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Ambiance oiseaux de campagne

sf_ambi_oiseaux_campagne_01.mp3

Ordre du jour    Visioconférence

Au poste vacant de sa direction générale, la MRC a embauché Mme Mylène Perrier, directrice générale adjointe à la MRC des Laurentides.

Ordre du jour        Videoconférence

The mayor of Wentworth-Nord, Danielle Desjardins, was represented at this meeting by councillor Roger Gosselin, deputy mayor. The session, chaired by the prefect, André Genest, lasted one hour.

There were four or five people in the room at the Laurel Community Centre, including Councillors Lyne Chapados and Colleen Horan. Yves Léveillé was also present.
Mr. Genest introduced Mr. Gosselin, recalling that they had joined the Wentworth-Nord municipal council together, thirty-four years ago, and that the councillor had only missed one term on the council in his career, after falling off his ladder. He also presents Ms. Chapados and Ms. Horan, as well as Mr. Léveillé, as a fierce defender of culture.

…

Mr. Gosselin intervened a few times during the meeting and question period.

4.3.2. Restructuring of the environment and land use planning department. Mr. Gosselin asked if this had anything to do with the revision of the Schéma d'aménagement. The prefect explained that it was rather to include the management of a new fund granted by Quebec.

4.4.1 In his report on the Prefect's activities, Mr. Genest reiterated the importance of the Schéma d'aménagement, which is currently under revision and for which consultation has involved the participation of citizens and municipal councillors. Among other things, he emphasized that the urban plans of the constituent municipalities must be aligned with the Schéma adopted by the MRC.

4.4.3. Report - GMR and environment committee. The prefect addressed the question of the contract for garbage and recycling collection. The options selected will have to take the budget into account. For example, the use of small trucks on roads too narrow for current trucks will depend on the willingness of municipalities and the budget. (?) There are also other considerations, depending on whether the roads are privately or publicly owned. As with residual materials, the number of collections could be reduced.

…

5.2 Newaygo bridge. From what we have heard from the prefect, the MRC is asking the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility to allow pedestrian and cyclist traffic on the bridge.

...

During question period, Ms. Chapados asked whether the Wentworth-Nord XYZ project had received a grant under the ZYX program. The Prefect replied that nothing had been selected for the municipality.

Mrs. Horan has several questions:
- ... (Inaudible)
- About mining claims... Mr. Watchorn: "The MRC has no power..." ... Ms. Horan: Can't we designate...? Reeve: ...
- The councillor also raised the question of the Newaygo bridge. In his response, the prefect mentioned that the Ministry did not currently authorize the MRC to undertake any work on this bridge. As to whether he would see to its reconstruction, Mr. Genest indicated that the case did not appear to be a priority in the Ministry's Quebec-wide bridge repair program. He had made representations on the matter, as well as on other sections of road, to the MNA, Agnès Grondin. But he didn't use the same means as Mr. Ghali at the time...
- ...
Mr. Léveillé:
- On the question of garbage disposal and bins. ...
- On the issue of the Newaygo bridge closure vs. essential services. The prefect does not want to comment on a file that is under legal process, due to the lawsuit filed by a group of citizens, mostly residents of Chemin-de-fer Street. Mr. Léveillé complains that he doesn't know which authority to contact in this matter, and asks if the MRC administration can be contacted. The prefect's response seemed positive.

The poor quality of the sound did not allow us to follow all the exchanges, and we did not complete listening to the recording...

Without prejudice and while awaiting a re-reading of the recording; by Carl Chapdelaine

Held at Place des citoyens in Sainte-Adèle.

Ordre du jour

4. General administration

4.1. Financial services
4.1.3. Adoption of the 2024 budget. The Mayor of Wentworth-Nord, Mrs. D. Desjardins, called for a vote. The budget was adopted by a majority vote.
4.1.8./4.1.9 Notice of motion and tabling of By-law concerning the distribution of the quotas payable to the Regional County Municipality of Pays-d'en-Haut for the year 2024 with respect to recreational parks (Part 3)
Mrs. D. Desjardins, requests that the proposed amendment be entered in the minutes, to the effect of revising the quota payable by her municipality. Wentworth-Nord represents 3% of the MRC's population; its property value, 6%; and it is required to pay 11% of this allocation. This situation is inequitable and must be changed. Part of the municipality's land value comes from the presence of public land, which earns it nothing. The mayor wants the MRC to look into the matter.

4.2. Administrative services
4.2.1./ 4.2.2. Notice of motion and tabling of the By-law concerning the calendar of regular meetings of the council of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut for the year 2024 ... The meeting scheduled for Wentworth-Nord will be held at the Laurel Community Centre, rather than at Montfort Pavilion.

Question period

District 5 Wentworth-Nord Councillor Colleen Horan asks (almost inaudible):
- Where does the MRC stand on (its request for better control over mining claims)? Prefect Genest's reply: Our request for an injunction (?) is delayed six months at a time.
- Are there any (claim applications or active claims) in Wentworth-Nord? Prefect's reply : There is no mining activity at present. There have been claims on the Lac à la Craie side for a long time, for example, but nothing is moving. Comment from Mr. Watchorn: (Question of authority...)

Without prejudice; by Carl Chapdelaine

Held at Centre sportif Pays-d'en-Haut, Sainte-Adèle

Ordre du jour     Videoconference

The meeting will last less than 10 minutes. No one in the room, but a few participants on Facebook.

Items 8 and 11 are withdrawn.

6. Representation at a settlement conference. The General Manager, Mr. Philippe Leclerc, Me Mélissa Bergeron-Champagne or Ms. Chantal Ladouceur will represent the MRC in an out-of-court settlement proposal, concerning the accidental death of a person on the P'tit train du Nord trail, in 2019.

8. Aerobic corridor - Pavillon de Montfort. Item withdrawn due to the signature, expected this week, for the transfer of ownership of the pavilion to the municipality of Wentworth-Nord.

9. Aerobic Corridor - Reloading the shared lane. This involves the replacement of 12 culverts by the municipality of Wentworth-Nord, at the expense of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut; for a maximum amount of $40,000. The municipality is providing its machinery free of charge, which will cost much less than if the MRC subcontracted the work. A win-win agreement!

No questions asked.

Under reserve; by Carl Chapdelaine

Ordre du jour     Version vidéo

Sale of Montfort Pavilion
Under recreational development, item 5.2.1, the sale of 160, route Principale, Pavillon Montfort, is adopted. Prefect A. Genest had asked who was proposing, and Wentworth-Nord Mayor D. Desjardins took the floor. However, Mr. Genest expressed the opinion that it might be better for another mayor to make the proposal, which was done. We moved on to the next item, indicating that the resolution had been adopted.

During the question period, a lady asked if access to the lake (?) would still be possible after the sale of the Montfort Pavilion. (?) (Inaudible but inferred from the prefect's reply.) Yes, because it was one of the conditions on the deed of sale, replied the prefect. Mr. Genest added that the municipality would look after the Pavilion.

By Carl Chapdelaine

Without road access, even though your address is Mount Street, you've always suffered from the poor performance of your Bell Internet service. No wonder, when you're still dependent on the old telephone wire hanging over the bay, which serves as a perch for kingfishers and whose extension snakes across the ground from the telephone pole to your cottage. This is how a dying Internet reaches you.

But the hope of better days seemed to be coming true, thanks to the enlightened choice of your government and the cutting-edge service offered by Cogeco and its fiber optics. Already choosing your most appropriate package on the company's website, you imagined yourself finally launching into the high-speed era.

In early September 2022, however, you were astonished to see your neighbor across the bay on Chemin-de-fer arriving with a lineman along the little path that connects you to the world. He'd come to see which "power pole" the wires that cross the bay here are attached to. He'd do it for Cogeco and tell you that fiber optics would be installed for you in the next few weeks. "What about connecting it to the cottage?" "Upon subscription, the wire will go all the way to your house!"

On the morning of September 12, 2022, it was the turn of the tree trimmers from Arboriculture de Beauce Inc. to take to the little trail. From post to post, under the wires that showed them the way, they plunged into the forest, swivelling from left to right to mow down all the tree regrowth and keep it out of the way - a whole day's work. And you wondered how the linemen would get that big cable across the bay and over six kilometers?

Well, September 2023 is just around the corner, and the big cable still hasn't crossed the bay that cuts you off from the world. You go back to the Cogeco website to see if fiber optics will be available at your address. Unfortunately, you get a pout from the appropriate emoticon! At the end of the phone, after ten minutes of waiting, fortunately with your favorite music playing at the right volume, the practically inaudible voice of the attendant asks you to let her check. Another five minutes of music before her reply undermines all your illusions.

"But the promises, and your contract with the government?" "You're in your cottage, you say Sir; second homes are not included in this contract; and government promises..." "Our technical services will check if there's any possibility of serving you, and we'll notify you by e-mail." "And even if the cable ran near you, you wouldn't automatically be sure you could be connected to our services."

So, you scan the information available on the Internet. A single mention of a secondary residence among a multitude of articles and press releases on the major connection operation: "To achieve their service objective, Internet service providers (including Cogeco) have deployed fiber optics to households included in their coverage area, whether they are primary or secondary residences, ..."Rapport_Activite_OVH , p. 29.

Should you hold out hope, or throw in the towel and settle for what Bell has to offer? You could always designate your cottage as your principal residence, even if it's only occupied for a short time during the year. But does that not only apply to the revenue departments? If you, or just one of your landlocked neighbors, proceeded with this designation, would Cogeco be obliged to run its cable along the Mount Trail? Will you call a lawyer? (Maybe there aren't any available for Wentworth-Nord these days...)

By Carl Chapdelaine

Ordre du jour

5. Territorial and economic development

5.2. Recreational development
5.2.1. Aerobic corridor - Awarding of contract - Supply and installation of outdoor signage equipment
5.2.2. Montfort Pavilion - Orientation for 2023 (Until October 31, if the MRC still owns the Pavilion). The Mayor of Wentworth-Nord points out that, as it stands, there will be no heating, as the furnace has burst.

5.2.3. Pavillon de Montfort - Sale of 160, route principale in Wentworth-Nord. We understand that the offer to purchase 160, route Principale, must be concluded by September 7 at the latest, in accordance with the terms accepted prior to this meeting. No mention of the dike and parking lots.

(At the next day's municipal council meeting, under the item Subject of public interest, the mayor seemed to indicate instead that the initial offer had been refused, because the MRC was asking for perpetual access to the lake for MRC residents, whereas the municipality was only committed to offering such access for ten years. (Our comment: Isn't perpetual lake access for all already part of Quebec legislation? Does it still allow for a limitation, by quota for example, according to a lake's carrying capacity, if that can ever be determined?) Les Pays-d’en-Haut en bref (Accès)

Conditions set by the MRC:
1. The building would be delivered as is.
2. Visitors would have access to sanitary facilities.
3. Visitors would have access to the lake (at this location).
4. Purchase conditions would be transferred to any potential third-party buyer.

Ms. Desjardins asked that it be added that any competing offer to Wentworth-Nord would be subject to the same conditions of sale.
The Mayor of Wentworth-Nord, who had warned that she had other pressing commitments, will leave the room when we move on to the next item.

Question period
A citizen points out that there are more mayors than residents in the room; that citizens lack information about what's going on (at the MRC).

With all due respect, only subtitling allowed us to follow the presentations more or less; by Carl Chapdelaine

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Note : La mauvaise qualité de notre audition, comme celle de notre vision, ne nous ont pas permis de suivre correctement, via Zoom, les échanges à la table du conseil.

Administration générale
Au point 4.1, on voit l’avis de motion et le dépôt du Règlement décrétant les travaux de construction du siège social de la MRC des Pays-d’en-Haut et un emprunt à long terme pour en défrayer les coûts. Nous en déduisons que la MRC va de l’avant avec le déménagement de son siège social de Sainte-Adèle à Saint-Sauveur.

Développement économique et territorial
Au point 5.2, sur le développement récréatif, l’alinéa 5.2.1. Pavillon Montfort - Vente du 160, route principale à Wentworth-Nord, est reporté. Les discussions sont toujours en cours, avons-nous pu imaginer.
À l’alinéa 5.2.2. Pavillon Montfort - Orientation des activités pour l'année 2023, une résolution conforme à une entente élaborée avant la séance semble avoir été adoptée.
La présentation de l’alinéa 5.2.3. Signature innovation - Autorisation de projets, nous a échappé.

Environnement et aménagement du territoire
Au point 6.1.4. Wentworth-Nord - Conformité des règlements - 2017-498-20 et 2023-610, ils sont jugés conformes.

Période de questions
M. Roy semble demander comment il se fait que certaines municipalités facturent des frais pouvant monter à 500$ pour mettre une embarcation à l’eau dans ses lacs.
Le préfet répond, entre autres, que certaines municipalités ont peut-être exagéré à ce niveau. Il retient la question et le directeur général verrait à la transférer au bon comité qui pourrait présenter une recommandation au conseil, avons-nous pu imaginer.

Sous toutes réserves; par Carl Chapdelaine

Ordre du jour           Videoconference

The meeting was held at the Centre sportif Pays-d'en-Haut, in Sainte-Adèle. The Prefect, Mr. André Genest, presided, assisted by the Director General, Mr. Philippe Leclerc, and the Director of the Clerk's Office, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs Mélissa Bergeron-Champagne. The recording indicates a duration of 9 minutes. Residents of Montfort, the first ones concerned, had to travel to Sainte-Adèle to be close to the exchanges.

Subject: Aerobic Corridor, Wentworth-Nord Sector

• Orientation for the summer period.
   o Reopening for the summer period: adopted.
• Mitigation Measures.
   o This is the agreement between the MRC and the municipality on the sharing of management measures.
       Wentworth-Nord will see to the signage (?) and to the constabulary surveillance.
       The MRC will take care of the signage and patrol.
   • Sharing of expenses.
     o As agreed between the parties before the meeting... (40%/60%? Rider? Flip a coin? But isn't the fact that the municipality and the MRC have agreed already a nice piece of information?)
Note: Nothing on the Newaygo Bridge; yet it seems to be part of the Aerobic Corridor. Out of order? Sub judice?

Question period
Mr. Robert Théorêt: Do the constables of Wentworth-Nord have the right to issue tickets on the Aerobic Corridor? A truck parks for three days at the intersection of Chemin-de-Fer and Newaygo; the constable says to me that he does not have jurisdiction to take care of it. Same kind of problem around km 12. (There is no parking on the public road permitted in Wentworth-Nord.) A. Genest's answer: It was like that before. Then, the barrier was to allow a control... R.T. (?) Shouldn't the constables of the municipality have jurisdiction over this portion of the Corridor? The patrol, I only saw it once! A. G.: They are volunteers. (?)
Mrs. D. Desjardins: The MRC should allow this. A.G.: (Asks Mrs Mélissa Bergeron-Champagne for advice) Her answer is inaudible to us.

Mr. Yves Léveillé: Mitigation measures - What are they? A. G.: We are going to put back the single lane traffic lights on the Montfort section of the Corridor. Perhaps a camera, as suggested by the municipality. But people don't always obey the signs. (That would be up to the constables...)

Ms. Diana Jegou: Can I ask a question about the Montfort Pavilion? A. G.: Out of order!

With all due respect; by Carl Chapdelaine, April 25, 2023

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee

The Prefect, Mr. André Genest, chaired the meeting, assisted by the Director General, Mr. Philippe Leclerc, and the Director of the Clerk's Office, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, Ms. Mélissa Bergeron-Champagne. All mayors were present. The recording indicates a duration of 51 minutes.

Note: As the sound of the videoconference is not always clear, the words of the speakers cannot be reproduced in their entirety here; the reader should consult the recording to hear them and inform us of any changes to be made.

Report from the Sports Centre Committee, by Mr. Tim Watchorn (Morin-Heights) : The Center project has been completed within the budget and time allotted. The youth programs are very popular and should be expanded. The attendance is huge, so the equipment seems to be appreciated by the population. Everyone here is pleased with this achievement.

Other subjects: Avec le printemps, plusieurs projets sortent de terre

Recreation Development - Montfort Pavilion

The DG explained that, following discussions between the Prefect and the Mayor, the MRC has set aside $19,740 to hire, with the agreement of Wentworth-Nord, a resource (for the management of the Pavilion) for a maximum of one year. All this with the same parameters as previously with the Coop des 4 Pôles.

The Prefect asked to specify if the resource would be chosen by Wentworth-Nord. Here, the mayor, Mrs. Danielle Desjardins, indicates that it is not defined that it is by the municipality. Mr. Charbonneau (Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard), explains that Wentworth-Nord is in a better position to choose the right resource, and that, when it (takes possession) of the Pavilion, it will be this resource, chosen by it, that will occupy the position.

Ms. Desjardins indicated that two options were identified in the discussions: The MRC hires a resource, or it closes the Pavilion. On the other hand, the municipality is in discussion with the resource under consideration, but, should this not be successful, she does not want the municipality to be held responsible for solving this problem. This third option, in a way, is offered to the MRC to facilitate the transition (to the purchase of the Pavilion by the municipality).

For Mr. Charbonneau and Mr. Watchorn, with this "third option", the mayor is not respecting the presentation that was established before the meeting. Ms. Desjardins reminds that the Pavilion does not currently belong to the municipality and that the municipality does not have to assume the responsibility (to find a manager).

(The decision is postponed, we understand.)

Question period

Mrs. Linda Proulx, secretary of the Association du lac St-Victor and member of the Wentworth-Nord CCE:
- The Montfort Pavilion is the only place close by where we can gather about sixty people, like at our association meetings. ... Will we have to come here to Morin-Heights or go to Laurel to gather? (It's not very environmentally friendly or reasonable to have to consider all this travel.)
- Can you, Mr. Genest, explain why you are reducing services in the large hall? Prefect's response: In the past, Maureen (Brunelle) managed the Pavilion; then it was the Coop des 4 Pôles; then the municipality. There is no one to manage it now. If it is a community center, it is not for the MRC to manage it, no more than in the other municipalities. (We were still ready to pay for the management.) (?) (And who will replace the furnace, which blew up on Easter Day?)

Ms. Colleen Horan, Councillor for District 5, Wentworth-Nord: What will happen with the boat wash? The protection of Lake St. Francois-Xavier depends on it. Mr. Genest: The MRC has allowed this station to be installed on its land; it has even contributed to its operation. However, it is not the responsibility of the MRC to operate boat washes. It could have been at the fire station or elsewhere.

Ms. Linda Proulx
- Is the Viking Club affected by the eventual change of ownership of the Pavilion? Mr. Genest answers that no, we thought we understood.
- What is the timeline for the transfer of property? Mr. Genest: The municipality wants certain information; among other things, concerning the dike which is on a part of the land attached to the Pavilion property. It is an old file... We are waiting for reports. And also, among other points of discussion still open, the MRC wants that the visitors have access to the Pavilion.

Ms. Horan and Mr. Yves Léveillé (Inaudible)

Mr. Roger Ponce: Why is the Montfortaine trail closed? Mr. Genest: (There was a need to clear brush.) (?) We have to call in loggers. But, Ms. Desjardins indicates that the closure is prior to the situation described by the prefect.

