shawville

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Shawville council has passed a motion to rezone a lot on John Dale Road in the town’s west end so it can accommodate four six-unit apartment buildings proposed by Luskville housing developer Maisons PAJ.

The vote came at its Mar. 11 meeting, following two public consultations the town held in February and March, as it was obligated to do under the province’s Bill 31 which makes it possible for municipalities to accelerate the process of zoning changes to build affordable housing.

One unit in each building will be offered at an affordable rate of $900, a number that is calculated by the CMHC according to average salary, market rent, and other regional factors.

In the two consultations residents raised concerns about plans for the housing development, including the lack of sidewalks connecting the development with the rest of the downtown core, as well as about the lack of streetlights near the proposed development.

Rick Valin, who lives next to the proposed development, said his objection to the project was related to safety concerns.

“The population density for our area would trip from 36 people to 108,” he said of the area surrounding the vicinity of the proposed site. “We have inadequate lighting, no sidewalks.”

Mathieu Jodoin of Maisons PAJ said the company will pave the area in front of the buildings and install lighting, thereby addressing Valin’s concerns.

“I want the man next door to be happy,” he said. “It’s a no-brainer for us.”

Shawville mayor Bill McCleary said the town is considering solutions to link the existing sidewalk ending at New Hope Church on Main St. with the sidewalk in front of the development.

“It might not be a cement sidewalk from West Street to the New Hope Church,” he said, noting this would likely be too expensive. “It might be a four-foot addition to the pavement with some kind of barricade between the traffic and the sidewalk.”

He pointed to the kind of divided footpath that currently exists on chemin de la Chute in Mansfield, between Highway 148 and École secondaire Sieur-de-Coulonge as an example of what Shawville is considering.

McCleary noted a few other concerns raised by residents at the consultations, including the potential need for handicap-accessible units, and for speed detectors on John Dale Road.

“These speed warning things that flash when you’re exceeding the speed limit, we’re looking at a couple of those,” McCleary said, adding that residents felt more traffic might lead to more people speeding.

As for handicap-accessible units, the town has made a request to Maisons PAJ, who will present the request to potential buyers.

“If they feel that there’s a demand for handicap-accessible, [ . . . ] they’ll do a survey and see if there’s a need for this.”

Jodoin said construction could begin as soon as this fall, if everything goes according to schedule with their current constructions on Lang Street and Bristol Street.

“We’re going to rent those first,” he said, adding that the demand for rentals in Shawville will also determine the speed at which they begin construction.

Jodoin will then sell the buildings to investors, who will then put out a call to rent the units to prospective tenants.

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

The Municipality of Shawville held a public consultation on Monday evening as part of a new affordable housing project a Pontiac construction company is hoping to bring to John Dale Street.

Shawville’s building inspector Charles Gallant said he has received initial plans from Maisons PAJ, the Luskville-based building company that has been erecting apartment buildings across town.

The new plans include four buildings of six units each, with one-bedroom apartments on the ground floor and three-bedroom apartments on the top floor.

Maisons PAJ’s Matthieu Jodoin said up to seven one-bedroom units will rent for $900, an “affordable” rate as defined by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) that the company was able to offer by participating in a CMHC program.

Monday evening’s consultation is part of a provincially mandated process designed to fast-track the rezoning process for certain lots if they are destined for affordable, social or student housing.

“Bill 31 was introduced to help in reducing the delays in making changes to have more density within the territory,” Gallant explained, adding that the lot is currently zoned for single dwelling residential and would have to be rezoned in order to make the construction possible.

“Typically a zoning process could take up to six months, versus this system here within about six weeks we can deliver the permit,” he said.

He said the consultation is needed because it is a part of the process for the new rezoning bill, and is an opportunity for residents to express their opposition or opinions about the project.

Gallant has received the location plan and drafted mock-ups of the building’s facade from Maisons PAJ, but has not received an official permit application yet because the company must first get approval for a CMHC program that would give it certain insurance incentives for building according to specifications including high energy efficiency, accessibility, and affordability.

Once the application with the CMHC is approved, the builders can then submit their plans to the municipality to acquire a permit.

Gallant said these apartments fill a need in the Pontiac for updated housing stock at an affordable rate. “The housing stock is getting old in the Pontiac, so it’s a rare opportunity to have a new building,” he said.

Jodoin said he wanted to offer housing that is cheaper than what can be found in Aylmer or other areas of Gatineau.

“What we’ve done is we’ve tried to make new housing so that it’s as affordable as possible for the sector,” he said, adding that two-bedrooms apartments they can rent for $1,300 in Shawville could rent for over $2,000 in the city.

“Two bedrooms at $1,300, it doesn’t exist even at the North Pole,” he said.

He said the three-bedroom housing would be ideal for families, and the one-bedrooms for seniors, especially because they are located on the ground floor.

Once the construction is complete, Maisons PAJ will sell the building to its eventual landlord.
In order to ensure affordability, Jodoin said in the contract there will be a clause to stipulate that the rent of the affordable units will begin at $900 and that it will only increase by the rent cap or less every year.

