Mansfield

Mansfield Fire Department unveils new backcountry rescue truck

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Sarah Pledge Dickson, Mansfield et Pontefract

The Mansfield Fire Department unveiled its shiny new wildland rescue truck Saturday afternoon at an event attended by community sponsors and local elected officials.

The F-250 truck is equipped with everything needed to conduct rescues in the backcountry, including the ability to transport boats for water rescue and tow all-terrain vehicles used to reach emergencies in locations unattainable by road.

Mansfield fire chief Patrick Bertrand said this truck is important because it will take care of not only the Mansfield community but the entire Pontiac region.

“When it comes to wildland rescue, if somebody is on Pontiac territory, we’re automatically called by the Sûreté du Québec or the paramedics,” Bertrand said, explaining this new truck means firefighters will no longer have to use their personal trucks to tow other rescue vehicles.

“We were always worried that something would happen and insurance-wise, it could have gotten complicated,” he said.

The truck is equipped with two sirens, lots of lighting for rescues in the dark far from roads, and four-wheel drive to ensure it can travel across rugged and wet terrain.

It cost the fire department $140,000, an amount that has so far been funded largely through community fundraisers and private donations, including large contributions from the Caisse Desjardins des Rivières de Pontiac, Mansfield en fête, Shawville Ford, and many others. Currently, the truck is about 75 per cent paid off, according to Bertrand.

“We’re really proud to be a part of this,” the Caisse’s director general Stéphane Labine said in French Saturday. “When this project started in 2023, we realized it was not a luxury to have this vehicle but a necessity because of all the forests we have.”

The MRC Pontiac also reallocated an unused amount of $10,000 from its public security budget to the purchase of the truck.

“I know that the Pontiac is in good hands with the strong work done by the fire department,” Warden Jane Toller said in French at Saturday’s unveiling. “Your safety is our primary concern.”

Bertrand said he was worried about whether the fire department would be able to pay off the cost of the truck, but that the community’s support surprised him.

“We’re also involved a lot with the community,” Bertrand said. “So when the fire department goes out and asks for help from the community, they’re always there to support, which is really nice.”

Mansfield mayor Sandra Armstrong highlighted the importance of the fire department to the entire region.

“They serve the whole Pontiac and save lives, the firefighters are the heart of the municipality,” Armstrong said in French on Saturday. “They are there to ensure the safety of our citizens and we are very thankful.”

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Mansfield passes motion to buy local, when possible

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K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The Municipality of Mansfield and Pontefract passed a motion at its Mar. 5 meeting to formalize a new policy for supporting local businesses first.

According to Mansfield director general Éric Rochon, the policy, which is not yet finalized, will allow the municipal staff to spend more on locally-sourced goods and services than they would on getting a cheaper product elsewhere.

Councillor Sébastien Denault, who presented the idea to council, said he has been urging the municipality to implement something like this policy for a few years now, and feels now is the right moment.

“Now that everything that’s going on in the country, in the province of Quebec, it’s sure that we’re going to support our own people as much as possible,” he said.

Denault said the municipality traditionally offers merchandise from the municipal office as prizes at community events, but will now pivot to offer gift cards from local gas stations and to the ZEC St-Patrice.

Rochon wrote in an email that this policy more or less formalizes a practice the municipality has been doing for some time, supporting local businesses by filling up at local gas stations, having municipal vehicles serviced at local garages, or buying local products.

“The policy will reflect the need to buy locally to keep our local economy and jobs,” he wrote, adding that the total increase in costs should not exceed more than 10 per cent.

He said the municipality seldomly purchases from the United States, but that the policy will determine the limits that the municipality can spend to keep purchases local.

“I would say that our needs are met 99 per cent in the Canadian market,” he said, adding that the last big purchase the municipality made from the U.S. was a fire truck, but that too can be bought in Canada.

Mansfield mayor Sandra Armstrong said it’s a small gesture the municipality can make to show its citizens that it supports businesses in town, and to encourage others to do the same.

“We are proud people from Quebec, and I think we need to watch out for our home,” she said. “We need to stand together, and I hope this is a little gift that we’re doing that can help other people to realize that.”