Ms. Horan: Is it true that you will be closing the Aerobic Corridor (in Montfort) this summer? Mr. Genest: I will not be commenting on this issue today.

Without prejudice; by Carl Chapdelaine

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee

Join in the fun for our second annual SNOW GOLF TOURNAMENT. Last year we had 40 golfers that participated, and everyone agreed it was a huge success. Lake conditions permitting we may increase the course to 18 holes, to be determined.

First tee-off at NOON. The cost is $15.00 per player: includes all the golf and BBQ after : hamburgers, hot dogs and chili... If possible, would like some volunteers to bring salads and desserts as well. Make your own Foursome and submit it to Richard Morris at richard@bocar.ca or call (514) 690-3147. To encourage early payment, E-transfer Richard Morris before February 14 and The cost of entry will be $10.00/person. All proceeds from this event will be donated to the environmental fund.

fondenvir lsfx: fondenvirlsfx1@gmail.com

"...it will be possible to connect (wired or wireless) all Quebecers who wish to do so before the September 30 deadline (2022; just before the elections...) "¹, according to Gilles Bélanger, MNA for Orford, who is responsible for the file. 

Did you believe it, you who are occasionally connected to Bell's network only by an old wire? Cogeco, which obtained the contract, had not denied that it would connect thousands of homes in time.

Well, the deadline is long past, and your summer cottage is in hibernation, but come spring, it will be there. Well, no! One Chemin-de-fer resident, who remains in contact with Cogeco, just received a final email update from the company on the project.

"You may be wondering what's going on with Operation High Speed (#OperationHV) and the upcoming arrival of Cogeco's powerful fiber network in your area. We want to reassure you right away: yes, you will be able to enjoy our ultra-fast Internet, which will offer you download speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

For reasons beyond our control (inclement weather, supply difficulties, labor shortages), our work has been slowed. Even though our technical teams are working hard to deploy our fiber network in your area, your home will be connected to our network on August 30, 2023. Believe us, we are the first to apologize for making you wait so long.

We know you're looking forward to high-speed Internet and new entertainment experiences. So as soon as our network comes to you, count on us to let you know right away!"

You may have expected this delay; but is it conceivable that the government, that the company awarded the contract, are less aware of the reality of the times we live in? Delivery delays, labour shortages, etc., are all things we have heard about. In fact, both governments and companies seem to be selling the bear skin before they have killed it.

Ah, the word promise; does it have the same definition, in Quebec, as in the dictionaries? And if we add the epithet "electoral" to it, does it not take on the opposite of its original meaning?

So could we take advantage of the offer to use Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, whose availability of service allowed the MP to affirm that the government's commitment would be respected?²

By Carl Chapdelaine

1. Wifi-haute-vitesse-promesse-caq
2. Des retards et des ratés

You are no longer of the last generation, but you don't want to be left behind. The world has changed; it's become virtual... Fortunately, you've already taken the plunge by learning how to use a computer. The good old landline phone of your childhood is still the only one that does not hide any mystery for you. All around, the young and the not so young have learned to do without it; they have their cell phones from a young age. It's a world that is totally unknown to you and from which you feel a little...disconnected!

No, you won't be left behind; the cell phone, even the smart phone, will be for you too. You will even spoil yourself a little. It will be a high-end model; a minicomputer that you will carry with you, with all the unimaginable functions: from flashlight to camera, GPS, etc. Your cottage is closed for the cold season and your city home is ready for winterization; now you have plenty of time to store online or in stores. It's the month, the week, the day of Black Friday, fit for the little madness envisioned.

On the Amazon or communications company websites, they cut the price one day, raise it the next; you have to take the bait before it attracts another fish. It's done, the model and the package, those who offer you a lot, have chosen you. Waiting for the phone number to be proposed by your usual provider's agent, you suggest that she takes the total of the bill; only one digit will be missing, in addition to the area code. But since you have triggered an inexhaustible fit of giggles, you need to explore another avenue. At your suggestion, she comes up with something like your home phone number, which you can remember more easily.

For the delivery, while you already know the routine a little, you ask her if it will be under the gallery, as usual; and the giggling starts again. Then, you add a few more to keep the load. In order to complete the transaction, however, you must agree to stop making jokes.

No need to sign and be patient, like applying for a tree permit in Wentworth-Nord; the account will automatically increase by the amounts for the lease-purchase and mobility package chosen. You're down to a few hundred dollars with your service provider; not to mention Bell, and soon Cogeco with fiber to the cottage. But you're waiting for your election gift from the Premier for next month; that's a month's worth of service.

The announced delivery day has arrived. The doorbell rings. A man, who could be a neighbor, has a large envelope in his hand. He asks if you are yourself and wants you to sign on the small window of his machine; but he does not present you with a pen. "Your finger!" "My finger?" "Put your name there! You start to scribble your name with your index finger; but the box is full after the third letter. "Perfect! It's from your telecommunications provider."

It looks great, and comes with a wire, a small Sim card (the equivalent of the soul, no doubt) and the key to insert it into the cell phone. The manual is just a little sheet of notes where you are referred to the manufacturer's website. But how to open this phone? The virtual manual is found. It has one hundred and seventy-three pages, but still no indication on how to turn on your device.

The first day won't take you very far. The manual seems to cover things and such but not really how to use this toy. You'll have to call on the younger people around you. By phone, fixed, you learn a little bit. You managed to turn it on and pressed here and there on the icons that were offered to you. Your sister calls you on your landline phone complaining that you don't answer your cell phone. After some additional pitoning, your brother tells you that your phone is deactivated. You will later discover that pressing filter, then all, will close your cell phone access to everyone...

After three days, a visit to your provider for thirty minutes of paid teaching, a few phone calls (landline) to the same place and to your entourage, as well as searching on the Internet, your cell phone manages to recognize your face to unlock itself, to wait two minutes instead of two seconds before shutting down, etc. But, while keeping hope, you still prefer to communicate with your good old phone!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

By Carl Chapdelaine

The Prefect, André Genest, presided over the meeting which was held at the Estérel. He was assisted by Mrs. Catherine Langlois, executive assistant, and Mrs. Mélissa Bergeron-Champagne, director of the clerk's office and assistant secretary-treasurer. 11 Montfort residents attended the meeting and took advantage of the question period to ask questions to Council on the items on the agenda, under "Recreational Development", which mainly concerned the administration of the Montfort Pavilion and the Aerobic Corridor shared way.

Under item 5.2.1, "Use of a portion of the Aerobic Corridor Park and Buildings, Montfortaine Trail – Wentworth-Nord", Council mandated its General Manager, Mr. Philippe Leclerc, to negotiate the transfer of the Montfort Pavilion, the adjoining parking lots, the public dock, the boat wash station and the Montfortaine Trail to the municipality.

In 5.2.3, "Aerobic Corridor - Closure for the winter season", the MRC decrees the cessation of its offer of tourist (recreational) activities on the Corridor for the winter season. The council of mayors cited an insurance issue. (This is a precedent, since the Montfort Pavilion was one of the reception centers for skiers, snowshoers, and hikers ready to set off on the Corridor and the surrounding trails. This was probably the most important activity at the Pavilion during that season).

Would the MRC also have decided to close the Corridor to all traffic, from the entrance of Principale Street to Eileen and Yvon's place (last barrier before the bridge), or simply not to assume the snow removal? In the first case, it would enclose all 14 residents of Chemin-de-fer est. 

The mayor of Wentworth-Nord contests the content of several whereas of the resolution. In her words, would it also be a question of the implausible closure or simply the absence of snow removal and responsibility of the MRC on the entire section of the Corridor in Wentworth-North, from km 8 to 14.6 and from km 15.7 to 17.60, as of October 15, 2022? (The difficulty of listening to the recording of her intervention did not allow us to determine this.) She asks for a vote on this decision (whatever it is). The resolution was, nevertheless, proposed by Mr. Tim Watchorn, Mayor of Morin-Heights, and accepted by 6 of 9. The reaction of the Montfort delegation, and particularly of Mr. Leblanc, of the Villas du lac St-François-Xavier, was thunderous.

The MRC will not be responsible for snow removal on the Corridor. It previously entrusted this task to the municipality, which even paid for the operation, the prefect recalled. The issue had been discussed at length among the mayors prior to the meeting, Genest said. Leblanc, who defied the prefect's order not to speak at that time, and other residents were asked to wait until question period to do so.

Question period

The confrontation would continue and drag on, as the residents of Montfort, Ms. Desjardins and Mr. Genest would resume their divergent arguments on the snow removal of the Corridor, on the Right to Occupy of its residents, on the barriers, on the interrupted garbage collection following the closure of the Newaygo bridge, etc. As for the collection, the prefect would have put the responsibility on the snow remover, we were told. Wasn't the resumption of garbage collection for residents east of the Newaygo Bridge also conditional on the repair of the bridge?

We could not hear clearly from the room or from the mayor, but among the responses from the Prefect and Ms. Bergeron-Champagne was a reference to the previous agreement with the MTQ that tied the annual right to occupy (and circulate) to three conditions imposed on residents, including the set of three barriers and the obligation for residents to present annual proof of renewal of an insurance policy that would apply, for example, if their car damaged a bicycle on Chemin-de-fer.*

Was the Prefect inviting residents to respect this agreement or to go directly to the MTQ to have it changed? The electric gate had been out of use for three years due to lack of maintenance, said Mr. Genest. He recalled that the small gate, which completed the closure of this entrance to the Corridor, could allow residents to pass through in case its big sister broke down (but he must have known that it was blocked by the snow that the snowplow pushed through it in winter).

As for the call for mediation by the MAMH, via its Municipal Commission or otherwise, Mr. Genest recalled (that it had failed to bring the parties together?) and that he did not believe he needed it to discuss with Wentworth-Nord. He also mentioned that the former District 5 Councillor and member of the committee representing the municipality in these negotiations, Mr. David Zgodzinski, had refused to sign a draft agreement with the MTQ or vélo-Québec, to improve the safety of users on the Corridor (?).

Council adjourned the meeting to meet with the MTQ specifically on another matter but will take the opportunity to again address the issue of occupancy rights for residents of Chemin-de-fer Street. Mr. Genest had previously mentioned that he had, on several occasions, raised the issue with the MTQ, but that the latter no longer even sent him an acknowledgement of receipt for such a request.

*In the Accès newspaper, the prefect will declare that the decision "does not prevent people from circulating"; but they must obtain an occupation permit from the MTQ. Accès, p. 9

Without having been able to hear the interventions of the interveners other than the Prefect and the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, by Carl Chapdelaine.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee.

District 5 Councillor Colleen Horan invites residents to inform the Ministère des Transports du Québec of the urgent need to make the necessary repairs on Chemin des Montfortains and Route Principale before winter.

The Lake St. Francois-Xavier Association, which is relaying the Councillor's suggestion, writes: “Please get in touch with her for more details, a sample letter, who to send it to and for instructions on how to use the ministry’s website. Colleen can be reached at: colleenhoran01@gmail.com".

Reporting to Ministère des Transports

JThe Coffee this year will begin with a pot luck lunch. It will be held on October 12 at 1:00 p.m. at the Pavilion, and every Wednesday thereafter, unless otherwise advised. If you choose to attend, please bring your own plate and utensils and give Diana Jegou (djegou49@hotmail.com) an idea of the food you will bring to share with the group.

+ On the morning of September 12, it was the pruners' turn to take the trail to Mount Ghost Street as we were just finishing our breakfast. Parked before km 12 of the Aerobic Corridor / Chemin-de-fer street, where Mrs. Cecile Rockcliffe parked her trailer, the two pruners from Arboriculture de Beauce Inc. of Beauceville thought they would have to requisition a boat to cross the bay. What made them find the staircase that is almost invisible from the road and that allows them to access the trail?

One with a motorized pruning pole is followed at a good pace by the one with a chainsaw. Keeping an eye on their map and the Hydro and Bell wires, which run from pole to pole and show them the way, they go deep into the forest, swiveling from left to right to mow down all the tree growth and get it out of the way. These were already almost reaching these wires and, for sure, they were doing the job that seemed to be due for Hydro Quebec or Bell.

We will pass them again as we leave the lake, in the middle of the afternoon. Six kilometers down the road. We would have collapsed from exhaustion after only a few dozen meters of this titanic work. Fortunately, at the end of their journey, an owner brought them back to their truck by motorboat. They are paid by the foot! We'll ask the chainsaw operator if he plans to go to the gym in the evening...

But how are the linemen going to get that big cable across the bay and over six kilometers? Will they have to use a barge to haul the big rollers we saw along 364? They certainly seem to have more means to overcome the obstacles of no road access than the undersigned or the municipality. It will still be necessary for future Cogeco customers to bring the cable to their cottages (unless agreements under the CRTC directive allow Bell to use the same cables).

                                     --------------------------------------------------------------------

We are at the bottom of the bay, in the Newaygo basin of Lake Saint-François-Xavier, with no road access and with only an old telephone wire snaking along the ground from the telephone pole to the cottage. It is through this thin wire, which is more than enough for our telephone service, that we get an Internet that is more than ever in agony. How can we believe that high speed, promised before the end of September, can really make its appearance here?

It is with astonishment that we saw this week our neighbor on the other side of the bay, on Chemin-de-fer, arrive with a lineman by the small path that links us to the world. He comes to see which "power pole" the wire that crosses the bay here attaches to. He does it for Cogeco and tells us that fiber optics will be installed for us in the next few weeks. "And to connect it to the cottage?" "On subscription, the wire will go right into your house!"

And this seems to correspond to the publicity made by Cogeco. " Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) is a new way of delivering Cogeco service to your home. If you live in an FttH area, all of your services will be powered by High Speed Internet with enhanced upload speeds, giving you access to our fastest Internet and newest services like EPICO TV, as well as standard Cogeco services like Home Phone. As we expand our FttH network, we’ll be able to deliver even our fastest UltraFibre 1G service to customers in outlying areas that previously had limited speeds so that everyone can enjoy the full Internet experience."

Mirage? Didn't you notice recently, as you were leaving Montfort Road to take the 364, that huge roll of thick black wire on the side of the road. And, if you look up, you'll see that this fiber optic wire could be used as a perch for the biggest birds on the planet. It's also running down the Route Principale in Montfort. One wonders if, during a violent storm or an episode of freezing rain, it will not, by its weight or its size, cause the fall of a series of poles that were perhaps not designed to support it.

Isn't it a safe bet that a majority of residents, exasperated with sighing after the internet connection that Bell offers them, will throw themselves into the arms of Cogeco? What about the telephone and television? For the first, it seems that users can keep their Bell phone number with Cogeco. Residents only have to remember the last four digits of the number to reach their neighbors; 226 is a given. Who wants to lose that and have to communicate or learn new numbers?

For the better off in terms of internet service, this is probably just a news story; but for the entire community of Montfort/Newaygo and probably a good portion of the municipality, this will not only be a small revolution in itself, but the end of a nightmare.

By Carl Chapdelaine

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

In Newaygo, the storm broke out on Saturday late afternoon. It was brief, without any particular noise at the undersigned's place; but the electricity was cut off. The telephone was still working, which allowed us to learn that it had been much more violent elsewhere, notably in Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard and Saint-Sauveur, it seems, and probably elsewhere in Wentworth-Nord. On Sunday morning, the phone was dead; no information could be received.

The mayor and municipal services were alerted and immediately activated the emergency measures plan. But how could they reach the population or even be informed of specific situations? Some cell phones were working, and in a May 22 press release, Ms. Desjardins invited those she could reach to notify their neighbors and see if they needed help.

Like many cottagers, the undersigned, learning that the power outage could last until Tuesday and that only the black flies were still working at full capacity, set out for the metropolis on Sunday afternoon. Montfort Pavilion was closed at the time and no vehicles were parked there. If there was no debris on the road, perhaps it was removed the day before. The road from Montfort to Lac Notre-Dame had been cut by a falling tree, I would later learn. At this lake, electricity would not be restored until 8:00 p.m. on Monday. 

The service stations in Morin-Heights and Saint-Sauveur were obviously closed; motorist may have been lined up the day before or in the morning, among other things, to feed the electricity generators, and exhausted the reserves. But we had just enough gas left to get back to Montreal without embarrassment.

Even though Bell notified us today, via the internet, that the wireline telephone communication was restored, our phone is still not answering; and there is probably still no electricity left at the cottage.

Take advantage of the Queen and Patriots weekend to open your cottage; or put it off until next week!

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee

Par Carl Chapdelaine

Electromobility and electrified vehicles testing from April 16 to 24.

Electric bike on the rise: Veille tourisme

Announcement at the Wednesday Café: "It's official, the nurse, Mrs. Pierrette Soucy, will be back at the Montfort Pavilion once a month (the 2nd Friday of the month), at 1:00 p.m., to offer the following services free of charge: blood pressure, pulse count and blood sugar test. It is recommended that those interested give their name at the Montfort Pavilion so that the attendants can advise us if there are any changes and to remind us when this service takes place (450.226.2428).

Reprise-des-Sante-Amicale.

Par Denyse Pinsonneault

Note: The broadcast on Facebook Live (-> Video -> Live) could not be done due to the weakness of the Bell signal at Montfort Pavilion. 

In person, at 1:15 p.m., Montfort Pavilion, 160 route Principale, Wentworth-Nord

Based on the information provided by Ms. Langlois, Executive Assistant, we understand that the meeting will not be transmitted via the Zoom application. Those who wish to follow the session with Facebook Live will be able to ask questions by using the send message* function. The Clerk will forward them to the Board who should respond (probably all during Question Period).

Ms. Langlois clarified that questions can be sent in advance to the Clerk (greffe@mrcpdh.org).

By Carl Chapdelaine

*Is it the small circle with a square and a pen at the bottom right of the page; or is it the Messenger mailbox?

Our question: Mr. Prefect, mayors,

During the last three videoconference consultations organized for Montfort by the municipality of Wentworth-Nord, and where the MRC was called into question, a stakeholder mentioned that there was, in fact, one major absentee at these consultations.

Even if your explanations on the different issues that are occurring in Montfort have already been communicated in some way to the residents, would it not be appropriate for you to organize a public meeting here on these issues? Isn't information the basis of any understanding of the problems and the source of their resolution? Wouldn't the council of mayors as well as the directors of the MRC services involved in Montfort benefit from such a meeting and from an increased presence on the ground?

Thank you,

Carl Chapdelaine

In response to our question, the prefect, Mr. A. Genest, would have indicated that negotiations are currently underway between the MRC and the Municipality on these issues. The few residents present in the room would then have followed up by giving some details on the problems experienced in Montfort and which may concern the MRC.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

WRITTEN IN GERMAN AND TRANSLATED BY FELIX HAUSERMANN

June 23, 2018

Today some memories passed through my head. Tomorrow it will be 57 years since we got married. I know that you didn’t have it easy with me, but it was a beautiful time. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for always supporting me.

Starting in Mauerbach the two of us in one small bed in Grandma’s room, cutting wood together, and building a hut in Mauerbach. I always tried to get out of poverty; an apprenticeship in a butcher store in Vienna and then 5 years driving a bus and then a truck driver transporting wood. You and I went into the business of people transport. I got into a lot of debt and you helped me out. You looked after all the papers and drove one of the lorries yourself. An accident in Hungary, the oil crisis, we then changed the business to refrigerated goods where we got into more debt. We both worked around the clock but the debts and interest rates killed us.

