Huntingdon

Unionized CPE workers extend strike, prepare for walkout

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Early childhood educators affiliated with the Fédération de la Santé et des Services Sociaux (FSSS-CSN) demonstrated in Huntingdon on April 4, having extended what was to have been a three-day strike for an additional two days this week.

Sylvie Brunet, the union representative at the Kaleidoscope CPE in Hinchinbrooke, says that while the government is offering a 17.4 per cent salary increase and bonuses for those working in the regions, “Everything is a bit exaggerated.”

“You have to read the small print,” Brunet explains, noting the current offer includes several concessions for CPE workers in terms of holidays, and remuneration for work done when children are not present. “Instead of encouraging our young people to study in this field, with better conditions because it is still the least paid of all diplomas, they are going to force us to work more hours,” she laments.

Treasury Board president Sonia LeBel reiterated last week that the contract terms on the table are “generous and fair,” while noting the CSQ and FTQ unions have already accepted the government’s offer.

Brunet says negotiations were scheduled to take place on April 4, and that union negotiators were prepared to continue if there were signs of progress. She admitted however that the two sides remained far apart on key issues such as respectable salaries, reasonable workloads, and more support for children with special needs.

Brunet confirms that if a deal is not reached by April 8, the next step for CPE workers will be an unlimited walkout.

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CPE workers demand greater respect for the profession

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

“There is a clear lack of recognition,” says Nancy Ashton, the general manager for the Abracadabra early childhood centre (CPE), concerning the provincial government’s disregard for CPE workers.

Ashton has worked 30 years in the local CPE network, including 19 years as a manager. In an open letter published to the CPE’s social media accounts, she says the province is “asking educational daycare services to make a difference more than ever but is not giving them the tools to do so.”

She says current work conditions for certified CPE educators have resulted in workers deserting the profession in droves to work in school environments, the health sector, or for private companies. “For our CPE, this represents five educators who have left us for the school network,” she says, noting the CPE workers associated with Abracadabra are not unionized.

“This network, which is predominantly female, was built by the efforts of these same women, who are still fighting today for recognition over the quality educational services offered to Quebec children,” Ashton explained, noting that CEGEPs are seeing a decline in registrations as young women look to other careers that offer better working conditions and higher starting salaries.

“It’s embarrassing,” she concedes, noting educators have told her they would make more money working at a day camp over the summer. “We can’t compete, and I can’t increase the salary,” she adds. “The level of quality that we are managing to maintain is impressive considering all the challenges we are facing,” she says. “The educators are magnificent, but it is difficult.”

Ashton says she understands the government is managing a tight budget, but the province still managed to rapidly settle contract talks with the Association de la Construction du Québec for more than 60 per cent of the industry. “If construction stops, they are stuck. But if an educator stops, well, it won’t be obvious right away. Parents will manage, but only up to a certain point,” she explains.

She says that while the CPE workers at Abracadabra will not be joining unionized workers on the picket line in the event of a general strike, they are planning to carry out smaller actions internally to raise awareness among parents and to encourage their workers.

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Centre de Services Scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands: New adult general education service point opens in Huntingdon

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Centre de Services Scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands (CSSVT) has opened a new adult general education service point in Huntingdon.

The Centre de Formation Générale des Adultes des Tisserands (CFGAT) added the new service point to offer educational services and programs to residents of the Haut-Saint-Laurent and surrounding areas who are over 16 years old. The new location responds to an objective set out by the CSSVT’s Commitment to Success Plan, which aimed to open a vocational training program in each of the sectors served by the service centre.

“As Beauharnois and Salaberry-de-Valleyfield already have their service points, it became a priority for the CFGAT to take steps to offer its services to the population of the Haut-Saint-Laurent,” said Stéphanie Leduc Joseph, a communications councillor with the CSSVT’s Services du Secretariat General et des Communications.

The expansion was made possible through a collaboration with the local Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi (CJE)/PS Jeunesse, which offered a learning space for students at their Huntingdon location.

