K.C. Jordan

MRC presents new plan for calculating municipal shares

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Sophie Kuijper Dickson and K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalists

The MRC Pontiac has come up with a new way of calculating how much each of its 18 municipalities should pay it in shares every year, tabled in a new draft bylaw at its monthly Council of Mayors meeting last Wednesday.

Under the new bylaw, shares would be calculated using 50 per cent of a municipality’s year one property evaluation, and 50 per cent of its standardized property evaluation deposited in years two and three of its evaluation cycle.

This is a slight modification from the current method used by the MRC to calculate shares, which charges municipalities based on their property evaluation in year one of their evaluation cycle, and on their more general, or “standardized” evaluation in years two and three.

The MRC’s director general Kim Lesage said after many months of discussions and research, the budget committee had finally agreed on an alternative calculation method.

“Not only has the budget committee agreed and approved it, but at plenary we went through it over the past two months to look at different options, and this is what we’re proposing tonight.”

The MRC’s longstanding method of calculating shares was challenged by the Municipality of Alleyn and Cawood this year after it was charged its 2024 municipal shares based on a year three standardized property evaluation that was 370 per cent more than the previous year.

This significant increase, the municipality said, was due to the selling of a collection of 120 or so vacant lots at an inflated value the year prior, and was not an accurate representation of the taxable property value across the municipality.

But the municipality was still asked to pay shares based on what it considered to be an unfair and inaccurate property evaluation. In August, Alleyn and Cawood presented the MRC with a proposed bylaw that would completely do away with the use of the standardized value in the calculation of shares.

While this proposal was ultimately rejected, the municipality’s director general Isabelle Cardinal said the new draft bylaw is still “better than doing nothing.”

“We would have preferred to eliminate the comparative factor altogether from the calculation of the shares,” Cardinal said.

The comparative factor is a number determined by the difference between the year one property values and the standardized property values produced in the other two years of evaluations. This number is meant to give municipalities, counties and other government agencies a general sense of the taxable value of properties in a given municipality, and it’s this number the MRC has historically used to calculate municipal shares.

“I think what happened to Alleyn and Cawood, and two years ago to Chichester, proves that when we use the comparative factor, it’s not really accurate compared to what the evaluation actually is,” Cardinal said.

Her municipality has put consistent pressure on the MRC to come up with an alternative method of calculating shares.

“It’s taken time,” said Warden Jane Toller following the meeting. “The feeling was maybe that we were being kind of slow to react but I’m pleased to say that before this year finished we will have approved our first bylaw and it really will be something that I think is going to help all municipalities for the future.”

She was clear that the bylaw tabled would be the bylaw voted upon by the 18 mayors at their next public council meeting, and that no changes would be made in the interim.

by Sophie Kuijper Dickson

Quaile, Cameron join environment committee

Also at Wednesday’s monthly mayors’ meeting, the council passed a motion to add two members to the MRC’s existing environment committee.

Portage du Fort mayor Lynne Cameron and Otter Lake pro-mayor Jennifer Quaile will join the six-person committee, which has been in existence since February but has met only a few times since then.
The committee’s official mandate includes considering issues related to municipal waste, as well as other environmental concerns in the region.

Its first order of business after forming last winter was to look at the tenders submitted for MRC’s waste management contract, which was awarded to FilloGreen this summer.

Warden Jane Toller said going forward, the committee will be looking at the recycling file.

“[The MRC] has now got the support and agreement I think of all 18 municipalities. They’re moving forward into the program where everything will be going down to the sorting centre down in Gatineau, and she’s working towards, I think eventually, door-to-door pickup,” Toller said.

She explained MRC staff will also be on the committee, organizing the meetings and taking minutes, but will not have voting power. She said they are there to ensure certain topics they need discussion on are talked about in order to bring recommendations back to the council of mayors.

“The eight mayors will not be making the decisions without the support of the eighteen mayors,” she said.

Allumette Island mayor Corey Spence, who is on the committee and expects to be nominated for chair at its meeting this week, said the group has not been very active since the tender was issued and hopes the committee will now be more active with two more members.

Spence said he wants to make sure waste collection, particularly for compost, is done in a responsible manner.

“If a compost truck shows up in the middle of a rural area to pick up only compost and not recycling and/or garbage, that would be very irresponsible as elected officials,” he said, adding that he thinks door-to-door collection should be done all at once for all three streams of waste – garbage, recycling and compost.

“I want to make sure it’s done in a responsible manner.”

Spence said he is looking forward to having two new members at the table who will bring diverse perspectives to the table.

“Jennifer [Quaile] will bring a perspective that the current people will not have because she is [ . . . ] passionate about many things concerning the environment,” he said, adding that there was a strong push from Quaile’s community of Otter Lake for responsibility and accountability about the energy-from-waste file, and he expects Quaile will bring the same to the committee.

by K.C. Jordan

MRC presents new plan for calculating municipal shares Read More »

From song to soil: Why one Calumet Island man is bringing back a heritage Pontiac potato

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

On a nippy November afternoon, longtime Calumet Island resident Mike Lamothe pulled a small package out of a freshly dug hole in the garden behind his home. He unfurled the newspaper wrapping, revealing dozens of tiny potatoes inside.

The 82-year-old local history buff is keeping them underground over the winter for safe keeping. These aren’t just any potatoes — they’re a heritage variety, no longer widely grown, and one Lamothe only came to know after he heard its name mentioned in the local folk song, The Chapeau Boys.

“These are the Early Roses,” he said, plucking the spuds one by one out of the package to examine them. He explained this variety of potato was once grown in the Ottawa Valley at the height of the logging industry, known at the time for its robust flavour, hardiness and versatility, but has since fallen into relative obscurity.

After some work, Lamothe was able to procure himself some of these potatoes. Now, he is trying to revive a crop of these traditional tubers for future generations to enjoy.

The Chapeau Boys connection

Inside his house, Lamothe cracked open a book containing the lyrics to the song The Chapeau Boys, which follows a group of loggers as they embark on their yearly trek up-river toward their winter camp in the Upper Pontiac.

As an avid outdoorsman and former owner of an adventure tour business, Lamothe was familiar with many of the locations called out in the song: Chapeau, Fort William, the Black River.

“The song spoke to me,” Lamothe said, noting he began to read the lyrics more closely a few years ago.


In the song, the men arrive at their winter abode — the Caldwell farm — and spend several verses describing the many foods they feasted on at the camp. Delights like cabbage, custard, rice pudding and pies are all mentioned in delectable detail. Arriving at the end of the seventh verse, Lamothe encountered the spud for the first time.

The board at the farm, the truth for to tell,
Could not be surpassed in the Russell Hotel.
We had roast beef and mutton, Our tea sweet and strong,
And the good early roses, full six inches long.

Lamothe had never heard of the variety before. After some research, he came to learn more about its origins in New England and its lineage. As it turns out, the Early Rose was one of the parent potatoes of the Russet Burbank, a variety long favoured by fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s for french fry use.

Wanting to find out more about the variety — and maybe grow some himself — Lamothe consulted local friends and seed savants, but it seemed nobody in the Pontiac was still growing them.

He put the project aside for a while, thinking he had hit a dead end. One day he hit the jackpot: he found a government seed bank in Fredericton growing heritage varieties of potatoes, including the exact ones he was looking for. Within a few weeks, he had a package containing about 50 Early Rose buds on his doorstep.

An enthusiast of local history, Lamothe is always knee-deep in a research project. If he’s not dressing up as legendary Calumet Island figure Jean Cadieux, he is researching his family roots, or the history of the island. He said he wanted to embark on the potato project because with it he is keeping alive a part of the Pontiac’s past.

“What’s the value of saving heritage things? In the end it’s not earth-shattering, but [ . . . ] it’s kind of neat to say ‘Oh, here’s a potato that faded from view and now we’ve saved it,’ and maybe hundreds of years from now you won’t see any anymore, but in the meantime people will enjoy it.”

Beyond the history of it all, Lamothe is mostly curious to see if it lives up to its reputation. “What really got me interested in it, is that it’s a far superior potato. For people who have fine culinary taste, instead of the russet or Yukon Gold or whatever, this will be far superior,” he said.

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Early Rose potato originated in Vermont in 1861, and was made commercially available in the United States for the first time in 1868 in the B.K. Bliss & Sons company’s gardening catalogue.

Its exact journey to the Ottawa Valley is unclear, but according to research conducted by THE EQUITY and the Upper Ottawa Valley Heritage Centre (UOVHC), the earliest available record of the potato in the Pembroke Observer and Upper Ottawa Advertiser was in 1872, where an advertisement read:

“These are the best early potatoes ever introduced into this section of the country, appearing two weeks earlier than any other potato.”

In an email to THE EQUITY, Julia Klimack of the UOVHC wrote that this means the potatoes were in Pembroke in at least 1871. “From this we can glean that they were becoming more widely available,” she said. 

A gardening book published that same year, Money in the Garden by P.T. Quinn, describes the potato as, “a large-sized tuber, smooth skin, few eyes, flesh white and steams and boils mealy.”

Eventually the potato, which was not uniform enough in size, did not survive the industrialization of agriculture, and is no longer listed as a registered variety on Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s online database.

Local gardeners keen for the special spud

Lamothe has been putting out feelers to other Pontiac gardeners to gauge interest in growing this heritage variety of potato.

Julie Anglehart has a small garden plot in Clarendon, where next year she’ll make room for Lamothe’s spuds. As a grower of heirloom varieties, including a variety of tomato she said started with 13 viable seeds found in an attic in Beauce, Que., in the 1960s, Anglehart said it’s exciting to possibly play a role in the survival of the Early Rose.

“If I could contribute to the survival of this food staple long into the future and make its access easy to keep good, nutrient-rich, unadulterated sustainable food for the future, it would be a proud legacy,” she said, noting she often finds heritage varieties to be tastier and more nutritious.

She added that heritage seeds are an important window into our history. “[Heritage seeds are] a history lesson of the food that shaped our culture and history [ . . . ] and the knowledge that some of these unadulterated varieties still exist and are worth popularizing and saving,” she said.

Joan LaCroix will also be making room for the Early Rose seeds in her garden next year, and she is excited to have a new variety.

“Anything heritage, that is passed down from seed, is superior to genetically modified,” she said, adding that it’s unfair that the DNA of genetically modified seeds such as Monsanto’s limit the grower to one growing season.

She said growing her own seeds is her way of combating a rising cost of living and a changing planet.

“With food insecurities growing, whether by skyrocketing costs, the decline of bees, birds and insects, or climate change, growing your own organic food becomes a more reliable and healthy option.”

Denis Blaedow, who works for Esprit Rafting and is a board member for the Chutes Coulonge, has known Lamothe since the mid-90s. He heard about the potato project and wants to start a small crop of the spuds at the Chutes for culinary use at special events.

