work this winter,” continues Ms. Jean.

GASPÉ – What everyone feared has been confirmed: shrimp quotas will be significantly reduced for the upcoming season.

This was the outcome at the meeting of the Shrimp Advisory Committee in Quebec City to discuss scientific surveys and the various scenarios presented by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

As suggested, the worst case scenario would involve approximately 325 tonnes for the Sept-Îles area, 240 tonnes for Anticosti, and 50 tonnes for Esquiman as quotas for next year.

However, there is no assessment available for the Estuary due to a lack of scientific data.

Quebec fishermen should expect the worst, according to the Quebec Shrimp Fishermen’s Office.

“We more or less confirmed the figures we previously had. There are no figures for the Estuary zone. With the decline in other zones, the Estuary will become the most important zone for Quebec fishermen even if historically, it’s the smallest fishing zone. Depending on the minister’s decision, we risk ending up with a quota for Quebec fishermen including First Nations of between 0 and 1,300 tonnes. When we think that there are fishermen who had quotas of 500 or 600 tonnes in 2015, that shows you the scale of the decline or the catastrophe,” states the director of the office, Patrice Element.

“1200 tonnes is not enough to support a fleet of 35 or 40 shrimp boats. We are talking about a handful of fishermen who will be able to go fishing, if it is possible to distribute them among the fishermen. Will a processing plant want to open? When we talk about 1000 tonnes, that’s two million pounds. Last year, which was not a good year, the three processors produced 15 million pounds. If we go back 10 years, each of the Quebec plants processed 13-14-15 million pounds,” explains Mr. Element.

“The question arises: will fishermen be able to go fishing? Will processors be able to open their plants? That’s the question,” the director adds.

The warming of the water, the drop in oxygen levels and especially the rising presence of redfish explain the decrease in shrimp.

“There’s not much we can do with the water temperature or the drop in oxygen. But we can have control over the redfish. We need to start catching this fish as soon as possible,” Mr. Element strongly suggests.

The committee focused on the shrimp situation, but many of the attendees were preoccupied with the redfish fishery.

Given current findings, it is unlikely to see a recovery of shrimp stocks in the coming years.

“In the medium term, if there are fewer redfish, perhaps the shrimp biomass will recover. These small animals are very resilient, and perhaps the shrimp can recover. The redfish will be there next year. Even if we start fishing for them, the water will stay warm and the oxygen will stay low. No, there is no short-term recovery,” Mr. Element concurs.

Faced with these facts, support will be needed for the shrimp industry and also the communities that will be affected in Eastern Canada.

With a quota of 1000 tonnes, would a moratorium be appropriate?

“No one in the industry, and not many people in the federal government, want to consider a moratorium because we are falling into administrative complexities, and we will not be fishing for a long period. It’s difficult to answer this question honestly, but with a quota of 500 tonnes or 1000 tonnes, there are several people who will ask themselves the question you are asking,” says Mr. Element in response to the question.

The stakeholders hope they will receive a quick answer from the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Diane Lebouthillier, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands.

“I was able to read the most recent scientific assessment of the state of shrimp stocks in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, which was presented at the advisory committee meeting in Quebec. The conclusions are clear and are a concern. Three of the four shrimp stocks in the region are currently in the critical zone, and only 38% of the total quota has been fished this year,” writes Ms. Lebouthillier.

She mentions that the findings do not come as a surprise but they will allow for the next steps to be taken.

“Over the coming weeks, DFO will finalize the analysis of all scientific data, industry comments, and the economic impacts of the various scenarios before submitting a recommendation to my desk by December,” says the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Ms. Lebouthillier has stated that the game plan will be submitted no later than after the holidays in January, and her department will maintain contact with the industry, as well as with all levels of government while awaiting its decision.

PERCÉ – Serious allegations surrounding the Director of Urban Planning and Land Management for the Town of Percé led to his suspension by the municipal administration on October 30.

According to information obtained by SPEC, Ghislain Pitre is suspected of fraud, theft of large sums of money from the municipality and the falsification of documents, prompting the launch of an administrative investigation.

