Highlights of Council Decisions

Regular Meeting Held on August 21, 2019 at 6:30 pm

Administration

Encourage interventions in both languages

The MRC Pontiac Regional Council wishes to encourage more formally the use of both official languages during public meetings of the Council, by reading a declaration at the beginning of each Council meeting. Council already guaranteed the presence of a resource capable of translating into the other official language at all times.

Internet in rural areas

Council strongly disagrees with the comments reported by le Journal Le Droit and attributed to Bell Canada that it would threaten to cancel the participation of 200,000 households in rural Internet extension programs in response to a CRTC rule change.

Property Assessment

The Regional Council has adopted to entrust the Coopérative d’informatique municipale (CIM) with the property assessment mandate. Two objectives guided its analysis: to increase the skills and autonomy of the MRC’s internal assessment service and to ensure better control over the growth of property assessment service costs. The mandate term will begin on January 1st, 2020 for a period of 5 years.

Power outages

In response to several recent power outages in western Pontiac, Council requested a meeting with Hydro-Québec spokespersons for explanations.

Development

Proposed FARR projects

The MRC Pontiac Regional Council supported three projects that the Economic Development Department intends to submit to the Fonds d’appui au rayonnement des régions (FARR):

Project 1: Territorial marketing strategy, including branding
Develop a communications strategy and image that reflect the Pontiac identity;

Project 2: Investor Attraction (Phase 2), including funding for an agent d’accueil (Welcoming Agent)
Advance the work already begun to attract investors and finance a Welcoming Agent position;

Project 3: Conservation and enhancement of natural environments
Invest in the development and upgrading of installations in Pontiac’s natural areas.

FDT Accommodation

Due in part to the 2019 floods that have eroded the resources of community organizations, the Regional Council has agreed to give the Economic Development Department more flexibility in managing projects that have already been approved for funding under the 2018-2019 FDT Growth Generating Projects program.

Territory

As part of the delegation agreement concerning the management of the Programme d’aménagement durable des forêts (PADF), MRC Pontiac has a budget of $127,057 for targeted interventions. The allocation of this budget is as follows:

• Strategy for the use of wood resources and for the implementation of structuring projects (51 897$)
• Activities to promote forest management on private land (25 000$)
• Forest management on TPI (50 160$)

TNO: Bridge and culvert restoration projects

As part of the funding program for the restoration of water crossings, the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs is providing $303,022 for the following four MRC projects, for which the TNO Council agrees to fund a maximum total of $45,452:

Bridge number	Localisation	Type of work	Structure lenght	Costs estimate	MRC Contribution
H071-221	Lac Bleau/ Rapides des Joachims	Bridge reconstruction	5 m.	66 000$	9 000$
H071-119	Ruisseau McCann	Bridge reconstruction	12 m.	158 400$	21 600$
H071-032	RIv. Noire /lac Cahill	Bridge restoration	12.4 m.	49 115$	6 697$
H071-033	RIv. Noire /lac Cahill	Bridge restoration	15.1 m.	59 809$	8 155$

Highlights of Council Decisions

Regular Meeting Held on Juin 19, 2019 at 6:30 pm

2019 Floods

Requests to Federal and Provincial Governments

The MRC Pontiac Regional Council request the Federal and Provincial governments to conduct:

• A truly independent technical review of the existing dam and reservoir infrastructure in the Ottawa River watershed;
• A truly independent review of the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board mandate, governance model, operating procedures and policies;
• A truly independent study into the feasibility of adding reservoir capacity in the Ottawa River watershed

Support for all Taxpayers Affected by the Floods

The Regional Council request that the government of Québec, through its programs for flood victims, consider providing assistance and compensation to all taxpayers affected by the flooding.

It is equally requested to change the eligibility requirements for financial assistance under the “Disaster Relief Program” to include both seasonal (cottages) and principal residences, for both Quebec residents and non-Quebec residents, and, to replace the existing relocation allowances from current “caps” to market value.

PPJ Committee

Considering the recent meeting held by the PPJ Committee and its study of the issue of a PPJ multi-use trail, it is proposed and resolved to obtain the following information before making a decision on the future of the PPJ trail:

• A legal opinion on the rights and risks related to a potential conversion of a portion of the PPJ trail into a multi-use trail and/or a trail exclusively for ATVs;
• Answers on insurance issues and liability, as well as how the MRC’s insurance coverage will be affected;
• Answers on the potential impact of a partial conversion of the PPJ into a multi-use or ATV-only trail on the designation of the trail as part of the Route verte and consequently on the annual grant received by the MRC;
• All necessary documentation concerning financial implications; and
• Any other relevant documentation.

Development

Donations and Sponsorships

• $500 is granted to the Municipality of Campbell’s Bay for their summer festival in support of their downtown revitalization plan.
• A sponsorship of $250 is granted to Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Ottawa Valley Chapter to support the delivery of the third annual Dumoine River artists retreat.
• A sponsorship of $100 is granted to Pompiers Volontaires de Mansfield for the Annual Golf Tournament which contributes to the financing of Volunteer Firefighters.