Photo courtesy
By Nick Fonda
Local Journalism Initiative
The headline in last Tuesday’s (Sept. 3) paper was at least a little startling: six candidates had stepped forward to contest the September 29 byelection in Richmond’s District 5.
Of itself, six candidates vying for one post is not particularly remarkable.
(In a recent federal byelection in Toronto’s St. Paul riding, 84 names were on the ballot. The great majority of those candidates were trying to send a message to Justin Trudeau, that he should keep his 2015 promise to reform our first-past-the-post electoral system and replace it with some form of proportional representation. Despite being a long-standing Liberal stronghold, Justin Trudeau’s candidate lost the byelection. Trudeau did not get the message to keep his promise, or if he did, he opted to ignore it.)
What makes the number of candidates unusual is that Richmond’s municipal elections rarely prompt so many potential politicians to step forward. The late Marc-André Martel served as Richmond’s mayor for 31 years and only ever contested one election, his first. His multiple subsequent mandates all came by acclamation. Similarly, town councillors only rarely find themselves having to campaign for votes. The folks in District 5, for example, have given their seat by acclamation the last four elections.
Not so this time. Six people, all men, thought that this byelection was a good time to get involved in municipal politics. Sitting on town council requires commitment. A short mandate of just barely over a year is an ideal testing period. It’s long enough to see if there’s enough time and energy to make good on the commitment. It’s also long enough also to realize that the chemistry or group dynamic just isn’t there.
On Sunday, Sept. 29, or Sunday, Sept. 22 for those who want to cast their ballot early, the more than 450 eligible voters in Richmond’s District 5 will elect their new councillor. He will be one of the following: Pierre Bédard, Raymond De Martin, Nicolas Isabelle, Yves Lupien, Benoit Saint-Pierre, or Kevin Stoddard.
The Record reached out to all six to ask why they’re running for office and what they hope a seat on town council will permit them to do.
Pierre Bédard
Pierre Bédard is 69 years old and has lived in Richmond for the last four years. After studying Computer Science and Economics, he obtained an MBA from the Université de Montréal’s Hautes Études Commerciales. His varied and extensive work experience began with a paper route when he was still a young boy. He spent 25 years working with different oil companies in, among other things, distribution and sales. For a time, he owned a small company that operated vending machines and doubled its profits in four years. He also worked as a consultant to small and medium businesses.
He has always done volunteer work, something he describes as a family trait and traces back to his grandparents’ involvement in scouting. Since moving to Richmond, he has become a volunteer at the Centre d’Art de Richmond as well as continuing his involvement with other volunteer organizations in Sherbrooke.
“Part of the reason I’m running for office,” Pierre Bédard says, “is to meet more of my neighbours and learn their concerns. Richmond’s demographic is changing. There are many people here whose roots go back several generations, but there are also new arrivals from all corners of the world.”
“I’d like to work towards making Main Street a little more attractive,” he says. “Richmond already attracts visitors with events like the St. Pat’s Parade and the Antique Car Show, but I wonder if we can’t do a little more?”
“I find that, in general, people tend to be a little shy,” he continues. “I wonder if holding neighbourhood street parties wouldn’t be a good way to get people to mingle a little more. It’s a common phenomenon in Europe. Recently, the Mahubay Fest on Richmond’s Main Street brought out a lot of people and suggests to me that there’s an appetite for that kind of get-together.”
“I’m also conscious of the need for affordable housing,” he adds. “Could the Town help in some way, either by investing in buildings itself or by encouraging developers to integrate more affordable units into their new construction projects?”
“As well,” he says, “we could look at other income streams for the Town. We should also consider balancing what the Town contributes to organizations outside of the municipality and to those within the municipality.”
Raymond De Martin
Raymond De Martin is 63 years old and has lived in Richmond for the last six years. He studied Law at the Université de Montréal and later Administration at the Université de Québec. Despite his academic background, he never took his bar exam and never practiced law.
Raymond’s work experience is quite varied. For several years he worked as an administrator, overseeing programs that supported community groups as well as individuals and families facing difficulties. For a period of time, he owned and operated a travel agency. He was also an independent trucker for close to two decades. He has travelled widely, both in Europe and Africa.
“A friend, who currently sits on Richmond’s Town Council, told me about this byelection,” he says. “At the time, no candidates had stepped forward to contest the seat and I was interested, both in terms of personal experience and making a contribution to the town.”
“I think I could help in a few ways,” he continues. “One of my preoccupations is with waste. There are several small steps that could be taken to reduce waste, and taken together would reduce the drain on the Town’s coffers.”
“To go a step further,” he adds, “it might be worthwhile to consider an amalgamation of Richmond and the surrounding municipalities. Do Cleveland, Melbourne, and Richmond each need their own administrative structures? Wouldn’t a single administration save considerable sums of money?”