With 39 years of hard work we closed the books and took off for Canada without any money and having to learn 2 new languages. But we made the best out of it. I was taken advantage of for little money. I knew that I couldn’t keep working as a labourer for the rest of my life. I knew it was not your liking to start a business but you did help me. With little English or French you took care of the Depanneur and the customers helped you to learn the language. I kept on going to work in Montreal until we got the permits for the factory called Boucherie. Our problem was no starting capital but we did the best we could.

The store burnt down. To build again without capital was hard but 2 years later we opened the new factory. In 2002 we had an increase in sales, the first year $350,000 and 10 years later $2.5 million.
The next problem arrived, the need for a new septic system at a cost of $250,000. With the increase of production we needed new machines at a cost of $400,000 but we worked to the maximum and I loved it. We had 12 to 15 workers. You worked so hard doing store packing, paper work, cooking for 12 people in record time.

I was sorry not to find someone to take over from us and we both got sick. The expenses skyrocketed even though the production kept on going.

I would like to thank you again. You wrote the bills in bed. I was operated for cancer and both of us in hospital or in bed. But all was good. We were accepted as bosses from the workers, from the customers and from the suppliers. I have to say the acceptance was worth a lot but I am sorry that we had to be in different old people homes. We spent all our energy beforehand.

It would have ended the same with or without money. We are burnt but we are lucky we are taken care of. I am sure people will keep us in memory for a long time to come in good ways, in a strange country.

Herbert

District 5 Councillor Colleen Horan reported that there were about 40 people at the celebration of a Mass at Notre-Dame-des-Nations Church (Montfort Pavilion) on November 20, 2021, for Mrs. Gruber, who died on October 31, 2021, and her husband, Herbert Ebner, who died in December 2020.

The two urns were then placed in the ground in the cemetery next to the church and covered with grass. A small snack followed the ceremony.

The audience was treated to a few anecdotes about moments in the lives of both deceased. It was a nice, respectful and peaceful event.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee

As of May 22, 2021, at 1:30 p.m., the attendants at the Montfort Pavilion had washed 106 boats, paddles, etc.; that is to say, ten times more than on the same date in 2020.* Returning after an absence in 2020, Mrs. Hélène Chartier, who was in the process of accounting for everything, said she was determined to block the entrance to the Pavilion parking lot when it was full. She would no longer be obliged to go to the beach or Newaygo to check on the launching of boats without a sticker or other inappropriate behavior. She confirmed that each client received a leaflet with the instructions for use on the lake.

She was counting on the promised intervention of the constables hired by the Municipality to control the parking of users who might be too numerous. She could not say, however, if these constables would have the authority to exercise such control over the MRC's parking lots, or if they had already had such power in 2020. But on this hot start to the National Patriots' Day and Victoria Day long weekend, which marks the opening of the summer cottages, no constable in sight yet...

Meanwhile, at the Newaygo marina, the owner of the site was putting up his new sign prohibiting parking without a permit. He explained to us that those who were entitled to do so had indeed complied with this rule. The sign gave the address of the two MRC public parking lots in the village of Montfort and the email address of the Aerobic Corridor. We did not know if he could also count on the municipal constables to control access to his parking lot.

*The washing must be done by the attendant, the technique being quite special, explains Mrs. Chartier. The operation always seems to be free. A white bucket is however intended to receive tips from customers.

A future candidate for the position of councillor in district 5 for the next elections, under the banner of a new group, "Progrès Wentworth-Nord", but who has not yet revealed his name, promises that, under its leadership, the municipality would purchase, for rental at the Montfort Pavilion, a dozen electric paddle boards for the practice of "jet surfing". In Quebec, the new company, Ecosurf, has a model, the Carver X, which can glide through the water at 45 km/h. La Presse

Before putting it in the water and by pressing a simple button hidden under the board, a weak electric current will run through it and destroy the DNA of any plant or bug species that might be attached to it. The savings in washing costs accumulated over the years should make the transaction more than worthwhile.

One of these electric boards would be made available to the constabulary, who could then patrol the lake to ensure compliance with the sticker requirement, etc.

(This is only one of the promises of this new group; the main one being to add a lane of traffic on each side of the Route Principale, from Montfort to Saint-Michel, lanes reserved for public transit by electric buses from the St. Jerome based Lion Electric Co, a leader in the electrification of transportation in North America.)

By Carl Chapdelaine

Our national trapper, Mr. Wayne Barnes, is the man the MRC calls upon to neutralize the nomadic beavers. These beavers want to set up dams to settle here and there on streams and rivers located on the edge of residential areas. In doing so, and in the event that their constructions break down or become obsolete, they create as many threats of flooding.

He told us about the pack of nine wolves that prowled behind their home last winter. There was one, of the larger subspecies of wolves, which weighed over 200 pounds. The wolves don't seem to recognize the trappers' domain, and it's not good for them...

Listening to such stories, such as the deer carcass found on our neighbor's property; the beaver that came to explore the bay; Denyse's face-to-face encounter with a wolverine; or the claim, a few years ago, that a cougar was spotted in the area, when not bears that threaten, we can only recognize the difficult coexistence with the wildlife that surrounds us.

Thus, the development at Lac à la Croix, the construction of the Chemin du Lac-Thurson, etc., will further deprive this wildlife of the corridors they were able to use before this constant expansion of our own habitat. Fortunately, there is still room in Wentworth-Nord for this wildlife. But the plans, which we can only guess at, to perhaps connect the Lake St. Victor area to the Lake Theodore area on the Laurel side, or any other, should be planned with an eye to their impact on wildlife. With the 364 and the Route Principale already in place, the fragmentation of the territory will, in the long run, only push back its habitat.

Ecological corridors
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

By Carl Chapdelaine

Ordre du jour

The Prefect, Mr. André Genest, presided over the meeting held by videoconference. Mr. Eric Johnston represents Wentworth-Nord.

Question period

Mr. Martin Nadon, who is expected to run against Mr. Genest for the position of Prefect in the next municipal election, will speak at length with two or three questions.

1. The first one is about what he defines, in a way, as the inaction and lack of directives of the MRC in the face of the population's fears about the possibility of being vaccinated against Covid in the region. Mr. Genest answered that he publicly reports on a weekly basis; that people have the choice to go to Lachute if they want to be vaccinated more quickly; that it is not in his power to manage all aspects of this operation; etc.
2. He then asked if the mayor was aware of the Institut de la statistique du Québec report on inter-regional migration. In response to the prefect's negative indication, Mr. Nadon gave him a lengthy insult of negligence in the face of the announcement of the considerable impact that the social change created by the pandemic will have, such as the popularity of tele-working and the massive arrival of new residents in the Pays-d'en-Haut: "Doesn't that interest you?", etc. Mr. Genest invites him to ask his question; but Mr. Nadon continues his presentation and his criticisms... The Prefect will answer, among other things, that representations are being made to the government to see to the lack of health care resources in the face of this rapid increase in the population of the MRC.
3. Mr. Nadon, following Mr. Dwight Brown's intervention indicating the importance of preventing urbanization that would not take into account the environment, the need to protect wetlands, etc., asked questions about the measures envisaged by the MRC and the mayors to control this urbanization. To Mr. Brown, as well as to Mr. Nadon, the Prefect will answer that a development plan was adopted a few years ago, that standards prevent developers from harming the environment, etc. Some municipalities are proactive in this sense; he cites the case of Morin-Heights.

Mr. Pierre Lafond, as at the previous meeting, came back with Mayor Ghali's quote to the Commission municipale du Québec and asked the Prefect what this publication of the Groupe citoyen Wentworth-Nord was about. He says that this is an anti-democratic action, on the eve of municipal elections, since it accuses a person presumed innocent. He again blames the CMQ.

To our question about the possibility of evaluating the installation of three small automatic gates, coupled with the boat tag system and constable surveillance, to control access to the Montfort parking lots, the Prefect replied that discussions with Wentworth-Nord representatives on these issues will begin on March 17.

Without prejudice, by Carl Chapdelaine

(Inclusion on February 16)

Prefect André Genest chaired the meeting, while Mayor François Ghali represented Wentworth-Nord. It appears that there were as many as two dozen citizens also following the debates.

The undersigned did not join the participants in this videoconference until midway through the proceedings. At that time Mr. David Zgodzinski, a councillor for Wentworth-Nord, was completing a question as a participant. Was it related to his crusade to close the Montfort parking lots because of the increased danger of contagion at Covid-19 due to an influx of visitors, to which the MRC did not seem to want to react? The Prefect replied that Wentworth-Nord had requested conciliation from the Commission des Affaires municipales in the dispute between the two entities and that the MRC was following the protocol imposed by the Commission in this process.

We were told that Mr. Ghali had indeed presented the resolution adopted unanimously by the municipal council, which requested the closure by the MRC of the two parking lots in the Aerobic Corridor located near Montfort beach. The Prefect is quoted as saying that visitors using these parking lots come to enjoy outdoor activities; less likely to be a source of transmission of the circulating virus.

(On February 11, he will respond to an email from Mr. Zgodzinski: "There is no question of the MRC closing either of the parking lots in the Montfort sector. We are convinced that the outdoors contributes to the health of the population and, as confirmed to me by the Regional Director of Public Health, no case of contamination at Covid 19 has been linked to an outdoor activity").

Mr. Martin Nadon, (UN official, who was a candidate for the position of prefect of the MRC in 2017 and who may run again this year,) will take the microphone with several questions.

• He asked about the measures concerning the pandemic; among other things, he asked about the issue of vaccination. In Mr. Genest's answer, we will hear that it is the government that decides; that we do not yet know where the vaccination centers will be and that, for the moment, there are only 950 vaccines received in the Pays-d'en-Haut, and that they are intended for the most vulnerable people.
• He asked about the status of the development plan for the MRC, (which he believes should be rethought in light of the current urbanization of villages in the Pays-d'en-Haut, according to his statement reported in the Access newspaper). The answer will be that the schéma d'aménagement (which is already several years old?) is revised regularly; that a special agent has been hired this summer for this purpose. ... He specifies that citizens can submit suggestions; but that it is mostly the municipalities that do so.

Mr. Pierre Lafond (Councillor for Sainte-Adèle; accused by the Commission municipale du Québec of having contravened the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct; suspended for a period of 45 days; for which the municipality was paying the legal costs related to his defense; and who will not mince his words), has a request (which we did not note) which may be contentious, which the Director General, Mrs. Jackline Williams, suggests he make in writing.

Dealing with the case of the citation of the mayor of Wentworth-Nord before the same Commission, he will speak to Mr. Ghali, while affirming that the CMQ intervenes wrongly and that it should be abolished. Mr. Genest replied that it is a government agency that has its full raison d'être, while indicating that Mr. Ghali could not answer here, as he would be in conflict of interest in this case. Mr. Ghali will have a comment, however, recalling the case of Montreal citizen Mamadi Camara, unjustly imprisoned for six days following an expedited procedure by the Montreal police (On his Facebook page, Mr. Ghali wrote: "Camara's arrest: a botched investigation? I know one in Wentworth-Nord that is going to go on forever. ...)

Mr. Genest will make a few comments before the close of the meeting, noting that he has been in municipal politics for 31 years to the day, that this is the first time that there have been so many people at such a meeting of the Council of Mayors, etc.

Note: The next Council meeting will be held at the Montfort Pavilion on March 9, probably still by videoconference.

With all reservations, by Carl Chapdelaine.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee..

Ordre du jour

Chaired by Mr. André Genest, Prefect.

We will retain two points:
• Concerning the schedule for holding council meetings, Ms. Nadine Brière, Mayor of Sainte-Adèle, will indicate that, as in her municipality, these meetings should be held in the evening, to make it easier for residents to attend.
The one at the Montfort Pavilion will be held in March. (To be verified)

• On the sports complex :

1. There was the audio-visual presentation on Wednesday, December 2nd.
2. Mr. Tim Watchorn indicated that the pouring of concrete for the foundation is expected to be completed by the end of January.

Question period

•  Our question is the only one that was submitted to the secretariat.  (See: question and answer from the prefect)
• We also retained the question of Mr. Bernard Vanbrugghe to Mayor François Ghali to ask for clarification regarding his citation to the CMQ.

The prefect pointed out that this is a matter for the Municipality of Wentworth-Nord only, but authorized Mr. Ghali to respond.

Mr. Ghali will take up some of the comments that he served at the special meeting of Wentworth- Nord Council the day before.

He began by denouncing the last of the eight charges, that of having lied, stating that it was totally false. He says he has never been in the habit of lying and he is not going to start at his age.

Regarding the transportation by municipal employees of a television set from an individual's home to the Ecocentre, here it was necessary to help an old sick person, he explained.

Regarding the transportation of some of his own furniture to Town Hall, he donated some valuable antiques or works of art to furnish the museum that will be created in Saint-Michel. An (old) tractor is one of them. It is worth $100,000. They will be transferred to the village presbytery when it is restored at the end of January.

Finally, the denunciations contained in the quote are scandalous," Mr. Ghali hammered out. The mayor of Wentworth-Nord is of a proverbial honesty," he repeated.

With all reservations and delivered in our own words; by Carl Chapdelaine, 

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

The containment imposed this spring in Quebec to prevent the spread of Covid-19 will have delayed the opening of summer cottages in the Laurentians. A good proportion of vacationers from the Montreal agglomeration have had to comply with the directives of Public Health, the advice from the municipality of Wentworth-Nord, as well as the expectation of being badly seen by permanent residents of the region, which was still almost free of infection cases.

Once the roadblocks were lifted but uncertain in the face of conflicting directives, they discreetly entered the territory to take a look around the property in anticipation of their comings and goings between the town and their cottage. On May 4, on its website, the Municipality finally followed the government's instructions to reopen, but, it stated: "these trips should be limited to those related to medical reasons and work...". Throughout this season, vacationers will have been able to limit their contacts and avoid the businesses in Saint-Sauveur or Morin-Heights.

Socio-cultural events, potluck dinners, tea meetings, public meetings, etc., will have been mostly cancelled; or, for the publics meetings, operated by videoconference. Physical distancing exercises, at the discretion of the interpreters, will have made the headlines as much as allowed certain meetings. In fact, the confinement has never been completely lifted. How will vacationers have lived and perceived their summer at the Lake?

The entire metropolitan agglomeration is now in the red zone and new containment guidelines or various restrictions apply for the entire month of October. Inter-regional travel, especially from a red zone, is strongly discouraged, but, it seems to us, not prohibited. This is a reappearance of the dilemma faced by vacationers at the beginning of the season. Invitations from relatives and friends, family celebrations, already not recommended in the spring, are now to be banned. And will we relive the contradictory declarations of mayors and other regional authorities in the interpretation of the measures advocated by Quebec?

With September's exceptionally cold weather, except for the hot flush of the last week, swimmers and amateurs of various water sports activities will have already put away their swimsuit or equipment. Homeowners may have swapped these items for the saw and hammer, so indispensable to the cottage. Shorter days and falling mercury in early October will have added their load to hasten the end of this season. Only the colourful panorama of early fall will have brightened the picture.

What can we hope for in the summer of 2020? The idea of closing the cottage earlier, postponing construction until spring, etc., must have been in response to the Premier’s announcement. Still, we will have to convince others of the necessity of this annual chore and the move out of the red zone that it implies. And if we could hope for an Indian summer, would we not regret having to spend it, confined to the city?

For retirees, the closing of the cottage as well as the approach of the cold season can, in any case, mean a certain form of confinement; for many, it is time to plan for the winter. Indoor activities will take over and projects that have been put on hold can move forward. This time, however, the entire population is likely to follow their example. For those who, on the contrary, with their four-season chalet, are waiting for a good layer of snow to allow them to put on their skis, the thinking is even more complicated, and the uncertainty is absolute.

Translated with DeepL & Linguee

                                                                                                                                      By Carl Chapdelaine

May 3rd: There is still no sign of life from the Municipality of Wentworth-Nord or the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut on the possibility for cottagers to return to their second home in the Laurentians. Is this acceptable?

Some media want to give the right information. For Jérémie Bergeron of Radio-Canada's Ici Ottawa-Gatineau, who answers your questions, it's yes. The end of police controls also authorizes this return for not superfluous reasons; while obliging people to take into account other containment measures still in force. These conditions were specified by the Ministry of Public Security (However, since the Gatineau region will only be entitled to this measure as of May 11th, its residents will have to remain there until that date, and will not be able to go to their cottages in the Laurentians.  In its explanations, the office of the Deputy Prime Minister's office dealt in black and white with second homes)  Ici Radio-Canada

On May 1st, other mayors spoke on the subject.  Ronald McGregor of Info du Nord reports: "We will have to expect the return of a few vacationers to the region as Quebec lifts the roadblocks. Everyone is welcome and must follow the rules, the elected officials say."  And again: "While the end of checkpoints in the Laurentians, scheduled for May 4, raises some concerns in the region, mayors of the Rouge invite cottagers to be cautious."

He will quote the mayor of La Macaza, Céline Beauregard, and then Mayor Denis Charrette of Rivière-Rouge. The latter fears, however, that the arrival from outside of visitors who would not respect the confinement instructions would lead to "discontent and mistrust among the population". And, the journalist adds, as the undersigned fears, that "you only have to read the bitter comments of residents or cottagers on social networks to see that it has already begun."

L'Info du Nord also conveys the same directives from the Ministry of Public Safety: "While respecting the dates for lifting the confinement by region, people will be able to go to their cottages under certain conditions..." Info de La Lièvre

By Carl Chapdelaine

The update on the situation of the Covid-19, which welcomes us on the Wentworth-Nord website, is still dated April 16. Nothing has changed the day after the announcement that roadblocks in the Laurentians and Lanaudière regions, among others, will be lifted next Monday. Containment seems to remain in effect. The MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut site is just as silent in the face of the new situation. How can cottagers, anxious to see the state of their cottage after this long winter, know where to stand on the possibility of taking a look at it?

The reopening of these second homes, most of them lakeside, sometimes brings unpleasant surprises. Plumbing problems and water damage, a tree lying on a building or electrical wires, a dock torn off when the ice melts and which is sailing with the winds and currents, etc.  These grounds for concern seem to us to correspond to the criteria for exceptions set out by the Deputy Prime Minister, Ms. Geneviève Guilbault.  But, "We are still asking Quebecers to avoid unnecessary travel, to avoid moving from one region to another if it is not essential."  Here, "unnecessary" equals "non-essential". The English language is so beautiful and varied that the choice of words is not always easy... "The time has come to think about deconfining certain regions, if only in anticipation of the tourist season," explained the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon.

"By e-mail, the Department of Public Safety told Radio-Canada on Wednesday afternoon that Quebecers will be able to go to their cottages this summer under certain conditions," the broadcaster's website states. "If you have to go to your cottage, go to the grocery store first," the department wrote. Don't invite anyone except your family who lives in your home. Once at the cottage, don't move except as a last resort. Plan your stay."