“Several sites were considered in recent years, but none met the needs of our organization. Our existing partnership with the Beauharnois-Salaberry CJE led us to consider the CJE in Huntingdon, which had available premises that met our criteria,” Leduc Joseph explained.

For the CJE/PS Jeunesse, the partnership made sense. “Our mission is to offer support and employability prospects to young adults,” said Gilles Tardif, who chairs the CJE/PS Jeunesse board of directors. The partnership opens new education opportunities in the region, he said, stating, “There is nothing more constructive for our community than to unite our efforts and our expertise to help young people move closer to their future.”

There are currently seven students registered at the Huntingdon service point. The CSSVT is expecting this to increase to around 50 registrations per year. The programs available in Huntingdon include French, mathematics, and English classes, as well as prior learning assessment and recognition testing.

“Our priority is to provide access to services for adults in the Haut-Saint-Laurent, making it easier for them to resume their studies without the challenge of travelling to our Beauharnois or Valleyfield service points,” said Leduc Joseph.

The CFGAT helps adults who wish to improve their career prospects, perfect their knowledge, or complete their high school diploma. For CSSVT director general Suzie Vranderick, the new service point represents “a significant step towards bringing education closer to the Haut-Saint-Laurent community.”

Along with the new service point, the CFGAT has also recently launched an improved website. The modernized information platform allows users to find more information about the CFGAT’s services and programs.

“This new tool was created with the needs of future students in mind, and to facilitate contact with the organization. Users are now able to apply online and access pertinent information for their individual journeys,” said CFGAT director Dominic Tremblay.

More information about the CFGAT’s new service point in Huntingdon is available online at cfgatisserands.ca.

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Mayors vote down bylaw limiting development near railroads

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Huntingdon mayor André Brunette says the town’s development plans are back on track, after an interim control bylaw (ICB) prohibiting new construction within up to 300 metres of railroads was repealed during the January 22 meeting of the regional council of mayors.

If maintained, the temporary bylaw introduced by the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent would have caused many of the town’s residential projects and future development initiatives to grind to a halt.

The MRC proposed the ICB in response to a series of nine provincial government guidelines for regional planning (OGAT) that came into force in December. These cover several aspects, including the quality of living environments, transportation, sustainable mobility, adaptation to climate change, water resource management, and the protection of natural and agricultural environments.

Within the guidelines are 22 objectives and six regulatory frameworks that the MRC is required to integrate into their land-use planning and development schema over the next three years. One of the frameworks, which is addressed by the MRC’s ICB, aims to mitigate the harmful effects and reduce the risks related to road, rail, and air transport, as well as fixed sources of noise, by prohibiting new residential and institutional development within 300 metres of railways.

The MRC’s ICB promoting the safety, property, and quality of life in the vicinity of a railroad was introduced by notice of motion on November 27. This resulted in an immediate temporary freeze on all new development within 30 metres of a railroad. The regulation was then presented to the council of mayors on December 18, where it was adopted by a slim majority after five mayors voted against the ICB. 

The railroad line in question is a 35-kilometre stretch of the CSX Transportation Montreal Subdivision, which runs through the municipalities of Dundee and Godmanchester and the town of Huntingdon. The MRC resolution notes that in addition to the storage of cars in Huntingdon and a service point in Dundee, the rail line is used primarily to transport various goods and materials, including hazardous materials.

The resolution argues there is a risk of derailment and hazardous material spills within the urban perimeters of Dundee and Huntingdon, where other negative impacts such as vibrations or sounds are more present given the proximity of the population.

Significant impacts

Brunette says the council’s decision left him reeling.

He says the mayors debated the bylaw for two hours. During this time, the spectre of the fatal train derailment in Lac Mégantic was brought up. “When people talk like that, it creates fear, a danger, that there is going to be a derailment, that there are going to be explosions, and the town will go up in flames,” he says.