“As a young retiree,” he says, “I could focus all my time and energy on serving as a councillor. I believe it’s essential to listen to citizens and then work together to find solutions to the problems that Richmond’s taxpayers face.”
Yves Lupien
Yves Lupien is 64 years old. He was born in Melbourne and, except for three years spent in Montreal, has lived in Richmond his entire life. He studied Marketing at the Cégep de Sherbrooke. He worked for a few years as a number cruncher for the toy company, Hasbro, before becoming an operator at the Domtar mill in Windsor. His volunteer work in the area includes driving and delivering for Meals on Wheels as well as clearing brush off the trails at the Melbourne Cross-Country Ski Club. He also helped out regularly at church suppers.
“I decided to run for town council shortly after doing a TV interview with CBC News,” Yves Lupien says. “From mid-May till the end of July the water coming out of taps at home was brown. I found it hard to accept the mayor telling me that brown water was good to drink. A third of the town was affected and yet we were told nothing. The Town has to be more transparent with its citizens.”
“I’m also bothered by the debts that the Town has incurred,” he continues. “On my municipal tax bill, 20 per cent is allotted to covering costs related to decontaminating soil on the site of the new apartment buildings on Adam St. and water infrastructure. At least some of those costs should not have been borne by the Town.”
“I’m running for councillor because I want to be involved, I want to improve things,” he says. “For example, Dufferin Street has only one functioning street light. That’s not acceptable. Similarly, we need lighting at the intersection of Laurier Street and Highway 143. As well, because my wife and I walk a lot, I notice that the upkeep and maintenance of streets and parks leaves a lot to be desired. Our municipal workers should take more pride in their work.”
Benoit Saint-Pierre
Benoit Saint-Pierre is 71 years old and has been a property owner in Richmond for the last 15 years. After retiring 12 years ago his weekend getaway became his permanent home. Benoit holds a B.Sc. in chemical engineering from the Université de Sherbrooke. He spent his career in the aluminum industry where he rose to a senior management position, a role that saw him oversee projects as far afield as Australia.
In 2015, Benoit became the founding president of the non-profit, Couvent Mont St-Patrice, where he succeeded in refurbishing the old convent and finding tenants to rent almost 100 per cent of its useable space. For the last four years he has sat on the Comité Consultatif d’Urbanisme. He is also a volunteer at the Daniel Menard Library and for Meals on Wheels.
“I’m running for office because I wonder if I can help in some way,” Benoit Saint-Pierre says. “Sitting on the town council will be a learning experience, a chance to see how things work and also to find out the limitations within which the Town has to operate. All my life, I’ve worked to improve on ideas and initiatives that were already established. I see myself as someone who can bring people together. I believe that it’s important that the Town and its citizens have a shared vision of the future. There are always immediate problems that have to be addressed but long-term planning is essential. We saw this here recently when the pump at the water filtration plant broke down. Water security should definitely be one of the Town’s objectives.”
Kevin Stoddard
Kevin Stoddard is 32 years old. Except for a year and a half that he spent in Sherbrooke, he has been a Richmond resident all his life. He studied Criminology at Champlain College before opting to join the Sherbrooke Fusiliers. After three years with the army, he decided to join his father and brother in the family business, Centre Mécanique RS, in Richmond. For the last decade he has been a volunteer firefighter, participating actively in the extra tasks that the fire department undertakes: collection of hazardous waste, family day, and Hallowe’en security.
“I’ve always had an interest in municipal politics,” Kevin Stoddard says. “I was contemplating running in the next general municipal election in 2025. It was a friend on town council who told me there was going to be a byelection and suggested I consider running.”
“There are a lot of good things about Richmond,” he continues. “It’s a friendly place and you can feel safe here. Still, one source of dissatisfaction for me is the lack of activities for youth. For example, we have a skate park but it’s largely abandoned. Another example is our Main Street which has far too many closed storefronts. We should be working to bring in new businesses, perhaps through grants or subsidies for new start-ups.”
“I am concerned about taxes,” he says. “Homeowners are paying rates comparable to Sherbrooke’s without the same level of amenities. I want to listen to people’s concerns and then find ways to address them.”
At press time, Nicolas Isabelle had not yet replied to requests for an interview.
The byelection in District 5 was called following the death of André Brussière, who was in his first term as councillor. If a council seat becomes vacant more than 12 months before the next general election, the municipality is legally bound to hold a byelection. A town official estimated that the cost of holding the Sept. 30 byelection will amount to $7,000 or $8,000, an unexpected expenditure in this year’s budget. The next general election, on Oct. 5, 2025, will likely cost about three times as much and will be budgeted ahead of time. Most electoral costs go to training and salaries for election officials.