Mo Laidlaw
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC – About twenty citizens attended Pontiac’s council meeting on April 10 at the Marcel Lavigne Community Centre in Luskville.
— Public input
Mo Laidlaw
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC – About twenty citizens attended Pontiac’s council meeting on April 10 at the Marcel Lavigne Community Centre in Luskville.
— Public input
Sheila McCrindle suggested the municipality should first try home composting, since it is more environmentally friendly than having a truck picking it up. She also asked if there would be an exemption to the compost fee for people who already home compost.
Discussion about the target for diverting organic waste from landfills resulted in council planning to clarify if the target is 70% by 2019 and 100% by 2020, which perhaps could be achieved with home composting.
Mayor Joanne Labadie said composting in the winter seems to be a problem, since the tonnage of garbage tends to increase during this time. The MRC Pontiac and Gatineau are working on a waste-to-energy project, but it is “10 years down the road”. Labadie met with MNA André Fortin last week; there are no provincial subsidies available to them for composting projects because the municipality has over 5,000 residents. Kevin Brady and Sheila McCrindle will help the municipality with the composting project, since they have experience in environmental projects.
James Riordan has had a problem with 100 m of municipal ditch alongside his farm property on Elm Road since 2008. Trees have been allowed to grow, blocking the flow of water, which ends up flooding his farmland, making it inaccessible in the spring. He has been told several times that it is in the work plan, but despite other work being done, this ditch has not been cleared. Labadie said she will look into it, and wondered if ownership of the ditch is in question.
Carl Hager complained about derelict properties on River Road bringing down the value of the neighbourhood. Labadie mentioned the nuisance bylaw, but applying legal sanctions takes time. The planning department is seeking a second planning inspector.
— Flooding concerns
Council will ask that the Quyon River from Highway 148 to the Ottawa River be added to Municipal Affairs’ updated maps of flood plains of the Ottawa, Gatineau, Lièvre and Blanche rivers.
JFSA, expert in drainage and the environment, was asked to carry out a study of the area bounded by Maple Lane, Terry Fox Road and the Ottawa River for $21,700. There are flooding problems in this area, which may be worsened by the Ministry of Transport’s (MTQ) proposed drainage system for the section of Highway 148 still to be rebuilt. The municipality doesn’t have access to the MTQ’s study.
SNC-Lavalin was awarded an $11,028 contract for a geotechnical study of the soil adjacent to the washed out culvert on Alary Road. The Ministry of Public Safety’s aid program may pay for a portion.
The municipality will acquire the property at 85 Bord de l’Eau for $1; the owner accepted the Ministry of Public Safety’s payment for properties affected by the 2017 spring floods. This is the 14th property acquired near the beach area in Luskville.
——- Fire department
It will now be forbidden to have an open fire when the fire risk is ‘high’, where previously it was banned when the risk was ‘extreme’.
——– Expenses approved
The following were approved: $43,090 to Multi-Routes for 155,000 L of liquid dust suppressant; $11,268 to JUL to improve the filing system of the municipality, using existing furniture, with a budget of $2,500 for re-filing documents; $9,500 for the community life director to repair the Quyon, Luskville, Soulière-Davis, Omkar and Beaudoin parks; $7,920 to the Shawville arena, and between $1,000 and $6,000 for eleven community organizations, and $5,000 for liability insurance (total $38,655).
