Published July 3, 2024

Bonnie James

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

 MRC PONTIAC – The MRC Pontiac’s Council of Mayors’ (CoM) monthly meeting was held June 19 at the MRC headquarters in Litchfield. It was standing room only as two new issues have stoked civic discourse.

Road rage

Former Campbell’s Bay Mayor Bill Stewart, backed by a sizable group of citizens, pled his case over a road dispute that has arisen in Otter Lake. On May 2, Stewart received a letter from the MRC informing him that log trucks would begin hauling on an abandoned colonization road that crosses his and another private property. Stewart claims the deactivated stretch of road hasn’t been touched by the municipality since before 1991 and residents have maintained it since then.

The MRC followed the letter with a meeting between Otter Lake Mayor Terry Lafleur, MRC Director of Land Use Planning and Environment, Jason Durand, and Bill Stewart and family. Durand then revealed the MRC’s intention to clear and lease 8 to 11 lakefront resort lots on Otter Lake, necessitating access via the road through Stewart’s land. The abandoned road was to be reactivated as a municipal road.

Stewart claims the reopening of the road would infringe on his property rights and cause safety issues.

At the June 19 council meeting, Durand said the road was listed as a municipal road in the 2013 cadaster, but it’s possible the listing was a mistake. MRC Warden Jane Toller suggested a meeting with Gail Sullivan, regional director for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests Outaouais- Laurentides to look into it.

Meanwhile, Stewart is preparing to gate the road and says he will take legal action if necessary. Toller promised no work will begin until the issue is resolved.

Seeking fairness

Isabelle Cardinal, Alleyn-et-Cawood director general, along with Angela Giroux, Property Evaluation Task Force Chair, three municipal councillors and a few other task force members asked the CoM to sign the municipality’s letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest.  

The letter requests a review of the property evaluation process, questioning the relevance of the comparative factor, and asking specifically for a review of the 3.7 comparative factor Alleyn-et-Cawood has been hit with for 2024.

Council passed a resolution in support of the initiative, but there was some discussion surrounding the mayors signing the resolution vs. signing the letter. Ultimately, 15 mayors signed the letter, with Shawville, Mansfield and Waltham choosing to abstain.

The resolution from council also states the MRC will consider options other than the comparative factor to calculate municipal shares and will potentially draft a bylaw to minimize the effect of the comparative factor to guard against major increases in the second and third years of the triennial role. The National Assembly has approved Alleyn-et-Cawood’s petition requesting review of the property evaluation process. It can be found here: https://www.assnat. qc.ca/en/exprimez-votre-opinion/ petition/Petition-10859

Trash on the table

The MRC has hired a new environmental coordinator, Nina Digioacchino, to focus on waste management. Digioacchino lives in Bristol and has an extensive background in waste management, having worked in the field for both the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau. She has also owned her own waste management consulting business, Integrated Environmental Waste Services, for more than 15 years.

Digioacchino replaces Thierry Raimbault, who left for a job at the Ministry of Agriculture in the spring.

Council also moved to award the contract for the reception, transportation, and disposal of household waste to FilloGreen following a call for tenders in May. Two bids were received. The contract will begin in August.

Left in the dark

The meeting ended with a discussion about frequent power outages in Mansfield and the Upper Pontiac with multiple occurrences reported in the last few weeks. I’Isle-aux-Allumettes Mayor Corey Spence said aging infrastructure is the problem and upgrades are urgently needed. He suggested sending a resolution to the energy board, as the response from Hydro Quebec hasn’t been satisfactory.

Toller said she would try to set up a meeting with Hydro Quebec and the affected municipalities: Mansfield, Waltham, L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, Chichester, and Sheenboro.

The CoM will break for July and the next meeting will be held August 21.

Photo – Bill Stewart presents his case to council, backed by a group of residents. (BJ)

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