La Peche

Quebec’s fantastic plastic overhaul

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / April 17, 2025 / aluminum cans, Cantley, Chelsea, Consignaction, Gracefield, La Peche, Plastic, plastic bottles, refund, Trevor Greenway

By Trevor Greenway

Plastic is everywhere.

From water and pop bottles to coffee lids and milk containers, Canadians – and Hills’ families – can’t seem to get away from single-use plastics.

Despite a federal ban on single-use plastic bags, straws and cutlery in 2020, plastic continues to pollute the country – and plastic bottles are one of biggest contributors. According to Statistics Canada, of the 43,140 tonnes of plastic leaked permanently into the environment in 2019, over three-fifths (62.7 per cent) were used in packaging, with plastic bottles accounting for more than 5,595 tonnes.

Stats Canada also found that only nine per cent of all plastic in Canada is recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills while the rest litters parks, beaches and neighbourhoods.

Quebec is trying to change that. The province has been overhauling its recycling system since 2020 and is implementing a phased-in approach to expand its list of recyclable items.

This is great news for families like the Merrills in Masham. With four on-the-go children, it’s safe to say the family goes through a lot of pop and water bottles throughout the year.

Heather Merrill, the Low Down’s general manager, said that Quebec’s new Consignaction refund system, with its increased payouts, makes the headache of returning bottles finally worth it.

“When the kids were little, we used to save the cans for them to bring in for candy money, but it wasn’t worth the trouble,” said Merrill. “The bags would sit outside for months until filled, which was super annoying: we’d have to separate the tall cans from the shorties, and in the summer, the wasps were all over the bags – all for about $12. No thanks. Into the blue bin with them.”

But with the amount received doubling – $24 bucks a bag – it’s more than “worthwhile,” according to Merrill, especially now that she has teens and goes through even more cans. Merrill said she is also excited about Consignactions’ new plastic bottle return program.

“Adding the plastic bottles to the return system was a great idea. Water bottles, coffee cream bottles, Black Fly bottles … all now go in a bag that can be returned for $18. We plan to find some outdoor bins to store them in until full [in order] to discourage the wasps, and so I won’t be annoyed by looking at the bags,” she added.

Consignaction launched in 2023, with the amount collected for aluminum cans doubling – from five to 10 cents – and with the addition of the plastic bottle return program in March 2025. All glass, including wine bottles, will be phased in by 2027.

How much can I get back?

All aluminum beverage containers from 100 ml to 2 L = 10 cents

beer, pop cans
ready-to-drink beverages: fruit juices, sparkling waters, flavoured waters, cocktails or small vegetable juices

All plastic ready-to-drink beverage containers from 100 ml to 2 L = 10 cents

bottles of water, sparkling water, juice
any other beverage containers, such as flavoured water, spirits

Glass – certain 500 ml to 2 L glass bottles = 25 cents

Presently, most Quebec-based craft brewery bottles, but check full returns list: www.consignaction.ca
by 2027, all glass to be phased in

Where can I return my bottles?

La Peche:

Marché Masham – 245 Hwy 366
Beausoleil Luc Épicerie et Quincaillerie – 292 Ch. Pontbriand
Le P’tit Magasin Général – 952 Ch. Cléo-Fournier

Chelsea

Charles Family IGA – 1703 Hwy 105
Marché Chelsea – 528-A Hwy 105

Cantley

Charles Family IGA – 455 Montée de la Source

Gracefield:

Marché Kelly Gracefield inc. (Metro) – 27 Rue Principale

By the numbers

43,140 tonnes of plastic leaked permanently into environment in 2019 in Canada
62.7% of leaked plastic from packaging
5,595 tonnes of plastic bottles in landfills
1.5 billion plastic beverage containers now returnable under Consignaction
5 billion items recycled annually is program’s goal
90% recovery rate is project’s aim
9% of all plastic recycled in Canada

Quebec’s fantastic plastic overhaul Read More »

La Pêche responds to tariffs with local biz push

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / March 13, 2025 / Guillaume Lamoureux, La Peche, Trevor Greenway, U.S. tariffs

By Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Initiative

The municipality of La Pêche is responding to the threat of tariffs from the U.S.

During its latest council meeting on March 3, councillors made a commitment as a municipality to “strengthen the autonomy” of La Pêche by choosing to purchase goods and services from local, regional and Quebec-based businesses.

When asked if the motion was a direct response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs on Canada, La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux said, “Yes.”

“This is a reminder that La Pêche has such a policy, to reiterate our desire to promote local business and regional businesses, and to focus on favouring our purchases from Quebec businesses,” Lamoureux told the Low Down.