“We had a couple of bus tour companies come up [ . . . ] and we serve them sea pie for a dinner there. It would be neat if we could put back in those potatoes as another part of the authenticity of serving something like that,” he said, noting how meaningful it would be to serve a sea pie containing possibly the very variety of potato that was once used to make the dish.

Back to the Caldwell camp

Lamothe said he is excited to begin growing these potatoes and to share them with others who are as passionate about local history — and food — as he is.

The spuds are still seed potatoes, too small to plant, so he’s keeping them buried deep underground until next year, at which point they will be ready to distribute to other interested growers.

Once the plants are ready, he said he plans to give some to all who expressed interest. But he has a special mission that he wants to accomplish: trek up the Black River to plant the spuds on the Caldwell farm, in the very same soil as the loggers might have done in The Chapeau Boys.

“It’s just as a tribute to the song,” he said, adding that the song reflects a part of our unique regional culture that is worth preserving.

“To some people, Chapeau Boys is like the national anthem of the Pontiac. It’s part of our culture.”

From song to soil: Why one Calumet Island man is bringing back a heritage Pontiac potato Read More »

Former Kitigan Zibi chief Whiteduck running for Pontiac NDP nomination

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Former Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation chief Gilbert Whiteduck announced in a press release last week he will seek the NDP nomination in the federal riding of Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi for the next election.

Whiteduck holds degrees from Carleton University, the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and the University of Ottawa, as well as a Certificate in Indigenous Law and an Honorary Doctorate degree for his work in education.

He is the president of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society, has worked as a school principal, and served on the band council of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation before serving as chief for seven years. He is currently working as a therapist for First Nations and Inuit people with mental health and substance use disorders.

Whiteduck said people throughout the riding were asking him if he planned on running, and while he didn’t initially consider it, after some thought he decided to put his name forward.

“It came down to saying, from the experience and everything that I’ve gained, and people that I’ve talked to and what they’ve told me, ‘Can I be a different kind of voice? A more affirmative voice.’”
He said his experience as a councillor and as chief of Kitigan Zibi has given him experience in a wide variety of fields, and with all levels of government.

“It’s not at all like a mayor of a municipality, because you are negotiating land claims. You’re overlooking healthcare. [ . . . ] Our education is strictly under us,” he said, describing the unique nature of his work as chief.

“You’re negotiating provincial, federal, speaking to the MRCs. I did all of that in different ways.”
Whiteduck said while he needs to reach out to more people across the riding to understand their concerns, he has identified a few of his own priorities.

“One of them, of course, is homelessness. The reality that poverty exists in maybe more rural [environments]. And that’s all tied to housing, and everything around housing.”

“There’s also, of course, the economic stuff, and what programs and what supports can be made available differently to medium and small businesses,” he said.

He said he sees agriculture as a big concern for the riding, and while he needs to speak with more farmers to understand their concerns, he sees them as crucial drivers of the economy.

“Farmers for me are important. Maybe because they are close to the land, and as an Indigenous person we have always been close to the land, and I’ve told that to the farmers that I’ve met.”

He said he also sees the issue of the Chalk River nuclear research facility as important to the region.

“The water is so important, whether it be the Kitchissippi, the Gatineau River, are all are important rivers that we need collectively to take care of. It’s tied to biodiversity, it’s tied to taking care of the land.”

Whiteduck added that he is being realistic about the NDP’s chances in this election, but regardless of the election result wants to do right by the people and represent their best interests.

“The NDP has never formed government. Do they have a chance to form? Well, we’ll see,” he said.

“As an MP your role is to influence. Your role is at committees, at different levels, at different contacts with ministers to influence that change that will benefit the riding.”

The Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi NDP nomination meeting will happen on Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. at the Wakefield community centre. The party confirmed Whiteduck is so far the only candidate.

Former Kitigan Zibi chief Whiteduck running for Pontiac NDP nomination Read More »

Man leaves flaming trailer at Quyon fire hall, shoots at off-duty firefighter, witness says

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Several witnesses are helping THE EQUITY trace the path of a man who allegedly drove a flaming camping trailer down chemin Lac-des-Loups near Quyon last Monday night, left the still-flaming trailer at the town’s fire station, and drove away.

The man allegedly shot four times in the direction of a volunteer firefighter who was following him, according to an anonymous radio interview with the firefighter that aired on 104.7 Outaouais on Wednesday.

The firefighter declined THE EQUITY’s interview request but was confirmed through multiple sources to be a member of the Bristol Fire Department.

According to the account, shared on the radio, the firefighter spotted the man towing the flaming trailer on chemin Lac-des-Loups about 10 kilometres north of Quyon and decided to follow it as it headed south toward the village.

“Fire was falling from the trailer,” he said in the interview, adding that it caused trees along the side of the road to catch fire in at least four different places.

He called 9-1-1 to alert the authorities of the fires, continuing to follow the man across Highway 148 and into Quyon, where he watched the man stop his vehicle, unhook the flaming trailer in the parking lot, and take off back up the road he came from.

In the interview he said that since Quyon isn’t part of his fire department’s territory, he didn’t have the right to intervene, so he continued to follow the driver so he could provide updates to the authorities.

Then, once on chemin Swamp, the driver stopped. “He gets out of his vehicle and shoots in my direction with a shotgun,” the firefighter said, who wasn’t hit but whose vehicle was hit twice on the hood.

The firefighter, who was out of cell signal, said he tried to reposition himself so he could update 9-1-1 on the situation. At this point the man allegedly shot twice again in his direction, hitting this vehicle’s radiator.

“Fortunately I didn’t get hit,” he said.

THE EQUITY reached out to the MRC des Collines police several times since the Monday night incident for confirmation of these details, but nobody with knowledge of the file was available to speak before publication deadline.

However, several more witnesses confirmed aspects of what the firefighter recounted. One woman, who was with her boyfriend at his home on chemin Cain just east of chemin Lac-des-Loups, did not see the fire happen but said they woke up Tuesday morning to find trees burnt on either side of their laneway, and firetrucks by the road.

She said she had no idea it had happened, but learned more from the firefighters who were by the side of the road the next morning.

Her boyfriend, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of his own security, said he couldn’t believe someone would endanger people in that way. “There’s so much he could have done to avoid driving through a town full of people with a flaming fireball,” he said.

According to security camera footage acquired from the Quyon ProColour auto body shop at the corner of chemin Lac-des-Loups and Highway 148, the flaming trailer crossed the highway around 11 p.m. Monday night, heading toward the village of Quyon.

A woman named Emilie, who lives in Quyon and who did not wish to publicize her last name, confirmed she saw the flaming trailer, and while her property was unscathed by the flames, said her neighbour’s property and car were damaged by the fire.

“I saw it, [ . . . ] there was a big explosion,” she said, adding that the fire department was there promptly so she went back to bed.

Municipality of Pontiac mayor Roger Larose confirmed that the fire department responded to a call late on Monday night on chemin Cain. “The bush caught on fire,” he said, confirming the department responded to several fires along the way.

He said once the fire department heard the man had unhitched the trailer at the Quyon fire station, firefighters responded to the call in a timely manner and extinguished the fire.

He said the trailer fire didn’t cause any widespread property damage, but a water main in town did break under the pressure caused by firefighters turning off their water source after putting out the trailer fire.

“When they shut the tap off [ . . . ] the pressure busted the pipe,” he said, adding that portions of the village were without water the next day, including Sainte-Marie school, which was forced to close. He added that crews worked to fix the issue and residents had water back within two days.

The MRC des Collines police have not named a suspect, but several witnesses confirmed the man is known to the community.

THE EQUITY has not found any information about why the man was driving a burning trailer.

Man leaves flaming trailer at Quyon fire hall, shoots at off-duty firefighter, witness says Read More »

Mustangs mount late comeback, stamp down Comets in Shawville home opener

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The Pontiac Senior Comets’ first home opener in almost five years ended in a 6-4 loss to the South Stormont Mustangs on Sunday evening.

The team, which found a new league this season after a hiatus, held its opening game of the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League (EOSHL) season at the Shawville arena due to a mechanical failure at its usual rink, the Centre de Loisirs des Draveurs Century 21 Elite in Fort Coulonge.

The building was brimming with fans anxiously anticipating the team’s return to play. The Comets players were met with whoops and cheers from the crowd during pregame introductions, with special emphasis for assistant captain Quinn O’Brien and head captain Darcy Findlay, both of whom are native Pontiacers.

Before the game, MRC Pontiac warden Jane Toller as well as mayors from Shawville, Clarendon, Fort Coulonge, and Mansfield and Pontefract were on hand for a ceremonial puck drop.

Then, the real puck drop. The Comets dominated possession of the puck in the first period, getting out to a quick 2-0 lead with goals from Keyshawn Francis and Dominic Jalbert.

The second period saw one goal from each team, putting the Comets ahead 3-1 heading into the final frame. Then, the Mustangs started to mount a third-period comeback, scoring a burst of five goals, including two in the final six minutes, to win the game 6-4.

Team captain Darcy Findlay said his team gave up advantages to the Mustangs with bad line changes and poorly timed penalties, which allowed their opponents to take the lead.

“As soon as we gave them a powerplay or two, we gave them that momentum, which allowed them to have confidence,” he said.

Head coach Luc Danis said they made some mistakes in the third period, but acknowledged the Mustangs’ experience was what allowed them to come back.

“We’re still a young team, we’re still learning to play with each other,” he said, adding that the chemistry will come as the season progresses.

Findlay said despite the loss the team is going to take the positives out of today’s game, including improving team chemistry with the team’s core group of players.

“We’re very excited for what’s going to come. Every week is going to get better, the speed is going to get faster, everyone’s physical shape is going to get better, and then of course team chemistry starts to build,” he said.

Findlay, who last played competitive hockey with the Comets in the 2019-2020 season, said it was nice to be back on the ice, especially in front of the Shawville hometown crowd.

“In the unfortunate circumstances we’re making the best we can,” he said of the last-minute venue change, adding that they are trying to find ways to involve the entire Pontiac community.

In addition to adding new sponsors from the Shawville area, the team distributed free tickets to all local schools this week in hopes of gaining some new fans.

The team had two flagbearers at Sunday’s game, one from each minor hockey association in the Pontiac. Ozzie Carmichael of the Shawville and District Minor Hockey Association and Nathan Belair of Hockey mineure Fort Coulonge skated around the rink carrying Comets flags, getting fans pumped up for player introductions.

Findlay said they hope to do more things like this to get local kids involved, including bringing minor teams out to line up with the Comets for the national anthem.

The Comets have now lost three of their last four games, putting them in fourth place in the Capital division.

The team will play the Glengarry Pipers on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in Shawville.