So whose decision is it to decide if you can finally get back to your cottage? While the government's position on this deconfinement measure has been vague, some prefects have been more specific. Le Nouvelliste reports that the MRC of Nicolet-Yamaska’s  prefect, Geneviève Dubois, is urging owners of second homes on her territory to "be patient for a little while longer". The danger of flooding having passed for this region, their worries should not be those of the recent Easter season. In the Lanaudière region, people aren't too keen on the idea of seeing vacationers again, according to the Mon Joliette newspaper.

The opposite is true for Charlevoix's prefect, Claudette Simard, with a reopening scheduled for May 18. "At the council of mayors, it was very well received. We can't wait for it all to open. We're talking about work, business, tourism. From a tourist point of view. It's major," reports Le Soleil.

L'Info du Nord, from Sainte-Agathe, reports: "In both Val-David and Saint-Donat, the mayors are nevertheless happy to see their vacationers returning. In addition to their essential contribution to the local economy, these "full-fledged citizens," as Ms. Poulin reminds us, will be able, like permanent residents, to take advantage of the green spaces and the huge playground to which their property entitles them.

It seems to us that the Deputy Prime Minister left it up to each individual to determine whether his or her move was justified or superficial. However, while they were diligent in setting up the confinement, the lack of a precise directive from our local elected officials certainly left many vacationers anxious about a difficult choice. Indeed, when they return, the possible disapproval of permanent residents who would have understood the ministerial directives differently leaves some inconveniences for some of them.
 
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

By Carl Chapdelaine

.

The Prefect, Mr. A. Genest, chaired the meeting. Mr. F. Ghali represented Wentworth Nord. Mrs. Nadine Brière, Mayor of Sainte-Adèle, as well as Mr. Claude Charbonneau, Mayor of Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, were absent. Attendance in the Montfort Pavilion hall would climb to about 60 people.

Ordre du jour 

General Administration

The revision of the 2020 budget for heritage and culture was discussed, based on the distribution of the quotas payable to the MRC by the participating municipalities and following the disaffiliation and reintegration of Wentworth-Nord.

Under the item "Sports Complex", the Prefect summarized the current situation. Only Sainte-Adèle had engaged in a proper consultation of its residents. The administrations of the other municipalities involved had already been able to take the pulse of their population or/and were waiting for the (determinant) results for Sainte-Adèle.

Mr. Genest described the core of the facilities provided for in the winning bid, the ice rink, the swimming pool, a small Kino River, such as at the Rimouski and Drummondville complexes and very much appreciated for rehabilitation after a muscular disorder for example.  Complexe de Drummondville; Complexe de Rimouski

As a result of the increase in the original cost estimate, the two senior levels of government are being approached for a request to increase their participation. Ideally, a one-third participation is sought for each level: Ottawa, Quebec City and the participating municipalities of the MRC.

(As promised by the Prefect, the distribution of costs among all municipal property tax payers, according to the budget scenarios considered, has been published in a recent MRC document:  Complexe sportif)

As all bidders had the required experience, this selection criterion would not determine their choice. On the other hand, the 20% points awarded for the concept could be used to separate the candidates. We must now also ensure that the bids truly corresponded to the criteria on which they were judged.

Municipalities will definitely have to announce their decision before the end of April.

Economic and territorial development

A mandate to update the trail maps, including the Montfortaine, for off-road safety, was granted to SOPAIR, in the amount of $14,300.
The agreement with Wentworth-Nord for the management of the Montfort Pavilion was discussed. It concerns boat washing, reception and information, surveillance, rental of available equipment, etc. The agreement was signed with Wentworth-Nord.

Cultural development

A new government program provides funding to municipalities and MRCs for, among other things, diagnosing the value of immovable cultural heritage. (Is the Ministry of Culture and Communications' share 50%; or 60% when the project is in a municipality with a negative economic vitality index? https://www.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/index.php?id=6345 (If we've put our finger on the right program...) 

As part of the implementation of the 2018-2020 cultural development agreement, three projects were recommended.

Land use planning

Two by-laws are presented concerning the conformity of municipal development plans (with that of the MRC). Mr. Ghali presented the one concerning Wentworth-Nord.

Question period

Details were requested on the agreement between the MRC and Wentworth-Nord for the management of the Montfort Pavilion and surrounding trails (Aerobic Corridor, Montfortaine). Mr. Genest explained the main terms of reference. He addressed the issue of uncontrolled boat launches from Montfort beach and the two neighbouring parking lots that accommodate them. Visitors and Eurasian Watermilfoil at LSFX

The last point raised other questions. We want to know that an agreement is being developed between the MRC and Wentworth-Nord for better control at the beach. Mr. Ghali is not ready to put on the table the details of the ongoing negotiations. He warns that it is not, however, planned to put a guard there permanently.

The responsible officers of the Pavilion indicate that they go up to Newaygo three times a day to monitor compliance with boat-launching legislation. They point out that the culprits are, for the most part, residents of the area. They point out that their awareness-raising efforts seem to be bearing fruit.

We ask whether the installation of a small automatic barrier at the entrance of each of its two parking lots, with the possibility of obtaining a free ticket at the Montfort Pavilion, would be a solution. The prefect replied that the culprits always find a way to get through...

Then, as Question Period does not seem to lend itself to the long-awaited intervention on the "Right to Occupy and Travel" on the shared way of the Aerobic Corridor, we raise the issue.* "What is the status of the negotiations that we thought were going on between the MRC and the MTQ on this issue?" Mr. Genest replies that nothing has been done beyond what was previously agreed upon; the MRC officers have other priorities than working on a file whose every aspect has already been studied. Right to occupy on Chemin-de-Fer

The municipal councillor of the district concerned, Mr. D. Zgodzinski, then took over and hammered that this was indeed a priority for the residents he represented. He will describe his historical background to the litigation and plead for the rights of his constituents. He will even speak directly to the mayors, rather than to the prefect who presides over the meeting, to call on them to take an interest in their claims.
The mayor of Esterel, Mr. Joseph Dydzak, will indicate that it is the prefect who submits the points to be dealt with to them; that they have therefore not, on their own initiative, had to rule on such claims; that a formal request should be addressed to the MRC for the prefect to present it to them.

Mr. Zgodzinski will recall that a request from a resident was duly sent to the MRC and that the reply was delayed (without any real follow-up?). He asked the Prefect that the exchanges between the MRC and the MTQ be made public.

Councillor Eric Johnston also intervenes to suggest that the Prefect presents a solution to Wentworth-Nord. Mr. Genest indicates that he is ready to work with the Municipality and the MTQ; but in collaboration and not in opposition.

We ask what would happen if a non-waterfront house on Chemin-de-Fer Street is destroyed by fire. Mr. Genest answers us that, with a civic address, the house could be rebuilt.

Mr. René Pelletier, mayor of Lac-des-Seize-Îles, intervenes by indicating that they were able to agree with the MTQ on a similar problem of right to circulate on the Aerobic Corridor. While Mr. Tim Watchorn, Mayor of Morin-Heights, asks Councillor Zgodzinski if his main concern is about the right to circulate or the right to occupy on the Aerobic Corridor. To our astonishment, the latter answers in favour of the former.

For another speaker, it is the MRC that has to take charge of this. Others simply conclude that they want that a permanent solution be found and that they hear about what is decided.

*In the minutes of the general meeting of the Council of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut, on 26 November 2014, we could read: «…the Department does not intend to officially accept as a road the shared way of the Aerobic corridor located at Lake Saint-François-Xavier in Wentworth-Nord." On the other hand, the MTQ is open to regularize the situation of border lake owners with built properties along rue de Chemin-de-Fer who are using the Aerobic corridor.»

                With all reservations and aware of many potential shortcomings or errors; by Carl Chapdelaine.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee

 1st factory in Wentworth-Nord! And that's just the beginning...

Journalist Nancy Caouette reports that the mayor of Sainte-Adèle, Nadine Brière, says the consultation is scheduled to begin in her municipality on March 9*.

The cost of the project, estimated at $35 million in 2017, has risen to $45 million for a complex with an ice rink ...; while government participation was expected to be $22 million. That's still two-thirds participation!

Some people have been hearing about a similar project for 30 years. An 80-year-old man says he has been dreaming about it for 17 years. In the meantime, Sainte-Adèle enthusiasts who enjoy the kind of activities offered in a sports centre must go to Mont-Tremblant, Sainte-Agathe or other outside town to practice it. In 2013, we're thinking of regrouping to offer these services in the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut.

While Wentworth-Nord has excluded itself from any participation, the Sainte-Adèle councillors, faced with the increase in bids, are themselves divided on the issue. Adélois are expecting an exorbitant cost and the prospect of a consequent tax increase will set many back. We are talking about $7 million to be paid over 30 years. For a property assessment of $265,000 for an average house in Sainte-Adèle, the bill, including management fees but less the royalties received by the Municipality on these facilities, would perhaps be $73 in the tax bill; an amount considered significant. We hear some, like Michel Groulx, say that the city's debt is already $43 million; that the tax bill will eventually explode. According to him, we should look at something smaller; even if the needs are there. Some of the planned developments, such as a river for seniors in the pool, seem exaggerated to him. Others feel that the project has been poorly planned.

For his part, Mr. André Genest, Prefect of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut, recalls that the population has already been able to express itself on the issues and on its interest in a survey in 2018. The results showed that 83% (or 88%?) say that they would use the sports complex. They mentioned the necessity to offer the services expected from a sports centre and were in favour of its construction. Respondents indicated their preferred activities, with hockey being the most popular. But it wasn't until they really knew the cost, said the journalist. The Prefect promised that the detailed costs would be published before the consultation in Sainte-Adèle.

Citizens say it is important that swimming lessons and other courses be offered. For sure, there are downhill ski slopes around; but swimming in a pool does not require the purchase of such expensive equipment.

Ms. Brière reminds that if the population of Sainte-Adèle says no, there will be no construction of such a sports complex on its territory. It is up to the other municipalities to see what happens next.

The Prefect warns that if we miss the boat today, we might not see another one go by for a long time...

*"A PIN unique to each voter will allow taxpayers to vote electronically from March 9th to 19th, or in person at the council chambers on March 20th and 21st." Town of Sainte-Adèle.
 
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Radio Canada, Première

By Carl Chapdelaine

Town of Mont-Royal's sports and community Center (2022 --> ±49 M$) : 

1. La Presse
   
2. Town of Mont-Royal
   

Saint-Laurent's sports complex (2017 --> ±56 M$) (French)

Jonquière's multisport complex (2021 --> ± 29 M$) (French) 

Saint-Jérôme's sports complex (2021? --> ±13 ou 26 M$?) (french) 

Rimouski's sports complex (2019 --> ±41M$) :

1. inauguration-du-complexe-sportif-desjardins
2. rimouski-complexe-sportif-deux-glaces-piscine ;
3. ville.rimouski, complexe-sportif-desjardins

On January 21, the MRC learned the cost proposed by the four bidders for the two main options of the Sports Complex to be built in Sainte-Adèle.  Option A included indoor and outdoor ice rings, in addition to the aquatic pools. The highest bid was close to $60 million. Option B had only an indoor ice ring in addition to the pools. The lowest bid here was $43 million.

In its initial request to the governments, the MRC estimated the maximum cost of the project at $35 million. It was then agreed that Ottawa and Quebec would each advance one-third of the amount; while the MRC would contribute the last third.

However, the contract should not automatically be awarded to the lowest bidder. In the evaluation by a committee independent of the MRC, 60% of the points go to the price, 20% to the bidder's experience and 20% to the design of the complex submitted.

In its January 29, 2020 edition, Françoise Le Guen of the newspaper Accès (p. 7-8) reported the comments of the prefect, Mr. André Genest, to the effect that he had already contacted both levels of government to try to get them to increase their contribution accordingly. At the same time, the participating municipalities were also asked to do the same. The private sector had also been approached and encouraged to collaborate further.

The Journal also recalled that the evaluation committee would present its recommendations on February 8; while the contract award would follow in March, with construction starting in June 2020 and delivery in June 2022.

This was the situation at the special meeting of the Council of Mayors on February 4, held at the multipurpose hall of the Piedmont train station. Ms. Danielle Desjardins was in attendance along with only three other people. She reports to us roughly what happened there.
In fact, the mayors had to vote on a draft by-law amending the by-law to decree the construction of the Sports Complex and the loan to cover its costs based on the new figures. The draft was adopted by a majority; while the mayors Brière, Ghali and Charbonneau, respectively of Saint-Adèle, Wentworth-Nord and Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, abstained.

Among other consequences, the project's schedule therefore seems to be under review. At the same time, expenses for its development are still being incurred, such as those related to the hiring of a full-time officer.

During the question period, Ms. Desjardins asked what would become of the welcome given by the Member of Parliament for Argenteuil - Petite-Nation, Mr. Stéphane Lauzon (Liberal), to the call for increased assistance from Ottawa; whereas Wentworth-Nord, which is part of that riding, had initially withdrawn from the project? 

She also asked the prefect if he could give more details on the acquired or potential commitments of the private sector. The MRC was seeking between $1.5 million and $3 million in private sponsorships, while ensuring at best an annual contribution. Mr. Genest could not provide all the details expected.

The question of a pro-forma balance sheet of the Complex's operating costs was raised by one person in the room. It was learned that there would probably be an annual operating deficit of more than $1 million that would have to be covered on a permanent basis. The participating municipalities would therefore also be required to make a recurring contribution.
 
In conclusion, it seemed obvious that the extra effort required to carry out the project, of which only option B would now be selected, was putting its acceptance in jeopardy. If Sainte-Adèle, where it is to be located and whose mayor had committed to holding a public consultation of its population, were to back down, the project would probably be dead. This municipality represents a significant portion of the MRC's participation, while many Adelois are already complaining about excessive taxation. Ms. Nadine Brière had warned, reported Accès, that without the requested government participation, Sainte-Adèle would not go ahead anyway.

The insights expected from the selection committee should also guide what happens next.

A number of questions remain unresolved in the minds of many. How, among other things, could the Sports Complex generate sufficient revenues to cover a significant portion of its operating costs, loan repayment and interests?  To try to do so, the Complexe JC Perreault in Saint-Roch-de l'Achigan is much more than a sports centre. In addition to two ice rings, one of which can be transformed into an auditorium, there are artists' dressing rooms, a restaurant, a sports equipment store, etc., and even a sports science research centre. The Sports complex of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut would also aim to offer such a wide range of services.    

  Of course, all the cards should be put on the table so that the population of each participating municipality knows where it stands and can signify its continued support for this project, "essential to the Pays-d'en-Haut community" according to the prefect, or its abandonment.                                                         

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) & Linguee.

By Carl Chapdelaine

Did the Municipality simply want the two containers that serve as a storage area for the boats and accessories of the Canoe-Kayak Viking Club to be well camouflaged? This will be done soon. Today we see the birth of a new structure, a little like that of the Montfort Pavilion. The huge roof, on totally useless roof spaces, covers the containers and an extra space on their left. The set majestically doubles the volume of the original structure.

We dare not imagine the cost of this construction or the increase in the assessed value of the property. But in front of this quasi excess, do not we come to regret the simple parapet it replaces?

The classic photo of Lake St. Francois-Xavier, with the church behind or in the foreground, has changed somewhat since the reforestation of the shore of this part of the regional park. And let's say it frankly; it has rather deteriorated... Requirement of the collection contractor, here as elsewhere, the Pavilion sports well ahead and permanently its alignment of plastic menhirs, symbols of the craze so much hoped for the sorting and recycling of our waste. The aftermath of Halloween will not make room for the only conifer that should be enthroned; and this despite the nearby presence of avant-garde street furniture, the three semi-buried bins.

The emblematic symbol of the village, with its bell-less tower, the carried out Assumption of its Virgin; with its wooden facade partially exposed by the assaults of time, is today flanked by its fraternal twin. The architect of a layout and architectural integration plan will have a lot to do to redesign a harmonious whole here.

Excusez-là!                                                                                                                                                                                       ByCarl Chapdelaine

(With arrangements by Philippe Verdelot); by the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal.

What a surprise and what an enchantment this intimate concert at Pavillon Montfort as a 60th Anniversary Gift from the Municipality of Wentworth-Nord. A concert of voices, accompanied by the harp; in a perfect sequence. And what superb voices in this quintet with that of soprano trumpeting in this chapel, now la Maison symphonique!

On music dating back to the 16th century, according to the program, the choir glossed us over. In Florence, the arts center, the aim was to translate the equivalent of the amorous laments of the troubadours into what was known in Italy as madrigals. At the same time the opera was born, taking up again the plays that foreshadowed it in ancient Greece, did we understand.

Mayor F. Ghali was not mistaken, more than proud to present the group of which he recalled the exceptional value. As soon as the first work was attacked, the audience was captivated. Voice spoke for what it could succeed in developing, the most wonderful and the most captivating of musical instruments.

The room was not full; how could one have missed such an opportunity at the door of home? That evening, Montfort had nothing to envy the City. It is true that the Montreal public would have had a better chance of knowing these singers while they were performing in the big City. The mayor will tell us that it will be necessary to let the neighbors know that concerts at Wentworth-Nord are great events.
Artists: Stephanie Manias, soprano - Marie Magistry - soprano - Josée Lalonde - viola - Michel Schrey - tenor - Alastair Campbell - bass - Antoine Malette-Chénier - baroque harp.

Marie Magistry; Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal

With Google Translate and Linguee

Par Carl Chapdelaine

On the May 10 Council of Mayors, it was announced that the results of the tenders would be known on November 19th.(This should be the invitation to tender for contractors to be issued on August 5, according to the minutes of the special meeting of the council of the Regional county municipality, held on July 9, 2019. 

It was moved that the bid weighting and evaluation system would be as follows: 60% for the submitted price, 20% for the bidder's and his team's experience and 20% for the design evaluation.) Procès-verbal de la séance du 9 juillet 2019.

Without prejudice, by Carl Chapdelaine

A squad from Tout.TV was seen at the Montfort Pavilion this week for a report on the Orphanage, were we told by Mrs. Hélène Chartier. No one was interviewed at this occasion.

The church hall (Montfort Pavilion) may not have been as full as Mrs. Cecile Rowcliffe would have liked; but the atmosphere was very friendly. In this beautiful early evening, a series of tables had also been installed outside. When we entered the Pavilion to look for and greet our friends, only a few guests had preferred the outdoors.

The chief organizer was going to play the woman-orchestra; and even the disc jockey throughout this evening. The Chartier sisters, on the other hand, in addition to having concocted an excellent sauce or cooked the spaghetti perfectly, would devote themselves to serving the guests. For the Chartier family, it was only a small part of the time and effort they had put, alongside the organizers, to prepare for this event. Others had aligned a selection of delicious cakes for dessert, well presented on the altar and certainly blessed...

A crate (or more) of Trapiche wine, which many Quebecers have learned to appreciate, could, with the addition of a small financial contribution for the parish, marvellously accompany the dish of spaghetti. Others might have preferred beer or soft drinks. The coffee was also served at will.