Trump has dangled the threat of tariffs on Canadian goods since he took office on Jan. 20, but has since clawed back twice. According to the Trump administration, the tariffs on Canadian goods are paused until April 2.

But the pause hasn’t eased Canadians’ level of fear and concern, as provinces and municipalities are gearing up for an intense trade war that has already begun. Ontario has slapped 25 per cent tariffs on electricity that is being supplied to northern border states, including New York, Michigan and Minnesota.

The La Pêche motion details how the municipality will avoid purchasing from big box stores.

“The municipality will ensure that its operational needs are met by local markets and will strive to favour the purchase of Quebec goods and services, as well as suppliers, insurers and contractors established in Quebec,” the motion reads. “The municipality is committed to avoiding, as much as possible, purchases through online commerce giants such as Amazon, and will favor purchases from local and regional businesses.”

La Pêche has also built an online business directory where residents can search categories like grocers, auto repair services, artist directories, self-care businesses, construction and renovation companies, and youth programs. Consult the business directory online at: https://surl.li/fiefpj.

In other business, council:

approved Phase 1 of the Esplanade Wakefield development, which will see the creation of 13 new homes in a neighbourhood north of the Wakefield village off Chemin Maclaren;
revoked the existing lease between Wakefield-La Pêche Community Centre Cooperative and the municipality. This important step paves the way for the municipality to take over ownership of the community centre building, while giving the cooperative management powers at the centre. The official takeover will happen sometime this spring or summer;
granted Maison de l’Étincelle $20,000 to support the launch of its first-ever summer camp. The support is especially important this year, as Maison des jeunes Mashado, a youth organization, has confirmed it will not run a summer camp this year.

La Pêche responds to tariffs with local biz push Read More »

Wakefield community centre: not-for-profit or co-op?

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / March 13, 2025 / Community Centre, La Peche, Trevor Greenway, Wakefield

By Trevor Greenway
Local Journalism Initiative

There could be a move afoot to disband the Centre Wakefield-La Pêche (CWLP) cooperative and merge it into a not-for-profit organization.

But before that happens, the centre needs to finalize its agreement with the municipality to take over ownership of the building. That agreement should be finalized by the summer.

But in the meantime, Wakefielders Bob Gibson and Karen Bays of the Membership Involvement Group (MING) at the CWLP have been tasked with studying the cooperative model and have recommended to the Wakefield community centre board that it moves forward with disbanding the current model.

Their argument is that the Wakefield community centre should not be managed under a cooperative model, as it doesn’t properly serve the community in which it operates.

“It may be the only [community centre] in Canada, if not North America, that uses a coop model,” Bays recently told the Low Down, referring to the Wakefield community centre. Bays has since stepped away from MING and the centre to allow them to focus on the building transfer, but she still believes that once the transfer is complete, the board should consider moving away from the cooperative model.

“You have to be a member to participate,” said Bays. “Basically, you’re supposed to give as much as you get in a coop. But we have a centre where people want to come to events, but they don’t want to run the centre.”

Bays and Gibson presented their findings during the Wakefield Recreation Association last November, however they aren’t sure where things are at because of the building transfer.

“We’re not here to promote anything or to argue about co-ops at all at this point,” said Gibson during the November meeting. “Based on research reported, we recommend that the centre’s board begin the process of moving out of the co-op model and into one of a non-profit or not-for-profit organization.”

A non-profit’s purpose is to serve the public good, while a not-for-profit’s purpose is to serve its members and their interests. The two models also have differences related to tax and profits.

Gibson’s comments fueled immediate tension in the meeting, which is unsurprising given that members have been at odds over how the CWLP has been run and managed since the end of the pandemic. The centre has been embroiled in controversy ever since, with public firings, unstable governance and infighting between past and current board members.

This tension has also centred around the CWLP membership’s vote this year to begin negotiating a building transfer to the municipality of La Pêche after it became clear that maintaining the physical building was too much for the cooperative to manage. That deal, which is currently being negotiated, will see the municipality own the building, with the CWLP using the centre rent-free to manage programs, staffing, and other internal matters. The municipality will essentially be the landlord of the building and will take care of repairs, snow removal and maintenance, while the board will continue to run the centre and its programming.

It’s unclear how things would change under a non-profit or not-for-profit model, but former CWLP board member Carly Woods was adamant at the November meeting that the idea is only that – an idea.

“I think around the table, we can all agree, probably – that the co-op model doesn’t necessarily work for the centre,” said Woods. “The seed has only been planted, and it’s not going anywhere yet, and we’re not watering it the slightest.”

Former CWLP president Irene Richardson told the crowd there’s no reason to disband the co-op because the centre already operates under a not-for-profit model. The CWLP partnered with Outaouais Philanthropy to provide tax receipts to donors. However, the CWLP isn’t its own registered charity.

