Bonnie Portelance & Dale Shutt
Published online March 25, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com.
LITCHFIELD – MRC Pontiac’s Council of Mayors met March 19 at the MRC headquarters in Litchfield, with Pro-Mayor Raymond Pilon chairing in the absence of Warden Jane Toller.
Several items focused on services in the unorganized territory (TNO), including road maintenance and emergency response.
Mayors raised concerns about Quebec’s decision to end its contract with AIRMEDIC, which has provided medical air transport since 2021. Council is asking the province to clarify replacement services, warning the loss could affect emergency response in remote areas. A new bylaw is also being considered to recover costs when emergency services are called for non-urgent situations in the TNO.
Property assessments
On the recommendation of an appraiser from the Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM), council will move forward with a rebalancing of the property assessment roll for the 2027–2029 cycle. The recommendation follows significant discrepancies between assessed values and sale prices in several municipalities, including Shawville, Clarendon, L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet, Bristol and Mansfield-et-Pontefract. The rebalancing process is intended to adjust values on the roll and help maintain tax fairness. The work will be carried out by the MRC’s mandated appraiser.
Committee updates
Several more committees were established:
Forestry
A forestry committee will support development and revitalization of the sector and help the MRC better understand local challenges. Members include mayors Roger Lafond, Ed Walsh, Kevin Murphy, Colleen Larivière, Doris Ranger, Sandra Armstrong and Bill McCleary, with non-elected members Martin Boucher, Cash Allard, Frank Doyle, Yvon Migneault and Régent Dugas.
Renewable energy
A renewable energy committee will focus on the strategic development of energy projects in the region. It will review proposals brought forward to the MRC—such as solar or other renewable initiatives—and provide recommendations to council. Members include Bill McCleary, Colleen Larivière, Joanne Ralston, Ed Walsh, and Pierre Cyr.
Agriculture
An agricultural advisory committee, required under provincial law, will review bylaws, amendments and development projects affecting agricultural land. It will advise council on planning decisions and help ensure agricultural and non-agricultural uses can coexist, while supporting the protection of farmland. Members include agricultural producers David Gillespie, Scott Judd, and Gema Villavicencio; municipal inspector, Marjorie Groulx-Tellier (Bristol); Mayor Jean-Louis Corriveau (L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet); and a resident to be determined. Non-voting members include MRC Land Use Planner Alan Dabrowski for support and Economic Development Commissioner in Agriculture Shanna Armstrong, as needed.
Regions and Rurality Fund (FRR)
Council also merged two Regions and Rurality Fund (FRR) analysis committees into one. Members include Jennifer Quaile, Sidney Squitti, Pierre Cyr, Sandra Armstrong, Doris Ranger and Valérie Twolan-Graham, along with representatives from Carrefour jeunesse emploi du Pontiac, the public and the Caisse Desjardins des Rivières-de-Pontiac.
Firearms buyback program
Council passed a resolution opposing the federal firearms buyback program and calling on Ottawa to end it. The MRC argues that most firearms used in violent crime come from the illegal market, and that public safety efforts should instead focus on tackling trafficking, organized crime and smuggling. It also states that buyback programs and firearm prohibitions primarily affect law-abiding gun owners, with limited impact on crime.
Council noted that firearms are commonly used in rural areas for hunting, subsistence, livestock protection and personal safety. The resolution further suggests that public funds would be better invested in mental health services, prevention, early intervention and other supports aimed at addressing the root causes of violence. Council says these measures are more likely to have a lasting impact on reducing gun violence than confiscating legally owned firearms.
Not all members supported the motion. Otter Lake Pro-Mayor Robin Zacharias opposed the resolution, noting that the list of prohibited firearms includes “machine guns, missile launchers, anti-tank guns, and assault rifles,” adding, “They aren’t what I’d call hunting guns.”
Shawville Mayor Bill McCleary questioned the effectiveness of the program, saying those who possess such weapons are unlikely to turn them in.
The resolution passed 15-3 with Zacharias and Mayors Donald Gagnon (Chichester) and Doris Ranger (Sheenboro) voting against it. The next council meeting will be held April 16.