The draw brought a little over $100 to the lucky winner; and as much to the parish, would the priest explain. The latter would thank the audience, pointing out that times are tough in maintaining the service. It had to be realized that, without all the volunteer work involved in these preparations, the revenue of the evening could not otherwise cover the expenses of such an organization.
Equipped with our camera, but too busy at chatting with friends, we never had the presence of mind to take a few shots of the room...

With Google Translate and Linguee

By Carl Chapdelaine

An afternoon of community meetings in Montfort from September 11th; this is wonderful news. Mrs. Diana Jegou has been able to use the Montfort Pavilion every Wednesday afternoon to allow residents to meet. Following the closure of the Dott's Café and the Boucherie laurentienne, the loss of a number of users of the Newaygo Marina too, there is really no place where citizens of Montfort can have the opportunity to meet. Wanting to overcome this sad fact, Diana fought to remedy a little bit this situation. Quickly the first one and long life to this initiative... 

By Carl Chapdelaine

Council of Mayors (report on the February and April sessions)

Population
At the Council held on February 12, 2019, the mayors adopted the population figures decreed for 2019 and published in the Gazette officielle. According to the Council, the MRC had 43,455 people and, while the municipalities of Morin-Heights and Sainte-Adèle would have seen a slight increase, the other municipalities would have seen a slight decrease.  Procès-verbal de février, MRC. For Wentworth-Nord, the population figure would be 1,425. 

However, the Institut de la statistique du Québec challenges the comparison of the 2019 decreed figures (as of July 1, 2018) with previous years, "especially since the 2016 Census data, adjusted for the under coverage, are taken into account for the first time in this new version of the decree ".  Gazette officielle du Québec, p. 7955.

According to the 2016 Census of Canada, "In 2016, the enumerated population of Wentworth-Nord (Municipalité) was 1,381, which represents a change of -4.1% from 2011." Has there really been a decrease, as indicated by the MRC or, on the contrary, increase for Wentworth-Nord, as the 2016 Census figure would predict? Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census

Aerobic corridor
Whereas "... the Fonds d’appui au rayonnement des régions (FARR) is a strategic financial leverage for the realization of regional projects contributing to the regional influence (and) that the MRCs of the Pays-d’en- Haut and des Laurentides intend to carry out upgrading work on the Aerobic Corridor Park during the years 2019 and 2020;" the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut will "file a request for financial assistance on behalf of the two MRCs". The two MRCs commit themselves "to contribute financially to the project for a minimum of 20% of the activities eligible for the program on their territory".

Community development
As part of the Government's Fonds de développement des territoires 2019-2020, Mayor F. Ghali proposes to the Council to support the statement of the Structural Projects Support Policy 2019-2020; the Business Support Policy 2019-2020; and the Annual Intervention Priorities 2019-2020. Adopted!

Culture and Heritage Fund, Cannabis and Disasters
The Accès newspaper reports that, at the Council meeting of 9 April, question raised were, among other things, on the beneficiaries of the Culture and Heritage Fund; the distribution between the municipalities of the Quebec envelope to the MRC for cannabis; and a draft inter-municipal agreement in the event of a disaster.

Journalist Françoise Le Guen writes that the MRC has set at $ 32,000 the total financial assistance for Culture and Heritage Fund projects. For its part, the envelope allocated by Quebec for cannabis is of $ 50,000; amount that the MRC will allocate according to the respective population of each constituent municipality.  Journal Accès, p. 9.

By Carl Chapdelaine

The bet was won! The hall of the Montfort Pavilion was full on this Saturday evening in mid-December, reports Mrs. Chartier, the person in charge of the venue. The two hundred tickets were probably all sold out.

The renowned Quebec diva, Mrs. Giorgia Fumanti, accompanied by the St. Sauveur Children's Choir and its musicians performing holiday songs, will certainly have charmed the people of Montfort and more broadly of the rest of Wentworth-Nord and the surrounding region.
We add our congratulations to the many congratulations received by the Municipal Council, the team of its Director of Community Life, Recreation and Culture, Mr. Stéphane Legault, and the many volunteers who worked so hard on this event. We are told that such an event, intended to mark the 60th anniversary of the Municipality, could well be repeated without having to wait another decade...

Is the Montfort Pavilion becoming an essential part of the cultural, recreational and community environment of the entire region? Doesn't the village benefit from its proximity to the neighbouring towns of Wentworth-Nord, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, Morin-Heights, Saint-Sauveur and beyond, as well as from its presence on the Aerobic Corridor?

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Choeur des jeunes de Saint-Sauveur, Facebook       Choeur...

Par Carl Chapdelaine

For the first time there will be a Christmas market, on December 8 at the Montfort Pavilion. Organized by the Table de concertation des Arts et de la Culture de Wentworth-Nord, it will offer you the occasion to visit crafts booths and to find many gift ideas that will welcome you to the holiday season. For more details please contact Ms. Marie-Andrée Dionne, TCACWN, at (450) 226-7540 or contact@tcacwn.com .
 
As in Laurel and Saint-Michel, it will also be an opportunity to hold the Guignolée in Montfort. Volunteers will tour the village to collect your donations, in cash, cans, etc. The rally point will be at the Firehouse, on Chemin des Montfortains. You can also drop your gifts at the Montfort Pavilion, pointed out the locations Manager, Ms. Chartier.
 
Aerobic corridor and other trails: the Pavilion is open from Wednesday to Sunday, from 8: 00 to 16: 00. Up to this November 28, 30 cm of snow in the vicinity has already racked up. Winter sports enthusiasts are also coming.
 
The permanent paintings exhibition goes on until January 13 at the Pavilion that houses the Galerie d’Art Montfort. There will be a vernissage, probably during the weekend of December 15 and 16, for the works of Denise and Pieter Mayer, whose imaginary you can already appreciate at the back of the old church.
 
With the use of Microsoft Translator and Linguee.                                                                  

By Carl Chapdelaine

"Quartier 50 + is the name of a municipal recreation center for Saint-Jerome’s citizens 50 years and more." This centre is quite popular for these customers. There, one can indeed enjoy plenty of activities, get together with friends or make new ones. And it's cheap: $ 25 for annual membership card of a resident, plus $ 5 for a daily pass. ¹
 
Many seniors in the suburbs of the Queen of the North, those of Sainte-Sophie, Saint-Colomban, Saint-Hippolyte, and even beyond, also enjoy this centre; for $ 100 in their case, it is well worth.
 
The Jérômiens like to share and as for Quartier 50 + they have facilities to be envied; but they also monitor their tax account that does not fail to be encumbered by such equipment... Then, from January 1st, the 50 years and more from Saint-Colomban will suddenly see the price of their membership of the jérômien center card jump to $ 460. ²
 
As for the policy of Wentworth-Nord about such activities offered only by other Laurentian municipalities and that assures its full time residents the refund, with a limit of $ 150, of the difference between the cost charged to residents of these municipalities and those charged to non-residents^3&4, Saint-Colomban will continue to contribute up to $ 50 in this case for its own. They will still need to put the hand in their pocket for the remaining $ 410 or settle for the facilities that may be offered in their own municipality.
 
You can see here however that the contribution required from non-residents or their administration cannot take account of the number of population or wealth of municipalities they come from, since it is the one that offers the amenities that decides. Would not the solution be in the involvement of the concerned MRC?

1. Quartier 50+
2. Saint-Colomban et Quartier 50+
3. Procès-verbal, séance du 17 août 2018, W-N (item 2018-08-321) Note: the rule may be different from what we describe.

4. Wentworth-Nord

5. Le Nord

Par Carl Chapdelaine

In limbo until the last moment, the Chartier are finally back on duty, at the Montfort Pavilion; they are now under the authority of the Municipality. The latter was certainly lucky to see back Ms. Chartier, after the upheaval of the most incomprehensible seen there. Her uncle agreed to take hold of the set of keys that he had thrown at the Prefect after the announcement of the dismissal of the Coop des 4 Pôles for the contract of maintenance and welcome at the Pavilion, and to open and close again the doors. 

But the full trailer of kayaks and canoe of the Coop has returned to the Sixteen Islands Lake. Some bikes are still there. Will the Municipality replace, at high prices, the boats to rent; or ask the MRC to do so? Where will the money come from? This rental is essential; if it was only to allow the citizens of Montfort, who have no other means to sail on the beautiful lake at their doorstep, to enjoy it. Should these not even have a free access according to availability?

Carl Chapdelaine

Bonjour M. Chapdelaine !

Merci de nous informer de la situation.

Je vous confirme que la MRC n’a pas octroyé de contrat pour l’abattage ou l’élagage d’arbres sur la voie partagée en 2018 et que les employés affectés au parc ne sont pas intervenus dans ce secteur. À la demande de Mme Jegou, trois arbres dangereux ont été coupés devant sa propriété par les travaux publics de la municipalité la semaine dernière. La photo publiée sur votre site internet semble plutôt démontrer de l’élagage effectué par un fournisseur de services comme le téléphone, l’internet ou l’électricité. Ces entreprises ne nous demandent jamais l’autorisation avant de procéder car les véhicules y ont accès.

Lorsque nous intervenons pour abattre ou élaguer des arbres, notre préoccupation concerne la sécurité de tous les utilisateurs du Corridor aérobique, soit les marcheurs, les cyclistes et les automobilistes dans le secteur de la voie partagée dont les résidents font partie.

Le règlement du parc stipule qu’il est interdit d’endommager le milieu naturel. Si vous croyez connaître l’auteur de ces méfaits, nous vous invitons à communiquer avec nous ou avec la Sûreté du Québec afin que nous puissions prendre les moyens nécessaires pour intervenir.

Je vous remercie de votre vigilance.

Bonne journée !

Chantal Ladouceur, architecte paysagiste,
Chargée de développement récréatif, MRC

Residents outraged after a cutting of trees along the shared way of the Aerobic Corridor, in Newaygo, (earlier this year), have expressed us their resentment and misunderstanding. One of these citizens, who had just planted trees or shrubs in front of its steep and bare ground, would have seen the authorities make this cut, were we reported. Another, who relied on this plant gate at the edge of the road to protect the privacy of his property, ended up angry after some kind of thinning with a chainsaw would have been made.
 
It would not be here of these preventive cuts by Hydro-Quebec under the power lines. Such an event is really distressing, both for residents and for visitors on the Corridor; that is not to mention that, on the edge of the Lake, trees protect from erosion from the road.
  
Would the MRC or the Department of transport be at the origin of this intervention? The justification might be the protection of cyclists along the Corridor in this section. Such an argument has been heard on other occasions. Protect cyclists who, for some, should rather take good care to slow down to not scare or even hurt children, another person or domestic animal circulating on this road, as too often happens?
 
It is difficult to see what was reported to us while regular cuts from Hydro-Quebec cultivate an awful barrier of pimples of trees bucked all along the way. These are of the same kind as the one that laid bare parking lot at the Newaygo marina not so long ago. Residents here are committed to beautify at best their environment, which is also that of their visitors.
 
Are conflicts between the MRC or the Department of transport and the residents of rue du Chemin-de-fer, the shared way of the Aerobic Corridor, not already sufficiently powered by the various measures that must undergo the latter on the part of the first?
 
However, before making a final judgment, we would like to know the scope of these cuts, their source and the motivation that would justify such intervention.

Carl Chapdelaine

On March 30, we were viewing a documentary titled « Marc Laurendeau, le raisonnable cynique ». Mr. Laurendeau is before all a journalist. His uncle, late André Laurendeau, author and politician, was also an editorialist for the newspaper Le Devoir. The wife of Marc Laurendeau, Mrs. Anne-Marie Dussault, is host of a daily information program on Radio-Canada television. At this same broadcaster, the journalist was interviewed on his career and, among other things, on his perception of information. Law student, his career took another direction with the experience of the Ciniques, where he was associated with three other students from the Université de Montreal.

The Ciniques, half journalists, half actors, would jokingly comment on the political or social news. The clergy, not excluding Monseigneur the Cardinal Léger, was not exempt from their attacks. The success of the Quartet quickly grew in student society; then on the big stage of Quebec as a whole. The journalist would remember from it that making fun of some news and of their main actors greatly attracted interest on the information in question. The Cynics were likely to influence politics, as well as the perception of the role of religion in the lives of their contemporaries in the 1960s. They would accompany the search for greater freedom of thought of an entire people. Time had come in Quebec for what would be defined as "The Quiet Revolution".

Journalist at the Journal de Montréal, host to a news program on television and the radio, actor and now teacher of journalism at the Université du Quebec in Montreal, the septuagenarian feels well-positioned to situate the importance of information in a democratic society. No judgment without sufficient information on an issue. And the job of the journalist has precisely to base his comments on a good perception of the topic. He welcomes the multiple opportunities that he had to deepen his knowledge through the situations encountered in his various occupations. They allowed him to gain experience that he now likes to share with his students. He deplores, with the advent of social media of today, that the information may be now more available in quantity than in quality. This is perhaps a democratization of the information; but, in being so, it might as well have lost its first quality and can sometimes even turn to misinformation.

How can we not prevent us to retain that without information our democracy is likely to accumulate serious problems. And, as practical application here, is it not a priority for the citizens who don't have a privileged access to those they have appointed as their representatives within an association or a public administration to proclaim loud and clear that they want to be all informed when decisions are made on their behalf? Should the pre-election program of a party or a group be applied in full and without further formality because the election ruled in its favour; or even that it has been elected by acclamation, for four years or even one?  

Carl Chapdelaine

Following the cadastral renovation, several matricule numbers have been changed. Therefore, it is essential to check your matricule number which appears at the top right of your 2018 tax account and make the necessary changes in the programming of your payments to your financial institution. 
Source: Municipality of Wentworth-Nord's news update 

Madame Raphaëlle Robitaille, who was the Director of the environmental services of the Municipality, leaves on March 2nd for a position at the Conseil régional de l’environnement, have we learned. In an email where she thanked her contributors and expresses her satisfaction to have worked within the Municipality, she invites them to continue to work for a sustainable development of this beautiful land.

We had already heard one of these contributors praising the atmosphere prevailing in times of collective work under the direction of Mrs. Robitaille. Representatives of associations for the protection of lakes in the Municipality, whom she was inviting twice a year for a meeting at City Hall, probably shared this view. Her leave, as the disappearance of this direction under the item 'Administration' of Wentworth-North’s website, raise questions. Last December, Councillor D. Zgodzinski was appointed as the Council representative to the Comité consultatif en environnement.

We are offering Mrs. Robitaille our best wishes for success in her new responsibilities.

Carl Chapdelaine

Canada summer jobs program is back in 2018. «It provides wage subsidies to employers to create employment for secondary and post-secondary students.» Not-for-profit organizations and the public sector are eligible for this program.

The first objective of the Government is to allow these students to continue their studies while gaining summer experiences likely to «represent important pathways facilitating future transitions from school to the world of work».

The second goal is to support organizations, «including those that provide important community services».

Finally the program considers «that local circumstances, community needs and priorities vary widely». Thus, "local priorities" have been established for the different electoral districts of the country.

Projects submitted in a municipality such as Wentworth-Nord could be favored because, among the local priorities for the electoral district of Argenteuil - La Petite-Nation, support to the ‘Rural areas with a population of fewer than 5,000 inhabitants ' was favored.

Similarly, the focused sectors for the District include Community-based not-for-profit organizations, Culture and heritage, Recreational-tourism as well as Environmental protection and interpretation. It should also be noted that project activities «that are directed toward members of, and support the vitality of, an Official Language Minority Community» would be privileged.

One can imagine a sprawling project covering the entire Municipality and creating several summer jobs, in the field of heritage, the protection of the environment, tourism or other privileged area. A collection of photos and old stories that would be immortalized, at the level of the residents of the lakes and villages, orchestrated by those who had collaborated in a similar project last spring. An inventory of populations of ducks and birds that frequent our lakes in summer and features of their stay, in collaboration with Développement ornithologique Argenteuil. Preparation and implementation of a count of visitors welcomed by residents of the lakes during the summer, the first of July and August for example, presented by a body like the Coop des 4 Pôles.

The application deadline is Friday, February 2, 2018, at 23:59.

Canada Summer Jobs 2018;
CSJ: local priorities ;
Main Street, p. 9.
Electoral District of Argenteuil - La Petite-Nation    

Carl Chapdelaine

In 2017, Wentworth-Nord has witnessed the dangerous and costly consequences of the breakage of a beaver dam in inhabited area. It was at Lake Notre-Dame last summer. Mayor Genest would explain that the Municipality uses a codification to assess the state of such a dam and prevent, as much as can be done, the risks mainly for the population and road infrastructure. In fact, "...to be efficient, the management of populations of beavers should be conducted across watersheds...» Projet castor
 
In 2017, the watershed body for the Red, the Small Nation and Salmon rivers (OBV RPNS), which covers much of the municipality of Wentworth-Nord, has announced that its project of "design of municipal plans of action related to the presence of beaver, made in partnership with nine municipalities in its area of management was accepted by the Ministry of forests, wildlife and parks (MFFP)".
 
"A geomatics specialist has later mapped the catchment area for each dam including the infrastructure at risk downstream the dams. With these maps in hand, municipalities have written, with the help of an expert on beavers, a document including a description of the watershed, its characteristics, its issues, the potential role of a trapper and a list of actions to undertake to prevent the damage caused by a dam break."
 
Plan is interactive and "may be used and completed by municipalities over the years; it was created in order to respond to the changing reality of the beaver dam situation and the evolution of the urbanization of specific sectors ” Information du Nord; Plan d'action - castors, W-N: Castors vs urbanisation, OBV RPNS
Abrinord, which covers the other part of the Municipality, is also engaged in this kind of project in partnership with the MRC des Laurentides, the MRC d’Antoine-Labelle and the MRC de Papineau, as well as with other organizations, from 2011; but the MRC des Pays-d’en-Haut is not indicated in the list of these partners.

Carl Chapdelaine

You have probably wondered what sorts of animals were lurking in the nearby woods that surround us. In fact, as the observation of birds, that interest may be a hobby. Wouldn't be applicants for excursions dedicated to such a hobby? Lately, the undersigned found what appeared to be a small tail of mammal in the Mount path. Of what animal was it and what had happened to it? The guide ' Mammifères du Québec ' suggested that it belonged to a chipmunk. And that happening while they seemed to be already so few around. But maybe that they can give away their tail and stay alive.
As for the observation of birds, there are guides to assist you, as ' Traces d'animaux du Québec ', editions Broquet, and "Animal tracks", in the Peterson field guides series. The short Main Street article, titled "Animal Tracks", is enough to put water in the mouth. Main Street (December)

C.C.

As for the Parc linéaire le P’tit Train du Nord, the Parc du Corridor aérobique is closed since October 30. On November 1st, we were faced with a locked door at the Montfort Pavilion.* This closing marked the end of the 2017 season until the winter one apparently determined by the arrival of snow. Authorities will take the in-between seasons to look at the execution of repairs.
 
We could thus see, Monday, a friendly young worker get muscles by extending manually and very methodically gravel on the existing surface, in front of the Montfort Pavilion. (Obviously, one has here favored manual work to heavy machinery or simply opted for the more affordable solution. We can only hope that he has not brought a ton of stone with a wheelbarrow...)  At our request to know if he was working for the municipality or the MRC, he carefully replied that it was for the Coop des 4 Pôles. (He could also have to repair, at the same time, the damage possibly caused by the remnants of the tropical storm Philippe, which marked its passage in the municipality; but it's to verify.)
 