Mustangs mount late comeback, stamp down Comets in Shawville home opener Read More »

New show choir gives kids a chance to find meaning through music

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Last Monday evening, long after the last bell had gone and students were off to their extracurriculars, a group of 20 or so kids aged seven to 15 gathered in the Pontiac High School auditorium to hone their singing chops.

Their director was none other than Pontiac High School teacher Phil Holmes, who stood at the front of the auditorium urging the young singers, “Sing from your diaphragm!”

Holmes has directed 18 high school musical theatre productions and spent hundreds of hours offering private music lessons to Outaouais youth. A graduate of the University of Ottawa’s vocal performance program, he’s widely sought after for his singing expertise.

This fall, he and his wife Alina Holmes have turned their attention to a new musical endeavour – the creation of the Pontiac Youth Show Choir – where the next generation of Pontiac prodigies can hone their own chops.

According to Phil, who grew up in Shawville in a time when most singing groups were church choirs, this new show choir is the first of its kind in the Pontiac. He said a show choir is in many ways the opposite of a church choir. Active, dynamic, and upbeat, it’s more akin to musical theatre.

“A show choir is fast, fun, up-tempo music, and it’s more than just standing,” Phil said. “It’s a performance, it’s a show. There’s movement, there’s choreography, hopefully costumes.”

Phil and Alina, who manages the behind-the-scenes business for the choir such as registrations, had talked about starting a show choir for a few years, but with two kids now interested in joining the choir, the couple decided the time had finally come to actually do it.

Phil said rehearsals, which have been going on in the PHS auditorium since mid-September, are going well, and that the kids are getting more comfortable singing and dancing. “A lot of these kids don’t have a background in dance,” he said.

Last Monday’s rehearsal began with Phil leading the kids through dynamic vocal warm-ups, enunciation exercises and full-body stretches. Then, once everyone was nice and loose he led the kids through their repertoire of songs, which he has arranged according to the kids’ strengths and abilities. Selections range from pop music from artists such as Coldplay and Imagine Dragons, to more traditional songs, like sea shanties.

On this particular day it was the sea shanty that was giving the kids trouble. Phil urged the kids to sing louder, with the gut and gusto of a salty sailor. “Sing with your diaphragm!”

A student of the art of singing, he knows what he’s talking about. Singing from the diaphragm, instead of the chest, creates a deeper, fuller sound, helping singers project their voices further.

The kids listen to his advice. “Better!” he said.

Phil might be dealing with a choir full of kids, but he takes it seriously, even issuing a challenge to his young singers: “Being good at singing is going to be hard,” he said. “You’re going to have to work at this.”

Phil has seen firsthand the impact music can have on young people’s lives. He said programs like the show choir are there to help kids find their passion — especially if that passion doesn’t happen to be sports.

“We have a fantastic hockey program [in Shawville], fantastic athletics, but not every child wants to play a sport. But every child is born with something inside of them that they will love,” he said.

Alina, who has a university degree in music as well, also discovered music at a young age, which she said helped her overcome a lot of challenges.

“Socially, I had a difficult time with bullying, with other things going on, and I really struggled with that. And it was only when I found music and I found that space that the rest of it didn’t matter as much anymore. Because I had somewhere I could go where I had people that got me,” she said.

Alina said in addition to her husband being from the music community, two of her best friends are as well. She hopes the choir can help these kids find meaningful connections through music, just as she was able to.

“We want to make sure that we are creating these spaces. [ . . . ] We need to provide as many opportunities as possible for kids to find their space where they belong, whatever that means to them.”

Nathalie Vallée signed her daughter Maggie up for the choir because the girl is interested in K-pop and wants to learn how to sing. Vallée and her partner were looking for singing lessons as far as Aylmer, but when they found the show choir they jumped on the opportunity.

“I thought it would be perfect to possibly help her sing, but also give her confidence in singing in the fact that her voice was mixed in with other voices,” Vallée said.

“I also wanted her to meet other people that love to sing,” she said.

Michelle Hitchen said her daughter Mia is always singing around the house, and even asked for singing lessons, so when she heard about the choir it was a no-brainer.

“She is enjoying it,” she said. “It’s great to see a program like this offered as an after-school activity.”

Phil and Alina have two kids, Mason and Amélie, in the choir, and the family is using the rehearsals as an opportunity to spend some quality family time together, despite what can be a busy schedule.

“We run a lot of various community events and organizations and what we have chosen to work on definitely has shifted over the years based on our childrens’ interests,” Alina said, adding that for them, spending time as a family is the number one priority.

She said that while Phil doesn’t like to toot his own horn, with him the kids are getting a world-class musical education.

“These kids don’t even know it because they’re just having a blast, but they are getting an absolute professional teacher, someone that is totally sought after,” she said.

“People are calling him constantly trying to hire him and he’s often saying no, he’s too busy, and this is the type of thing he’s too busy doing [ . . . ] This is where his heart is, and this is where he’s going to spend his time.”

Phil said he eventually hoped to take the choir on the road and perform in different locations. But first, he said, there’s lots of work to be done.

“We are only going to perform if we sound good as a group,” he said to the kids at rehearsal. “Who’s ready to work?”

“Me!” was the unanimous response from the choir.

New show choir gives kids a chance to find meaning through music Read More »

MRC still considering options for new shares bylaw

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

A crowd of about 40 residents from across the MRC Pontiac were present at the monthly MRC council of mayors meeting in Campbell’s Bay on Wednesday night.

Some were there to express their frustrations around what many felt were unfair property evaluations, which were released in September, while others were there to once again urge action from the MRC on producing a new bylaw that would reconfigure the calculation of municipal shares.

In August, the 370% Evaluation Taskforce from Alleyn and Cawood presented a draft bylaw to the MRC which suggested the total elimination of the comparative factor as a way of calculating the amount each municipality owes to the MRC every year.

The task force was hoping the MRC would adopt its suggested bylaw, but neither the bylaw, nor an alternative version of it, has been tabled in either of the two council meetings that have taken place since then.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Alleyn and Cawood mayor Carl Mayer requested to add the proposed bylaw to the meeting’s agenda, but he was ultimately the only mayor on council to vote in favour of this amendment.

For context, the comparative factor is a number determined in the property valuation process. According to the MRC’s website, it is “established based on sales on the municipality’s territory during the previous year, compared with the value deposited during the first year of the triennial roll.”

The sale of over 120 vacant lots in Alleyn and Cawood in years two and three of that municipality’s triennial roll led to a high comparative factor of 3.7 last year, causing all property values, including those of full-time residents, to increase by as much as 370 per cent.

While the municipality changed its mill rate to reduce the impact of higher property evaluations on ratepayers’ wallets, it still had to pay municipal shares to the MRC based on the inflated comparative factor and therefore pay money it hadn’t collected in taxes. It’s this system that Alleyn and Cawood residents and elected officials are taking issue with.

On Wednesday, several fellow mayors expressed support for the residents’ desire to see this process changed, but ultimately said they were not ready to vote on the matter because they still lacked the information they needed to make a decision.

“The bylaw that was presented, there has to be so much more put into it so we know what we’re voting on,” said Litchfield mayor Colleen Larivière. “We want to make sure that what we’re doing is right. Patience and understanding is what we’re asking from you.”

In an interview with THE EQUITY on Friday, Allumette Island mayor Corey Spence also voiced his support for the residents.

“We do support them. We understand their pain, of course we do. We want to do something about it,” he said, noting that there are still certain guidelines that need to be followed.

“There’s only so much the MRC can do, because we get the laws from the province. So we have to work with the tools we have.”

Spence, who chairs the MRC’s budget committee, said they discussed the item at a recent meeting and have come up with a few different options for recalculating municipal shares.

He said the meetings have been going well, but they need to wait for approval from their legal counsel and from the ministry of housing before writing a bylaw.

“We’re working on ways to make sure it’s fair for everybody, and first we’ve got to make sure it’s legal.”
While Toller wouldn’t say what ideas have been discussed in the budget committee meetings, she noted there is some payment flexibility in other provinces, which she thinks is a good idea.

“You can give people a break by not expecting it all to be paid in the first year,” she said.

She also said the possibility of evaluating all 18 municipalities at the same time, instead of the staggered system that currently exists, is attractive.

Alleyn and Cawood director general Isabelle Cardinal said during Wednesday’s question period the municipality will be meeting with the province’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and will discuss the possibility of changing the evaluation process at a provincial level.

“We put a big package together with what we think are the problems [ . . . ] and we also have solutions. We’re not just saying, ‘your system doesn’t work,’ we actually have solutions to present,” she said, adding that in their conversations the department agreed it was an outdated system.

“We’re not fighting for just Alleyn and Cawood, we’re doing this for all of us small municipalities.”

Toller said the budget committee will continue to look at solutions, but they will require two more meetings before a bylaw can be passed; first, a meeting where the motion for the bylaw would be tabled, and second, a meeting where the bylaw can be voted on by the council of mayors. She did not provide a timeframe by which they intend to have a bylaw.

MRC still considering options for new shares bylaw Read More »

Municipality of Pontiac scrambles to replace culvert before winter

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Larose considers sidestepping federal regulations

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The Municipality of Pontiac’s council passed a motion at Tuesday’s meeting asking the municipality’s provincial and federal representatives to accelerate the reconstruction of a culvert that was washed out in a mid-July rainstorm.

The culvert on Luskville’s Thérien Road has not been repaired since, leaving residents with no connection to Highway 148 other than a temporary detour through a neighbouring construction company.

Some residents aren’t happy with this option, saying an already unsafe detour will become almost impossible to navigate once the snow falls.

“There’s no way we can take this road in the winter without it being dangerous,” said Thérien Road resident Isabelle Girouard, adding that the culvert on the detour is only wide enough for one car and has no railing on either side.

“If it gets slippery, you fall down 12 or 13 feet because there’s no railing.”

Before the Thérien culvert can be replaced, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is requiring the municipality to submit two documents: first, a report describing the culvert clearing and recovery work; and second, a regulatory review application to replace the culvert that makes sure the proposed work would follow all provincial and federal environmental regulations. 

The stream underneath the culvert is recognized as a fish habitat and the DFO wants to make sure any repair work to the culvert will not harm the habitat or the fish that live there.

To date, the municipality has not submitted either of those documents to the DFO, citing trouble getting cooperation from all levels of government.

Municipality of Pontiac (MoP) mayor Roger Larose said in an interview Monday afternoon they have been getting conflicting information from the engineering firm they hired through the Fédération Québécoise des Municipalités (FQM), which has had three different people dealing with their file since July.

Some of them have been telling MoP to hire a biologist to study the potential impact on the fish ecosystem, while others have been saying not to bother and just to proceed with the work.

“We keep having to start over every time,” he said, adding it has been frustrating getting different messages about how to proceed.