The executive is suspended with pay while the investigation is being carried out.

The attorney for the Town of Percé, Simon Cossette Lachance, points out that an independent and impartial firm has been tasked to conduct the investigation.

A report is expected to be produced as soon as possible.

Sources indicate that the alleged incidents extend over a lengthy period of time. They also say the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) has taken an interest in the case, a fact that is being denied by the Town of Percé.

When contacted, Mr. Pitre declined to comment regarding the allegations, referring SPEC to the Town of Percé.

This is a delicate situation for the mayor of Percé, Cathy Poirier, considering the fact that Mr. Pitre is her spouse.

Ms. Poirier also refused to comment on the situation.

The Town of Percé attorney says the mayor was not informed of the investigation’s administrative procedures.

NEW RICHMOND – Agricultural production in 2023 has been the worst in 20 years, according to the outgoing president of the Gaspé Peninsula Magdalen Islands Union of Agricultural Producers.

The poor production doesn’t paint a rosy picture for producers. “The impacts of Mother Nature have really been unfavourable. If we talk about hay, vegetables, potatoes, at all levels, it’s really a disaster,” explains the outgoing president of the Gaspé Peninsula Magdalen Islands Union of Agricultural Producers, Michèle Poirier.

“In the last 20 years, we haven’t seen this disastrous temperature as we have this year,” she adds.

Producers are taking measures to adapt to climate change. “They are moving toward regenerative farming. They are changing the way they farm, the way they nourish their soil. They’re going to try to make it soft so that if there are disasters, the soil reacts less abruptly,” stresses Ms. Poirier.

Stakeholders involved in agriculture in the Gaspé Peninsula are prepared to work together to find solutions.

Another factor that will impact agricultural producers is the significant increase in interest rates in recent months. “What worries me are the interest rates because there will be (loan) renewals. I think it will hurt because the rates are very high and the worst is yet to come. We’re not there yet,” analyzes the outgoing president.

She criticizes the Quebec government and the Minister of Agriculture, André Lamontagne, for seemingly not understanding the difficulty experienced by producers. “I don’t feel listened to enough by Minister Lamontagne. You know, it’s quite different when you sit in an office and when you work on the ground. I think next year will be decisive,” says Ms. Poirier.

At the next UPA congress in Quebec, Ms. Poirier highlights that pressure will be made in hopes of getting the attention of politicians. “Once they have listened, perhaps they can take action,” adds the outgoing president.

After six years at the helm of the organization, Ms. Poirier completed her term as president of the regional UPA.

The word “succession” is frequently mentioned in her interventions and interactions with the presss

“I’m very proud of that. There is a very good team at the UPA which is capable of transitioning with a new president who will bring new blood and new ways of working. I think it will go well,” says the outgoing president who passed the torch to Sylvain Arbor at the October 30 annual general meeting.

Relations with Gaspésie gourmande, the MRCs, the agri-advisory networks, and field workers are also elements mentioned by the outgoing president. “I believe we have the right tools to organize ourselves,” says Ms. Poirier.

The UPA president is a member of the regional Employment Table. “We are trying to advance agriculture so that we can make a good living from it and be able to feed our world.”

A dairy farm and a beef farm will soon be added to the list of Gaspesian producers. “I think we have big gains coming in agriculture,” says Ms. Poirier.

GASPÉ – Four investors have joined forces to acquire the Le Foyer de Gaspé seniors’ residence, thus ensuring the continuity of activities.

“For at least a year, we had been evaluating the opportunity to acquire the home. We have four complementary profiles. The need in the community is essential. There was a lack of succession. We seized this opportunity despite the major challenges we have encountered with the pandemic in recent years,” explains one of the partners, Marc Frenette.

The three other shareholders are Martin Boulay, Dan Gleeton and Jimmy Marticotte, specialists in construction, customer service and operations.

The residence, with 53 places, accommodates both independent and semi-independent seniors. Currently, forty-seven people reside there under the care of 23 employees.

The residents

seem happy

“For us, having people who are happy is important. The relationship that we will build is a key to the success of the establishment. It’s essential,” continues Mr. Frenette.

