chandler

CSN protests against the private sector health care

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

CHANDLER – On February 26, the CSN protested against the privatization of the health care and social services network, outside the Chandler office of the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Bonaventure, Catherine Blouin. The protest was part of the CSN’s “For a Truly Public Network” campaign. 

Serge Saint-Pierre, president of the Centrale des syndicats nationaux (CSN) regional council for Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, points out that the network has undergone numerous reforms for over 30 years, the last one being the one that led to the creation of Santé Québec last year. 

“We have always advocated public health care rather than private health care,” Mr. Saint-Pierre points out. 

In the Gaspé Peninsula, the union representative notes that some doctors have left the public network for the private sector. “We are afraid that with the reform that has begun, there will be more and more. When we talk about the private sector, we are talking about profit and people have to pay. The government says it won’t cost anything, we will pay the bill. Everywhere the private sector has set up shop, costs have increased and users have had to pay,” notes the president, who wants to raise awareness among users. 

“At some point, they will be forced to take money out of their pockets if we make more and more room for the private sector,” adds Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

“In the private sector, when cases are too heavy, we return them to the public sector. They only take cases with the possibility of making money, that is to say, cases that are not too heavy,” maintains the union representative. 

The CSN criticized the lack of access to local MNAs Catherine Blouin (Bonaventure) and Stéphane Sainte-Croix (Gaspé). 

“We wanted to talk to the Members of the National Assembly and it was never possible,” he says. 

With the Gaspé Peninsula Integrated Health and Social Services Centre facing a $40 million budget cut, Mr. Saint-Pierre says essential services will be affected. 

“Cutting $40 million in the Gaspésie makes no sense. There are people who will not be able to afford to get treatment, who will not receive services at the local level,” says Mr. Saint-Pierre. 

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Return of the Accroche-Coeur Gaspésie-Sud office project

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

CHANDLER – The Accroche-Coeur Gaspésie-Sud Community Social Pediatrics Centre is relaunching its project to develop the basement of its head office in Chandler. 

The goal is to expand the services offered by the organization, which serves the area between Barachois and the Plateaux de la Matapédia. 

The idea first emerged last summer, but a change in administration put the project on hold. 

“It’s a need. We have our house in Chandler with our offices and premises upstairs, but we have a large basement that is available. There are facilities required to properly accommodate people and workshops. We’re even thinking about a music garage. We could have lots of possible projects with work in the basement,” explains the general director, Liane Roy-Castonguay. 

The organization is currently in the process of hiring a project manager. 

“To identify needs and develop workshops throughout the territory. We need space and the needs are there,” mentions the director. 

The Town of Chandler has already funded the plans and specifications for the basement renovations. 

“We will still have to put together the financial package and ask our partners and locals to help us do this work,” says Ms. Roy-Castonguay. 

The estimated cost of the redevelopment is $148,000, with an additional $52,000 required for accessibility improvements in the basement. “It will be in the coming weeks to submit funding requests,” she adds. 

The centre currently has 223 active files. 

In addition to its offices, the centre operates a mobile clinic, called Mobilicoeur, which travels throughout the region, especially during the summer. 

There are two other social pediatrics centres in the Gaspé Peninsula, one in Cap-Chat and another in Rivière-au-Renard. 

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Langlois-Chandler saga exceeds $400,000 

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

CHANDLER – The saga surrounding the Town of Chandler’s claim against former Mayor Louisette Langlois has cost the Town more than $400,000 in legal fees to date, while no date has yet been set for the case. 

For the period from October to December 2024, the total legal costs amounted to $29,984.95. The firm GBC Avocats, to which Charles Caza, the attorney for the former mayor is part, billed $16,542.67. The Town’s representation, Morency Avocats, issued an invoice for $13,442.28. 

The Percé courthouse clerk’s office issued the certificate of completeness on January 7. 

The parties are now awaiting a hearing date for the application. 

In January 2021, the council adopted a resolution leading to the filing of the claim by the Town, emphasizing in particular that the accusations against Louisette Langlois resulted from serious or intentional misconduct, by giving precedence to her personal interest, by having committed actions intentionally and premeditatedly, all to achieve her ends. 

The argument was repeated in the motion for an originating application for reimbursement of defence costs filed in January 2022, which sought $230,411 in reimbursement. 

Chandler’s attorneys mentioned in particular that “The decision rendered (…) on December 21, 2020, is damning concerning the defendant and establishes that the defendant’s acts or omissions are serious and/or intentional and/or separable from the exercise of her functions.” 

They added that the former mayor “Has multiplied the procedures, some of which are unnecessary, unfounded and truncated in light of the evidence presented before the CMQ (Commission municipale du Québec).” 

In December 2019, Louisette Langlois was cited for 21 breaches of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct of Chandler Elected Officials. After hearings in July 2020, the Commission concluded that the former mayor was guilty of 20 breaches, including conflicts of interest, in December 2020. Before the sanction hearing, Ms. Langlois attempted to obtain a stay of proceedings, and contested the notice of sanction issued against her, going so far as to ask to reopen the investigation, requests that were rejected by administrative Judge Sandra Bilodeau. 

The former mayor went to the Superior Court, where she was dismissed in July 2021, and suffered the same fate in October 2021 before the Court of Appeal. 

In addition, the motion accused her of having multiplied the procedures thereafter. 

The Town has adjusted its claim to more than $300,000 and is now including the costs incurred in the ongoing legal proceedings.  The total bill for this saga has now reached $404,786. 

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Protestors push for EI reform

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

CHANDLER – In a symbolic gesture, approximately 25 protesters braved the freezing rain and dropped off a Christmas tree decorated with black holes at the Service Canada office in Chandler on December 17 to denounce the persistent problems with the Employment Insurance program. 

