President, two others resign from AgriSaveur board
Sophie Demers
Local Journalism Initiative
Published in the Pontiac Journal on March 12, 2025.
MRC PONTIAC – William Armitage has resigned as president of AgriSaveur Cooperative’s board of directors (responsible for the abattoir), along with two other board members. Armitage declined to comment on his departure.
Kyle Kidder has since taken over as president, and the vacant board positions have
been filled.
“I think it’s an excellent project and could be a great asset for everyone in the community and adjoining communities as well,” said Kidder. “It’s going to bring a lot of positives in terms of service, but also employment too. I’m excited about it and look forward to getting things rolling.”
Rumours have circulated that the resignations were linked to frustration over the project’s slow progress, but MRC Pontiac Director General Kim Lesage said that was not the case.
“I wouldn’t say the reason is because it wasn’t moving fast enough,” said Lesage. “I think we’ve just got to a place where it was time for different leadership. A co-op is like a relay race rather than a sprint, and sometimes it’s just time for somebody else to take the torch to move things forward. Everybody from the beginning has played an important part in getting the abattoir open, forming the co-op, and working on the business plan.”
Lesage said the MRC remains committed to the project.
“We really believe in it and are anxious to have it open for our producers,” she said.
According to Lesage, progress is steady. The co-op holds regular meetings every
Monday evening, and the general manager position is open for applications until March 14. Several applications have already been received.
The co-op is currently working on securing insurance, preparing documents, assessing
site repairs and maintenance, and finalizing its business plan.
Kidder said they aim to open this spring, though no official date has been set.
AgriSaveur Pontiac is an agricultural cooperative for Pontiac producers. The project has three components: a commercial kitchen for the production of local products, the abattoir, and a boutique located at the abattoir to sell the products created.