The new administrators were not afraid to embark on this new challenge, despite regulations having been tightened since the fire at the Résidence du Havre de l’Isle-Verte, which claimed 32 lives in January 2014, and the increased scrutiny following the upheaval in CHSLDs and RPAs during the pandemic.

“Here, we are compliant and we have everything we need. This was clearly part of the risk assessment in relation to the acquisition. There are the building and financial issues. There are a lot of factors. Yes, it scared us but the relationship with the CISSS, making sure we know the laws, knowing the points of contact, having a good network to ensure that we maintain services, and, above all, having a compliant establishment is what we want to ensure,” says Mr. Frenette.

Since 2021, around 500 seniors’ residences have closed their doors.

“It’s very risky. It’s very ambitious, but it’s a necessity to have these residences in the region. These are people who have needs. We are an aging population. The future was clearly uncertain if we had not invested,” says the group’s spokesperson.

The new owners do not wish to disclose the value of the transaction.

The residence has been in operation since 2017.

In addition to Foyer de Gaspé, the group of entrepreneurs has its sights set on other businesses in the region.

“We want to invest in the community and evaluate different scenarios for business succession projects in the region,” explains Marc Frenette. “We are aware that entrepreneurial succession is sometimes rare. For the continuity of our operations, we are evaluating the possibility of taking over companies in different sectors if the need arises.”

PASPÉBIAC – Following heavy rainstorms in June and August, along with the lingering effects of Hurricane Lee on September 16 and 17, the town of Paspebiac will be examining the capacity of its infrastructure against increasingly severe weather events.

Between August 7 and 10, the area received 135 millimetres of rain resulting in damage to several municipal infrastructures and residences.

“It’s a good lesson. It’s when we realise that weather events can take us by surprise. The priority at the moment is public safety,” explains the mayor of Paspebiac, Marc Loisel.

The town wants to make sure that its municipal facilities are well-adapted to withstand intense, short-duration storms.

“We’re looking at the network and analyzing its capacity to handle such situations. It’s obvious that when there’s a sudden downpour like in August, there are municipalities with larger networks than ours that suffer fairly major impacts. The important thing is to ensure that our infrastructure is compliant,” continues the mayor.

Although some damage was recorded, Mr. Loisel does not yet have a precise estimate of the costs incurred by the completed repairs.

The government of Quebec has included Paspebiac in the decree offering financial assistance for towns affected by the rainfall, as published in the Quebec Government’s Gazette officielle. The municipality intends to submit invoices for the repairs in an attempt to obtain compensation for the expenses incurred as a result of the heavy rainfall.

The neighbouring town of New Carlisle experienced more extensive damage. Their mayor David Thibault estimated the cost of repairs to be around $200,000.

GASPÉ – The issue of housing jurisdiction for the MRCs should have been resolved, but new obstacles are emerging, according to the president of the Table of prefects de la Gaspésie.

Almost 18 months ago, the Gaspésie MRCs faced opposition from the Quebec Ministry of Housing, which would not allow them to provide funding or assistance for projects to promote the construction of apartments, one of the regional priorities.

At the time, Gaspé Member of the National Assembly, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, expressed a desire to find a solution to address the issue.

“The MRCs want to support the construction of private rental housing. After some political work, the Municipal Affairs Ministry came up with a proposal. After analysis, this proposal, which is a roundabout way rather than going directly to the field of competence, does not meet the objectives because it is too restrictive,” explains the Table’s president, Mathieu Lapointe.

During discussions in the past year, rather than introducing a bill to grant this competence, it was agreed to go through administrative channels.

As a result, under the existing rules, it would not be permitted to build outside urban perimeters or in areas not served by water and sewer systems.

“A large part of our territory is not served by these services. So, we are back to square one, and we ask that the MRCs be given jurisdiction to intervene,” Mr. Lapointe reiterates.

Again questioned on this issue, the MNA for Gaspé and assistant to the regional minister understands the concerns raised regarding the current rules.