Mansfield passes motion to buy local, when possible Read More »

Mansfield horse owner urges action on vet shortage

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Guillaume Laflamme, LJI Reporter

Little Haven Farm in Mansfield is indeed a little haven to a wide range of animals, including alpacas, llamas, guinea hens, goats, chickens, and mini sheep, as well as miniature horses and donkeys, and regular-sized donkeys.
But Garrett Vekeryasz, one of the farm’s owners, says the lack of equestrian veterinarians in the region is making it difficult for him to provide his horses and donkeys with the care they need, and this month he organized a meeting with Pontiac MNA André Fortin to try and find some solutions.
Vekeryasz explained six of his animals – three miniature horses and three donkeys – don’t have access to veterinary care and that he can’t afford the significant costs of individually transporting these animals to see a veterinarian in Ontario.
“We often get calls and requests for adoption and rescues and things like this from varying situations, and we usually turn them away because we have no access to a vet,” Vekeryasz said.
“This past fall, we took a chance, and we rescued a horse, and because we weren’t able to access any vet care, she died within two months of us having her.”
Vekeryasz, like many horse owners in the Pontiac, is frustrated with what has remained a fairly dire shortage of equestrian vets in the region.
He purchased the farm with his partner back in 2019, and began hosting animals in 2020.
“We went into acquiring our animals and getting our animals with the expectation that there was a vet here, and then because of legalities and politics the vets left,” said Vekeryasz, also a teacher at l’École secondaire Sieur de Coulonge. “It’s been very stressful.”
Carole Savard is the secretary for the Pontiac Equestrian Association and owns a horse in Quyon.
“We’ve had a shortage for years in the Pontiac. And north of here, it’s worse,” she wrote to THE EQUITY .
Savard explained the equestrian community was left with no equine veterinary care in the region when Dr. Andrea Kelly passed away in the summer of 2022.
Dr. Kelly was a Kemptville-based veterinarian who was also licensed to practice in Quebec. She owned the Ottawa Valley Large Animal Clinic and served close to 600 clients in the Pontiac and Ottawa surrounding area.
Around the same time, Dr. Melissa Jowett, a part-time vet also serving the Pontiac area, lost her license to practice in Quebec because she was unable to pass a provincial French language test.
A petition circulated at the time to reinstate the license collected more than 3,000 signatures within its first week. It now has more than 13,000 signatures.
After the loss of the two last veterinarians in the region, the Pontiac Equestrian Association called on Dr. Yves Bouvier, an equine veterinarian from L’Ange-Gardien, for help.
According to Savard, Dr. Bouvier was meant to retire four years ago, but returned in 2023 to provide vaccinations for former clients through events organized by the association.
Savard explained that since then, the association has organized group vaccination events with the help of vets from Navan.
But Vekeryasz said his animals haven’t been able to benefit from the services such as these, organized by the Pontiac Equestrian Association, as most Ontario veterinarians only serve the east side of the Pontiac close to Aylmer and Quyon.
He also noted he believes the temporary licenses which are currently allowing Navan vets to practice in the Pontiac are set to expire next year.
It’s for this reason Vekeryasz is hoping virtual vet meetings will become available in the future, something he discussed in his meeting with Fortin, who is also the official opposition’s critic for agriculture.
Vekeryasz explained that through online vet services, veterinarians could diagnose the animal over a Zoom call. Although Vekeryasz admitted the solution would not solve all problems, he explained having access to a veterinarian, even through Zoom, would bring him peace of mind.
“It’s just having that reassurance that if there is an emergency, I have someone that I can contact, and they’re going to be there, they’re going to maybe know the profile of my animal already, to be able to guide me a little bit better,” Vekeryasz said.
Fortin has recognized the problem and stressed the need for government action. In an email to THE EQUITY written in French, Fortin explained the lack of veterinarians, especially for farm animals, is a real problem for the region, and leaves farmers to face difficult situations and impossible decisions.
He said he has been pushing for measures to attract more vets to rural areas and make the profession more appealing to veterinary students, and plans to propose several solutions when the Quebec National Assembly discusses a new animal welfare bill in the fall.
“Upon the return to the Chamber in September, the deputies will study a bill on animal welfare,” Fortin wrote in French. “As the spokesperson for the Quebec Liberal Party on agriculture, I will take the opportunity to propose various solutions to the minister related to the shortage of veterinarians, including measures to improve access that are already in effect in other province.”
The animal welfare bill, which came into effect in February this year, establishes new standards of care for domestic animals in Quebec and affords them rights laid out by the National Farm Animal Care Council.
Vekeryasz said he hopes the discussion of this bill in the National Assembly in the fall will offer a new opportunity to hold the province accountable to ensure farmers in every region have access to the veterinary care they need.
“Hopefully we can write into that bill that, in some fashion, that the government must provide every region access to veterinary care, either through virtual or physical means,” he said. “That’s going to be one of my main pushes for that bill.”