The motion passed at last week’s meeting asked MP Sophie Chatel and MNA André Fortin to raise this issue in their respective governments, but Larose has since said that because the DFO is just following the rules, there is not much they can do to accelerate the process.

He said it’s hard to get any results from motions like these because the representatives are at different levels of government and can’t work together.

Residents such as Girouard have voiced their concerns to Mayor Larose about the detour, saying they want the culvert replaced before winter, which is arriving fast.

She understands the need to protect the fish habitat, but now in mid-October she sees the work as urgent.

“I feel like the provincial and federal plateaus of government are not understanding the urgency of the situation,” she said.

Larose also feels the crunch. This Wednesday night (Oct. 16) he is holding a public meeting where he is going to discuss the possibility of proceeding with the construction of the culvert without submitting the required paperwork.

There could be consequences to going ahead with the work. The municipality won’t get provincial or federal funding, meaning it will have to pay for the $150,000 culvert it has already been looking at, in addition to any labour costs or additional costs.

“We could also get a fine,” he said, adding that he wants to use the meeting as an opportunity to hear how residents feel about the decision.

“I’ll bring up to council, it’s not my decision,” he said.

The DFO declined THE EQUITY’s request for a phone interview, but in prior communications with the department, communications advisor Véronic Lavoie confirmed it had not received the documents required to begin replacing the culvert.

“The Municipality of Pontiac must provide DFO with a report describing the culvert cleaning and recovery work,” she wrote in an email.

“Following this work, the municipality of Pontiac will have to submit a regulatory review application to DFO to replace the culvert, which is located in fish habitat,” she wrote, adding that the work cannot result in the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat.

She said both documents are required before they can authorize any work on the culvert.
Girouard feels that Mayor Larose and the council are doing what they can to help her with the limited resources they have. She acknowledges how few resources small municipalities like hers have, and that Larose has other things on his plate that he needs to do.

In September the council held a special sitting to announce they would hire Pontiac transit provider TransporAction to collect the one school-aged child who lives on Thérien Road — Girouard’s daughter — at her door and drop her at the bus stop on Highway 148.

Girouard is happy the municipality is ensuring her child will get to the bus safely, but for her this is only a temporary solution.She wants work to begin on the culvert so she and other residents of Thérien Road can resume their normal lives.

She feels as if she has been caught in the crossfire of all these levels of government, and that nobody at the provincial or federal level is listening to her concerns.

Municipality of Pontiac scrambles to replace culvert before winter Read More »

Transcollines still looking for on-demand transit provider

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Transcollines, a public transit provider in the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais, is still searching for a service provider to operate an on-demand transit service in the MRC Pontiac, and is confident it will find one by Dec. 2025. 

Transcollines has been operating an on-demand service in the MRC des Collines since Sept. 2022, partnering with local taxi companies to expand the network’s reach beyond the bounds of its fixed bus routes. Riders can book transportation using the CityWay app on their phone, and a vehicle will come pick them up and then drop them at their destination. 

The service in the Collines has been successful to the point of oversaturation. Radio-Canada reported on Sept. 26 that especially during rush hours, on-demand users are waiting several hours for a vehicle to become available. 

But since putting out a call for interest in Sept. 2023 for taxi services in the MRC Pontiac, the transit provider has been unable to get a service rolling in the region. 

Communications manager Chantal Mainville said Transcollines has specific technological requirements that local providers weren’t able to meet. 

“They need to be ready to work with a system that they are maybe not used to working with, or we need to make sure the system they use now is compatible with CityWay. It’s not everyone who is prepared to make those changes,” she said.  

Despite the lack of response, Transcollines still sees a clear demand for on-demand service in the Pontiac. Mainville said in the public consultations they held last summer, they found that people in the Pontiac wanted transit service closer to home. 

The only route Transcollines currently operates in the MRC Pontiac runs once a day in each direction, with the morning bus leaving Chapeau at 5:17 a.m. heading toward Gatineau.

Mainville said people wanted more accessible service at times that work better for them.  

“They wanted hours that can be a bit broader than the bus, but also having vehicles that can go further into the regions instead of staying on the main roads,” she said, acknowledging that the bus route staying on the 148 is inconvenient for some potential riders. 

She said part of the on-demand plan would involve shortening the bus route to a point closer to Gatineau, and then allowing the bus to offer on-demand service to people who live deeper into the MRC Pontiac. The bus would be able to leave Highway 148, collect riders closer to their homes, then bring them all to the fixed departure point, from where the bus would drive its usual route to Gatineau. 

“We’re very convinced that by transforming a portion of the bus route into on-demand service there would be more clientele interested in using the service,” she said, adding that they would also like to implement on-demand service for those people who are not using the bus, much like the service that already exists in the Collines. It is for this service for which they are looking for a new provider.

Mainville said these consultations, as well as other avenues of research, have taught them a lot about what their riders want and what they need to do to get an on-demand service rolling in the Pontiac. In the Collines, 58 per cent of people use the on-demand service for work, 25 per cent for leisure, 13 per cent for studies, and 4 per cent for health-related reasons. 

Transcollines is soon going to unveil an on-demand service in the Municipality of Pontiac that will run Monday-Friday between 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the sectors of Eardley, Luskville, Aylmer and Breckenridge. It hopes that after a trial phase, it will get similar statistics about how people in the Municipality of Pontiac, and by extension the MRC Pontiac, want to use the service. 

The present contract with Transcollines’ current on-demand providers will terminate in Dec. 2025, and Mainville said the new contract will include the MRC Pontiac in its description. 

This means that any provider that wins the contract will be responsible for on-demand transportation in the MRC Pontiac, regardless of whether the provider is based in the Pontiac. 

In the meantime, Transcollines is still looking for operators who would be willing to operate in the MRC Pontiac, and has been in touch with various operators about this possibility. Since these talks are still in progress, she did not comment on which operators they have been discussing with.  

THE EQUITY reached out to Campbell’s Bay-based transit provider Transporaction, and general director Sylvie Bertrand said they met with Transcollines but were unable to satisfy their requirements in terms of drivers. 

“We have 60 volunteers who drive their own cars,” Bertrand said in a French interview, adding that number isn’t even enough to cover the Pontiac’s current transportation needs. 

“Ideally we would have 10 to 15 more drivers,” she said. 

She said Transporaction’s service is really designed to provide service to seniors to and from appointments, and that it doesn’t have the capacity to take on additional routes. 

Mainville wouldn’t say what Transcollines’ conversations have been like with the MRC Pontiac. The MRC, for its part, provided this statement.

“The MRC is working with to find a supplier and roll out the increased service in our area, however, since it is Transcollines that has the mandate to offer the service and sign a contractual agreement, the MRC’s role is limited to being a facilitator between the organization and potential local service providers.”

Despite the challenges, Mainville is optimistic Transcollines will be able to find an operator. 

“We have proven that it’s feasible for operators to do this kind of thing,” she said. “It draws the attention of others around who say ‘Well, maybe we would like to make this kind of money too.’” 

Transcollines will announce more details about its Municipality of Pontiac service in an upcoming press conference, though no date has been set.

Transcollines still looking for on-demand transit provider Read More »

Abattoir update presented at Shawville meeting of UPA Outaouais-Laurentides

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The dining room at Little Red Wagon winery just outside of Shawville was standing room-only for the UPA’s (Union des producteurs agricoles) Outaouais-Laurentides sector congress on Friday night. 

Agricultural producers from across the Pontiac, as well as members of the UPA from across the Outaouais and Laurentides, gathered to eat together, take in a series of presentations, and discuss the issues most pertinent to the region. MNA André Fortin and MP Sophie Chatel were also in attendance. 

The meeting was held to discuss some of the most pressing issues for the region’s producers, but the main event of the evening was a presentation given by Roger St-Cyr and Mike Layer, two members of the new abattoir co-op, the Coopérative de solidarité Agrisaveur du Pontiac. The pair updated the crowd on what the group has been up to since announcing its formation in late August. 

St-Cyr told the crowd that last week they met with representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ), and got the inspections they needed to begin operations.  

“It went very well. We’ve got a green light, it’s something we needed and we got, because that commits us to start thinking about an opening date.” 

“They gave us a few small things we need to correct,” he said, noting they will address those issues before submitting their final application to MAPAQ for their permits. St-Cyr told THE EQUITY Monday afternoon they should have those permits before the end of the month. 

St-Cyr said now that the permitting process is nearly complete, the co-op can focus on other pressing issues, like coming up with a business plan and getting a credit line. 

When asked at the meeting when they plan to open the doors, St-Cyr said they had originally planned on Oct. 15, but admitted that’s a bit ambitious now. He threw the question to the room, asking: “When would you wish us to start?” 

“Yesterday,” wryly responded one eager producer, a comment that was met with knowing laughter from the crowd. St-Cyr said the business plan, as well as training employees, will both take time, but reassured the room they are still on the right track. 

“We had committed to starting this in 2024 and we are still committed to that.”

Co-op member Stephen Hamilton said some former employees have expressed interest in returning to work at the abattoir. “I think finding employees won’t be a big problem,” he said. “Our first step will really be finding a manager that we feel confident in and that understands the whole process.”  

One man in the audience wondered if the abattoir would slaughter lamb according to halal requirements. “We know who our clients are,” he said. 

St-Cyr responded by saying the co-op is there to serve the community, so if the demand for halal lamb is there, they will make room for it. “If there’s demand for it one day a month,” he offered as an example, “the board will decide and we’ll go over the demand.” 

Layer echoed this feeling. “From the standpoint of sheep, the community has been underserved,” he said. “That’s what we want to be focused on.” 

“Our primary priority is to serve the community. You’re part of the community, and if your market requires halal, it’s going to be integral to making your situation work,” Layer said.  

“But our driver is to serve the needs of the community as opposed to developing a business case that’s entirely predicated on a supply and consumers that exist way outside of this MRC.” 

When the abattoir does open its doors, they plan to be able to offer a service to slaughter, cut and wrap animals in order to allow producers to sell their cuts. Eventually, they will aim for a second phase whereby the abattoir will have a retail space and will be able to sell cuts under the co-op’s name. 

Hamilton told THE EQUITY on Monday he was happy with the turnout at the meeting, and that they were able to address some of the public’s questions about the work the co-op has been doing.

“It was a good evening and everybody seemed to feel that they learned a bit and are appreciative of the work the co-op has done so far,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the re-opening.” 

Abattoir update presented at Shawville meeting of UPA Outaouais-Laurentides Read More »

ESSC firefighter course brings home awards at gala

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Emma Rochon and Talira Savard are Grade 11 students at École secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge (ESSC). They’re both teenage girls, and they’re both firefighters. 

Well, technically they’re not certified quite yet, but they hope to by the end of May if everything goes according to plan. 