«...the Linear Parks facelift continues and several work will take place in the different MRCs. …For your safety, we ask your cooperation in order not to use the way during the in-between seasons in order to facilitate the work of contractors. In addition, the use in freeze/thaw period deteriorates the surface and contributes to the formation of ruts." MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut
 
* The Pavilion should be opened for the planned activities, in particular on Sunday, November 5, for the municipal elections. It will otherwise stay closed until snowing.

                                                                                              Carl Chapdelaine

With the use of Microsoft Translator

Please see the following concerning how to fill out the mail in vote forms.
 
PLEASE NOTE:
 
1) There is an error in the instructions mailed out to you! The ballots do not fit the envelope provide unless they are folded. I have spoken with Sophie Belanger who is the President of the Election, and she has confirmed that they will accept the folded ballots.
2) There are 3 ballots; one for Councillor; one for Mayor; one for MRC Préfet

PLEASE BE CAREFUL: During the 2009 vote, 50% of the mail in vote ballots were spoiled !

Take care with the following:

1) DO NOT tear off the stub of the ballots
2) Fold the ballot on a line separating the names on the ballot so that it will fit in envelope 1
2) Put only the ballots in envelope 1
3) Put only your Wentworth-Nord address on the Declaration
4) Make sure the ID you provide has a signature
5) Make sure the signature on the Declaration matches the ID you provide

Once all the forms are completed, the envelope can be dropped off at City Hall or sent by mail or courier.
 ...
Eric Johnston

Suite à votre appel de cet avant-midi, relativement à la grandeur de l’enveloppe #1 (enveloppe de vote secret, dans laquelle les bulletins de votes doivent être insérés). Nous vous confirmons qu’il n y a pas de problème à plier les bulletins de votes, et ce malgré la directive indiquée à l’étape #1 du formulaire « Instructions à l’électeur ou à la personne habile à voter ».
 
Toutefois, nous recommandons de plier les bulletins en deux, à partir de la ligne de couleur qui est située au-dessus du premier nom qui est indiqué sur le bulletin.  (Voir l’exemple ci-joint, fait à partir d’un modèle de bulletin standard.)

   ...
 
Sophie Bélanger
Présidente d’élection. 

The ballots don’t fit in the envelope. The procedure being very strict, do nothing, nothing, nothing, without having got precise information at the indicated telephone number. Your vote could easily be nullified.  

Carl Chapdelaine

 
I live near the Boisé-de-Saint-Sulpice, in Ahuntsic, Montreal. About a month ago as I undertook the statutory walk for the keeping of the little dog of my friends on a trip, I saw a new municipal sign by approaching the woodland. "Beware of coyotes", with a few recommendations so as to avoid having any problem. The following week, it was a pamphlet of the City of Montreal in my mailbox. The presence of coyotes in the city and in the woodlots sectors of our district was reported. They were seen in the new Frédéric-Back park, where they had already captured about ten, and the Boisé-de-Saint-Sulpice...
 
I had recently looked at reportage on the presence of coyotes in some cities on the West Coast, but I did not expect their presence in urban area of Montreal. I felt that it couldn't really be in this small woodland, surrounded by three major arteries and backed by the Cegep Ahuntsic. But while I was again about to enter in the Boisé with the little terrier, a neighbour warned me of the risk I was taking for it; that another neighbour had seen her lapdog getting killed by the beast; a cyclist had also been bitten. This was getting serious; should I take refuge in the forest that surrounds my cottage, at Lake Saint-François-Xavier, to avoid any fatal encounter?
 
The release of the city yet claimed that the coyote represented no danger to the security of the population. The Frédéric-Back park information kiosk would host a speaker who would explain how to promote a healthy living with the animal. The ways of railway, as that which passes precisely through our borough from East to West, would also be one of their ways of penetration.
 
My Java’s dog keeping was over and I worried no more on the coyote, when a neighbor tells me about his experience. While going to his work, in the early morning, he finds himself face to face with the beast that he described as being larger than a German shepherd. The confrontation did not last very long; and this gentleman, while pursuing his walk, judged good to behave in a lazy indifference, not to show his fear of this apparition. The coyote, who headed the first trash in sight, continued his approach. Our brave citizen reported his adventure at the first central police station on his way, where, of course, they told him he wasn't in the right place to report this fact... Yet to see a nearby daycare attendant, walk very young children on the edge of the woodland, or to see a new mom pushing a carriage without knowing that hungry coyotes hide nearby, is questioning me.

Carl Chapdelaine

With the use of Microsoft Translator

Chaired by Mayor Genest, in Montfort                                                                                                                    Ordre du jour

Mayor's report
-       The mayor says that the decision of the MRC, regarding the location of the Sports complex, will be taken tomorrow.
-       He said having attended the consultation meeting on the safeguarding of the trails network, held at Saint-Sauveur. Trails, often historic, are indeed threatened of being destroyed in new land developments. The dialogue with the owners is the way preferably chosen to counter this threat. In Wentworth-Nord, such land, as is the case for the Orphans’ Trail, belong mainly to the municipality.
-       He announced that the Community Centre of St. Michel will be renamed Centre communautaire et culturel Paul-Tex Lecor, in honor of this artist from the village who passed away recently.
-       He pointed out that, as this is the period where people withdraw their boats from the lakes using boat trailers, the latter must be washed if they came from another body of water.
-       Mr. Genest gave a word about the operation Red nose, the Foundation for long-term care and the program dedicated to staying in school.
-       He welcomed the success of the UpDog event at the Regional multi-activity Center of Wentworth-Nord, high in color and that he has personally appreciated. The Center turned out being the most appropriate for this competition which brought together thirty teams of dogs.
-       He welcomes the success of the inauguration of the free libraries in the Park de la Plaque tournante and thanks the organizers, including Mrs. Paquette.

Administration
Among the 30 points of this theme are included:
-       Budgetary expenditures, well controlled, have not yet reached the total planned; but the fiscal year is not completed. Legally, the budget must be balanced.
-       The municipality has its new logo; the members of the Council and other partners have been involved in the choice of the design. It will be unveiled late in the meeting.
-       The municipality asked permission to the MRC to dismantle the beaver dam which had collapsed earlier this season at Lake Notre-Dame and had caused damage.
-       Expenditures are approved, from the tax account, for the construction of a parking lot with access to the Orphans’ trails network.
-       A contract is awarded for the rehabilitation of the roof, insulation, and other of the Wentworth-Nord’s Community Centre (Laurel area).
-       Increase of the contract of clearing snow at the Montfort Sector, to add the Lake-Thurson Road.
-       Authorization of final payment for the construction of phase II of the Lake-Thurson Road and part of Mount Street.
-       The Mayor gives more details on the loan for an expenditure of $ 1 417 000, repayable over 10 years, for the work of rehabilitation of 3 km of Route Principale between Laurel and St. Michel. [The grant would be of 853 000 (?). phased in over ten years. Any budget surplus to this item could be assigned to other roads. (???)]
-       Spending authorization for the digging and the rock fill of a ditch along the Sunny Side and Provencher streets the western edge of the Big Hill, of the kind done on the eastern edge, to direct runoff in this case also to the 10 000 gallons tank installed at the foot of that hill. The current configuration allows the overflow on the Sunny Side and Provencher streets and causes the arrival of sediment on the West side of the channel under the bridge of Montfort.

Environmental health and environment
-       The municipality will support the installation of a septic system to the standards for an owner not having the cash to immediately comply with this obligation. Reimbursement by the owner will be staggered.

Planning and zoning
-       The municipality, which had removed the zoning in Park of lots of H63 area (at the end of the Lake-Thurson Road), adds a ban to build, and so to build some community dock, on any lot of H63 in the shoreline strip (?)
The Mayor took the opportunity to indicate that the adoption of the revised Master Plan will give one step ahead to the future Council, which should already have hands full with the preparation of the budget. The by-laws may still be changed. The old zoning, ordered to a firm, was more akin to that of a suburb than to that of a municipality like Wentworth-Nord.

Farewell to the outgoing members of the Council
-       This session to be the last before the elections, the Mayor took the opportunity to thank the people and congratulate the councilors who accompanied him during part or his entire long mandate. Our councilor, Mr. André Soucy, also has a word for his fellow citizens. In gratitude to the Mayor and the Councilors, the audience rewards them by a round of applause.
(In fact, there should be another session on Friday, October 6, to settle other obligations.)

Question period
-       In the case of the grant for the rehabilitation of 3 km from Route Principale, the Mayor explained that the grant would have been 90%, instead of the 75%, if the municipality had lost its status of municipalized (too low population for its financial obligations). There is the obligation to allocate the grant to the 3 km in questions; but...
-       In the case of the Lake-Thurson Road, the Mayor recalls that the municipality pays for its part, based on its ownership of land.

Photo shoots of the members of the Council, with the picture of the new logo of the municipality in the background on tripod, are also on the menu.
 
Note: Our observations on these points of the meeting of the Council of the municipality are only the reflection of our understanding. Readers should refer to the official minutes for any interpretation, and before any use.
 
With the use of Microsoft Translator

Carl Chapdelaine

Held at Laurel and chaired by Mayor Genest.
 
Note: We have not understood the reason for this extraordinary meeting, following the last session of consultation on the draft revision of the Master Plan and which will focus on the adoption of this amended project.
 
An item was added* and would focus on a notice of motion for the borrowing bylaw concerning the rehabilitation of Route Principale (the case of the 3 km). The municipality came, we understand, to get extra credit from the Government for this project of one million $. This last sum would however only be needed, will specify the Mayor, if it turns out that the bed for the section of road in question requires major work of consolidation. The holding of this special session of the Council would allow giving a follow up to this notice of motion at the meeting of October 2. (?)
 
In item 2, the adoption of the draft revision of the Master Plan, as presented in the session of consultation that had just taken place, received the majority support of the councillors. (Adoption of the draft is not yet the adoption of the by-law which will be moved at the regular meeting of the Council of 2 October, in Montfort. This last, and therefore the adoption of the revised Master Plan, will be as a single package, as well as its possible assent by a referendum. Changes are therefore always theoretically possible by that date.)
 
Councillor Théorêt had proposed, as requested by residents from Lake Pelletier sector, that the minimum surface of the lots be increased to 10 000 m2, thus reducing the possible pressure on the support capacity of that Lake facing the Napee project. It had to be 7 500 m2; that, explained the Chief town planner, was already a restriction compared to the 5 000 m2 minimum allowed for a project now presented as integrated and as in a single property (?). Her proposal was supported by Councillor Gour, but rejected by the three other Councillors present.
 
At the question period, the undersigned asks how one will ensure the capacity of support of a Lake, as indicated in the draft revision of the Master plan. The Mayor recalled that this obligation to respect the minimum size of the lots, do we understand, is the only answer applied by the municipality. Are we to understand that whatever the dimensions of a lake, with its circumference, its depth, the volume and the rate of renewal of its water etc., we can eventually fill-up its watershed with houses, provided that the minimum lot size and the characteristics of the dwelling and its dependencies follow the standards set on these last criteria?
 
Someone in the room asked why a zoning of lots as park, was removed at Lake Saint-François-Xavier, around the accessible area through the new Lake-Thurson Road. He saw there a possibility of new access to the Lake. Mayor Genest explained that consultation at Montfort had indicated a change in the willingness of the residents of the Lake. Whereas the Advisory Committee on orphaned land, formerly (and in which the undersigned represent the Association of the Lake), had requested and obtained that the land transferred to the Municipality following their abandonment be converted in parks (it was specifically, according to our report of June 2011, to "keep the bulk of the lands in greenspace or parks."), now residents didn’t wanted anymore recreational tourism promotion and therefore no more conversion of land in parks... Mr. Genest pointed out, by the way, that the proposed dock of the Coop of the 4 Poles in this area (at the head of the Lake and from municipal land) was no longer on the agenda. The person arose against this new municipal approach and explained that he was not against promoting (or the existence of) recreational tourism, provided that everything is properly framed and that adequate measures of environmental protection are applied.
 
This last exchange leads us to think that, beyond the clear indications of the Master Plan, one must look at the intentions of the municipal authorities who may not always be visible.
 
* Item 6 of the draft agenda would be replaced by this new item.
 
Note: Our observations on these points of the meeting of the Municipal Council are only the reflection of our understanding. Readers should refer to the minutes for any interpretation, and before any use.
Translated with the use of Microsoft Translator

                                                                                                                             Carl Chapdelaine          

In this August 26, 2017, at Laurel, Mrs. Danielle Desjardins, organizer (W - N beautification Committee) of the Wentworth-North’s florets 2017 contest, reminds that it is its first year. The Municipality is seeking a third flagship.

Then, using a Power Point presentation, she pointed out the elements of the competition:
-          Residential and commercial component.
-          Flowering = beauty, attractive places, health, pollination, nature, community, valuation of the property.
-          9 entries for residents; 4 for businesses.
-          5 criteria: visible from the street, integration of the beebalm, healthy  plants, cleanliness, all visual and originality.
-          Price: A gift card of $ 100 for each of the three sectors. $ 50 for a non-winner participant (Some have beautiful arrangements, but do not comply with all the criteria to qualify.)
-          Trophy (for one year) to the winning contractor. (A small gardening trowel which was originally a door knocker, mounted on a varnished wooden base.)
-          Presentation of the jury.

Thanks to the participants and sponsors.

Mr. and Mrs. Bordier won the price for the Montfort sector; Mrs. Micheline Kinksberry for that of Laurel and Mrs. Nathalie Gagné for that of St. Michel.
Mrs. Line Chapados, for the Restaurant de la Rivière-Perdue, is awarded the trophy for the winning entrepreneur.
Mrs. Catherine Zidorenko won the prize of $ 50 for her participation.
Mrs. Desjardins talks about the work of the Brigade of the gardens of Wentworth-North; maybe too a horticultural society someday... The contest will return next year; possibly with other criteria. Your opinion would be appreciated.

The allocation of the flowerets is not under the authority of Wentworth-North, of course. It will take place later.

Contest

Carl Chapdelaine

The extraordinary meeting was required due to an error during Monday’s one in the replacement procedure of articles of regulation previously repealed in the same meeting. Its urgency was justified by the fact that the procedure of application of these rules of town planning (?) would take some time; this time being limited from then until September 2nd, if we well understood. Also, the repeal on Monday of these same existing articles of regulation left a vacuum that is unacceptable in the application of the regulation (up to the next regular meeting), stressed Councillor Gosselin.
 
Parking planned for the Orphans’ Trail will be towards the junction of this trail with the Thurs(t)on Road. It will allow visitors to not having to walk the distance between Montfort and the beginning of the trail. The Municipality wants to take advantage of the presence of material (earth and rocks?), left by the construction of the road to cheaply develop such parking with its own machinery.
 
 
Note: Our observations on these points of the meeting of the Council of the Municipality are only the reflection of our understanding. Readers should refer to the official minutes for any interpretation, and before any use.
 
Translated with the use of Microsoft Translator

Carl Chapdelaine

Projet d'ordre du jour 

Held in St. Michel and presided over by Mayor André Genest

Consultation on the revised urban plan
Before even the adoption of the agenda, there was talk of the public consultation on the urban plan developed by the team of the Director of the service, Mr. E. Farmer. Managing  Director,Mrs. S. Bélanger, announces that this single meeting will take place on September 2, Labor Day, at the Montfort Pavilion. That's where were seen the highest audience in previous consultations. In the morning focus will be on the presentation of the plan, while discussions would instead take place in the afternoon. A document (summary) should be previously (is now) available on the website of the Municipality; interested parties will be invited to make known their questions in advance. Plan d'urbanisme

Correspondence
- The Mayor speaks of an organized tour, in the company of his colleagues of the MRC, in some ecocentres in Southern Quebec: in Granby and in the Montreal borough of LaSalle. Our understanding is that it would take such a center for the whole of the MRC; a bit like that of St. Jerome for the MRC of the Rivière-du-Nord, with full services. There is currently a private recycling depot in Ste. Adèle (at the end of the Chemin Notre-Dame); but only (mainly construction discharges are accepted).
- The Mayor recalled the announcement by MPs of a grant of 22 million for the Regional sports center. The study requested by the MRC confirmed the designation of the location of high school Augustin-Norbert-Morin, in Sainte-Adèle, as being the most appropriate. He notes that the proximity of such a sports complex could arouse the interest of young people in attendance at this school. The cost sharing between the municipalities of the MRC would especially take into account their size of population.
- Mr. Genest stressed the awarding by the MP (député) of a medal to Mr. Robert (Bob) Clark, for the historical holding of the Summer Regattas of Montfort. Mr. Clark had already received a trophy (for the fiftieth anniversary of their organization, at the occasion of the 2015 Pot Luck in the Montfort Pavilion).
- It is also question of a mediation service which could even be used to address conflicts between citizens and municipal authorities.

Administration
-          Breakage of a beaver dam: An expenditure of $ 20,000 to Réjean Beaulne Excavation Inc. (for the repair of the roadway and the facilities?) following the recent failure of a beaver dam at Lake Notre-Dame. Expenses will be also approved for the purchase of equipment of drainage. The principal owner affected by this break allowed the use of his land to develop a site likely to channel any exceptional spill water that seems to work well (?) At the question period, he will ask if the MRC will develop an action plan to better monitor the beaver dams that could threaten inhabited areas.
-          Secretary of elections : the planning Director, Mr. E. Farmer receives this mandate for this fall's municipal elections.
-          Hunter Road: A consultation will be held August 25 on this issue.
-          Japanese Knotweed: A subsidy is granted to the association of Lake Grothé for the replanting, following the grubbing up of this invasive plant.
-          40 km/h on the Montfortain Road: the Council would like to see the current speed reduced to 40 km/h on part of this road. Speed bumps would be created among other things, including one near the fire station and one at the Village.
-          Thurs(t)on Road : authorization of expenditure of $ 94 483.
-          Maintenance of 25 km (?) of road: the Mayor is thinking about making a political public statement regarding the requirement on the part of the Government of further analysis in the face of the municipal request to increase its contribution. This last, set at $ 156,000 for more than two decades has never been increased...

Environment

-          Grant to Lake Gustave Association: A grant is given to the Association for its chore of cleaning of the shores. The Mayor explained that, given the distance separating the Lake from Town Hall, it is financially more beneficial to proceed in this way instead of using the service of the Municipality.

Note: Our observations on these points of the meeting of the Council of the Municipality are only the reflection of our understanding. Readers should refer to the official minutes for any interpretation, and before any use.
 
 
With the use of Microsoft Translator

Carl Chapdelaine

 
With its partners, Abrinord, the body of the North River watershed, performs the sampling of the Simon River to multiple sites on its course and its affluents since 2010. Three parameters are thus analysed: total phosphorus (to know the nutrient intake), suspended solids (indicator of erosion), and fecal coliforms (fecal contamination from human or animal origin). "Tests show high concentrations in fecal coliforms at certain times of the year, mainly during episodes of rain..." So there is need to improve the quality of the water in the watershed of the Simon River under this regard and ensure we can forever enjoy worry-free recreational activities.