“We are not-for-profit. That means we get all the tax breaks that are out there,” said Richardson. “I think it’s a great model; we report to our members. Does it work? Well, we have to make it work, and it wouldn’t matter what we called it; it’s the people that have to make it work,” said Richardson.

She said another changeup at the centre would be costly and time-consuming and wouldn’t change anything operationally.

Wakefield community centre: not-for-profit or co-op? Read More »

Cop shortages in Hills

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / February 15, 2025 / Cantley, Chelsea, L'Ange Guardian, La Peche, MRC des Collines, Police shortage, Pontiac, Trevor Greenway, Val-des-Monts

By Trevor Greenway

The head of the MRC des Collines regional government says that the Hills’ police force is not the only precinct facing officer shortages, as the problem is also across Quebec and the country.

MRC des Collines Prefect Marc Carrière told the Low Down that staff shortages at the region’s police force are putting pressure on active officers and creating a tension-filled working environment for those on the frontline.

He said that the police force is facing a lack of resources, with senior officers working atypical shifts, and many officers are being forced to work long overtime shifts to make up the shortfall. He added that the MRC des Collines precinct is currently struggling to fill about 12 roles.

“It’s all across Quebec and in Canada,” said Carrière about the shortages, referring to places like Montreal and Gatineau. He noted that, at one point, Montreal was short 400 officers and Gatineau was short 40-50 officers.

“We are at the point where officers are doing forced overtime and that doesn’t please anyone.”

Carrière said that he is working with local police unions to form a recruitment committee to attract more officers to the region. The MRC des Collines police force is the only MRC in Quebec to have a regional police force, with the rest of the province being served by either a city detachment or the provincial force, the Sûreté du Québec.

One of the main challenges for this region’s police force, according to Carrière, is the sheer size of the region. The region covers six municipalities that are spread out over 2,000-plus square kilometres.

According to Quebec’s Police Act, passed in 2000, municipalities with more than 5,000 residents must have their own police force. When the law was being enacted, instead of La Pêche launching its own police force, it banded together with Val-des-Monts, Chelsea, Cantley, L’Ange Guardian and Pontiac to form the MRC des Collines Police.

Carrière said his government is studying the benefits and detriments of switching to an SQ police force in the region but added that those discussions are at the very early stages.

Past problems at MRC precinct

This isn’t the first time the MRC des Collines precinct has had issues. A report by Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) in July of last year found that the work environment under the direction of former MRC des Collines Police Chief Yves Charette was “toxic and unhealthy.”

The report was spawned by a 2021 complaint from a lieutenant who said he was the victim of psychological harassment at work for several years, which caused “major depression and a resurgence of post-traumatic stress.” The report did not name the lieutenant.

“The actions of the police director towards the worker over a period of approximately three years are objectively traumatic, beyond the normal scope of work,” wrote Judge Manon Chénier in the July 2024 decision. “These events do not fall within the scope of a reasonably exercised management right,” the decision emphasizes. “These are events that take place in a toxic work climate, while the worker is constantly criticized, belittled and humiliated.”

Charette left the MRC des Collines Public Security in early 2022 after being celebrated for 40 years of “distinguished service in the police force” during a recognition ceremony. A year and a half later, CNESST released its damning report on Charette.

Despite the past toxic culture, Carrière said he feels like current Police Chief Martial Mallette has cleaned up his precinct.

“We’re not looking backwards,” said Carrière, adding that the issues took place before he was prefect and before Mallette was named chief. “We want to go forward, find a permanent solution and that’s what we are working on.”

Cop shortages in Hills Read More »

La Pêche looking for input on urban plan

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / January 23, 2025 / La Peche, Trevor Greenway, Urbanism Plan

By Trevor Greenway
Local Journalism Initiative

La Pêche wants your help in planning for the future.

The municipality is set to launch a series of urban planning consultations throughout the municipality to help guide the next phase of growth when it comes to urbanism.

“It’s a guide for future growth,” said La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux, and the municipality wants to ensure it retains the “unique character” of the region.

“Our urbanism plan is dated,” said Lamoureux, adding that the current urban plan is from 2003. “Of course, it no longer meets provincial requirements, so we have to draft an urbanism plan that aligns with the regional master plan and aligns with provincial orientations. But, in order to do that, we need to make sure that it respects our unique local character, and we want to hear people’s input.”

Lamoureux said the urban plan doesn’t focus on smaller details like paint colours or materials used on new developments, but it takes a broader look at everything from zoning and agriculture to forestry, tourism, environmental protection and transportation.