“It’s important to remember that MRCs can delegate this responsibility to municipalities. When you look at the Haute-Gaspésie and the Côte-de-Gaspé, there are some major projects underway. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s possible under the current conditions but, obviously, something isn’t working for the representative of the prefects,” says Mr. Sainte-Croix.

The MNA suggests that the table des préfets president call on the Union of Quebec Municipalities and the Quebec Federation of municipalities to bring the issue to the attention of the Quebec government.

“We understand that, if this is the case, it has an impact on all Quebec municipalities, and I imagine that the Quebec government would listen carefully,” suggests Mr. Sainte-Croix, who understands some of the constraints mentioned by the president of the Table des préfets.

“We don’t disagree with Mr. Lapointe’s position, but there are objectives in terms of land use planning objectives, and Mr. Lapointe would do well to raise the matter with his counterparts,” adds Mr. Sainte-Croix.

The incentives totalling $2 million are working.

Each MRC has $400,000 to stimulate the construction of 40 apartments per territory at a rate of $10,000 per door.

“The entire envelope is reserved for the Haute-Gaspésie and Côte-de-Gaspé. There is still a little room in Avignon, Bonaventure and Rocher-Percé,” mentions Mathieu Lapointe, who expects the entire amount to be used by the end of the program in December 2024.

Despite very significant needs, the Table of prefects has not yet decided on phase 2 of this successful program.

“With the Regional-Rurality Fund, we still have some money left over from Phase 1, but it’s too little to provide the kind of support we have. We are working on other plans hence the idea of the MRC competence which has funds that could be used. We are working in other ways at the moment, and we will also look at the new fiscal pact,” mentions the resident.

GASPÉ – The annual average price of gasoline in the Gaspé Peninsula was among the highest in Quebec for three of the last five years.

This is what emerged in the notice on the price differences and marketing margins between the Quebec City region and the other regions of Quebec, released on October 25 by the Energy Board.

Upon consulting the document, it is learned that, with the exception of the Northern Quebec region, the Gaspé Peninsula posted the highest annual average price in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The Energy Board established the price per litre at $1.0871 in 2020, $1.3763 in 2021, and $1.8196 in 2022.

Furthermore, prices in 2018 ($1.3124) and 2019 ($1.2569) placed the region in fourth place in the province, just a few tenths of a cent from first place.

The region drops in the Energy Board’s 2023 ranking because the Bay of Chaleur area lowers the average due to much lower prices compared to the rest of the Gaspé Peninsula.

Another finding in this Energy Board notice is the estimated retail margin of Gaspesian retailers has increased much faster than the Quebec average.

In 2018, the average Gaspesian margin was 9.08 cents, compared to 6.35 cents for Quebec, representing a difference of 2.73 cents more in the region.

In 2023, the Gaspesian average is 13.80 cents so far, compared to 9.83 cents in Quebec, a difference of 3.97 cents.

The increase in the gap between 2018 and 2023 was determined to be 4.73 cents by the Energy Board, while this increase was only 3.48 cents in Quebec.

The net margin, that is, the retailer’s profit once operating costs determined by the Energy Board are eliminated, is 8.30 cents this year, compared to a provincial average of 5.26 cents.

This means that Gaspesian retailers, on average, make a profit of 3.04 cents higher than their counterparts.

The profit margin was 7.46 cents (5.68 cents in Quebec) in 2022, 5.76 cents (2.06 cents) in 2021, 6.91 cents (2.65 cents) in 2020, 4.58 cents (1.38 cents) in 2019 and 5.58 cents (2.85 cents) in 2018.

One factor that could explain the larger margins in the region is the lower competition.

The region has only eight distributors, the lowest number in the province.

The number of franchises is only 11 – tied with Northern Quebec, also the smallest proportion in the province.

The day after the report was published, retailers in the Gaspé area had a retail margin of 18.7 cents, those in Rocher-Percé 17.5 cents, and those in the Bay of Chaleur area had 13.8 cents.

Gasoline was selling for $1.75 in Gaspé and Rocher-Percé and an average of $1.69 in the Bay of Chaleur area.