Mansfield horse owner urges action on vet shortage Read More »

Mansfield’s annual party expands for Canada Day, 175th anniversary

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KC Jordan, LJI Reporter

The community of Mansfield rallied in the rain over the weekend for its annual Mansfield en fête festival, which this year was also used as an opportunity to celebrate Canada Day as well as the town’s 175th anniversary.
The festival, hosted at the town’s Amyotte Park, offered a canteen and bar, live dance and music performances, and a baseball tournament which, according to Mansfield en fête president Martin Leguerrier, went ahead despite the rain.
“They never stopped,” Leguerrier said. “They ran in the mud, it was fun to watch.”
Marc-Antoine Côté was hanging out with his friends along the first-base fence watching the tournament unfold. His team was done playing for the day, so he was enjoying a few beers.
He said he enjoys coming out to Mansfield en fête every year because he likes seeing his friends and family.
“I come out here and hang out with the boys,” he said, right before rattling off a list of a dozen or so people on the field who he knew personally.
This year’s festival coincided with two other important dates: the Canada Day long weekend, as well as the ongoing festivities for Mansfield and Pontefract’s 175th anniversary.
Leguerrier said the festival offered more activities this year because all these celebrations converged on a single weekend.
“We’re offering an additional day this year,” he said, noting that they ran three full days of activities this year instead of the usual two.
Children’s activities were provided by Le Patro, and kids could choose between archery, giant building blocks, and a mini-putt course, among others.
Music, as always, played a big part in the festivities. A diverse lineup of musicians rocked the Sylvain Bégin stage throughout the weekend, including Ottawa Valley country icons Louis Schreyer and Gail Gavan.
Leguerrier said they had a lot of success last year bringing in local artists, and they wanted to do the same again this year.
“People in the Pontiac want to support local artists,” he said.
On Saturday night, a huge crowd gathered to watch a performance from the Corriveau School of Dance, which included dance numbers by professionals Marie-Josée Corriveau and Jason Morel.
The crowd let out whoops and cheers as various dancers, most of them teenagers, lifted their partners into the air, spun them around, and gracefully placed them back onto the ground, never breaking stride.
When they were done, the dozen or so dancers held hands and bowed as the crowd applauded the impressive performance.
Later on Saturday night, Leguerrier himself got up on stage to perform a DJ set, exactly as he has done for over 20 years.
This year was his first as president of the committee, and he was pleased with how the event turned out.
“People are happy, families are happy, dogs are happy,” he said.
Leguerrier said he wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time, but also that they were being safe.
He said volunteers were encouraging people to eat, especially if they have been drinking.
Cadets from the Sûreté du Québec were also there making sure everyone was having fun in a safe and responsible way.
Leguerrier was pleased to report that, as of Saturday night, there hadn’t been any fights, noting that violence can break out when people have been drinking.
The festivities concluded on Sunday night with the traditional fireworks display, which, Leguerrier says, is one of the weekend’s biggest crowd-pleasers.

Mansfield’s annual party expands for Canada Day, 175th anniversary Read More »

Quel avenir pour la restauration à Mansfield et Fort-Coulonge?

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Pierre St-Cyr, LJI Reporter

État inquiétant du secteur tient à une main d’oeuvre insuffisante, de maigres infrastructures et une forte compétition de l’Ontario, selon la SADC

Le retour de la belle saison annonce aussi le retour des touristes. Dans le Pontiac, le tourisme a toujours généré d’importantes retombées économiques. Une situation imputable, entre autres, à son excellent réseau de pourvoiries et de zecs.

Il est un secteur, toutefois, qui affiche triste mine. Et c’est celui de l’hébergement et de la restauration. Tout particulièrement à Mansfield, Fort-Coulonge et Davidson.
Au cours de la dernière année, plusieurs des établissements que l’on y trouve ont ou bien fermé leurs portes (Restaurant Francoeur, Pourvoirie Magnum, Restaurant La Principale), ou été mis en vente (Restaurant J & A Bowers), ou encore fermé temporairement (Bistro Du Bucheron).
Pour cette région dont la population totale dépasse à peine les 4 000 personnes, ces nouvelles ont eu l’effet d’un électrochoc.

Que se passe-t-il donc? A-t-on affaire à un phénomène passager ou durable? Selon Rhonda Perry, directrice générale de la Société d’aide au développement de la Collectivité (SADC), les raisons de cette situation sont multiples, et vont d’un trop petit bassin de main d’oeuvre jusqu’au manque d’infrastructures, en passant par des revenus disponibles par habitant parmi les plus faibles du Québec. «Qui plus est, ajoute-t-elle, nous sommes en compétition avec Pembroke, un pôle économique et touristique d’importance.»

Jimmy et Aline Bowers, les copropriétaires du restaurant Bowers à Mansfield, sont pour l’essentiel d’accord avec cette lecture de la situation. «Notre restaurant est à vendre depuis près d’un an, dit Jimmy Bowers. Et nous sommes toujours en attente d’une offre sérieuse. La vérité, malheureusement, c’est qu’il n’y a pas de relève.»

