William Dale
Published in the Pontiac Journal on May 20, 2026
THORNE – An emotional exchange between a local mother and a municipal councillor highlighted growing tensions at the May 12 council meeting as residents continue pushing for the return of local medical first responders.
At the centre of the debate is Bayley Lemay, a Thorne mother and former lifeguard. In 2022, when her son Waylon suffered a seizure, first responders from neighbouring Otter Lake arrived in less than 15 minutes to provide oxygen and stabilize him. On April 18, Lemay said her 17-month-old son, Hank, experienced another medical emergency. This time, following council’s 2025 decision to sever ties with Otter Lake’s emergency response service, no first responders arrived. Lemay said her family waited 45 minutes for an ambulance from Shawville while the toddler’s lips turned blue.
“When it was my own son who wasn’t breathing, I couldn’t control it,” Lemay told council through tears, describing the helplessness of being home alone with her three boys. “I just wonder if we can brainstorm more ways we could get help.”
Following the incident, Lemay launched a petition calling for the temporary reinstatement of first responders. She told council she has gathered 288 signatures, including 113 verified Thorne taxpayers, in support of restoring the service while the municipality rebuilds its own volunteer team.
Responding to Lemay’s concerns, Councillor Samantha Jane Renaud said the municipality is currently relying on a small group of volunteers already stretched thin. “Realistically, I can’t say what’s going to happen,” Renaud said regarding a timeline for rebuilding the service, citing the many variables involved with maintaining a volunteer force.
Renaud also argued that first responders alone cannot solve long ambulance wait times, pointing instead to broader provincial ambulance shortages. “If I show up at your house and you need CPR, and I’m doing it for 40 minutes, you are dead,” Renaud said. “CPR cannot save somebody after that amount of time. You need the ambulance intervention. That’s where the fight needs to be.”
The discussion became more pointed when Renaud addressed the fact that some trained first responders living in Thorne continue volunteering in neighbouring Otter Lake rather than joining the municipality’s rebuilding effort. “It was a choice they made, and there are consequences to every choice,” Renaud said, adding that their return would make a “substantial difference instantly.”
While council and residents remain divided on how best to restore emergency response services, Lemay said parents in Thorne continue to fear what could happen during the next medical emergency.
Photo: Bayley Lemay addresses Thorne council during its May 12 meeting. Lemay organized a petition calling for the reinstatement of local first responders after waiting 45 minutes for an ambulance during her son’s medical emergency. (WD)
