Maryam Amini
MRC PONTIAC – After the sudden departure of Bernard Roy, the former Director General (DG) of the MRC Pontiac, Kim Lesage, the MRC’s engineer, has also taken on the position as interim DG.
Lesage has a master’s degree in civil engineering. She worked for 12 years in the private sector in Ottawa before joining the MRC about 4 years ago. She is from the Pontiac and said she prefers to work in this area. “I am proud to help our region,” she said.
Lesage talked about the challenges she is facing while managing two positions: “It is actually an interesting challenge. Although I have already worked for 4 years for the MRC, I see there are still new things to learn.
I have more meetings now; having two positions is a lot of work and it’s time consuming. But, I am an organized person, and this has helped me to be able to handle the situation.”
She then explained the responsibilities of the position: “The DG reports to the Council of Mayors. The main roles are planning, organization, management and control of all activities and services in accordance with the Municipal Code of Quebec and the Municipal Powers Act.
The DG also ensures quality of services to our 18 municipalities and works closely with local and regional partners.” Lesage noted she is working on some projects already. “One of the big files I am working on is the Vitalisation Agreement and related projects, with funding from the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation. I am also meetings with many local partners (SADC, Chamber of Commerce, TDSP, CJE, etc.) and getting ready for our next council meeting.”
Regarding the recent labour agreement reached between the MRC and its unionized employees, Lesage stated: “I became the chair of the negotiations recently and we had a meeting with the other party on Friday, December 2. I am very pleased that we reached an agreement before Christmas We also agreed to work towards a policy for working from home.” (See page7)
When asked if she would consider taking on the position permanently, Lesage said: “I don’t have an answer for this now. I am enjoying the exploration, but I am not certain. When Bernard left, I offered to help the team, and that is what I am doing.”