Some gas stations in the New Richmond, Bonaventure, and Paspebiac areas even advertised a price of $1.66.

CAA-Quebec estimated the regional average price at $1.70.

In light of these findings in Quebec City, the Minister of Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon called on the five main retailers in the region to justify their profit margins.

He also asked the Competition Bureau to open an investigation.

In the Gaspé Peninsula, CAQ elected officials took the same step in July and reiterated their request in September.

The Competition Bureau responded that elected officials needed to demonstrate collusion in the region.

They did not accept this response and were considering approaching the office again.

Minister Fitzgibbon does not seem eager to intervene by setting a cap on retailer margins.

GASPÉ – The mayor of Gaspé is formally appealing to Energy Minister, Pierre Fitzgibbon, to regulate gasoline prices in Gaspé.

Week after week, the situation remains the same, as motorists in Gaspé continue to pay the highest gasoline prices in Quebec.

On October 31, retailers were advertising $1.75 per litre for regular gasoline. Only the Magdalen Islands and Northern Quebec had higher prices.

The price at the pump dropped to $1.66 on October 31 in the Rocher-Percé MRC, in Grande-Rivière and Chandler, less than an hour’s drive from Gaspé.

This price also prevailed in the Bay of Chaleur area, in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts and Matane. In contrast, Rimouski had a price of $1.69.

This data comes from numbers compiled by the Energy Board

According to the organization, the retail margin for a Gaspé retailer was 18.2 cents per litre. In the Bay of Chaleur, this margin was closer to 12.3 cents, while in Rocher-Percé, it was 10.8 cents.

“That doesn’t make any kind of common sense. This has often been said for the Gaspé Peninsula. We see that in the other sectors, excluding Gaspé, prices are falling and following a market curve and Gaspé still pays the most expensive price for gasoline,” denounces the mayor, Daniel Côté.

“I am convinced that there is someone who controls the price of gasoline. At some point, someone will have to find them and slap them on the fingers,” exasperates the elected official.

“Every time we make media outbursts, they get scared and the price drops because they are afraid of the Competition Bureau or the Energy Board. We have the Competition Bureau and the Energy Board who have decided not to give a damn. During this time, they have raised the price of gasoline solidly in Gaspé while elsewhere in the region and in Quebec, it is lower,” denounces the elected official.

“I appeal to the Minister of Energy to clean up this mess,” demands the mayor.

“Independent retailers do not decide the price of gasoline. They are told it by someone at the top. If there is someone who controls the price, you have to find them and kick them out,” says the mayor.

“If I had the power, I would make every effort to find the culprit. Our people shouldn’t have to pay so much for gasoline. It’s absurd,” says the mayor.

In other remote regions, it was $1.65 in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and $1.66 on the North Shore on October 31.

Lorraine Carpenter, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

This morning the Quebec government announced a $9.7-million investment to support the homeless this winter. The funding will go towards the addition of beds in emergency shelters, and making the services at those shelters available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who spoke at today’s press conference alongside Quebec ministers Pierre Fitzgibbon and Lionel Carmant, commended the province for the initiative, and community organizations for supporting the homeless year-round.

“The needs of people experiencing homelessness are dire. We have a responsibility to provide them with safe shelter in the winter. It is a question of human dignity. I invite us to continue to work together to support community organizations, which do essential work.”

Plante also made mention of social housing, another financial need in Montreal when it comes to preventing and reducing homelessess.

“We must also work to provide a sufficient quantity of social housing. It is the central solution to respond to homelessness issues.”

Lorraine Carpenter, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

A petition calling for the cancellation of the impending Quebec university tuition hike is available to sign on the National Assembly website. The petition was sponsored by Liberal MNA for Saint-Laurent Marwah Rizqy, who is the official opposition critic for education and higher education.

The widely criticized CAQ proposal would increase university tuition for out-of-province Canadian students from approximately $9,000 to $17,000, while tuition for international students will exceed $20,000, as of September 2024.

To view and/or sign the petition to cancel the Quebec university tuition hike, please visit the National Assembly website.