PETER L. SMITH
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE
SHEENBORO – Ratepayers unhappy with the municipality’s decision concerning ownership of sections of Trout Lake Road attended the monthly council meeting on August 12 to request a public consultation on the matter. The municipality, which owns about 5 km of four non-contiguous sections of the gravel road, voted to hand over ownership of those sections to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), a decision that has upset ratepayers along the road.
The road began as a colonization road in 1959 and would have remained so had the municipality not maintained it after 1993, according to correspondence received by property owner Mike Allard from the MNRF. The municipality, MNRF and Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD) are not legally obligated to maintain the road, but the municipality continues to offer assistance as much as they can since they’re not in a financial position to maintain it in its entirety.
During July’s meeting, councillors voted 3 to 3 to hand over the road’s ownership to the MNRF, with Mayor Doris Ranger breaking the tie in support of the transfer. Councillor John Brennan put forth a motion to rescind that decision at the August 12 meeting, which again ended in a 3 to 3 vote, with Ranger voting not to support Brennan’s motion to break the tie. As a measure of security, Sûreté du Quebec officers attended the meeting, which was expected to be tense.
Councillor Rick Bradshaw spoke. “Some council members believe there’s a conflict of interest with certain members and they’re not acknowledging it. They shouldn’t be able to partake in deliberations or vote on the matter,” he proclaimed.
The issue of how to maintain the four small and spread-out sections of road with limited finances and that of liability was cited by Council as the reasons behind the decision. The Club Motoneige uses the road in the winter, through an agreement with the MRNF, prompting the municipality to have added safety and liability concerns for the narrow road.
According to Marie-Joelle Côté, Ministry of Natural Resources (MRNF) communications advisor, they leave it to the MTMD to decide how maintenance is handled for roads under their responsibility. “Municipalities or MRCs can take charge of the maintenance and repair of certain multi-use roads. The MRNF then concludes a delegation agreement with them for a certain period on these specific sections. The road in question here isn’t the subject of such an agreement,” she clarified.
Currently, one permanent resident lives along the road in addition to other private property owners, an outfitter and a campground that uses the road. According to council, the municipality currently has 49 ratepayers that access their properties using Trout Lake Road. They contribute $25,051 in land taxes, equalling 4.6% of all taxes collected within the municipality.
Ranger suggested ratepayers concerned about Trout Lake Road form a committee and present plans or maintenance requests as they arise to council to see if they can help.
“The user-pay principle applies to multi-use roads located in forests on the state domain. However, programs and other financial assistance measures may sometimes be offered to users for certain eligible work on the construction, improvement and repair of roads and watercourse crossings. It’s therefore possible that some multi-use roads aren’t maintained if no one takes charge of them. Council has stated on several occasions that it’s always possible for ratepayers on Trout Lake Road to present their issues or project to council and request assistance. This is the only road in the municipality that had its own budget of $10,000 in 2024,” concluded Ranger.