The pair are students in ESSC’s firefighter training course, a first-of-its-kind initiative in Quebec started last year which allows students to get their Firefighter 1 certification while still attending regular high school classes. 

Once a week, students get together to learn firefighting skills with teacher Martin Bertand, who is also captain of the Bryson and Grand Calumet Fire Department. They run drills with local fire departments, get their first responder certification, and respond to emergencies. Students in the program are working hard in preparation for their final exam in May. 

Last Thursday Rochon, Savard, and Bertrand were in Quebec City for the Forces Avenir gala, an annual event that celebrates the accomplishments of high school students and educators across the province. 

The occasion? Their program had received a silver award in the “projet engagé” (dedicated projet) category, and was up for the “coup de coeur” (people’s choice) award. 

After two and a half suspenseful hours, Rochon and Savard were called up on stage to accept the “coup de coeur” award.

Both girls were nervous, especially because of the interview-style format in which the gala host asked the girls questions about the project. 

“I was in shock and surprised, but I was really proud of us,” Savard said. 

Bertrand, too, was proud. In an interview with THE EQUITY the day after the gala he said seeing the pair on stage brought a tear to his eye. “These girls have worked hard,” he said.

Rochon and Savard represented their class in Quebec City because they were elected co-captains by their classmates — a group that consists of mostly boys.

Savard was proud they got the nod over their male counterparts. “We’re not a lot of girls and it’s really awesome that we were picked by all the guys.” 

According to a 2021 nationwide survey by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, only 11 per cent of firefighters in Canada are women. 

Savard said it can be tough being a girl in a male-dominated profession, and in her short time as a first responder she’s seen her fair share of prejudice. 

ESSC firefighter course brings home awards at gala Read More »

High schools observe truth and reconciliation

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation happens annually on Sept. 30 and honours the children who endured residential schools, some of whom made it through and some of whom did not, as well as their families and communities.

In this, the fourth year of the national day’s existence, THE EQUITY reached out to Pontiac high schools to see how they are observing truth and reconciliation in their classes.

École secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge

Sébastien Beaudoin teaches art at École secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge (ESSC) in Fort Coulonge, and identifies as being of Algonquin descent. This year, he was in charge of supervising activities at the school for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. 

He holds a certificate from UBC in reconciliation through Indigenous education, and has been using his knowledge to support his fellow teachers, who each organized activities in their own classrooms. 

Eight teachers at the school in subjects such as drama, history, French and arts organized activities for Truth and Reconciliation Day, or integrated the material into their curriculum throughout the month of September. 

He said some teachers focused on the loss of culture, others on the loss of language, but also stories of people who found these things again, including a young boy who reconnected with his culture via traditional dance. 

Beaudoin was happy with what the staff was able to put together: “At ESSC I’m proud of our team, and we have some incredible projects,” he said.

In his own classroom, Beaudoin set up a “babillard culturel,” or a cultural bulletin board, where students posted their research according to the topic Beaudoin chose: missing and murdered Indigenous women.

In 2015, the Canadian government launched an independent national public inquiry into the disproportionate violence experienced by Indigenous women and girls, as well as the systemic causes behind this violence. Indigenous women’s groups estimate the number of missing and murdered to be over 4,000. 

Beaudoin said he helped students find statistics online, and then contextualize them using stories of some of the missing and murdered Indigenous women. 

“I make available information like government statistics, but also to give them an idea of the reality of this issue in Canada,” he said.  

“We talked about the emptiness that it causes when a person disappears, in families and communities, and the fear that comes with it.”

He said understanding what happened is just one of the first steps toward reconciliation, and that these learning experiences can lead to deeper classroom discussions. 

“It’s to show the students how Indigenous women have been targeted,” Beaudoin said. “We also spoke about the lack of protection [ . . . ] we’re still lacking a lot of the tools to help the families.”

But even though learning is the first step, he said it can only go so far. He knows that the intergenerational harm caused by settler colonialism isn’t going to be unravelled overnight. 

“Reconciliation is going to take time. It could take generations. It’s a huge word; there are so many important aspects that we have to cover before discussing concrete reconciliation.”

But at the very least, he said, it is his duty to teach the history.

“We’re on Algonquin territory, and we owe them this. We owe them that respect. Doing our homework of educating ourselves and coming toward a reconciliation — we owe them that.”

Beaudoin said he hasn’t been able to bring in anyone from local Algonquin First Nations to speak to the students, but he is in consultation with them about how to teach this subject. 

“There are steps that need to be taken,” he said. “We’re working with them, and in the future I’m sure more things will happen.” 

Pontiac High School 

At PHS, it was the youth leading efforts to honour and remember the national day of remembrance. 

PHS teacher Matt Greer had a group of students in his leadership class run a series of events, including an orange shirt day on Sept. 30 and some activities the week prior.

Grade 11 students Jaxson Armstrong, Liam Mulligan, Alexander Burke and Katelyn Zimmerling all collaborated on a PowerPoint presentation explaining why it’s important to recognize the day, and presented it to the class.

Armstrong said it enabled them to go beyond what they learned about in the classroom and to do their own research. 

He was surprised to learn that the last residential school closed in 1996. “My parents were in high school then,” he said. “It’s something to think about.” 

He said learning about the history was a humbling experience, but he still feels good about how far we have come in recognizing it. 

“It makes you feel pretty guilty when you realize what our ancestors did to the Indigenous [people], but we’re in a different time now, in a better place. It’s nice to see how far we’ve come,” he said. 

Mulligan agreed that we’ve come a long way since then when it comes to recognizing past traumas, but he also acknowledged the effects of colonialism are long-lasting and not easily reversible. 

“You can never stop the intergenerational trauma,” he said, adding that there are likely many lasting impacts of colonialism that we don’t yet know about. 

Zimmerling is also glad that the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is being recognized in schools, but said that more concrete actions are needed to arrive at reconciliation. “I feel like there’s only so much we can do,” she said.

High schools observe truth and reconciliation Read More »

MRC to send fire prevention trainee to new program in Gatineau

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The MRC Pontiac announced it will participate in a fire prevention technician (FPT) training program, sending one trainee to a certification course at the Cégep de l’Outaouais in Gatineau starting in January 2025.

The program is designed to meet an urgent need for FPTs in the region, a type of specialist whose duties include inspecting properties to ensure compliance with fire codes, as well as organizing public awareness events around fire prevention.

The MRC currently has one technician on staff, and recently hired a contractor to fill the second position.

Public security coordinator Julien Gagnon said the MRC has been trying to hire a second full-time officer for a few years now without success.

The position requires a certification for which, until recently, training wasn’t regularly available in Western Quebec.

“It’s just not available in this area,” he said, noting the nearest Cégep offering the program was previously in Montréal.

The training program is being offered as a partnership between the Cégep de l’Outaouais and the City of Gatineau, with the MRC Pontiac being allotted one seat in the course.

While the MRC’s previous calls for applicants to fill its second position have found no returns, Gagnon said it should be different this time because the training is being offered.

“Any person with a high school diploma who is willing to return to school for one year can be promised the position,” he wrote in an email to THE EQUITY.

“This opens up the candidate pool from near-zero potential candidates to almost anyone.”
Gagnon expects a few local volunteer firefighters to apply, but he notes firefighting is not a prerequisite for the position. Anyone may apply, although he notes the course will only be offered in French by the Cégep.

The MRC will pay for all fees related to the course, including school registration fees, books and application fees.

The program will feature an average of 23 hours a week of instruction over four consecutive school semesters, ending in December 2025.

Upon completion of the training, the MRC will offer a full-time position to the candidate.
Gagnon said the addition of another full-time officer should help to cover an increasingly heavy workload.

“We’ve always needed two of these positions at the MRC,” he said, noting that one inspector alone is not able to perform the number of building inspections they must do.

In 2017 the MRC’s Fire Safety Cover Plan expanded the number of buildings that require inspection. Gagnon wrote in an email that the document “increased our inspection load more than threefold.”

The MRC began to delegate certain inspections to local firefighters, but that practice stopped in 2020 when the Ministry of Public Security mandated that all non-residential, higher-risk buildings be inspected by a trained technician.

The MRC now has to inspect just under 800 buildings every five years, which Gagnon said is a large workload for one FPT and one contractor to handle. He said with these two they are able to complete all of the inspections, but only just.

“We’re just getting by,” he said, adding that the FPT is essentially spending all his time doing inspections and not seeing to the public awareness side of the job.

“We’re sort of lacking on the public awareness side, and that’s where a full-time, in-house prevention officer can do a much better job at that.”

Richard Pleau, the MRC’s current fire prevention technician, said in an emailed statement that the addition of a second full-time technician comes at just the right time.

“We must inspect more farm buildings. We also organize evacuation and public awareness drills. Finally, the department must carry out inspections and contribute to research into the causes of fires. An additional resource will enable us to carry out more tasks, and, ultimately, reduce the risk of fire in the MRC Pontiac.”

MRC to send fire prevention trainee to new program in Gatineau Read More »

Residents demand MRC change ‘unfair’ municipal shares system

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Agreement signed with renewable energy company, former Terry Fox organizers honoured, FRR2 funding announced at monthly mayors meeting

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

At last week’s MRC Pontiac council of mayors meeting in Campbell’s Bay, a group of residents from Alleyn and Cawood dominated the question period, expressing their concerns over how the MRC calculates municipal shares.

The residents formed a task force this spring to fight what they believe to be an unfair property evaluation process; this after last winter learning their property values had increased by 370 per cent.
This increase affects both the amounts the municipality pays in both police and school taxes, as well as the amount it has to pay to the MRC in municipal shares.

On Wednesday the group was hoping the council would adopt a bylaw, presented by the group at August’s council meeting, which would do away with the use of the comparative factor in determining municipal shares to be paid to the MRC.

“We want the comparative factor removed completely,” said resident Angela Giroux of the current method of determining municipal share amounts.

The comparative factor is a number determined in the property valuation process. According to the MRC’s website, it is “established based on sales on the municipality’s territory during the previous year, compared with the value deposited during the first year of the triennial roll.”

It is calculated by dividing the sale price of a property by its municipal evaluation. For example, if a lot is valued at $12,000 and it sells for $40,000, the comparative factor would be 3.333.

In year one of a triennial roll, this number is determined by type of lot such that residential, forestry, vacant and cottage lots each have their own comparative factor.

However in years two and three of a triennial roll, only one generalized comparative factor is used to determine all new property valuations, even if the value of vacant lots has increased by far more than the value of residential lots.

The sale of over 120 vacant lots in Alleyn and Cawood in just two years led to a high comparative factor of 3.7 last year, causing all property values, including those of full-time residents, to increase by as much as 370 per cent.

While the municipality can change its mill rate to reduce the impact of higher property valuations on the municipal taxes residents pay, it still has to pay municipal shares to the MRC based on the inflated comparative factor from last year’s general assessment, and its this process that Alleyn and Cawood residents and elected officials are taking issue with.