In consultation with its partners, mainly the constituent municipalities, it was agreed to set up an Action plan of waterways. The Plan which has been completed succeeded to an analysis of the watershed of the Simon River and the making of a diagnosis. It involves several elements specific to this type of approach, including the collection of data, information, awareness and assessment of compliance with the regulations, etc. In an article of the newspaper Access, we read that the Director-General of Abrinord, Mrs. Marie-Claude Bonneville, speaks of "the commitment of a variety of people and organizations that promotes a collective assumption of solutions". (August 9, 2017, p. 18)

The technical form that has taken this plan surprises with its modern approach, with use of interactive and participatory mapping as well as with a call to the photographic contributions or others, a technique which should perhaps use the CRE for its Lake Health Master Plans, but which already exists in part in its Atlas of the Lakes.

"This (action plan) project was realized thanks to the financial support of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut in the context of the Development of territories Fund (FDT) 2016-2017"

It is in Lake Saint-François-Xavier, with its small tributaries and with Deer Lake that the Simon River takes the first source of its course and its name; what does not mean that this is its only source. Several sub-watersheds add to that of Lake St. François-Xavier to form the great watershed of the Simon River. This last includes 214 km of watercourse and 333 lakes including some of various importance in Wentworth-North (Lake S-F-X, Lake Noiret, Lake Gustave, Lake Edward, Lake Diez-d’Aux, Lake Pelletier and Lake Bélanger); in St. Adolphe-d’Howard (Petit-lac-Sainte-Marie, Lake du Cœur, Lake Trout, Lake Gémont, etc., in addition to Deer Lake) and 35% of the territory of the Municipality; Lake Anne in Argenteuil; besides the major part of the agglomeration of Morin-Heights (94% of the territory is in the watershed), with Lake Bouchette and Lake Echo, and 35% of Saint-Sauveur, before emptying into the North River. The concentration of population is found here mainly in the urbanized areas and around the lakes. We have not found in the Plan wastewater treatment methods specific to the territory studied.

We don’t know more of the players likely to be dealing with Lake St-François-Xavier involved in the development of this Plan, nor sources of samples that had to be taken or used. It is hoped that the impact of its habitat and its sanitary facilities are negligible in the Simon River pollution by fecal coliform.

Abrinord's Action Plan

Translated with the use of Microsoft Translator

Carl Chapdelaine

The initiative to a morning meeting with the Mayor in the spring of 2017, came from the Mayor of Sainte-Adèle. "It is with great pleasure that the Mayor Robert Milot welcomes citizens in the mornings 'Coffee with the Mayor'.» The purpose of these meetings is to discuss personally with the Adelois and allow greater proximity." The concept also exists in Saint-Georges, Beauce, and probably elsewhere. These meetings drew great interest in Sainte-Adèle; many citizens having appreciated to be able to ask questions to the Mayor and to be as well informed on various municipal issues.
 
Obviously the opposition to the Mayor (elected in by-elections in 2016), strong of its majority in the Council, quickly objected to such meetings, referred to as partisan. Furthermore, the Council of mayors of the MRC issued guidelines for presentations by the mayor or members of the municipal councils at public events to avoid any partisan use of such presentations, at the announcement of a grant for example.
 
Such meetings of information to the citizen certainly respond to a need, in Sainte-Adèle and Saint-Georges like in Wentworth-Nord. If there is one point on which all agree indeed, it is sought to be aware of what is happening, and especially at the City Hall. Those missing Mr. Genest’ Mayor's report at the beginning of the Municipal Council's meetings or, often, his municipal news review, at various public occasions, already deprive themselves of a source of information valuable to understand these news and much more. We feel that here, the problem of maintenance of the vast road network of the municipality, in the face of the weakness of its means, would be more important in discussions than in the two cities mentioned. Questions and answers might help a more productive dialogue on the issue that is currently the case.
 
The formula should obviously be changed so that the eventual opposition to the future mayor and councillors who support him may also be satisfied and participate. There, Saint-Georges may have found the right balance. The Town Hall services, town planning, environment, etc., would be also asked to participate in such meetings, like this has apparently been the case in Ste. Adèle. Their directors, not working anymore in their closed environment would be perhaps better recognized and understood.
 
The language issue is not negligible. In Wentworth-Nord, in the light of the two official languages for a population of 1380 *, there was a minority of 292 anglophones in 2016 (i.e. 21% in W-N against 10% in the MRC), of whom 80 individuals couldn’t speak French, according to the Census of Canada**. 
 
If municipal meetings are also attracting few people, and particularly in the English-speaking community of Montfort, it is in our opinion much because of the official unilingualism of the Municipality, the agendas having been only in French since many years. During public consultations, could we also see some anglophones objecting to unilingual presentations or leaving the room in protest. A meeting with the elected officials of the municipality and its services at Montfort, or with the councillors of the two districts, should be given outside the municipal regulations.
 
And then the Council sits without the possible interference of the citizens; these last not having the right to speak before the Question period or when studying derogations to the urbanistic regulations. The Council vote on proposals or accepts reports that the audience hears only the statement, often without the slightest glimpse of the context. At a coffee of citizens, no strict agenda; at the most, can you imagine, an agenda of questions from the floor, in function maybe of municipal services represented at any given meeting. In Saint-Georges, 'the Mayor and elected officials invite residents of the districts to participate in this coffee meeting in order to exchange on any subject relating to their neighborhood '.
 
We do not know the state and future of these initiatives in the Pays-d’en-Haut or in the Beauce. The potential interest of citizens and elected officials for such an event in Wentworth-Nord would lead the future Council to look at it more closely.
 
* Population on May 10, 2016 (all residents on this date or only the inhabitants of a main dwelling?)   
 ** Census Profile, 2016 Census.

 With the use of Microsoft Translator                                                                                                                                                  Carl Chapdelaine

Ms. Kim Nymark was named director general of the Coop des 4 Pôles following the departure of Mr. Frédéric Hérault. "Ms. Nymark is native of the Laurentians. Her career combines experience in community service and social commitment." 

The choice of Ms. Nymark fits into the will of the Board of Directors to see the co-op "become even more a body with added value for Wentworth-Nord", noted the Vice President, Mr. André Cliche. "The Cooperative des 4 Pôles is the only forum that exists in Wentworth-Nord dedicated to the maintenance of public infrastructure (a wealth that belongs to all citizens of Wentworth-Nord) and organizing recreational activities creating interest to live in Wentworth-Nord and contributing to improve the quality of life of our youth, our families and our elders."

Mr. Cliche invites all residents of Wentworth-Nord to "participate in the consultations that will be held by the co-op in the coming weeks, which will seek to determine the directions of the Organization for the coming years.

                                                                                                                              Carl Chapdelaine

Mayor André Genest was presiding over the meeting. 

Report
-       Mr. Genest talks on the current topical issue at the MRC, being the determination of the regional sports complex. A decision in this regard would be a prerequisite for likely obtaining a Government grant of 20 million of $, on a total cost of more than thirty million.
-       Due to the breaking of a beaver dam at Lake Notre-Dame that resulted in degradation of a road and property damage, the Mayor addresses the issue of the monitoring of these dams by the municipality, with the expertise of its engineering consultant, Mr. Desmarais (?).
-       The municipality uses a codification to assess the state of such a dam and prevent, as much as can be done, the risks for the population and road infrastructure. The fact that the road is paved or not does not appear to be factor in its ability to withstand the impact of a torrent of water.
-       He indicates that risk of rupture increases as a result of the break-up of major storms. There was damage, for example, around km 18 of the Aerobic Corridor.
-       Beavers building dams in places where it might represent a risk are trapped; the last beaver at Lake Thurs(t)on was captured today. (Given the state of the beast after its capture, its relocation is not really necessary...)
-       It seems that the climate is changing and that the storms are likely to be more frequent and devastating. Would this change explain that a family of wild turkeys be installed on the mayor’s property; while we had never seen this bird in the region before? (The mayor has not specified if he would be waiting for Thanksgiving to solve the problem...)

Administration
-       5.5 The notice of motion regarding the use of the barrier at the end of the Newaygo Road and the summer maintenance on rue du Chemin-de-fer is designed, as mentioned at the meeting of June, to add users who had not been included initially, on payment of the fee of $ 50 per year for the use of the barrier.
-       5.11 While the project once presented by the Coop des 4 Pôles to build a dock at the head of Lake St-François-Xavier (at the outlet of Lac-à-la-Croix), near the "Cedar Grove" of the Orphans’ Trail seemed abandoned, it is now accepted. 

Environmental health and environment
-        8.1 A partnership agreement with the Laurel Lake Association, such as pre-requisite to the application of the regulation on the washing of boats, has been signed and adopted.

Question period
-       More information is asked about the dock of the Coop des 4 Pôles at Lake Saint-François-Xavier. The Mayor's response: It is in shallow water and where no motor boat would usually go. It will accommodate the kayakers or others who want to so access the trail, to picnic, etc. In reverse, the trail users may, at their leisure, put their feet in the water (or pick flowers of water lily or tease the bullfrogs...)
-        Many comments and claims by one of the residents of Lake Notre-Dame affected by the recent breakup of a beaver dam. Mr. Eric Johnston expanded on the subject. According to them, there should be closer oversight of these dams and of beavers near inhabited areas. The consequences of the most recent event could have been even more serious than damage to property (car?) and to the road. This is a case of public safety and we need to find permanent solutions based on risk.
-       Mr. Johnston requires that public security releases, as to announce a possible contamination of the water due to the breaking of this beaver dam at Lake Notre Dame, be bilingual.
-       At the request of information on the mode of control of some of these dams by the municipality, the Mayor explains that you can first open breaches in the dam (to lower the level of water and pressure), before demolishing it completely. Mrs. S. Bélanger, Director-General, speaks of the existence of classification codes to be used to determine the state of and the risks associated to a dam.
-       Mayor: One of the strategies to reduce the impact (of the dam breaks), of storms (or at the thaw) on habitat, is to seek, for example, to divert the possibly water paths to the hollow of the surrounding terrain and dig deeper ditches along the roads threatened.
-       The speed on the Chemin de Montfort? One asks if we could not lower the limit of 50 km to 40 km on this road.
-       Mr. Yves Jegou recalls its request from last month to the effect that a committee be formed to participate in the deliberations which may occur regarding the barrier in Newaygo. The Mayor seemed to us be indicating that he perceived positively his request; he seeks to identify who needs to be involved in such committee.
-       Mr. Jegou warns the Council that several trees on the outskirts of the shared way of the Aerobic Corridor and overlooking this last may fall; he even offers to cut them. The Mayor proposes a later meeting between them for some clarification and discussion.
-       Partnership agreements concerning the application of regulations on the washing of boats? In addition to the agreement at Lake Laurel, is there any other, including with the ALSFX? Yes; this is exactly the case, according to the Mayor.
-       Has the new head of the Coop des 4 Pôles been chosen? The mayor says that the Coop seems to have found the right person. (However, nothing is yet concluded.)
-       Clarification was sought on the registration of permanent residents or of secondary residences on the electoral lists. Mr. Genest indicates that these issues fall under the Director-General’s authority. The latter explains that they want to make sure to get the accurate lists and that to do this they want to compare the applications of this year with the list in the last election. If communicated instructions seem unclear, as claimed in the question, the blamed should be addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer; the municipality is only transmitting the information received from above.
-       Mr. Roger Ponce recalls its long-standing demand to be informed about the risks of Introduction of the Eurasian watermilfoil via air (Seaplane). Still no answer...

Carl Chapdelaine

In the hill overlooking the rue du Chemin-de-Fer, between kilometers 11 and 12, the dog of a secluded residence was attacked by a coyote, have we learned. Faced with the impossibility for the clinics of Saint-Sauveur to take care of such a case, the owners had to bring their pet to a vet of Lachine for treatment. The bill would be high at a few thousand dollars. We don't have the measurements of the opponents and do not know if the coyote also had to seek healthcare... 

At Lake Saint-François-Xavier, some say sometimes hear coyotes (or wolves?) and be able to get in touch with them by imitating their howling. We sincerely wish the owners, certainly very attached to their pet, to see it totally back up as quickly as possible. 

        C. C.

Held at Laurel

Councillor André Soucy acts as Deputy Mayor. 

Words from the Mayor and Councillors
Councillor Réjean Gosselin, representative of the Council to the Urban & development planning advisory committee (CCU), announces a third round of meetings of consultation on the draft revision of the master plan. 

Administration
Maintenance of roads, following damage caused by overflows of watercourses last spring, added additional spending of several thousand of $.
A notice of motion to amend the 2016-432 by-laws on the use of the barrier at Newaygo and on the summer maintenance of the Chemin-de-Fer street, will add residents of other streets than those currently designated to take advantage of the boat launch ramp against payment of applicable taxes.
The Municipality will become "Corporate friend" of the Développement ornithologique d’Argenteuil society (DOA), on payment of a fee of $ 200. 

Environment
The Municipality entered into partnership agreements with protection associations of various lakes in its territory, including Lake St. François-Xavier. These agreements are intended to share with the said associations the tasks of monitoring of the legislation on the obligation for any watercraft on these lakes to have the appropriate sticker. Two statutory visits (by a municipal officer?) are planned at Lake St. François-Xavier for the season. About washing and inspection of the watercrafts at the Pavilion of Montfort and following a question, the Director General, Mrs. Sophie Bélanger, explains that the Coop des 4 Pôles should take care again of this task for this season during statutory periods. An agreement with the ALSFX should be reached to ensure oversight by volunteers outside this period.
It is worth noting that the washing station is in operation 24 hours a day, since the high-pressure cleaning gun can be reached in his cage by any visitor in the absence of any attendant. For the moment, no fees will be attributed in this case; no more than the obligatory sticker...

Leisure, culture and life community
Proclamation of the Journées de la culture, in the image of what is being done across the province of Quebec. They will be held the last weekend of September, from Friday to Sunday.

Question period
Residents of Chemin-de-Fer Street would like to have their say in the decisions taken concerning the barrier at Newaygo and maintenance of this street. Mr. André Souci receives the request, but explains that the jurisdiction over these two entities is at least of three different administrations, which makes everything very complicated.
It is asked if residents can familiarize themselves with the document reviewing the urbanism regulations before the planned consultation meetings. Councillor Gosselin receives the request and explains that legal requirements have to be respected (including the 30 days...); he cannot pronounce on the question.
It is asked if, like what has been seen elsewhere, one would see the construction of docs for residents of the second crown on Lake St-François-Xavier. In response, Councillor Gosselin and the Director General indicate that the Coop des 4 Pôles had presented the project of a dock from the Orphans’ Trail road allowance (municipal land), but that the project has not been pursued. The current regulation stipulates that only a local resident with 50 feet of frontage on the Lake can build a new dock.
A resident of Lake Notre-Dame asks if the paving will well take place on Notre-Dame-Sud this year. The Deputy Director-general, Mr. Joseph Licata, responded that only the possible availability of the budget may allow this realization in 2017.
It is asked if the Municipality could publish the minutes of the municipal meetings within two or three months. The Director General answered that they would like to do so.
We learnt that the Coop des 4 Poles’ Director, Mr. Frédéric Hérault, is resigning on June 23. (Mr. Hérault has been the one-man band of the Coop). 

Carl Chapdelaine

Agenda

The Fonds de développement des territoires (FDT), created by Quebec in November 2014 in lieu of other instruments such as the CRÉ and the CLD, allows the MRC to carry out development projects (growth potential and economic multiplier effect) in the areas of land use and economic planning, culture and the environment among others. It must follow the identification of priorities for interventions performed annually by the MRC and can take the form of grants and/or technical assistance. The contacts of the MRC are here mainly its municipalities, incorporated not-profit organizations, and non-financial co-operatives. Aid applications for the 2017-2018 program were to be presented before the end of March 2017.

When it comes to the environment and land management, the priorities of actions on which were to be based projects responded to some issues among which:

1. Access to public land and its lakes (Develop and promote public access to public lands and lakes).
2. The protection of natural environment and water quality (- By raising environmental awareness. - By improving the quality of the water and the control of contaminants running-off in lakes.)
3. The recognition of the built heritage and landscapes (Identification, protection and valuation.)

Among the partners for some of these actions, the MRC had specifically an eye on the watersheds organizations, Vélo Québec, Éco-Corridors laurentiens, local municipalities, the Société de plein-air des Pays-d’en-Haut (SOPAIR) and CRE-Laurentides. 
 
The Municipality of Wentworth-North has certainly presented projects to the FDT; however, the most recent minutes of the Municipality and of the MRC meetings are not yet available to allow us to make the association.
 
Sources :

http://lespaysdenhaut.com/fonds-et-programmes/
http://lespaysdenhaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Priorites-intervention-2017-2018.pdf
http://lespaysdenhaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/APPELProjets-2017-2018.pdf

Carl Chapdelaine

You probably have had the opportunity to see one of these little boxes, small houses or other, perched on a post and containing books. Their small glass door is not locked and you can take the book you are interested in. Good way to promote exchanges, to publicize your reading tastes and to recycle surplus books to the benefit of others, indicate Yves Léveillé* and Louise Lapointe**, members of the Table de concertation des arts et de la culture de Wentworth-Nord and promoting this project of micro-libraries.
Ask them how to make your micro-library or search for a plan on the Internet. You can build it from wood leftovers; using a bread box or other small discarded furniture; otherwise let your imagination work or maybe get one already made. You can also use the Starter Kit soon coming on the website of the municipality of Wentworth-North.  And take care of its appearance and of its integration into our beautiful countryside.
Louise and Yves invite you also to take into account the accessibility of your micro-library, its maintenance and the security of the facility for future users.
On June 10, ' the Neighbours' Day celebrations ', you must inaugurate your micro-library.

                                                                                                                                               Carl Chapdelaine

* (450) 226-9825 ** (514) 387-8488

DOA
This was the topic of the presentation of the DG of DOA (Développement ornithologique Argenteuil) at Wentworth-North’s Green Day 2017 and which was attended by 40 people. Biologist, Mr. Martin Picard was interested in birds from an early age. Resident in Argenteuil since 2012 only, he soon discovered the rich birdlife of the region. But at the same time, he quickly realized that this potential was untapped, even unknown; as no inventory or other scientific data on birds existed. There were good sites of observation; but they were not highlighted as those of Bay-du-Febvre for geese or other. The ornithologist in him feels the urgency to act and, in October 2015, this non-profit body was born.
With its three areas of intervention, the scientific approach, the recreational component and the educational aspect, DOA is not a simple ornithological society. Thanks to its members or to its AMIS, it already has 140 active nest boxes (supervised and maintained annually) installed. Its goal is to have 500 in 2022, not counting its project of a guide: RNA (Réseau de nichoirs d’Argenteuil). And if you want to have one of your own in Montfort, Mr. Picard will go meet and advise you. Already, as an AMI, you can enjoy four annual birds’ observation events while, as a lake association or another, you can be a corporate AMI.

