Enthusiastic group make plans for the future
Mo Laidlaw
On Wednesday evening (February 10), the Pontiac Local Action Group (LAG) met Pontiac mayor Eddie McCann and four council members to discuss several projects that LAG has been working on. (LAG is a community group of volunteers, supported by the Outaouais CEDEC. Anyone interested is invited to join the group).
Website, thepontiac.ca
Sébastien Belley gave a preview of the Pontiac website, which is now 60% complete. The intention is that this will be for community networking, both for local sports events and happenings, and for local businesses and cottage industries, both in the MRC Pontiac and the municipality of Pontiac. There will be links to the new business directory www.commercepontiac.ca.
Users will be able to enter details of upcoming events, news, photos, what they are selling, and so on. The website is designed to work well on dial-up as well as high-speed internet. LAG wants the website to be bilingual, and needs volunteers who can translate from English into French.
Gatineau Park
LAG has sent the NCC a letter (with copies to MP Lawrence Cannon and MNA Charlotte L'Écuyer) proposing that a primary entrance to Gatineau Park should be established at Luskville Falls, with visitor services and an education centre, to reduce uncontrolled access and environmental damage. Several secondary entrances are also proposed. The expansion of Chelsea in the past 25 years is primarily due to the concentration of visitors to Gatineau Park passing through the village, and Pontiac would like to copy this success. As Joanne Labadie said, “The NCC has invested millions of dollars in Chelsea, and this stimulated restaurants, art galleries and small stores.” Like many others she has memories of family picnics and community events at Luskville Falls, and would like these to return.
Another focus, led by Sheila McCrindle, is to reopen the horse trail along the base of the escarpment from Luskville Falls to Church Hill. This trail has suffered washouts in the last few years, is now blocked due to the subdivision at du Cartel, and the NCC wants users to pay to rebuild the trail. Ideally a horse trail needs a parking lot with room for horse trailers.
Councillor Inès Pontiroli, who is on the town planning committee (CCU) suggested that some of these ideas should be incorporated into the Urbanism master plan that the CCU is working on at the moment.
Other items that were discussed include a Business Fair, to take place possibly in early August, combined with a public market; a farmers’ market to buy and sell local produce; the successful concerts held at Venturing Hills Farm (Festival Pontiac Enchanté, www.venturinghills.ca); and planning for a large spruce tree to be planted as part of the town hall expansion, to create a landmark.