“How would you guys feel if [ . . . ] you’re planning your budget and you get a big bill from the MRC where your shares went from $114,000 to $300,000?” asked Alleyn and Cawood director general Isabelle Cardinal, addressing the mayors around the table at Wednesday’s meeting.

Cardinal said of the $800,000 the municipality will collect in municipal taxes this year, around $300,000 of it will be paid to the MRC.

She said with a senior-based population, many residents cannot afford a tax increase that would be needed to cover this increase in the amount owed to the MRC, and so her municipality didn’t raise taxes, forcing the council to instead cut funding to other services in order to pay its shares.

“We had some roads that were not gravelled this year because we can’t afford it, and [ . . . ] we’ve cut activities that we planned,” Cardinal said.

“We think it’s fair that we pay shares based on the same rate that we tax our ratepayers.”

Alleyn and Cawood presented a bylaw to the mayors in August requesting the comparative factor be removed altogether as a method of determining municipal shares, and some of Wednesday’s attendees from that municipality were expecting that bylaw would be adopted at this month’s meeting.

When only a motion to work on a bylaw was moved by the council, some ratepayers became angry.
Warden Jane Toller said the motion must be tabled first before the MRC can proceed with drafting and signing a new bylaw.

“At a further time we will be coming back with what we think is the fairest and best plan,” Toller said.

“There is no intention of trying to relay or defer things; it’s just the way it has to be done.”

In a media availability session after the meeting, Toller said she understands the concerns of the Alleyn and Cawood ratepayers, and that the MRC is looking into a solution that will benefit the entire Pontiac.

“Our job is to make sure that we listen and respond, and whatever our decision is, it’s going to benefit all municipalities and not target or hinder any one in particular,” she said.

She said the MRC will evaluate if there is a better way to evaluate the calculation of municipal shares, and will hopefully have an answer for October’s council of mayors sitting.

The task force’s presence at last Wednesday’s meeting was only the latest in many months of efforts to change the property evaluation process both at MRC and provincial levels, which included circulating an online petition requesting changes from the province.

The petition received more than 4,000 signatures and was presented to the National Assembly by Pontiac MNA André Fortin last week.

This month Alleyn and Cawood received its year one triennial roll, which offered a more nuanced evaluation of properties based on type of lot and brought down the general 370 per cent increase for residents.

But members of the task force are still adamant the evaluation process be changed and the comparative factor be abandoned in the determining of municipal shares so municipalities aren’t settled with what the task force referred to as distorted tax and municipal share bills going forward.

Innergex

With the passing of a resolution at Wednesday’s meeting, the MRC announced its intention to sign an agreement to work with Innergex, a Quebec-based renewable energy company, when Hydro-Québec releases its call for solar energy project proposals later this year.

At last month’s meeting the MRC announced the signing of a confidentiality agreement with Innergex, following its response to the MRC’s call for submissions for solar energy projects in February. Since then the MRC has been in discussion with Innergex about the terms of the agreement.

MRC Pontiac warden Jane Toller said before the MRC signed an agreement it wanted to make sure that it would have the freedom to work with other companies on other projects if it so desired.

“Innergex has asked for exclusivity only with the projects that we have identified for them,” said Toller, adding that the MRC could potentially work with other companies even though no specific projects have been announced yet.

The MRC also wanted to make sure that the project would be well-received by Pontiac residents. It hasn’t done any public consultations yet, but does plan to in the future.

Toller said the agreement is just an agreement in principle to work together, and isn’t tied to any project in particular.

“The collaboration agreement is established solely as a framework for collaboration between parties; it doesn’t create financial obligations,” she said.

MRC director general Kim Lesage said the MRC Pontiac is the first MRC in all of Quebec to put out a call for interest for a solar energy project, and that it hopes to be well-positioned when Hydro-Québec comes out with its call for projects, hopefully later this year.

Two potential sites that have been identified for a possible location for a solar project are the industrial park in Litchfield, and a stretch of land just south of the Ultramar in Bryson.

The official partnership agreement hasn’t been announced yet, but Toller said they will likely have it ready before the October council of mayors meeting.

Terry Fox run organizers recognized by MRC

The MRC Pontiac presented longtime Shawville Terry Fox Run organizers Rick Valin and John Petty with scrolls in recognition of years of service to the Pontiac community.

The two men organized the event for over 40 years before stopping in 2022. The pair have raised over $500,000 over the years in support of cancer research.

The MRC presented each man with a Pontiac Paddle of Accomplishment, an engraved canoe paddle featuring the MRC Pontiac logo that, according to Warden Jane Toller, is the “highest award that anyone can receive from the MRC.”

Then, Toller handed the mic over to the two men and gave them the floor.

“I would like to thank the MRC for your support over the years,” said Petty, who also thanked the public for its continued support and donations.

Petty said he enjoyed raising money for a good cause, but he also enjoyed seeing all the people who came out to support the event.

“Money is important, but seeing people is also an important thing.”

Then, Valin took the mic, saying they have had the chance over the years to meet several members of the Fox family, including Terry’s mom, Betty Fox, when she came to visit Pontiac High School.

“I’m so proud to be a member of the Pontiac community, but especially at the school,” he said.

The run returned this year after a year’s hiatus, thanks to new organizers Jennifer Mielke and Carolann Barton. Both were on hand to announce the run’s results.

“I am happy to report that as of five o’clock this evening we had raised $7,735 for cancer research,” said Mielke.

Warden Toller presented both women with flowers for their role in the event’s revival.

FRR2 funding approved for 11 projects

Also at the monthly council meeting, the mayors approved the distribution of $597,992.21 of provincial funding for 11 community projects across the Pontiac.

The money comes from component 2 of the province’s Regions and Rurality Fund (FRR2), which is dispersed every year by the MRC to projects that advance local and regional development.

This year the MRC received 25 applications for the $600,000 it had available in the FRR2 pot. The 11 successful applicants were determined in August by a committee, the members of which were appointed by the council of mayors.

The projects receiving FRR2 funding this year are:

  • The Municipality of Shawville received $87,321 for phase two of improvements being made to Mill Dam Park
  • Zec Rapides des Joachimes received $20,336.63 for phase two of replacing its southern welcome centre
  • The Pontiac Community Players theatre group received $5,908.72 for building a portable lighting system
  • The Chutes Coulonge park received $100,000 fo phase one of its park expansion project
  • The Chapeau Agricultural Society received $57,600 for teh second phase of construction of the farmers market building
  • The Chapeau Gallérie and Allumette Island tourism committee received $75,438.49 for phase one of repairs to the Chapeau Regionale Gallerie
  • The Municipality of Alleyn and Cawood received $29,371.34 to revitalize its municipal library
  • The Municipality of Bristol received $31,328.27 for the Norway Bay pier revitalization project
  • The Municipality of Bryson received $39,977.60 to install a shade structure at the Bryson beach and Havelock Park
  • The Municipality of Fort Coulonge received $96,980.68 to install an self-cleaning toilet at the Village relais rest stop

Residents demand MRC change ‘unfair’ municipal shares system Read More »

CISSSO hopeful new bonuses will draw more techs to region

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

CISSSO’s Pontiac director Nicole Boucher-Larivière is hoping the package of financial incentives offered this summer to radiology technologists in the Pontiac will help attract more applications to the region’s hospital. 

Last week, four radiology technologists were slated to leave their jobs at the Pontiac Hospital for higher-paying jobs in the urban centre, until the government offered an additional $4,000 to the $18,000 bonuses they were already set to receive. 

This equalized the amount offered in Pontiac, Wakefield and Maniwaki hospitals with the $22,000 bonuses offered to techs at the Gatineau, Hull and Papineau hospitals. 

After this news, three of the four technologists who were still considering moving to city positions ultimately decided to stay in their current posts, while the fourth is still following through on their departure.   

Boucher-Larivière said CISSSO is happy to have avoided a break in service at the Pontiac Hospital, but noted that even after the majority of technologists decided to stay in their Pontiac jobs, there are still three out of eight full-time technologist positions that need to be filled. Two of these positions are currently being staffed by retirees who have returned to help out part-time. 

Boucher-Larivière said it can be hard to attract applicants, but hopes the $22,000 in bonus money, which will also be extended to new hires, will help bring in applications. 

“They also got an increase when they were working during the summer to make sure the holidays were covered, plus the $22,000 in premium. So when you put all the measures together it probably adds up closer to $30,000,” she said, explaining the total increase in salaries during the two years these measures will be applied strengthens the Outaouais’ ability to compete with jobs in Ontario.  

She said a provincial committee has been put in place to examine how to retain more healthcare workers in the province and the region, beyond this two-year period.

“We want to look at what our needs and human resources will be in the next couple years and what we’ll be graduating in the next couple of years, and should we be looking to graduate more of certain job titles?”

She said the Pontiac has some advantages compared to other areas when it comes to attracting applicants. 

“There’s a lower cost of living in this area as opposed to the city,” she said, adding that they offer on-the-job placement for new grads, which allows them to get a wide breadth of experience. 

But she also said there are challenges to hiring healthcare workers in the region. 

“Sixty-five per cent of my population is anglophone, and to hire bilingual staff makes my pool a lot smaller in Quebec,” she said, adding that the pool of graduates is already far smaller than it used to be. 

“One of our major issues is not just Pontiac, but it’s province-wide, as baby boomers are retiring quicker than what we’re graduating.” 

CISSSO hopeful new bonuses will draw more techs to region Read More »

Ottawa Riverkeeper concerned Samonix project could have harmful impacts for waterway’s organisms

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

In July, THE EQUITY reported that Litchfield’s Pontiac Industrial Park could become the home of a land-based salmon farm sometime in the near future. (Litchfield may become home to salmon farm, THE EQUITY, July 3, 2024)

Samonix, the Outaouais-based company that is proposing the project, intends to use innovative technology to farm Atlantic salmon in land-based saltwater pools instead of in natural bodies of water.
Using technology to raise the salmon would allow them to more closely control their environment. In an interview earlier this summer with THE EQUITY, Samonix’s senior director of business development Rémi Bertrand said salmon require very specific conditions to thrive.

“It’s the fish that’s the most vulnerable to its environment, so a dramatic change in temperature will affect its life cycle, and a variation in any of its environment could alter its life cycle,” he said.

The project would fill the pools with water sourced from the Ottawa River, and then add salt to it.

Any wastewater would be treated at a plant before being released back into the river.

But one local organization is concerned that the wastewater might have harmful impacts for the river and the organisms that inhabit it.

On Monday, Larissa Holman, Director of Science and Policy with Ottawa Riverkeeper, answered our questions about the organization’s concerns.