“The railroad tracks have been completely redone. They’re flat, parallel to the ground. There are no mountains. It’s not the same terrain,” he says, insisting this type of comparison is unfounded. Trains roll through Huntingdon two times per day, one in the morning and again in the evening, at a maximum speed of 16 kilometres per hour, he explains. He notes that the town has also surveyed with those living along the railway and while they do hear the train whistle, vibrations are not a problem.

As a result, the Huntingdon municipal council unanimously passed a resolution on January 13 asking the provincial government to postpone the implementation of its regulatory framework. A similar resolution was passed by the Fédération Québécoise des Municipalités in December, as well as the Table Régionale des Élu[e]s Municipaux du Bas-Saint-Laurent.

The town also requested that the government establish standards based on the type of railway line, traffic flow, and train speed and size, like those in place for roadways.

The town contended that the regulatory framework in its current form would hinder both current and future development, including residential projects involving loans and investments in water and sewer infrastructure that are already implemented within 300 meters of the railroad.

“The town is in full development. We have been working on these projects for years, and now we are getting somewhere. According to the proposed bylaw, we could not build anymore,” says Brunette. Plans to build a new elementary school would also be abandoned, as well as a possible daycare expansion, if the proposed bylaw had not been repealed, he adds.

Brunette says the freeze on construction, which lasted over 50 days including the holidays, also kept the town from issuing permits. This restriction was lifted when the ICB was repealed in January, after eleven of the thirteen mayors voted it down.

MRC director general Pierre Caza explains that adopting an interim control bylaw enables the MRC to promptly address issues related to land use planning and development. This measure helps prevent the escalation of certain problems while providing the MRC with the necessary time to properly develop, modify, or revise its planning tools.

He points out that these temporary bylaws maintain the effectiveness of planning efforts by preventing projects that might conflict with new planning and development frameworks or rules while they are being established.

In this case, the MRC needed more time to analyze and establish safe distances and perimeters [from railways] while prohibiting all new cadastral operations until a permanent solution is adopted that would address safety, public health, and well-being concerns arising from rail transport in residential areas or near services for vulnerable populations.

Caza confirms the MRC is now holding meetings with the municipalities directly concerned “to find the best solutions to promote people’s safety while minimizing, if possible, the impact on the municipalities.”

Following discussions with the relevant municipalities, Caza says the objective remains for the council of mayors to adopt an optimized ICB that ensures the safety of individuals and properties near railroads.

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Huntingdon faces shortage of first responders

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The town of Huntingdon is at risk of losing its first-responder service.

The municipality issued an urgent plea for new volunteers on January 30, referring to the need as immediate and great.

The town reports that at least 13 individuals have completed the required 60 hours of training in just under twenty years since the service was launched in May 2005. The number of first responders has now dwindled to a total of four volunteers.

Volunteer first responders are trained according to medical protocols to assess and stabilize patients in a variety of situations before an ambulance and emergency medical technicians arrive at the scene. Emergency interventions are often more efficient thanks to this collaboration of first responders.

In Huntingdon, first responders handle about 100 calls annually.

“We want to keep the service,” says Huntingdon’s mayor, André Brunette, though he admits recruitment has become more difficult. “Not everyone is suited to do this kind of work,” he acknowledges, while suggesting that the town is encouraging those with an interest in this type of community service to come forward.

Huntingdon director general Johanne Hébert points out that four people is simply not enough. “They are exhausted. They are on call 24 hours a day. We put certain measures in place, but it comes down to the fact these people are firefighters, they are first responders, but they also have jobs and families.”

As a result, Hébert says first responders presently only respond to calls where there is a high potential of cardiorespiratory arrest. There are four levels of first-responder services in Quebec, and this is the highest priority, but it means there is a greater reliance on emergency medical technicians to respond quickly to severe allergic reactions, severe trauma, and urgent medical calls.

“The population does not have to worry that there will be fewer services if the program were to close,” Hébert says, pointing out that Paraxion paramedics serve the town, and the fire department is part of the regional mutual aid network. “But it is always a plus. We have saved lives,” she says.

