Pontiac council report Community centre, McCann controversy, sewage and water systems

0
128

Mo Laidlaw

PONTIAC – About 30 members of the public attended the regular council meeting in Quyon, March 8, as well as two police officers who were asked to attend in case of disturbances. Councillors Howard and Middlemiss were away as volunteer fire-fighters.
Public input

Mo Laidlaw

PONTIAC – About 30 members of the public attended the regular council meeting in Quyon, March 8, as well as two police officers who were asked to attend in case of disturbances. Councillors Howard and Middlemiss were away as volunteer fire-fighters.
Public input
Laurie MacKechnie and James Eggleton asked about the proposed Quyon community centre. Eggleton congratulated Quyon on raising $200,000 for the new centre but questioned whether the population of Quyon, about 13% of the Municipality of Pontiac, was sufficient for such an ambitious project. Mayor Roger Larose replied that according to the MRC’s master plan “the town (Quyon), is the only spot that can grow.”
Eggleton also asked who is paying for Quyon’s water and sewage systems; the users, or all Pontiac? Larose replied that in order to qualify for available subsidies from the TECQ (gas tax), certain studies had to be completed and were paid from the general funds surplus. The system’s cost ($186,000), and two studies costing $40,000 and $8,500 on the capacity of sewage and water systems have already been paid from the surplus.
A maximum of $8,500 was approved to VO3 to determine the water plant’s ability to serve a new housing project. This study is one of those required to receive the $1.7 million TECQ grant. Council resolved that money from the surplus will be repaid from eventual TECQ grants; Larose disagreed as it means higher costs for Quyon property owners. He reminded councillors that they “represent their wards and the municipality, and developing Quyon will reduce owners’ tax bills.”
Rick Knox suggested the municipality is “getting trigger happy about taking people to court. It costs the municipality money.” Mr Eggleton asked, “is this
personal, wasting employees’ time and money
for lawyers?” Madeleine Carpentier suggested it was not a matter to be decided at a council meeting.
Pontiac vs. McCann
 The Municipal Code stipulates the municipality must pay for the defence of a person whose election as member of council is
contested so they must therefore pay Councillor McCann’s reasonable expenses in his defence of the municipality’s proceedings against him. The
resolution was passed by a majority.
Notices of motion
Borrowing bylaws to buy a grader (maximum $400,000) and an emergency vehicle were proposed. Ms Pontiroli will propose a bylaw concerning waste management which adds compostable materials. Residents must reduce the amount of compostable material in their household garbage, including garden residues and Christmas trees which are accepted at the Eco-centre. Garbage must not exceed one 360L container per collection. Anyone producing more than one wheelie bin of garbage or 4 recycling bins over two weeks will have to make an agreement with the municipality or the contractor in order to use more bins. 
Police
The MRC des Collines police want to enlarge their offices. Pontiac will ask the MRC to look into establishing a satellite office in the municipality, with their help.
Planning
New zoning bylaws will be translated into English before a public consultation meeting is held on the Domaine des Chutes
project.
Chemin Hurdman will be closed and replaced by a servitude on an access road. Houses have been built on the original right-of-way, which became a municipal road in 1902 but didn’t appear correctly on land surveys.
A temporary appointment will be made to the position of clerk/secretary in the urbanism department until the incumbent returns.
Dispute about fire truck equipment
McCann proposed that the purchaser of an old municipal fire truck should return the “portable equipment” taken when it was picked up, including a pump, totalling $600. If not returned within five days, the lawyer will be asked to start proceedings. This resolution was passed
with Councillor Draper-Maxsom away from the table. In the public question period at the end of the meeting, Melvin Maxsom (the buyer) asked what equipment they were referring to. “Anything not bolted to the fire truck is portable equipment,” said McCann. This equipment was apparently in the truck when it was on display to purchasers for sale “as seen”.