What are the primary concerns with this new project when it comes to the Ottawa River?

With the effluent that could be coming from the facility, and the fact that the facility requires a seawater environment for [the salmon] to be able to mature. And the fact that [the Ottawa River] is a freshwater environment raised some questions for us around what does that affluent look like from the site?
Our concerns are really aimed at the effluent and the fact that there will be chloride from the salt that is required to create the environment for these fish.

What could be the impact of saltwater entering the freshwater system?

Road salt, when it becomes dissolved in water, has two main components, but it has a chloride component to it. And chloride is toxic to aquatic environments, and that’s why we focus on chloride itself, and through our work over the last five years understanding the impact of road salt that’s being used on city streets, and through that work have learned the implications for the aquatic organisms that are present in those streams.

It’s written on your website that the Samonix project should aim for an “effluent release target of less than 120 mg/L of salt.” Can you explain to our readers how you arrived at that number?

The Council of Canadian Ministers of the Environment have created a document that outlines the scientific criteria for chloride. So in that document they discuss at what point the concentration of chloride becomes harmful, either chronically toxic or acutely toxic.

For acute toxicity, an aquatic organism only has to be exposed for a brief moment of time to have a permanent impact on their ability to survive predation, reproduce, generally grow. It can have a very significant impact over a very short exposure time.

Chronic toxicity means that it has to be exposed for a long time, but the same types of things can occur, and can affect the organism’s ability to breathe underwater, but also to reproduce. And so that’s one of the reasons that we looked at that lower threshold.

The facility would operate throughout the year, and so it would be releasing affluent every day of the year, and that’s why the chronic toxicity is the one we’re using as a threshold for what we feel should be considered acceptable for this facility, because any of the species that live in the area where the effluent is going to be released, they’re going to be exposed to it ever day of the year.

Have you heard from Samonix about whether they intend to aim at or below this number?

We’ve had some really wonderful conversations with Samonix and they’ve been very open about what they’re hoping to develop in the Pontiac region and the facility itself. They did a presentation directly to myself and my colleagues about what their plans were, and we were able to ask lots of questions.

I think the next step is: we discuss with them our concerns around chloride being released in the effluent and how that will likely have a negative impact on that part of the river. A salmon farm is not present currently, there is clearly some things to take into consideration about how this will have an impact on the river.

Whenever a new industry is being introduced to an area, we do really need to think of what is the impact on the ecological health of the river, and does that negatively impact it? And so we’ve had that additional conversation with them, and we remain in contact with them. I don’t know what the final plans for the final project look like or how close they are to getting there, but we were clear about what we would like to see.

Other than the salt content, what other concerns do you have about the project?

Because it’s a land-based project there are certain aspects of this type of fish firm that would be different than one that is in a natural environment. Some of the concerns have to do with antibiotics that might be given to the fish.

Since it’s a closed system, there’s a lot more controls over any possibility of disease or different pathogens coming in so they can have a lot more control over the environment that the fish are raised in, as well as around the sludge that might be coming from the facility in terms of fish excrement, which will be able to be removed in a way that is not possible in the natural environment. So those are some of the concerns we’ve talked about.

Some of the other parameters that would be present within the effluent such as phosphorus, pH and temperature, these can also have an impact on a natural ecosystem, and there’s a lot that can be done to help to regulate that before it’s being released.

But the piece we haven’t had the same assurance from is the chloride levels, because it’s more difficult to remove it once it’s introduced into an aquatic environment, and it also persists for quite a long time, it doesn’t naturally get eaten up by something else.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

There’s innovative projects that are being developed, and these can be really exciting and there’s lots of interesting industries that can be established in different parts of the watershed. But for us as an organization that is really trying to understand what is best for the river, I think whenever there is a new innovative industry that’s coming in, it requires a bit more consideration and trying to understand its full impact on the overall health of the river system and all of the organisms that live there.

Ottawa Riverkeeper concerned Samonix project could have harmful impacts for waterway’s organisms Read More »

Family to hold CHEO fundraiser in memory of late daughter

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Kendyl Smith-Trimm was about as happy as a kid can get.

Her curly blonde hair and smile could always light up a room, said her mom, Cheryl Smith.

Kendyl was curious and loved adventures, especially at their family cottage. The young girl loved exploring the shoreline and finding rocks and other treasures along the way.

She loved animals of all shapes and sizes, whether it was their family dog, the cows on her uncle’s farm in Chichester, or the cat she convinced her parents to get.

But in Feb. 2022 seven-year old Kendyl started having sporadic soreness in her leg. At first, her parents thought it was just growing pains, but after getting a referral to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) they discovered it was actually something far more severe: osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

After a long battle with the disease, Kendyl passed away in August of 2023. Now, her family is holding a fundraiser in their late daughter’s memory, hoping to help kids in similar situations.

Once they discovered the cancer in Kendyl’s leg, they started her on chemotherapy at CHEO.

During that time, her parents had to tell their little girl that her thick, curly blonde hair would likely fall out due to the powerful chemotherapy medicines.

“Your heart broke to have to tell her that, but she took it well,” said Smith.

Kendyl handled the situation with her trademark brand of creativity and humour.

“We had to cut a lot of it off, and she took her hair and she made this hairball out of it. And she put googly eyes and a smile and said, ‘meet Harry, my hairball.’ That was her way of coping with it.”

After 10 weeks of chemotherapy, they hoped the tumour in her leg would have gotten smaller. To their dismay, the tumour had actually grown in size, and Kendyl had grown two additional tumours, one under each shoulder.

The family tried putting their daughter on another round of chemotherapy, an experimental drug, even an oral version of chemotherapy — whatever they could do to slow this thing down.

But there still wasn’t any improvement. Slowly, they realized there was no stopping it. The cancer was taking over her body.

After all this treatment, Kendyl needed a break, so the family took a vacation to southern Ontario to see family and visit Niagara Falls.

When they returned home, the focus was on minimizing the pain as much as possible. Kendyl spent a week in a hospice before returning home, where a nurse came to take care of her, with help from her family and CHEO palliative care doctors, until her final days.

Kendyl passed away on Aug. 14, 2023 at the age of 8.

Even through all the pain, her mom said Kendyl showed remarkable selflessness.

“I want to open a toy store when I grow up,” she said on a trip back home from CHEO one day.

“And all the money I make, I’m going to give it back to CHEO, because those kids need money to get better.”

Smith said this generosity represents exactly who Kendyl was.

“If we went out to Walmart for something, she would want to buy someone else something [ . . . ]
She was a very, very thoughtful and caring child.”

Now, Kendyl’s family is organizing this fundraiser to honour their daughter and continue her legacy.

“She is the inspiration behind it and we’re kind of just following through on what we feel she wanted,” said Smith.

The money raised will go toward an endowment fund at CHEO to help children and families in need, whether it be for transportation, food, lodging, or even just a toy.

With some of the money, the family wants to buy gift cards from the CHEO gift shop, as a way to keep the kids’ focus away from the medical procedures.

Smith said Kendyl always looked forward to getting toys from the gift shop. Over time, she amassed quite an extensive collection of fuzzy sloths, even putting on an entire sloth wedding in their living room.

“It really helped her to focus on something more positive rather than focusing on getting blood work done, the needle and all that,” she said.

Now, her family hopes to do the same thing for other kids.

Half of the money raised will go toward the Child Life program at CHEO, a program that strives to make childrens’ experiences at the hospital as positive as possible, and one that Kendyl herself benefitted from.

“They build these really trusting relationships with the kids. If they have to go in for bloodwork, one of the Child Life workers will go in as well, and they’ll have an iPad to look at,” said Smith.

“It’s a very healthy distraction, but it just takes a lot of the child’s mind off of the very intrusive medical procedures they’re having. She loved it [ . . . ] It’s a very, very important program.”

Smith has been canvassing businesses in Ontario and Quebec for donations, and has had great success, receiving thousands of dollars of money and merchandise for the cause.

But some days, the prospect of going out and talking about her daughter is simply too much, and she doesn’t want to go. But then she thinks of her daughter, and she forces herself to get out there.

“In the back of my head, Kendyl didn’t want to go to CHEO, get picked and prodded either, but she did,” Smith tells herself.

“So get your ass off the couch, you’re going. She’s inspired me with her strength and courage. And she was so generous and giving.”

Smith has been amazed by the community support.

“Like, we have got monetary donations to help cover costs of the event, we’ve gotten so many gift certificates from local businesses,” she said.

Family to hold CHEO fundraiser in memory of late daughter Read More »

Province matches techs’ bonus

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Five of six full-time techs to stay in Pontiac

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Radiology technologists in four rural Outaouais hospitals, including the Pontiac Hospital in Shawville, will receive an additional $4,000 bonus, matching the $22,000 bonuses offered previously to technologists in Gatineau, Hull and Papineau hospitals, per an announcement by the union representing the technologists on Saturday.

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionel et technique de la santé et des service sociaux) and the province’s treasury board engaged in discussions last week, finally coming to a decision on Friday night.

In a French tweet to X over the weekend, provincial health minister Christian Dubé said the committee working on the negotiations received “information” about the “complete movements of labour in the Outaouais” that led it to take action.

Four of the six radiology technologists working full-time at the Pontiac hospital were slated to leave their positions as of Monday, which was the official start date of their new jobs in higher-paying jobs in Gatineau and Hull.

On Monday morning, CISSSO’s Pontiac representative Nicole Boucher-Larivière confirmed that four of the five full-time techs who had applied to Gatineau have withdrawn their applications and are staying in their jobs at the Pontiac hospital.

APTS Outaouais president Guylaine Laroche said the final result helped avoid a possible staffing crisis at the hospital.

“As of Monday morning there would have been the departure of the technologists to the city, so we would have found ourselves in a break of service in the hospital, which could have led to the closing of the hospital because the radiology department is important for medical diagnostic services,” she said in a French interview with THE EQUITY last week.

Laroche said her members are generally happy about the result. “We are satisfied that there is a regional parity for all of our members in radiology,” she said. 

She said it’s good for the technologists, many of whom are deeply connected to the community.

“Our technologists live in that community, they are connected to that community, so it’s good for our technologists, but I also think it’s a great decision and agreement for local services.”

Judith Spence, spokesperson for Citizens of the Pontiac (CoP) and also a former nurse, has been a vocal supporter of the radiologists receiving equal bonuses.

She said she was happy with the result because it’s what they deserve.

“It’s a wonderful thing. It says [the radiology technologists] have value equal to all their other peers.”

As a former nurse Spence has seen how essential the work of the technologists is, and by retaining them, she said, the hospital avoids losing an essential diagnostic service.

“Doctors will have [ . . . ] radiology services, one of the three tools to make a diagnosis for a patient,” she said.

Spence, who helped in canvassing the public to raise funds via GoFundMe to give the technologists a bonus, will now return that money to the donors, save for a small percentage that will be retained by GoFundMe.