Affordable housing needed to fill the gap

Office d’habitation du Pontiac director Sherry-Ann Doyle, who manages nine buildings across the county containing social housing, said more affordable housing is welcome but there is still a large demographic of people who can’t afford to pay.

“One of our criteria is that the person cannot make more than $25,000,” she said, adding that most people housed in her buildings are on welfare, and she is having to turn people away because they don’t meet the criteria.

“The issue I’m seeing a lot is I have people who [ . . . ] will come in, they’re making, let’s say, $26,000, $28,000, even $30,000. It’s not a big income, so they’re not eligible because they make more than what is our maximum allowed income here,” she said, adding that even people working relatively low-wage jobs often cannot afford to pay market rent.

Doyle said an increase in affordable housing availability might begin to help people who don’t meet the criteria for social housing, but who also don’t make enough money to pay market rate for housing in the region.

“There’s a need for it, for that gap of people that are not admissible to our apartments,” she said.

Although Gallant did not know the exact vacancy rate for rentals in the Pontiac, he said “it’s not very high.”

Jodoin acknowledged that low supply also means higher rental costs, and although many people in the Pontiac are in low-income situations he hopes that more construction and investment in the local rental market will help to stabilize rent costs.

“The fact of building more [ . . . ] even if it’s high-end, it tends to increase the offer and stabilize the local market,” he said, adding that he hopes to break ground on the new housing project sometime this year.

Gallant said he has been in contact with other prospective builders who might wish to build affordable housing in Shawville, but none have formally presented him with plans.

“Until it’s in my hand, it’s just a dream.”

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Shawville’s medical clinic, Clinique Médicale le Lotus, has been put up for sale.

Opened in 2014 by Fort Coulonge native Joanne Romain, the private clinic has expanded into having 13 family doctors, a physiotherapist, two specialized nurse practitioners, an osteopath and an after-hours care clinic.

Romain said at the time she saw a need for a healthcare centre in the area where she could bring different services under one roof.

“I wanted to offer a good service to the population of the Pontiac,” she said, adding that she also envisioned the clinic as a place where doctors would want to work without having to do all of the office work.

“The vision was to be able to have a tool where doctors and students wanted to work, and to offer a service to the doctors so that they don’t feel overworked.”

After almost 11 years running the clinic, she said it feels like the right moment for her to make time for her and her family.

“I saw a need to create this clinic, but now I need a different look. I’ve done what I can, but now it’s time to take my leave,” she said.

In early December she informed the clinic’s doctors of her decision to sell and gave them a chance to express interest in buying it. It’s currently listed at $2,250,000.

“I explained the situation to them, and spoke to them about the advantages of becoming an ownership group,” she said, adding that no one from that group has stepped forward yet to offer to purchase the building.

Dr. Martin Benfey, a doctor at the Clinique Médicale le Lotus, said the clinic filled a need for a private clinic in the area.

“At that time there were some private offices that were not functioning particularly well, and [Romain] thought it would be really good to centralize the medical offices and the doctors in one area,” he said, adding that after-hours care has been a crucial addition to the region’s healthcare.

“It’s sort of a clone of the emergency room, so that people aren’t always going to the emergency room in Fort Coulonge or in Shawville.”

Dr. Benfey said at the tail end of his career he is not personally interested in joining any sort of ownership group, and he has not heard of any doctors at the clinic who are prepared to take the step into ownership.
Romain is proud of what she accomplished, but said it is the time for her to step away from full-time work.

“I really want to take care of myself and spend time with my kids [ . . . ] I didn’t have the energy to play, I didn’t want to go out. I really put my life on hold,” she said.

There have been no offers on the building yet, but Romain emphasized they are looking for a buyer that will continue operating the clinic and possibly keep making improvements.

“We are looking for a buyer who will keep the clinic the way it currently is, and could add more professional services,” she said, citing dentists and pharmacists as examples.

Romain wants to make sure whoever buys the clinic has the community’s health needs top of mind.

“The clinic is 100 per cent important to the Pontiac,” she said.

K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist

Richard and Carolyn Meisner arrived in Shawville in 1973. It was a cold January day, the biting kind of cold that nips the feeling from your fingers.

With a car full of belongings and three kids in tow, the new owners of the Shawville Stedmans prepared to move their whole life into the apartment upstairs.

They got out of the car to stretch their limbs. No sooner had they done so, than had a crowd of people greeted them with a warm welcome and a helping hand, carrying their carload of belongings into the new abode.

“It was certainly a little bit overwhelming,” Carolyn said, adding that the welcome crew were the family’s first friends here.

“Those three people and their spouses just took us under their wing and we had a great social circle with them,” she said, adding that they quickly felt at home in town.

Over the years, the new Stedmans owners would become a fixture in the community, giving thousands of hours back to the town that welcomed them so warmly.

Generations of people came through the front doors at 375 Main St. for back-to-school shopping, to buy a board game, or simply to chat.