Huntingdon assistant director general Caroline Hébert-McKenzie confirms the town is doing everything it can to maintain the service. She says that since going public with their tenuous situation, at least three individuals including one new resident have come forward to volunteer. Several members of the Huntingdon fire department have also voiced an interest. “Things are moving in the right direction,” she affirms, noting the town is already in a better position to keep the service.

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Huntingdon opens fully equipped kitchen for the community

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The town of Huntingdon inaugurated its new community kitchen on December 17, preparing the way for numerous delicious opportunities for local businesses and organizations working in the food security and preparation sectors.

Around 15 people attended the ceremony, including Huntingdon mayor André Brunette and several municipal councillors. Representatives from the town, the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent, and local community organizations including the La Bouffe Additionnelle food pantry and the Popote Mobile meal delivery service also attended.

Also present at the inauguration were members of the Table de concertation en Sécurité Alimentaire du Haut-Saint-Laurent, including Marie-France Meloche of the Centre Integré de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Montérégie-Ouest (CISSSMO), who explained that the partnership table will create a sub-committee to coordinate the new space.

Brunette confirmed the kitchen is free to use by the Haut-Saint-Laurent community. “It does not belong to the town. It belongs to everyone,” he explained, saying he hopes the kitchen will become a shared meeting place where different community groups, producers, or small business owners can come together to cook, organize workshops, and prepare healthy and appetizing meals or products.

Huntingdon mayor André Brunette officially opened the town’s new community kitchen on December 17 in the presence of several representatives from the municipality, the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent, the Table de Concertation en Sécurité Alimentaire du Haut-Saint-Laurent, and several community organizations including the Popote Mobile and La Bouffe Additionnelle. (PHOTO Sarah Rennie)

The fully equipped kitchen, which includes large fridges, sinks and wash areas, commercial stoves, and stainless-steel counter spaces and work surfaces is approved by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ). It is located at 4 Lorne Street, in the same complex as La Bouffe Additionnelle and the Little Green Library.

Huntingdon received $100,000 in funding for the project from the Ministère des Affaires Municipals et de l’Habitation through Volet 4 of the Fonds Régions et Ruralité: Soutien à la Vitalisation et à la Coopération Intermunicipale. The total cost for the kitchen was around $125,000. The town contributed the remaining $25,000 and will cover the operating and maintenance costs associated with the space.

“We made sure to set up a project that responds concretely to the needs of the community,” said Brunette. “We are very proud to offer community organizations and volunteers a space and professional equipment that will help them in their efforts to guarantee the right to healthy food for all,” he added, noting the town is especially committed to supporting those working in the field of food security.

In 2022, Huntingdon was instrumental in relocated La Bouffe Additionnelle to its current location, and in 2023, the town installed a cold room and freezer chamber in the suite next to the food pantry. Now that the community kitchen is open, the town has also announced it will provide the Popote Mobile with a suite next to the kitchen so they can offer their meal delivery service for seniors from the same building.

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Walker Bridge in Huntingdon remains closed

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable closed the Walker Bridge in Huntingdon on October 29 immediately following an accident involving a cube truck.

The century-old structure, which spans the Chateauguay River, was closed as a precaution after a cube truck collided with the clearance gauge as it approached the bridge.

The Walker Bridge in Huntingdon has been closed since October 29 following a collision between a cube truck and a clearance gauge. (PHOTO Sarah Rennie)

The clearance structure was damaged due to the collision. Marie-Michelle Pilon, the communications advisor and regional spokesperson for Montérégie, says the gauge needs to be repaired, particularly the bases and anchors that support the structure.

Pilon confirms the work will take place “over the next few weeks,” and that this will allow the bridge to be safely reopened.

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Investigation alleges wrongdoing by the town of Huntingdon

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

An investigation by the Direction des Enquêtes et des Pursuits en Intégrité Municipale (DEPIM) of the Commission Municipale du Québec has concluded the town of Huntingdon committed wrongdoings in its allocation of tax credits and financial assistance to businesses.

