Bert Collins and Frank Gilbert enter Lennoxville council race as independents

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

With the municipal election just months away, two more familiar names have entered the race for seats on Lennoxville’s borough council—both as independents. Bert Collins and Frank Gilbert have officially declared their candidacies, joining a growing slate of candidates competing for three key positions in the borough.

Bert Collins seeks return to public service

A former borough councillor, Bert Collins is aiming to make a political comeback and has officially launched his campaign for a seat on Lennoxville’s borough council.

“I retired Dec. 31 of last year,” Collins said in a recent interview. “Since then, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands I could give back to the community.” He noted that many residents have encouraged him to run again, often stopping him around town to ask if he’d consider returning to public service.

Collins has lived in Lennoxville his entire life and previously served both as a councillor and as borough president. “You could start going to school at kindergarten and finish at university in the same town,” he said, reflecting on the area’s unique qualities. But he feels the borough is too often overlooked by Sherbrooke’s central administration. “A lot of people… they don’t think that we exist.”

One of his major concerns is the condition of local roads. “When you go up College, starting at the corner of Queen, you have to zigzag to go up the hill—it’s that bad,” he said. He also pledged to improve communication for English speakers navigating city services. “It’s hard for the people of Lennoxville to get someone to speak English. At the end, you practically hang up.”

Collins also highlighted the lack of Lennoxville representation on Sherbrooke’s executive committee. “It’s been 12 years since we’ve had a seat,” he said, adding that he’s raised the issue with current mayoral candidates. “We need to be in the kitchen.”

He’s running as an independent despite outreach from both political parties active in Lennoxville. “They both called me—three times and two times,” he said, “but I decided to run as independent. I want to work for the people of Lennoxville, not for a party.”

His platform includes protecting the borough’s bilingual status, particularly amid community concerns about the future of Lennoxville’s designation. “I assure people—I’ll do everything I can to make sure we don’t lose it,” he said.

Frank Gilbert enters the race for Fairview

Running specifically for the Fairview councillor seat is Frank Gilbert, a long-time Lennoxville resident and retired firefighter.

Gilbert, 60, was born in 1964 and has lived in Lennoxville since 1966. “All my life I’ve been involved,” he said, referencing his time with Scouts, minor hockey, and especially the Lennoxville Fire Department. He helped found the Lennoxville Firemen’s Association monument and remains active in community efforts.

Like Collins, Gilbert chose to run independently. “I have no beliefs whatsoever in political parties at the municipal level,” he said. “Ever since we’ve had political parties in Sherbrooke, it’s been fights and discord. I want to work with people—not fight with them.”

He stressed the need for affordable housing in Lennoxville, particularly for young families. “You can’t buy a $600,000 house when you’re 25. We need duplexes, small houses, affordable streets,” he said, noting he had to move to Sherbrooke years ago due to high local housing costs. “If we want to keep our English kids here, we’ve got to have places for them to live.”

He also wants to address the borough’s downtown stagnation. “Why don’t we have a laundromat? Why are there empty buildings and lots?” he asked, adding that as an elected official he would reach out directly to property owners and city administrators to seek solutions. “Let’s work at it. Fill those empty holes.”

On bilingualism, Gilbert said his own upbringing taught him the importance of language access. “I learned to speak English from the neighbourhood kids,” he said. “It needs to become second nature for city staff to communicate in both languages here.”

He emphasized that his run was about giving back. “This isn’t a career thing for me. I’ll be retired soon, and I want to use that time to give to my community,” he said.

A full field in Lennoxville

Collins and Gilbert now join a growing list of candidates vying for Lennoxville’s three council seats: borough president, and councillors for Fairview and Uplands.

Sherbrooke Citoyen, led by mayoral candidate Raïs Kibonge, has a full slate in the borough. Long-time community organizer Kerwins Saint-Jean is running for borough president. “Lennoxville is a unique and vibrant part of Sherbrooke—bilingual, diverse, and closely knit,” he said at his campaign launch. His priorities include supporting Queen Street businesses, protecting the Ascot-Lennox forest, and improving public transit, including better evening and weekend service and a universal student transit pass.

Current councillor Guillaume Lirette-Gélinas is seeking re-election in Fairview under the same banner. He cited his accomplishments in protecting bilingual status and launching the Fairview Citizens’ Assembly. Daniela Fernandes, an education advisor at Champlain College, is running in Uplands as a member of Sherbrooke Citoyen. Her platform emphasizes pedestrian safety, citizen engagement, and intergenerational initiatives.

Meanwhile, Vision Action Sherbrooke (VAS) has introduced two candidates: André Duncan for borough president in Lennoxville and Norman Green for Fairview borough councillor. Duncan brings experience in hospitality and community outreach, and has advocated for affordable housing and strategic land use. Green, a long-time volunteer and former Lennoxville Residents Association president, is focusing on bilingualism, public transit, and government transparency.

Claude Charron, the current borough president, is not seeking re-election to that role but instead plans to run for councillor—a role swap with Jennifer Garfat, the current councillor who now aims for the borough presidency.

With six named candidates and at least one more VAS hopeful expected, Lennoxville residents will have multiple options to consider as the fall election approaches. The race is already shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years, with independents and party-aligned candidates presenting different visions for the borough’s future.