Pourtant, leur établissement ne désemplit pas. Jour après jour, les clients sont au rendez-vous. «C’est vrai, déclare Aline Bowers. Mais pour réussir dans ce métier, il faut être prêt à y mettre les heures… beaucoup d’heures. D’autant plus que la main d’oeuvre n’a jamais été aussi rare.»
Comme pour bien faire passer le message, Jimmy Bowers pointe en direction de la cuisine où c’est une vénérable octogénaire qui agit comme plongeuse… «Trouver de bons employés n’est plus chose facile, dit-il. Nous sommes chanceux d’avoir un bon groupe de travailleuses. Mais à notre âge – et après plus de 37 années au gouvernail – le temps est venu de passer le flambeau.»

Diversification de l’offre?

Y mettre les heures, souvent non-rémunérées, c’est aussi ce à quoi doivent s’astreindre les copropriétaires de Café Downtown, situé au centre-ville de Fort-Coulonge, pour maintenir leur entreprise à flot.
«C’est rough… surtout en hiver. Le petit nombre de touristes, la pauvreté relative de la population environnante et le manque de personnel nous obligent à travailler fort et à faire preuve d’imagination, » affirment à l’unisson Alexandre Romain et Natasha Lamadeleine.
Les deux jeunes propriétaires, aussi conjoints dans la vie, ne comptent plus leurs heures depuis qu’ils se sont portés acquéreurs de l’établissement. Pour faciliter les fins de mois, Lamadeleine fait même double emploi (en tant que fonctionnaire).

Mais, pour eux, avoir du coeur au ventre ne garantit pas le succès. Il faut aussi savoir se renouveler. Au niveau du menu, notamment.

« Je change le menu trois et même quatre fois par année, dit Romain qui dirige la cuisine. Il le faut si nous voulons offrir à la population et aux touristes de belles expériences gastronomiques.»
Ses efforts semblent générer de bons résultats si l’on se fie à leur obtention du titre convoité de partenaire par Tourisme Outaouais. «Ce partenariat nous est précieux et nous vaut même la visite de plus en plus fréquente de touristes étrangers, » affirme Romain.

Le propriétaire de Café Downtown sait bien que ce n’est pas en offrant un menu comparable à celui du restaurant Bowers qu’il va maintenir son établissement ouvert. D’autres l’ont fait, et se sont cassés les dents. Le bassin de population ne le permet pas, non plus que le nombre de touristes – le Pontiac accueille seulement 7% des touristes et excursionnistes de la région touristique de l’Outaouais, selon un rapport de l’Observatoire de développement de l’Outaouais (ODO) publié en 2018.
Il n’a eu donc d’autre choix que de se démarquer, en se taillant une niche culinaire distincte. «Mais je ne me berce pas d’illusions, non plus. Pour survivre, nous allons devoir sabrer le plus possible dans les coûts, multiplier les partenariats et devenir encore plus agressif au plan du marketing.»

Beaucoup sont appelés, mais peu sont élus

La SADC – dont le siège se trouve face au Café Downtown – partage la vision du jeune entrepreneur et de sa partenaire, et le leur a fait savoir en leur consentant divers prêts. Mais également en évitant le plus possible d’ajouter à leurs défis.

C’est ainsi qu’en raison de l’extrême fragilité de l’écosystème économique régional, la SADC considère que sa mission actuelle n’est pas tant d’ajouter des entreprises que de protéger celles déjà en place.
Dans le cas de Café Downtown ou encore du restaurant Bowers, cela pourrait signifier ne pas appuyer de projets qui ressemblent un peu trop à ce qu’ils sont et font. À plus forte raison si les plans de travail et analyses de marché sont insatisfaisants.

Pour l’heure, toutefois, la SADC multiplie les démarches pour attirer plus de touristes dans la région. À cet effet, elle a déjà en poche une entente avec la Ottawa Valley Tourist Association qui contribue déjà à augmenter le nombre de visiteurs dans les microbrasseries et vignobles de la région.
Idem du côté de la Chambre de commerce du Pontiac qui cherche au moyen de ses initiatives de réseautage à appuyer tangiblement les restaurateurs de toute la région.

Reste que la situation demeure précaire. La mairesse de Mansfield, Sandra Armstrong, en est très consciente. «Chaque fois qu’un restaurant ferme, c’est un lieu de rencontre qui disparaît. Il nous faut travailler à les protéger. J’espère en tout cas qu’à terme, l’ajout, en 2023, de notre municipalité et celle de Fort-Coulonge au réseau de Village-relais du Québec va donner un coup de pouce aux restaurateurs et aux commerçants de la région.»

En attendant, faut-il redouter la fermeture d’autres entreprises? Pour leur part, Jimmy et Aline Bowers entendent demeurer en poste. «On va prendre ça un jour à la fois, dit Jimmy. C’est tout ce qu’on peut faire. Nos clients le méritent bien.»

Quel avenir pour la restauration à Mansfield et Fort-Coulonge? Read More »

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