By Trevor Greenway
Benoit Hudon got his first taste of politics at age 11.
“I visited the parliament in Quebec, representing the local MNA as an elementary student,” Hudon told the Low Down. “It was a very powerful experience to be in the National Assembly, and that got me to look into how it works.”
After spending many years in business consulting, management and organizing social causes in the region, the Edelweiss resident is now looking to get back into the political ring as the La Pêche councillor for Ward 6.
“Being based in La Pêche, I now realize that being a municipal councillor in local politics has a real impact on people. It’s an accessible service. It’s where we can be in contact with the population. And I feel this is a very important level of interaction and service which I now want to be involved in,” he said about running for councillor in the upcoming November municipal elections.
Hudon said he wants to continue the good work of his predecessor, outgoing Edelweiss Coun. Richard Gervais. He said he hopes to continue being a voice for his constituents in the newly formed Ward 6, which encompasses every La Pêche resident east of the Gatineau River. The area is vast, but not densely populated, with around 1,000 residents. Despite the smaller population, Hudon said he will fight for his constituents’ share of the municipal pie if elected.
“It’s important for me that even if it’s a … low demographic area we have a voice on the council, and we’re not forgotten in regard to road infrastructure and investment in that part,” he said.
“New people are coming here and people are biking. It’s important for me that when we take on new projects and evolve the road infrastructure in that area alongside the 366 that we keep it safe for people biking to and from the Edelweiss valley to the village, or Clark Road to the village, and the same for Chemin la Montagne and so on,” he said.
In terms of general La Pêche priorities, Hudon said he was pleased to see that the municipality is taking water protection seriously, but he wants to push further to ensure that people aren’t faced with dry wells or other water issues as more development heads to the village.
The new Esplanade development on MacLaren Road, once all its phases are completed, could feature up to 250 new housing units. Hamilton Gardens near Valley Drive in Wakefield, which is set to break ground in the next few weeks, will boast 40 units across multiple buildings.
“We need to have this good balance between development, which I think is still the case at the moment, but always we have to be vigilant,” he said. “It’s how we develop versus the quality of life of the resident.”
Hudon grew up in Buckingham but has lived in La Pêche since 2020. He is the current executive-director at Ski à l’école, a non-profit organization that introduces cross-country skiing at no cost to kids, adolescents, teens, adults and seniors – anyone between the ages of four and 104. Ski à l’école has visited local schools and senior groups. Since Hudon took over as director, more than 100,000 free ski outings have taken place in the region.
At just 33, he is among the youngest councillors in the province, as only 10 per cent of municipal councillors in Quebec are between the ages of 18 and 34. Hudon said he feels that this gives him a bit of an advantage, as it will help him engage with youth and young adults when working on projects such as climate change, recreation services and municipal budgets.
“Without having this intention of being a role model of any kind … I think just having the passion for myself and the will to serve … it can create this conversation around me,” said Hudon.
“I think among people of my age or younger it creates interest and I hope to bring that into the political realm as well.”
The municipal elections take place Nov. 2.