This was another gesture by the Mouvement action chômage Pabok as part of an awareness week by the Interprovincial Alliance that was being held throughout Eastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada. 

“Nothing has been resolved. We’re doing this because we hope it can be resolved. We’re hoping for measures that will extend the Employment Insurance pilot project from five to 15 weeks,” explains the Movement’s coordinator, Nadia Mongeon. 

The arrival of Ginette Petitpas-Taylor as minister responsible for the plan and Member of Parliament for Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe (New Brunswick), who is familiar with the issue of seasonal work, raised hope for the unemployed. 

However, with the possibility of a federal election as early as this spring, this hope could be short-lived. “We must not give up. We must force the parties to commit to Employment Insurance,” says Ms. Mongeon, who fears the election of a Conservative government. “I think it will be quite difficult to move a reform or measures to ease Employment Insurance. There is no gain in fact,” she says. 

The relatively low unemployment rate in the Gaspé Peninsula will result in a long black hole this winter. “We are going to have a lot of people who will find themselves in the black hole. It is not only in the fishing sector. It is also in tourism. There are many who tell us that they will finish their benefits in February. It is a long time from February to June. It’s a black hole that’s getting bigger every year,” says Ms. Mongeon. 

The Liberals have repeatedly promised reform since 2015, holding various consultations that have amounted to nothing. “The Liberals have taken certain measures but mostly lightened some of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government’s measures. Apart from the five-week pilot project, the Liberals haven’t done anything very interesting. Apart from increasing health insurance to 26 weeks, but that hasn’t solved the black hole and the number of hours for accessibility,” she says. 

The fight will continue in the coming months. “We’re going to keep protesting. If we give up, it’s like telling the Conservatives – if they’re the ones who come in – that they can do whatever they want… We have no choice,” explains the coordinator. 

For the Pabok Unemployment Action Movement and the Interprovincial Alliance, the calculation that establishes the amount of benefits according to the unemployment rate in effect by region must be eliminated. 

The calculation must be replaced by the adoption of a universal standard of 420 hours of work or 12 weeks of 15 hours.  In addition, the rate should be 70% on the 12 best weeks, for a duration of 35 weeks. 

They are also asking for an additional 15 weeks of protection for workers in the seasonal industry, as long as the minimum floor of 35 weeks is not established. 

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Chandler: Louisette Langlois hearing, not before 2025 

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

CHANDLER – The ongoing legal saga involving the Town of Chandler’s claim against former mayor Louisette Langlois is dragging on as the case is not expected to be heard before the spring of 2025. 

A hearing scheduled for September 3 was postponed because the judge required that the parties be present, which had not been initially requested. This forced a new postponement of the case. 

The judge will then resolve the remaining legal rules and will hear the case on the merits at the same time. In the best-case scenario, a decision is not expected before the summer of 2025. 

Suspended in January 2021 for 180 days, the resolution adopted at that time stated that the accusations against Louisette Langlois were the result of serious or intentional misconduct, by giving precedence to her personal interest, by having committed actions intentionally and, premeditatedly, all to achieve her ends. 

In January 2022, the Town filed a motion claiming $230,411 in legal fees to defend the former mayor before In addition, the motion accused her of having multiplied the procedures thereafter. 

The Town hasn’t ruled out readjusting its claim to request all the costs incurred by the case.  The total cost of this saga now exceeds $375,000. 

$2.7 million in asphalt 

Lately, there has been much criticism of the condition of certain municipal roads. However, the town of Chandler has recently announced it will invest a little over $2.7 million in street paving. 

Several streets, including some high traffic areas, will be repaved. “Our streets need love, for example, Polyvalente Street and Hôtel-de-ville Street. They need to be redone because they are in an advanced state of deterioration,” notes Mayor Gilles Daraiche. 

The resolution includes work on Bellevue, Baie-Bleue, Lapierre, Mgr Ross, Hôtel-de-ville, Daignault, Plage, Cormier, McGrath, Détente, Arcelles, Anse-aux-Canards, Germain and Lantin Streets. 

The mayor mentions that four small sections of asphalt were done this year at a cost of $70,000. 

The loan settlement process is underway and the mayor hopes for a quick response from the Quebec government in order to do the asphalt work this fall. 

In 2021, $2.3 million was invested in asphalt work in the Town of Chandler. 

Newport water treatment project 

The water treatment project in the Newport district is not progressing very quickly, making development in this sector difficult. 

The mayor explains that the water treatment project is complicated. “The system can’t take any more. There are people who want to add services, register other land, and build houses. This is a file that is dragging on and we will work hard so that at least there is work at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026,” says Mr. Daraiche. 

government assistance with a request for a minimum of 90% funding. The project has been included in the Town’s Three-Year Capital Plan for several years at a cost of $12 million. With inflation, the project could reach $20 million, while an amount of $15 million had been mentioned in 2022. 

“Unfair” competition? 

The Town is upset with the programming offered by Chandler’s Camp Bellefeuille. Some activities proposed by the camp duplicate those offered by the Town, despite a promise. 

The mayor does not want to make a war out of it but says he’s disappointed. “I spoke to the director who told me that each activity at Camp Bellefeuille would complement the Town’s activities. Unfortunately, that is not the case. We do yoga, they do yoga. We do fitness, they do that too. It’s the same thing as us. That’s not what was said,” complains Mr. Daraîche. 

The mayor maintains that registrations for the Town’s activities, both at the sports complex and the arena, are full. 

Chandler: Louisette Langlois hearing, not before 2025  Read More »

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