“It’s a broad exercise,” said Lamoureux. “An urbanism plan really encompasses all municipal bylaws when it comes to urbanism and zoning.”

La Pêche was supposed to hold the Wakefield sector meeting on Jan. 20, but that meeting has been postponed to a later date. This week’s consultations were still held in Masham on Jan 21., and the upcoming Lac-des-Loups meeting is still scheduled for Jan. 23 at its community hall located at6 Ch. Lionel Beausoleil. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.

La Pêche looking for input on urban plan Read More »

Ditch the second car, Communauto is here

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / October 3, 2024 / Chelsea, Communauto, La Peche

BY:TREVOR GREENWAY

After close to four years of planning and negotiating, Chelsea and La Pêche residents will have a new option to get around the Hills.

And they won’t even have to pay for gas.

The Outaouais’ regional counsel on the environment and sustainable development, CREDDO, has partnered with both municipalities to bring a fleet of 16 Communauto hybrid cars to the region. Twelve of them will be stationed in Chelsea, with the remaining four spread out throughout La Pêche.

It’s an initiative that CREDDO president Benoit Delage said he hopes will change residents’ car-centric habits.

“If we want to build a centre village, we can’t have a sea of parking,” said Delage, referring to Chelsea.

He explained that the project is in collaboration with four Chelsea developers: Cargo, Multivesco, DACM Investments Inc. and In Harmony Developments, which will host the cars in their parking lots for the public to use.

With the developers on board, Chelsea changed its urban planning bylaw to bring the minimum number of parking spots per unit for new developments from two, to just one. In the process, it has eliminated several “heat islands” that would have been spread out over Chelsea’s centre village, explained Delage. A heat island is an urban area that experiences hotter than average temperatures than outlying areas due to infrastructure.

Benoit said that the municipality will have 150 fewer parking spots in the village because of the project.

“Can you imagine what the difference will be for what will be our centre village without that parking?” asked Delage. “It’s more trees, it’s more space for people.”

According to CREDDO, 79 per cent of greenhouse gasses in places like Chelsea and La Pêche come from transportation, and the organization said it is confident the addition of 16 community hybrid cars will bring that number down. The organization said it also hopes that the car-sharing initiative will entice residents to ditch their second family car, which will create less impact on the environment and help residents save money.

“It costs residents $12,000 per year to own a car,” said Delage, referring to maintenance costs, insurance, gas and other repairs. With Communauto, residents can sign up for a number of various membership packages from as low $0 per month and $12.75 per hour, or up to $30 per month, which will allow residents to use the cars for just $2.75 per hour. And users won’t have to pay for gas. The packages are built to cover the cost of gas through membership fees. Each car will have a Communauto credit card for users to fill up when they need to. But all the cars are hybrid – 12 Prius’ and two RAV4 SUVs.

Chelsea Mayor Pierre Guénard said the project presents a “decisive turning point for our municipality.”

“This project is perfectly in line with our environmental values, offering Chelsea residents a transportation solution that complements active mobility and Transcollines services,” said Guénard. “Through this initiative, we are creating a more integrated transportation network, helping to reduce our carbon footprint.”

The project relied on $500,000 worth of funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ green fund, with Chelsea chipping in $75,000 and La Pêche contributing another $25,000. The four developers also chipped in a total of $300,000, according to CREDDO.

The vehicles will be available in November and will be parked at the four developments above, as well as at town hall in Chelsea. Two cars will be located somewhere in Masham, and CREDDO said it hopes to station two more in Wakefield.

Residents can take advantage of $45 off of certain membership packages using the promo code: HORIZONS online at: www.communauto.com

Ditch the second car, Communauto is here Read More »

Ditch the second car, Communauto is here

Local Journalism Initiative / The Low Down / October 2, 2024 / Chelsea, Chelsea Mayor, Gas, Green Fund, Hybrid Cars, La Peche, Trevor Greenway

By Trevor Greenway
Local Journalism Initiative

After close to four years of planning and negotiating, Chelsea and La Pêche residents will have a new option to get around the Hills.

And they won’t even have to pay for gas.

It’s an initiative that CREDDO president Benoit Delage said he hopes will change residents’ car-centric habits.

“If we want to build a centre village, we can’t have a sea of parking,” said Delage, referring to Chelsea.

Benoit said that the municipality will have 150 fewer parking spots in the village because of the project.

“Can you imagine what the difference will be for what will be our centre village without that parking?” asked Delage. “It’s more trees, it’s more space for people.”

Chelsea Mayor Pierre Guénard said the project presents a “decisive turning point for our municipality.”

Residents can take advantage of $45 off of certain membership packages using the promo code: HORIZONS online at: www.communauto.com

Ditch the second car, Communauto is here Read More »