But this month, after 51 years of ownership, the couple will be closing up shop for good.

Richard, who had previously owned a Stedmans store in Stellarton, N.S., before moving to the Ontario towns of Woodstock, Trenton and Orangeville, heard the Shawville owner was retiring, so he decided to make an offer.

For him, it was not only a business venture but an opportunity for his family to settle down and find stability.

“It was a chance to get off of the road and spend more time with family,” Richard said.

Over the years, the store endured a fire, an economic recession, the arrival of big box stores and, eventually, online shopping, but it was the COVID-19 pandemic that was the last straw.

The Meisners’ daughter Rhonda, who took over managing the store in 2012, said the pandemic forced some of their suppliers out of business.

“The merchandise we were getting was astronomically priced and the shipping costs were ludicrous . . . all of that impacted us,” she said. “As a small business, you don’t have a vast resource of capital.”

She said their store had always focused on stocking a wide variety of merchandise, and when the pandemic limited the availability of that wide variety, their bottom line suffered.

“It became harder and harder for us to source,” she said, saying their order costs tripled in some cases. “It became very difficult for us to manage our inventory [ . . . ] It was just awful.”

Rhonda said that with an aging population and a declining number of young families in the area, there was no longer enough money around to sustain the business, and the pandemic dealt the final blow.

About two years ago, Rhonda, Richard and Carolyn decided to list the building on a real estate website. It was time to move on from the business, and get what compensation they could in return.

While the trio waited for the building to find its next owners, they started to get rid of their remaining inventory, down to the shelves and shopping carts.

“We were ready to liquidate whatever was left, and get out,” said Rhonda, who said seeing the merchandise slowly emptying from the shelves has been tough.

“It’s still a hard pill. Still you go in there every day and look around and it becomes less and less [merchandise] all the time and it’s hard. It’s sad for me,” she said, adding that she had been struggling with feelings of failure at not being able to keep the store afloat.

“But more a feeling of disappointment, wanting to be able to keep it in the community but not being able to have that happen.”

As the store’s days dwindle, Rhonda said she is going to miss the little chats with her customers.

“There’s always a story, always a minute to talk. Someone’s granddaughter or grandson is playing hockey,” she said, adding that she enjoyed being a part of the town’s fabric. “We’re just your neighbour.”

‘We’ve spent our whole lives here’

Growing up in Bristol, Connie Hodgins frequented Stedmans with her mom, and she said she has some fond memories from the store.

“I remember going in and looking at the cassette tapes every week,” she said, adding that it was where she bought her first-ever Lion King cassette.

“It would be the go-to place for a lot of school supplies,” she said, adding that she is disappointed to see the store close.

“To see a piece of Shawville go, it seems really sad.”

For Jodi Hamilton Peck, who has been working at Stedmans for 41 years, losing the job is like losing a family.

“They’re my adopted work parents,” she said of Richard and Carolyn, who assumed the role of de facto “parents” when Peck’s real mom and dad passed away in the early 2000s.

In addition to missing the Meisners, Peck said she’ll miss the little chats with her regulars, or going the extra mile to lend a hand. She said doing little things, like carrying big jugs of Culligan water out to customers’ cars, is what kept them coming back.

“They’ll be back every week for their water just because you did that,” she said.

She said when people in the community started to find out the store would be closing, they asked her why she didn’t go off and find another job.

“Because I’m not done with this job,” was always her response, adding that she wanted to finish what she started.

As Richard and Carolyn prepare to close the store, they said the feeling is bittersweet.

“We didn’t want to see it go this way, but we also know that it can’t continue either,” Carolyn said.

Richard estimates theirs is one of less than a handful of Stedmans remaining in the country, and while it’s tough to see it go, he is proud of how long they kept the doors open.

What’s the secret to staying in business, you might ask?

“Maybe we weren’t smart enough to get out,” Carolyn said with a laugh.

Humble as can be, the couple didn’t see their 51 years as particularly eventful or dramatic. Stedmans was merely a job, and one they enjoyed doing thanks in large part to the community.

“We never, never once dreaded to get up and go to work in the morning. There was always something going on,” said Carolyn, who added they never wanted recognition or accolades.

“We were just here to provide a service and to make a living.”

Reflecting back on that chilly January day when they first arrived, the couple said they are grateful for the community that welcomed them with open, heavy-lifting arms.

“We’ve spent our whole lives here [ . . . ] This is our home, this is where our kids were brought up, and this is their home too,” Carolyn said.

Richard agreed. “It’s an absolutely fantastic place to raise a family,” he said.

The couple took the opportunity to thank the generations of loyal customers who have come through the doors at 375 Main St. over the years.

“When we first came here, their grandparents shopped here and now the kids and then their kids are shopping here,” said Carolyn, who shared one bit of good news with THE EQUITY.

The sale of the building was finalized last Saturday, meaning a new tenant will move into the space early in the new year.

The Meisners, who expressed gratitude for their loyal customers, were happy to sell the building and are looking forward to a restful retirement.

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.

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.

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.” 

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.