Over the past two months, I’ve consistently spoken about fairness in MRC meetings. Today, I must raise a pressing concern:
In 2024, the MRC Pontiac charged inflated shares to Alleyn-et-Cawood (AC), increasing from $112,000 to $289,000, based on a figure later deemed false by the MRC Warden during the municipality’s June council meeting. Yet, we’re still being charged based on this incorrect number.
For months, AC has actively spoken out, requesting fair adjustments. However, the response has been silence or reluctance. The argument that adjusting AC shares would shift the burden to the other 17 municipalities is unfounded. Let’s be clear: AC was overcharged from the beginning. Correcting this wouldn’t negatively impact other municipalities.
Any adjustment could be funded from the MRC surplus, causing no harm to anyone else.
I urge each mayor to remember that while you represent your municipality, when sitting at the MRC table, you’re a councillor of the MRC Pontiac. Your decisions should reflect the best interests of the entire Pontiac—not just your individual communities.
At the October 16 meeting, the mayors claimed they couldn’t support AC’s bylaw to remove the comparative factor in share calculations because they lacked sufficient information. What more information do you need?
This issue should have been resolved years ago when Chichester faced a similar
situation. Lack of action then has allowed this problem to resurface. This failure to
act as a united council has brought us to this point.
Mayors, you were elected to lead—not just for your municipality, but for the Pontiac as a whole. This ongoing mindset is not leadership. It’s embarrassing and undermines the credibility of the MRC council.
If it takes a taskforce of AC representatives, elected officials, employees, and taxpayers to hold the MRC council accountable, so be it, but I urge you: Wake up. Act as a team. Do your job!
Fairness isn’t optional. It’s your responsibility to uphold it—for the benefit of the entire Pontiac.
Joseph Squitti
Former mayor, Alleyn and Cawood
