Peter L. Smith
Local Journalism Initiative
SHEENBORO – About 30 people attended the municipality’s monthly council meeting at the municipal hall on September 9 to ask further questions about Trout Lake Rd. and public security.
Ratepayer Greg Bertrand asked how council’s decision to transfer their portion of Trout Lake Rd. to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MRNF) will help the municipality grow and attract new families, a promise he said Mayor Doris Ranger made in an interview with CHIP FM during the last election. “I hope more families settle in Sheenboro, but I don’t have numbers at present,” said Ranger.
Ratepayer Mike Allard spoke of the Ryan Reform, published by Claude Ryan, a former provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs. The document was mentioned in the 1992 council minutes, which Allard said stated Trout Lake Rd. may belong to the municipality. The 511 Quebec map legend of 2023 shows Trout Lake Rd. as a local road, noted Allard.
Allard also said a municipal lawyer told council they should hire a notary to do a title search to determine legal ownership of the road. The cost according to council would be $300/hour.
Currently, the municipality still owns the 5 km, non-continuous section of the road, which council noted is a multi-resource road, meaning that the municipality has to get permission from the MRNF to perform work on it, according to Ranger. It could take up to a year for the transfer of the road’s ownership from the municipality to the MRNF to be complete.
In September, the municipality spent $1,500 on grading, $8,500 on ditching, and added another 15 loads of gravel to the road last week at a projected cost of $5,000 – $7,000.
Other ratepayers questioned the issue of paying for fire and police protection when access to Trout Lake Rd. could be an issue. Mayor Ranger explained that paying for both is mandated by the MRC. An Emergency Preparedness Plan is in place with neighbouring Chichester and L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, with rescue vehicles stationed at Pontiac Ouest’s main fire station for use if necessary.
Miscellaneous
The municipality voted to support Alleyn-et-Cawood’s Property Evaluation Task Force.
Simon Tessier, assistant director general, explained how the new joint website with Chichester and L’Ile-aux-Allumettes will work.
Photo – Trout Lake Rd. resident Greg Bertrand addresses council at the Sept. 9 meeting. (PS)