Pontiac council report
Pontiac choses trail route, 4:3
Mo Laidlaw
The regular meeting of 11 May 2004, with acting-mayor Roger Larose in the chair, was attended by over 60 ratepayers.
Paving Dominicains, Maple and Davis?
Joan Letourneau asked when ch. Dominicains will be paved. “More than 300 residents use this road. Many of the beach roads have been paved but Dominicains is overdue for repair.” Roger Duguay agreed.
Christian Lauzon and Russell Allen spoke for many residents from Davis road who want Maple Lane and Davis paved. “In 2002, residents agreed to pay 50% of the cost of paving Davis. No paving was done and then municipal taxes went up 25%, so no new cost-sharing agreement was reached.” Councillor Bill Twolan explained that “without cost-sharing, Davis will be a lower priority. It was not paved earlier because the engineer recommended that the gravel be allowed to settle before paving.”
Mr. Larose said, “Everyone wants their roads paved. Money will have to be borrowed over 20 years.” Councillor Pierre Lafrance said that the road inspector will provide a report on priorities for paving, and quotes, and then council will decide what is to be paved this year.
Eardley Rec
Many members of Eardley Rec attended question period. Léo Danis asked why members who want to play pétanque have to pay $10, “This is too much.”
Ms. Letourneau said, “We already pay tax. If it isn’t enough, raise taxes $1 per head to pay for leisure activities.” Dwain Smith, VP of Eardley Rec, asked those with a problem with fees to see him. The council’s leisure committee will meet Eardley Rec to sort this out.
Recreational trail — Aylmer to Wyman
Council passed by 4 votes to 3, a resolution to make Génivar’s “option 1” the preferred route for a non-motorized trail, with “adjustments” if difficulties occur along the way. From Terry-Fox this route uses the rail line, then turns onto Sumac, across a field, along des Lilas, Kawartha, across five farms, and back to the rail-line just beyond Elm to go on to Wyman along the rail-line.
Councillors Bill Twolan, Brian Middlemiss and Garry Dagenais voted against. Mr. Twolan said, “In ward 7, option one is not an option”, referring to a petition tabled earlier in the evening by Pierre Robillard and Marie-Claude Pineau, from residents of Kawartha, Sumac and Lilas, asking for these roads to be excluded from any kind of recreational trail, whether motorized or not. The petition has 65 signatures so far. Mr. Larose said that here an “adjustment” could be made. The estimated cost for this route is $3.69 million.
A resolution to ask Génivar to provide a motorized trail route, as requested in the original contract, was passed unanimously.
Wisha Mach congratulated council and handed out a fact sheet: “The economic benefits of trails.” According to this, on the 3400 km route verte in Québec in 1998, local cyclists spent about $8 per trip, for a total of $20 million. Non-local cycling day-trippers spent about $25 per trip for a total of $3.4 million. In 1995-6 Quebec snowmobilers injected $327 million into the Quebec economy, while snowmobilers from outside Quebec spent an average of $871 per trip in the province, for a total of $18 million.
Ms. Mach was also concerned about the deterioration of the Ottawa river shoreline between Terry-Fox and Breckenridge creek, with recent illegal cutting of trees and bulldozing of banks and beaches. She asked council to enforce environmental regulations.
More subdivisions
Roch Dorion’s request for 5 new lots on Sumac near the river was approved. Two subdivision requests to the CPTAQ were also approved: Carol Douglas applied for more than 20 lots to complete Lelièvre crescent, and Eldon Davis applied for 12 lots on Crégheur.
Secretary-treasurer Sylvain Bertrand said that currently the municipality only has about 150 residential lots, enough for 2 or 3 years,.
An advertisement will be put in local papers asking for applications for a new member of the CCU (town-planning committee).
Other business
Council passed resolutions that firemen who miss 3 practices or meetings, or 2 training sessions, without good reason, may be dismissed by council.
Fondex Outaouais won the contract for quality control of materials for Quyon’s sewage plant, for $35,203. All such contracts are eligible for 85% grant.
The municipality will be advertising ward boundaries, as required, even though they have not changed. The variation in population between wards is within legal limits.
At a special meeting on May 5, council voted to ask Charlotte l’Écuyer for financial assistance to improve and extend Terry-Fox road, eventually up to Townline road, to link highway 148 and Mountain road.
The next regular council meeting will be June 8, 2004 at 8 pm.