Benjamin Segobaetso – Local Journalism Initiative
Published online August 26, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com
MRC PONTIAC — Five months after the Campbell’s Bay Wildlife Protection Office closed its doors, Pontiac’s mayors have joined calls on Quebec to restore wildlife protection staffing in rural areas, warning that fewer officers could leave the region’s vast forests and waterways with inadequate enforcement coverage.
At its Aug. 20 meeting, the MRC Pontiac Council of Mayors moved and resolved to support a Resolution 2026-R-AG242 from the MRC de La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, which calls for the restoration of wildlife protection officers across Quebec’s regions. By adopting this resolution, the MRC is asking the Quebec government and the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks to “re-establish and maintain sufficient numbers” of wildlife protection officers, particularly in rural and forested territories.
The resolution points to what MRC de La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau described as a significant decline in the number of wildlife protection officers in several Quebec regions in recent years. For Pontiac, the concern is particularly significant because of the region’s large rural and forested territory. Council agreed that officers are needed to maintain a regular presence on the ground to enforce wildlife regulations, protect wildlife and habitats and respond to incidents.
The resolution warns that reduced staffing “may compromise the capacity to intervene,” as well as the surveillance of the territory and services available to residents. The issue has been a local concern since the Campbell’s Bay Wildlife Protection Office closed in March 2026. Its closure left only three wildlife protection offices serving the entire Outaouais, a region spanning approximately 33,000 square kilometres.
At the time, the loss of a local office prompted concerns that fewer officers and greater distances between enforcement bases could make wildlife regulations more difficult to enforce and create opportunities for increased poaching. The MRC Pontiac is now joining neighbouring Vallée-de-la-Gatineau in pressing the province to address those concerns.
Municipal Pushback
Through resolutions like the one from MRC de La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau and the MRC Pontiac, regional councils are pressing the provincial government to maintain local service and restore active boots-on-the-ground enforcement. The resolutions carry the same sentiments that a strong regional presence is necessary for sustainable wildlife management and to respond to the particular challenges of rural and forested areas such as Pontiac. With Campbell’s Bay no longer hosting a wildlife protection office, Pontiac mayors want the province to ensure that the region does not lose the boots on the ground needed to patrol its territory.
