Allyson Beauregard
MRC PONTIAC – The 18 MRC Pontiac mayors met at the MRC building in Campbell’s Bay, December 19 for the monthly Council of Mayors meeting, which lasted less than an hour with the short agenda.
Allyson Beauregard
MRC PONTIAC – The 18 MRC Pontiac mayors met at the MRC building in Campbell’s Bay, December 19 for the monthly Council of Mayors meeting, which lasted less than an hour with the short agenda.
Agreements will once again be signed with the municipalities of Sheenboro, Otter Lake, Rapides-des-Joachims, and Mansfield to allow TNO users to use their municipal dumps free of charge. Previously, waste bins were placed in
certain TNO locations, but due to unauthorized dumping and littering, council opted for the new method in 2017.
Warden Jane Toller noted that representatives from CAI, the firm hired to attract investors, visited the MRC Pontiac on December 13 and 14 to tour the region’s industrial sites. The firm’s contract runs until April, and according to Toller, they have already reached out to about 350 potential investors. The MRC invested $9,000 while the remaining $40,000 was covered by Desjardins.
Toller also announced the MRC’s new Youth Council will hold their inaugural meeting on January 21. The committee includes 18 high school
students, one from each municipality, and is a first in Québec. The Youth Council chair will attend the monthly MRC meetings to give a report and offer feedback if needed.
Council resolved to send two requests to the provincial government: to reform and improve the funding program for “double vocation” roads (i.e. those shared by forestry companies and regular users) because, according to Regent Dugas, MRC Director of Territory, the current program “doesn’t go far enough to finance the damage” caused by forestry companies; and secondly, to place a moratorium on the TNO lease increases planned for the next two years. Council already sent the latter request a few months ago, but felt it was important to resubmit it now that a new Premier is in power.
The MRC will add “cyber risk security” coverage to their insurance policy for $3,000 annually.
In a media brief, Toller said a meeting planned for earlier that day with LiveWell – the company promising to build a marijuana research and growing facility in the Pontiac Industrial Park – to provide a progress update and address any concerns, was postponed. Despite being told by LiveWell officials that they are “still committed to business” in the Pontiac, Toller said further reassurance and details on their future plans are needed.
After news broke late last year about the business being subject to a legal mortgage on behalf of a contractor and others not being paid, some mayors anonymously said they fear for the company’s future if similar problems
continue.
