Pontiac council report - Maison de la famille asks council for help in budget
Mo Laidlaw
As usual over ten members of the public attended the regular meeting of 15 December 2004, which for a city the size of Gatineau would be equivalent to 500 people.
Maison de la famille
Kate Aley, president of the board of the Maison de la famille, at 1074 Clarendon in Quyon, described the vital services provided by this nonprofit organization. They provide several successful activities: a playgroup for children, a weekly women’s night, a clothing counter, an income tax clinic, and office services such as photocopying and fax, for people from Quyon, Bristol and Luskville. Cuts have been made in all areas, for example they no longer buy milk for the playgroup children. The Maison is not in danger of closing but does need support from the municipality and the community. They would like to do more, including having a community-kitchen, and services for seniors and teenagers. Ms Aley requested council to remember the Maison de la famille in its 2005 budget.
Diane Lemire, director of the Maison, reinforced this request. She related that MNA Charlotte L’Écuyer helped with a grant for an accountant but suggested that two permanent employees should be laid off to save costs, and replaced by volunteers, which Mme Lemire says has been tried and did not work. There are five experienced employees in addition to Mme Lemire. The Maison receives grants from United Way and Health Canada, which pay for programs, but $40,000 is owed on an extension to the building (over $70,000 has been paid). The Société d’Habitation de Québec only provides grants where lodging is involved. Bristol’s mayor Jack Graham has been asked for a municipal contribution.
Councillor Bill Twolan asked what promotion and advertising has been carried out. Mme Lemire replied that they do not have money for advertising, but many fund-raising activities have been tried. “The Maison de la famille is a very important place.”
December expenses
Council discussed expenses that will be incurred in December. Councillor Pierre Lafrance added an estimate for $700 for half-a-day’s work and materials to replace 5 feet of oil pipe in the basement of the town hall, which currently goes up and down and is connected with a rubber hose. Councillor Brian Middlemiss added $1000 for paint and plaster in the community room at Breckenridge fire hall, $1400 for hats and T-shirts with the Pontiac logo for firefighters, the cost of a training course for new firemen, and metal covering for the garage doors of the Luskville fire hall, for a total of $7,100. The total for December is $14,327.
Breckenridge - recycling & postal addresses
Jean-Claude Carisse asked what has happened to the recycling bins removed from Breckenridge fire hall. They are now in Luskville, in the town hall and community-centre parking lot. Mr Lafrance explained that it was becoming impossible to control garbage dumping at Breckenridge fire hall. Meanwhile residents in this area can use the bins at Braun road or Cedarvale. It is hoped to start home pickup of material for recycling in April 2005.
Residents in Luskville and Breckenridge have put up for many years with contradictory advice from Canada Post about their addresses. The name of the municipality is supposed to be included, so the address is Luskville, Pontiac J0X 2G0, or Breckenridge, Pontiac J0X 2G0. However “Pontiac” does not appear in the postcode directory, and J0X 2G0 is “Luskville”. Sylvain Bertrand, director-general of the municipality (formerly secretary-treasurer), told Mr Carisse that he is in contact with David Smith MP to try and sort this out.
(Postcodes are intended to allow mechanical sorting. One postcode normally applies to about 6 houses, or one business, instead of the approximately 1000 residences and several routes in J0X 2G0. Canada Post explained that it hasn’t yet got around to implementing proper postcodes for rural areas, which are denoted by zeroes. Explaining this is a frequent inconvenience for residents and probably for Canada Post too.)
Sewage plant operating
Mr Carisse continued with a question on the Quyon sewage plant. Mr Lafrance said that it has now been operating for three weeks, and will be officially “opened” in six months. Mr Carisse asked if water testing could now be carried out in front of waterfront properties downstream on the Ottawa River, to see if there is a change in pollution levels, now that untreated sewage is no longer being discharged from Quyon. At a November 16 special meeting four bills for the sewage plant, totalling over $400,000 were paid. There are still leaks in the cement reservoir and a specialist is being consulted.
At the same meeting, Council passed a resolution on a municipal water supply for Quyon. The municipality has tested several wells without success as far as quantity and quality is concerned. The resolution gives notice to the Ministries of Environment and Municipal Affairs that it does not intend to spend further money searching for underground water, but wishes to obtain and filter water from the Ottawa River using a filtration system that complies with regulations.
Street light
Lyne Lévesque followed up correspondence to the municipality by asking about a street light for the junction of chemin de la Baie and Laverdure, which is dangerous for children waiting for school buses and people collecting their mail. Council decided to put this in as soon as possible, and to pay for it in 2005. Since the junction is some distance from a hydro pole, the estimate from Hydro-Quebec is $3000, so the cost of a solar-powered light will be investigated.
Snowmobiles
Council passed a resolution to allow snowmobiles access to the same municipal roads as last winter. Signs will be installed for points where trails cross municipal roads. The Pontiac snowmobile drivers association asked for $100 to pay for an ad to ask for donations for a rescue sled that will be shared with other area clubs in Shawville and La Pêche.
Zoning change
The draft bylaw adding “class C-5, sales and service” to zone 18 (Luskville), was given its second reading.
At a special meeting on November 29, $1500 was allocated to survey the Beach Barn lot in Quyon and establish the 20 year and 100 year flood zones on the plan.
Municipal offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year. Residents should call their councillor if they have problems.
The budget meeting was held on 21 December 2004.