The announcement of the bonus didn’t come without questions from the union, though. The government’s decision to offer an additional $4,000 to rural technologists comes with a condition: technologists must work six shifts in other Outaouais hospitals, according to the employer’s needs, a condition her members have questions about and will continue to negotiate going forward.

Going forward, the hospital will retain five of its six full-time radiology technologists. But Laroche pointed out the hospitals are already operating with a shortage of technicians and lack radiology service at night, and that there are vacant radiology positions at all of CISSSO’s hospitals. She said the loss of any number of technologists is going to be felt.

“At a minimum you need people to cover both day shifts and night shifts. They are already below what they would need to operate at full capacity,” she said in French.

“So if there were people who had to leave for the urban centre, certainly there would be fewer appointments available.”

Boucher-Larivière said with the five technologists staying and the two retirees that help out, they will be able to maintain current levels of services at the hospital.

Going forward, the condition of the bonus will allow CISSSO to move around employees from different hiospitals to cover shifts in case of a breach of service.

She said they will negotiate with the local union this week to discuss specifics of what staffing decisions are going to look like going forward, but she said the priority is going to be for emergency services.

“Emergency and high-priority cases [ . . . ] like diagnosing cancer. Those are things that are going to be a priority, but things that are more done as a routine or done as a preventative measure might have to wait a little bit longer.”

Laroche was happy with the result of the bonus, but she said her union’s fight is not over.

These bonuses only apply to full-time technologists, and she said the union will continue to fight for all the part-time technologists that are so far not benefitting from this incentive.

“We are happy, but at the same time there are some of our members who do not benefit from the bonus, and that’s our part-time technologists. They work shifts that are often undesirable, like at night or on weekends, so for us we won’t be fully satisfied until our part-time members will also be able to get these bonuses.”

Laroche said her union will continue to fight for full-time and part-time technologists alike.

THE EQUITY reached out to the province’s health ministry to try and understand why the bonus money wasn’t released sooner, but did not receive a response before going to publication.

Province matches techs’ bonus Read More »

MRC signs confidentiality agreement with solar energy company

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The MRC Pontiac is looking into what would be involved in hosting a solar energy farm in the region, and at the Council of Mayors meeting on Aug. 21, the mayors approved for the MRC to sign a confidentiality agreement with Quebec-based renewable energy company Innergex to further explore this possibility.

In February of this year the MRC put out a call for submissions for solar energy projects and received several responses, including one from Innergex, a company based in Longueuil that develops and operates solar, wind and hydroelectricity projects.

MRC Pontiac economic development agent Rachel Soar-Flandé said the MRC is currently in the process of studying a partnership agreement with Innergex, further details of which will be discussed in a meeting at the end of September.

“It is to commence building a relationship with Innergex, because they have shown a lot of interest in the territory,” she said.

“There is a strong potential for solar energy within the MRC.”

According to data from Environment and Climate Change Canada, portions of the Pontiac have some of the greatest photovoltaic potential in all of Quebec.

THE EQUITY reached out to Innergex to find out more about their vision for the project and why they are interested in working with the MRC, but it declined an interview.

“We are in the very early stages of engaging with the MRC, so we do not have further information to share,” communications representative Guillaume Perron-Piché wrote in an email.

Soar-Flandé wouldn’t explain what kinds of information are kept private with a confidentiality agreement, but said some of it may be shared at the end of September when they have a clearer picture of what a possible agreement could look like.

She listed other benefits of having a solar farm in the region, including creating local employment and bringing awareness to the possibility of solar energy.

“It could also be beneficial for educational purposes,” she said.

“We are in the process of building a relationship with Innergex. It’s positive, and nice that a very large, multinational company is showing interest in our territory.”

The MRC cannot yet say where it would put a solar farm, but Warden Jane Toller said on Aug. 21 in conversation with THE EQUITY it doesn’t want to put it on agricultural land.

She said the MRC is looking at a model where, instead of just a solar farm, they can take solar panels and put them on community infrastructure like arenas and community centres, a move she believes might make it easier for such community buildings to cover their electricity bills.

MRC signs confidentiality agreement with solar energy company Read More »

Fair board honours volunteers with service awards at opening ceremony

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The 2024 Shawville Fair officially kicked off on Thursday night with the opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting under the big circus tent.

Fair president Ralph Lang thanked the around 30 volunteers with the Pontiac Agricultural Society who helped to organize this year’s fair, as well as everyone else who had a hand in making the weekend possible.

Lang gave a special shout out to the summer students who gave a fresh coat of paint to the ground’s buildings, including the arena, in preparation for this year’s five-day event.

“Every building got a touch-up of paint pretty much [ . . . ] every booth got touched,” he said.

Lang also thanked sponsors of the event, including Pontac MP Sophie Chatel, MNA André Fortin, Giant Tiger, and others.

Then, Lang handed the mic over to Pontiac Agricultural Society (PAS) president Mavis Hanna, who introduced the winners of this year’s dedicated service awards.

The award, which was introduced in 2001, is for volunteers who have “gone over and above the requirements,” according to Hanna.

The first of the 2024 recipients was Beryl Smart. After moving to Starks Corners in 1958, Hanna said, Smart’s passion, commitment and energy for her adopted community was immediately evident, and her can-do attitude was inspirational to many.

In addition to being involved with many community groups, especially in Starks Corners, Smart was an integral part in the organizing and planning of the fair’s homecraft division. She also started the school visit program, which every year on Friday welcomes local students to the fairgrounds to learn about agriculture.

Hanna pointed out that Smart spent hundreds of hours in the beer tent counting crinkled bills and sticky coins into the wee hours of the night, presenting the final count to her directors before she left for the night.

“It was a relentless and dirty job, but she did it,” Hanna said.

The second recipient, Dorothy Morrison, grew up on a farm south of Shawville and came back to retire in the area later in life. She donated her time to the community, including the Starks Corner Women’s Institute and the Shawville United Church.

Morrison has a profound knowledge of flowers and served as the horticultural director for years. Under her leadership, the horticultural division evolved to include new and interesting classes.

As a volunteer and a director, Morrison has supported numerous divisions, including homecraft, the beef show, the heavy horse program, and the school program.

She also spent many late nights in the beer tent counting sticky money with Smart.

“We consider her an exceptional asset to the Shawville Fair, and I am proud to recognize her as a true friend of the fair,” Hanna said.

The third recipient, Doug MacDougall, grew up outside of Shawville, and used to show horses in the very spot where the opening ceremony was held, on the south side of the fairgrounds.

Later in life, MacDougall donated his time to the fair, volunteering with Pontiac Agricultural Society since 1995. He worked long shifts at the bar, and was known for showing up to the fairground bright and early the next day.

MacDougall was known as a dependable volunteer who was always willing to lend a helping hand.
When Smart got up on stage to accept the award, she said it takes a huge effort to organize the fair every year.

“I’ve worked with a lot of volunteers, and that’s what it takes to make this fair — a wonderful group of volunteers.”

To conclude the opening ceremony, all three award winners joined the presenters and Lang on stage to cut the ribbon, announcing this year’s fair to be officially under way.

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Pontiac Pride finding its groove with Chapeau bowling party

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

K.C. Jordan, LJI Reporter

There were strikes and spares aplenty at Pontiac Pride’s first bowling event, hosted Saturday afternoon at Chapeau’s Harrington Community Hall.
Participants, mostly members of the Pontiac Pride group, laughed and joked with each other as they tried their hand at Chapeau’s retro five-pin lanes. The soundtrack to the afternoon was set by member Erica Ouimet, who is known as DJ Erica Energy behind the turntables.
The hall’s bowling alley is a blast from the past. The two edge-grain lanes have been around since 1964, according to bowling employee Yogi Brisard. They feature pink art-deco pinsetter machines and orange, space-age looking ball returners.
Brisard said they are the only bowling lanes in the upper Pontiac, and he is “pretty sure” the closest operational alleys are in Aylmer, near Gatineau.
The bowling event was the third put on by Pontiac Pride this year, after a square dance in February and a drag show earlier this month.
According to Pontiac Pride’s Facebook page, they are a county-wide organization that “aims to grow 2SLGBTQAI+ representation and visibility within our community.” The group is still relatively young, founded in 2022.
Chapeau resident Darlene Pashak started the group. Living close to the Ontario border, Pashak had seen other municipalities in the Ottawa Valley like Pembroke and Renfrew raise Pride flags in the streets, and she wanted to see the same in the Pontiac.
“We wrote letters to the municipalities and said, ‘why don’t you fly the Pride flag?’, and had great success.”
Alongside Ouimet, who uses they/them pronouns, and their partner Mitch Gagnon, Pashak continued that momentum forward. The new organization held the Pontiac’s first-ever Pride festival in 2022, with about 250 people in attendance.
But the second festival didn’t go as smoothly. Ouimet said they had to hire security because they were receiving hate from the community.
Le Patro, the community organization that hosted the festival in its first year, was “facing harassment almost daily for hosting us there,” Ouimet said.
“They were getting threats. There was talk of protests.”
Pashak said attendance at their Pride events has since dropped. Ouimet says many people are scared of coming to events like these, for fear of backlash.
“It’s a pretty difficult environment right now,” they said. “There’s a lot of hate being spewed across the U.S. and Canada, and we’re finding that a lot of the queer community is fearful of being in an open environment.”
Ouimet is part of the events committee, and they say they just want to create inclusive spaces where people can feel safe expressing themselves.
“We simply have events. We invite anybody. We’re happy to have anybody come bowling with us, or check out our festival. But we’re not telling anyone they have to participate.”
Being a smaller Pride community, they take inspiration from communities in Pembroke, Renfrew and Deep River. Ouimet said seeing these groups thrive gives them hope for what Pontiac Pride could become.
“Those are also small rural communities that are fighting the same uphill battles that we are,” they said. “I would like to bring representation for kids who are facing the same things that I did, and as an adult I’m still facing, because of backlash in my community and just wanting a space of our own.”
Saturday’s event at the bowling lanes in Chapeau was just that — a space of their own. Maybe, in part, because nobody seems to know the lanes are there. Ouimet said they chose bowling for the event because the committee had only recently learned about the lanes, and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to help people discover a hidden gem.
Going forward, Pashak wants to expand Pontiac Pride’s offerings. She wants the group to be doing more advocacy, but said first it needs more members to help with outreach.
“The committee is pretty much the same people as it was at the beginning,” she said. “We are always accepting new members.”
She says geography is one of their biggest challenges in pulling together events.
“We’re having our event in Chapeau today, and I’m the only one in the committee in Chapeau. The next closest is Coulonge, and the bulk of our committee members are from Shawville. It’s hard to get the feeling like we’re servicing the whole area.”

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