The report, issued by the commission’s municipal integrity investigations and prosecutions branch on October 31, reveals that the town granted a tax credit over ten years to Greenvest Enterprises Inc., the developer behind the restoration of the O’Connor Building, without having first passed a bylaw authorizing it to do so. The report also alleges that financial assistance offered to businesses exceeded the limits imposed by the Municipal Aid Prohibition Act and required citizens’ approval.

Huntingdon’s director general, Johanne Hebert, acknowledges that the town committed an error regarding the awarding of a tax credit to those restoring the O’Connor Building.

The Commission Municipale du Québec has concluded that the town of Huntingdon committed a procedural error in the awarding of tax credits to the developers behind the restoration of the O’Connor Building. (PHOTO Sarah Rennie)

Hébert concurs that the resolution authorizing an agreement between Greenvest Enterprises Inc. and the town was passed by the municipal council on March 13, and that during the same meeting a notice of motion for bylaw 973-2024 was presented. The bylaw established a financial assistance program for the restoration of buildings of special or historic interest in the downtown sector. “The bylaw did not come into force until publication of the public notice to that effect on April 19,” she says. As such, the resolution to authorize the agreement should only have been passed once the bylaw was in force.

“There was no ill intent on our part,” says Hebert. “I think we were just so happy to have succeeded in saving the O’Connor Building,” she adds.

Huntingdon mayor André Brunette agrees, noting it was important to the council that the town’s historical landmarks be saved. The bylaw, regardless of the procedural error, allows the town to offer financial assistance to those willing to help revitalize the town and its older buildings.

Hebert confirms the DEPIM’s report will be deposited during the regular council meeting on December 2, at which time the town will move to repeal the March 13 resolution before passing a new resolution authorizing the agreement with Greenvest Enterprises Inc. in compliance with bylaw 973-2024. This will meet two of the three recommendations issued by the DEPIM as part of its report.

Investigation to be reopened

Hebert says that while she concurs with the DEPIM’s findings concerning the O’Connor Building, she believes the investigators interpretation of article 92.1 of the Municipal Powers Act concerning the town’s financial assistance to businesses is flawed. She disagrees with the report’s conclusions and says she wrote to the investigators with her concerns before the report was published.

Both Hebert and Brunette say they are disappointed that the results of the investigation were made public before discussions could take place to address the town’s concerns. The mayor says the council is now considering hiring a lawyer to respond to the municipal commission and the contents of its report.

Hebert confirms she has been in contact with both the Ministère des Affaires Municipales et de l’Habitation and the commission. She says the investigation will be reopened and that a meeting with the DEPIM’s investigators is already scheduled and will take place shortly.

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Huntingdon releases 10-year sustainable development plan

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Town of Huntingdon is looking ahead and planning for the future.

Mayor André Brunette and councillor Dominic Tremblay presented the town’s 2024-2034 Sustainable Development Master Plan to citizens on October 29 at the Salle Culturelle Alfred-Langevin. Both referred to the document as the roadmap that will be used to guide decisions concerning the town’s management, development, and planning efforts in the years ahead.

Spearheaded by the board of directors of the Huntingdon Economic Development Corporation, the ambitious 10-year plan is the result of a two-year process that prioritized public participation through workshops, focus groups, and consultations. The municipality received 300 responses to a survey, and over 50 residents took part in an interactive consultation in June 2023.

The finalized plan was adopted by the municipal council on May 28 of this year; however, the document will remain active, and the council has acknowledged that it will have to evolve with the town over the next decade.

The plan is structured around five strategic orientations or objectives that reflect many of the concerns or priorities identified by citizens. These touch on inclusivity, transport and mobility, climate change, the local economy, and the town’s heritage.

The plan includes a list of strategic initiatives and projects to be completed in the short, medium, and long term that address each of the objectives. These include the establishment of a community and cultural centre, the installation of a community kitchen, the development of a town-centre revitalization plan, the creation of a new linear park, the adoption of a greening plan for the town, and much more.

“I think all the ideas and all the intentions from our citizens are in this document, and we’re going to fight hard. We’re going to try and do most of these initiatives, budget permitting,” said Brunette, while noting that several projects were already in place or in progress.

“There are a lot of grants out there, and we are definitely going to try and get funding for each project,” Brunette added, while reassuring citizens that the town intends to develop within its means.

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Commercial development project in Huntingdon faces major delays

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

A development buzz continues to resonate across the town of Huntingdon, where housing starts and construction sites seem to be cropping up on nearly every vacant lot. There is one piece of land, however, where the signs of development have remained conspicuously absent.

The field earmarked as the future site of a new Maxi supermarket has remained untouched since the project’s promoters installed a sign and ceremoniously broke ground on the commercial development project in April 2023. Work was expected to begin right away on the proposed 28,000-square-foot grocery store located off François-Cleyn Street, near the corner with Ridge Road.

“The Maxi is still going ahead,” insists Huntingdon mayor André Brunette, while noting that some of the plans for the property have changed. The municipality has also decided to allow for the addition of housing on the lot.

Brunette says that difficulties acquiring permits from the Ministère de Transport to access Route 202 (François-Cleyn Street) are among the issues stalling the project.

Samuel D’Avignon, who is the director of operations for Sphere société immobilière, the real estate developers behind the project, notes the MTQ received the request for permanent access to Route 202 almost two years ago. “The request complies with their regulations, and we have provided them with all the additional documentation requested to answer their questions,” he explains.

The holdup caused by the MTQ is not the only complication resulting in unexpected delays. D’Avignon says that just before the projected start of construction in mid-2023, they discovered the water pressure available at the site did not correspond with simulations and failed to meet building code fire safety requirements for the sprinkler system. “Despite several checks and efforts by the municipality to increase the pressure, it was not enough,” he says.

For the project to go through, the developers commissioned engineers to design an underground 80,000-gallon water basin and system complete with a 1,200 gallon-per-minute pump. D’Avignon confirms that the process, which involved studying and modifying their plans, extended over a year.

D’Avignon says they are currently reworking the budget for the project to ensure all is in line to begin construction. As of now, no start date has been set.

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Huntingdon wants control of in-town section of Route 202

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Huntingdon wants control over the section of Route 202 that runs through the town, which is known locally as François-Cleyn Street.

The busy road is currently maintained by the Ministère du Transport (MTQ), but the town alleges the provincial transport authority is slowing development along the road and refusing the installation of sidewalks.

Huntingdon mayor André Brunette says the town has been in talks with the MTQ for the past several months to acquire the right to manage the one-kilometre strip of highway running from Chateauguay Street to Ridge Road. During the October 7 regular municipal meeting, the council unanimously passed a resolution formally requesting authority over François-Cleyn Street.

Brunette says that along with holding back permits or permissions for future businesses to access the road, the transport ministry has also refused to allow the municipality to add safety features for pedestrians.

“Since 2021, the Ministry of Transport has not accepted out requests to build a sidewalk,” explains Brunette, who suggests other municipalities have faced similar issues when it comes to collaborating with the provincial government. He says in some cases, the MTQ has agreed to relinquish control over sections of numbered highways.

There is a sidewalk along one side of François-Cleyn Street off of Chateauguay Street, but it ends about halfway up the road. Significant commercial and residential buildings have now been built along this stretch, and the absence of a sidewalk is becoming a safety concern.

“We know that the medical centre is very important. We’re happy that it went up. We’re happy about the daycare, but we must have a sidewalk that goes there,” says Brunette, who insists the town is prepared to manage the roadway.

“This will enable us to proceed faster with giving out permits to future businesses that are going to establish on François-Cleyn Street. It will also give us the right to build a sidewalk that will go all the way to the Tim Horton’s,” says the mayor.

“It’s the best way to go, if we want to continue advancing what we have and what we want for the town.”

Brunette says he is hoping to receive a response from the MTQ in the next 60 days. 

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