The habitat of birds and yours
Recreational activity that can be practiced day and night and year-round, the observation of birds is rising sharply in Quebec. But what fans may have not noticed is that birds are indicators of the quality of the environment. Like humans, they settle and develop eventually where the conditions are most conducive to them. Unlike for turtles and snails, distances are not a great obstacle for them. Migratory birds will return to their place of birth or in their annual territory; this is the case of the loon, which can live from twenty-five to thirty years and see its offspring back in their early years.
But if logging, house allotment, changes in crops and farming techniques or pollution have made these inhospitable places for them, they will go looking for new spaces. Their population will fade where you used to find them. Thus the bursts in the water level of the lake for the loonie, which niche almost flush with water; or a late spring flooding submerging their favourite island and bringing them to delay their nesting; will sometimes have a catastrophic impact on their little brood. The two eggs of the loon are enormous and require a lot of energy to the female which will have no second-brooding. To protect them from this threat, the ornithologist might offer to make a floating artificial and arranged platform to bring this species to nest on.
If you are also closely interested in lake health, you can’t help yourself make the analogy with the description of the evolution of the habitat of the birds given by Mr. Picard. It has a 'supporting capacity’and you have to make sure to keep it in good condition, restore it or even sometimes create one by installing nest boxes or by declaring protected areas, as is the obligation as soon as a group of herons transforms a parcel of land in an heronry. The decline of trapping has allowed an increase in predation of birds; but, in urban areas, the stray cats are most to be feared. The drop in the number of insects in the areas that we frequent, as the oldest among us have certainly noticed, has resulted in the decline in species that feed on it, like the swallows.
The early beginning of sowing, perhaps due to global warming, upsets the ground nesting of the concerned species. The earlier cut of the hay resulting from it can lead to a massacre of the chicks whose parents’ reproduction cycle, for its part, has not changed.

Birds in Wentworth North
The municipality has an environment of very heterogeneous forest, mixed, young or more mature, with a juxtaposition of various habitats for birds. Can you imagine what this can lead as diversity of bird species? You don't find such diversity in urban areas (except perhaps in some woods where migrating birds stop).
Among our birds are Black Ducks and Mallards which like beaver ponds where they find food and suitable conditions. Loons and Common Mergansers are rather fish lovers. 
To see the different species of bird, you have to look on the ground for the Ruffed Grouse, with the characteristic snap of the male that delimits its territory while attracting females and for the Ovenbird or the Hermit Thrush which feeds on the ground or in shrubs and trees. Birds of the "lower layer", so at low height, are mainly represented by the Chestnut-sided Warbler, the American Redstart, the Black-throated Blue Warbler, the Northern Parula, the Magnolia Warbler, the Yellow-rumped Warbler, the Black-capped Chickadee, in quantity everywhere and all year round, the Wood Thrush, the Winter Wren, the White breasted and the Red-breasted Nuthatches and the Blue Jay. One must instead look up to see those of the high strata, including the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, the Scarlet Tanager, the Red-eyed Vireo, the Evening Grosbeak and the Great Crested Flycatcher. Among the birds present, Mr. Picard, named in special classes, the Woodpeckers and the birds of prey, including the Hawk.

                                                                                                                                             Carl Chapdelaine

DOA         Birds from the Laurentians (Google Image)

From the  minutes * of the regular meeting of the Board of the MRC held February 14, 2017 in Piedmont, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prefect, Mr. Gilles Boucher.

· Inter-MRCs'  Agreement for the Table des préfets des Laurentides
As the Conférence régionale des élus des Laurentides was dissolved following the provincial budget of 4 June 2014 to return to a balanced budget. 
As the MRCs consider that such a tool of consultation between the prefects of the MRCs, relatively to the various territorial issues, should be reinstated.  
As the MRC may adopt inter municipal agreements relatively to the territory under their authority.
The MRC allows the signing of an agreement to intervene between the eight MRCs of the administrative region of Laurentides. A Committee named " Table des préfets de la région des Laurentides " will be created.
Assets of $12 400 remained at the liquidation of the old Table of the prefects. This sum is administered by the MRC des-Pays-d'en-Haut on behalf of the MRCs. It could contribute to the allocation of the necessary resources for the functioning of the new Committee.  

· Information booth and promotional clothing
Following a request for proposals, the MRC des Pays-d’en-Haut gave the making of an exhibition booth, custom clothing and the development of a visual concept for the participation of the MRC in various fairs" to the Erod company for an amount of $8 054.

· Environment: Waste and Tricentris: new agreement.
1.       As the management of residual materials on the territory of the Pays-d'en-Haut is the competence of the MRC.
2.       As eight municipalities and cities of the MRC are currently members of Tricentris on the treatment of recyclable materials.
3.       As the agreement with Tricentris was due April 13, 2017. 
4.       The  MRC des Pays-d’en-Haut chose to become Member of Tricentris in place of these municipalities by the signing of a new agreement.
5.       It was decided that Mr. André Genest, Mayor of the municipality of Wentworth-Nord, is appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Tricentris.

translation by Carl Chapdelaine 

* Minutes

Report on the meeting of the Council of Wentworth North of April 10, 2017, held in Montfort and presided over by Mayor André Genest

Mayor's report
-       Meeting of March 20 with the Société d’Histoire et de Généalogie des Pays-d’en-Haut, in Laurel. The SHGPH collects old photos and other to be presented in a future publication of its «La Mémoire», which will be dedicated to Wentworth-North’s heritage and collective wealth; a series of its Heritage Committee. Following this collection, there will also be an exhibition on the old families and buildings by the SHGPH.
-       Participation in the SOPAIR’s AGM, the Société de Plein air des Pays-d’en-Haut, formerly SOPRÉ, in which the mayor is one of the three MRC’s Council of mayors’ delegates.
-       Project to create a "farmer's market" in Laurel of the type from Morin-Heights, to allow the sale and promotion of local products. 
-       Continuation of work on the Urban master plan.
-       Collaboration with the Committee for economic development.
-       Discussions on the sharing of the costs of participation in the infrastructure of the MRC. Case of the polyvalente (?) for witch the sharing was determined by the Council of mayors to be 40%/population, 40%/properties value and 20%/proximity. The Mayor would have preferred more in % of the population, because when the time comes to share the invoice ($ 34 million) for the multisport complex of the MRC, in Sainte-Adèle, W-N could not afford considering such a distribution.

Councillors' reports

Ms. Gour recalls the creation of a contest as part of an embellishment campaign of the Municipality (see our article above).

Administration
-       5.14   $4,972 on a mandate for analysis of stormwater management, required by the Ministry of the environment in connection with the extension of the Thurs(t)on Road and Mount Street.
-       5.15   $3,000 and some, in the endorsement of the mandate to WSP Canada Inc. for an "addendum" required in the project of the Thurs(t)ton Road and Mount Street.

Public works
-       Spending authorisation for the spring street sweeping. Sand and gravel should be deposited in the indicated locations.

Environmental health and Environment
-       8.1 and 8.2  Items on the Ecoprêt program. The Municipality will make a loan for the replacement of non-compliant septic private installations. The idea is to form a 'Bank' to which the citizen may appeal.
-       8.3 and 8.4  Items on the regulation for the washing of boats (see our article on these specific points)  

Lake Access

.
Question period
-       Questions focused mainly on 8.3 and 8.4 points (see our article).
-       Also, among others: What is the performance of the sand trap at the foot of the Big Hill of Rue Principale? Rep. The tank is emptied as expected; it is to be checked... (See our Photos of the month)  Photos of the month

Note: Our observations on these points of the meeting of the Council of the municipality are only the reflection of our understanding. Readers should refer to the official minutes for any interpretation and before any use.

 Carl Chapdelaine

Comments on the meeting of the Municipal Council of 13 February 2O17, held in St. Michel's Pavilion.

CRE’s Accompanying Plan for 2017
Given that the program proposed by the CRE has for goal improving and maintaining the health of streams and lakes, in consultation with the community, the Municipality is committed to eventually sign a contract with the CRE. It is also committed to providing a workstation (at the Firehouse of Montfort) to the Lake Association, sponsor of the project.
This commitment is subject to:
The Lake St. François-Xavier‘s Environmental Fund agrees to defray the cost of participation in the program, of $ 17,500 plus tax.
The Association helps with the verification of the presence of the vignettes on the boats, as stipulated by the new regulation.
The Association helps with the inspection of boats by the Cooperative des 4 Pôles by maintaining a presence at the Pavilion of Montfort.

Note: The undersigned, who introduced the idea of this project to the Fund by March 2016, project which included the elaboration of a vital Health management plan for the Lake, had no news on it since February 9, 2017. Accepted? Refused? Postponed? By whom? What for?

The Thurs(t)on Road*
The Department of sustainable development, the environment and combating climate change (MDDELCC) asking analyses and additional information for the issuance of a certificate of approval for further work, the Municipality gives a new mandate to WSP Canada Inc. in connection with this analysis. An approximate sum of nearly $ 7,000 is associated with this contract.
The Municipality also allows expenditure to Lake Saint-Victor Estates Inc. in compensation for a land exchange that turned out, in its favor, to be superior in terms of area. These lands support part of the Thurs(t)on and Mount roads.

* The name Lake Thurson followed a survey of place names in this region, in 1968. According to the information provided to the Commission de toponymie at the time, by people from the area, this lake is located on the land of a man called Thurson. (???)

Carl Chapdelaine

 Note: Our observations on these points of the meeting of the Council of the Municipality are only the reflection of our understanding. Readers should refer to the official minutes for any interpretation, and before any use.
Minutes, February 13, 2017

From the minutes of the regular meeting of the Council of the Municipalité régionale de comté des Pays-d'en-Haut, held on December 13, 2016, in Saint-Sauveur,* under the chairmanship of the prefect, M. Charles Garnier, then by Mr. Gilles Boucher, Deputy Prefect. Mayor A. Genest is absent.

Intervention of the prefect, Mr. Charles Garnier
M. Garnier announces that Mr. Gilles Boucher, Mayor of Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson will now serve as Deputy Prefect until November 5, 2017 (the municipal Election Day). M. Garnier offers his deep thanks to Mr. André Genest, Mayor of Wentworth-Nord, who had taken up this task for more than 15 years.

Announcement at any political event
Draft regulation introduced by the representative of Wentworth-Nord, Mr. André Soucy, and adopted, to add an item to the code of ethics, specifying that a prefect elected by universal suffrage, as is the case for the MRC des Pays-d’en-Haut, is bound to respect.
The draft regulation prohibits the prefect to announce, during any political activity, a grant, the realization of a project or the signing of a contract by the MRC, before any final decision in relation to this project has been taken by the competent authorities. (The by-law will be adopted at the meeting of January 10, 2017.)

Departure of Mr. Stéphane Lalande, Director of economic and territorial development
Ms. Catherine Labrie, Advisor for economic development, was promoted as acting Director while a call for nominations was allowed to find a new director. (During 15 years and until its abolition by Quebec in 2015, Mr. Lalande was Director of the Centre local de développement des Pays-d’en-Haut, then Director of MRC’s Economic and territorial development in 2016, organization that succeeded the CLD.)

120 kV Power line of the Grand-Brûlé
Since the MRC has modified its planning and development scheme by the adoption of a regulation that brings the project of the 120 kV Power line of the Grand-Brûlé - Saint-Sauveur’s branch into compliance with it, the Municipality of Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard is required to change its own accordingly.
Councillor Clément Cardin, Mayor of Piedmont, moves adoption. Adopted by 7 to 2. Mrs. Lisette Lapointe, Mayor of Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, and Mr. André Soucy, representative of Wentworth-North, voted against.

The Laurentians in the National Geographic
The Director-General of the MRC, Ms. Jackline Williams, mentioned to the members of the Council that the National Geographic published an article on the Laurentians (an overview of tourist guide with tips for visitors): National Geographic

Note: Our presentation of these points of the minutes of the meeting of the Council of the MRC is the reflection of our interpretation of their reading. Readers should refer to the official minutes for any use.

                                                                                                                                             Carl Chapdelaine

*Minutes, MRC, December 2016

                                                                                                     March 12, 2017

From the minutes of the regular meeting of the Council of the Municipalité régionale de comté des Pays-d'en-Haut, held on November 23, 2016, in Sainte-Adèle.*                                Note: Mr. André Genest has the role of prefect, while Mr. Soucy represents Wentworth-North.

Sports complex
To show that the case is progressing well, Mr. André Genest mentions the expected signature of a long-term lease with the School Board of the Laurentians and the imminent confirmation of funding for the project. It will include an arena with two rinks and the pool with water games. The sports complex will be located near high school A.N. Morin.

Creation of a Committee of economic and territorial development
The MRC Council will establish a Committee of economic and territorial development. Mrs. Lisette Lapointe, Mayor of Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, M.  Robert Milot, Mayor of the town of Sainte-Adèle, and Mr. Jacques Gariépy, Mayor of the city of Saint-Sauveur, will represent the Council on this committee.

Case of the Laurel Station Coop**
A grant of $5000, from $13 812, could be paid to the Co-op through the Fonds de développement des territoires.  But the members of the Board of the MRC on the committee responsible for the case must first be able to consult all the relevant documents.

The Comité consultatif multi-ressources
In January 2003, an MRC des Pays-d’en-Haut’s intra municipal public land management agreement (TPI) was signed with the Ministry of Ressources Naturelles. This convention required the MRC to establish a multi-resources advisory Committee. This Committee "must be representative of all interests related to the preservation of the natural environment, development, and use of the territory of application and all the natural resources it contains".
Therefore, the Council endorsed an up-to-date list of representatives of the sectors of local municipal, motorized and non-motorized recreational, maple industry, leisure, tourism, environment, forestry and the SOPAIR. Was still missing the also required spokesperson for the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, following the retirement of the previous one.

Boating and the Canada Shipping Act, 2001
The MRC moved to support the MRC Memphrémagog in its efforts to have the Canada Shipping Act amended or to see an agreement between levels of Governments to allow municipalities to intervene with measures of environmental protection in this field.

Note: Our presentation of these points of the minutes of the meeting of the Council of the MRC is the reflection of our interpretation of their reading. Readers should refer to the official minutes for any use.

* Minutes, November 2016
** "The Coopérative de solidarité Laurel-Station was born out of an initiative of citizens of Laurel and the southern portion of Lac-des-Seize-Îles who wanted to bring a gas station and other services of proximity (grocery, restaurant, internet high speed) in the South Laurel/Lac-des-Seize-Îles sector." Coop Laurel-Station

Carl Chapdelaine

                                (Taken from the minutes of its October 2016 meeting, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prefect, Mr. André Genest ¹) 

Service by bus
"To add two circuits by bus from Sainte-Adèle (Mont-Gabriel) to Laval (Station Cartier), at 6:30 and 7:00 am, as well as two departures from Laval (Station Cartier) to Sainte-Adèle (Mont-Gabriel), at 5:00pm and 5:45pm, and so, from Monday to Friday for a period of two (2) years with an option of withdrawal after one (1) year, without penalty."

Economic development
·         Participation at the Salon plein-air de Montréal, on April 2 and 3, 2017, in collaboration with the SOPAIR.
·         Cahier vélo in the Journal Accès.
·         7000 copies of the Carte vélo de route.
 
Capital works on the Linear park
Under the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, the Corporation of the linear park has received financial assistance of $500,000 from the Canada Economic Development Agency. This grant covers the sections of the linear park located in the MRCs of Antoine-Labelle, Laurentides, Pays-d’en-Haut and Rivière-du-Nord.  
Whereas the MRC des Pays-d’en-Haut estimates at $103,000 the required capital on its section, and other preambles including permission to use $51 500 from this federal program on this item, it is moved and passed unanimously that the Council of the MRC allows its Director, Mrs. Jackline Williams, to negotiate and conclude a memorandum of understanding between the MRC and the Corporation of the linear Park Le P’tit Train du Nord to undertake such work.

120 kV line of Hydro-Québec
A resolution for suspension of the amendment of the development plan of the MRC, meanwhile getting all the environmental impact studies necessary for the decision-making process, is moved by Councillor Lisette Lapointe, Mayor of the municipality of Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, and supported by Councillor André Soucy, representing Wentworth-North.  
This change to the development of the MRC scheme would allow the power line project proposed by Hydro-Québec. 
The preambles presented by the councillor are, among others, on the visual impact of deforestation of a corridor of 48 m. of width for this line «Grand-Brûlé derivation Saint-Sauveur», on top of hills overlooking the Municipality and some scenic roads, while alternatives were proposed and that a resolution adopted unanimously by the MRC, on March 8, 2016, ruled the project as inconsistent with the objectives of its planning and development scheme. The request is denied by the majority of the Board of the MRC.   

Note: Our presentation of these items of the minutes of the meeting of the Council of the MRC is the reflection of our interpretation of their reading. Readers should refer to the official minutes before use.                                                                                                          

1. Minutes of the meeting of the Board of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut, October 11, 2016 at Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson’s town hall. Minutes, MRC, October 2016

Carl Chapdelaine

Held at the Montfort Pavilion, January 14. 2017
For the municipality: Mr. Emmanuel Farmer, Miss Geneviève Desjardins and Mayor A. Genest. 
Mayor Genest gives a short review of the situation, including the following:
-       logging permitted in St. Michel (?).
-       3 hotels in Montfort once. Since we had residents seeking peace.
-       The butchery was a ball room before. It has invested $ 200,000 for new health facilities.
-        At the foot of the big hill, the club had replaced the sawmill.
-       Can we find a commercial area at Montfort?
-       On the side of the Firehouse?
-       Councillor Gosselin is with the Comité consultatif en urbanisme (CCU).
One participant:
-       Could we imagine that there is no commercial area?
Mayor:
-       With the orphanage, there were more residents. Montfort has contracted when it was put down.
-       There might be development on the authorized land. There is a project going on for a long time (to the West of the Pavilion de Montfort).
One participant:
-       And on the part in St. Adolphe? Between Chemin Sainte-Marie and the extension of the Newaygo Road?  The Mayor: we have no power over St. Adolphe.

 The Urban Planning Director, Mr. Farmer, invites the audience to form small groups of discussion around tables on which is placed a map of the zoning proposed for the municipality. During this period, he and the Mayor go around the tables to answer the questions of the participants.
   
Reports of the working groups
Group 1
-       Slow development; along the roads (case with log houses along Chemin des Montfortains?) and without access to a lake.
-       Used to shopping in Morin-Heights. 
-       Necessary development.
o   Need a convenience store; and for that more population. 
o   In consultation with St. Adolphe, we could develop the village on that side.
Group 2
-       Do not not increase density around the Lakes.
Group 3
-       Mega-zone of Montfort?
Group 4
-       We have a commercial zoning for our hostel that we want to keep. Is it the intention to cut it off?  So what?
-       Access to the beach?
Group 5
-       Keep the green areas around Lake SFX. Do not increase the commercial area.
Group 6
-       Stick to the cycle track; nothing more. Don’t touch Newaygo.
Group 7
-       Montfort sector draws crowds. The plan must protect the network of recreational trails.
-       Do we need commercial areas?
Group 8
-       Maybe allowing exploitation of the forest for anything other than wood; from the perspective of food security (community gardens).
-       There are already commercial areas at Lake of Notre Dame.
Group 9
-       Do not allow the paving of the parking lots.
One speaker: It is utopian to imagine the implementation of shops here and there is no need of it.
A participant to Mr. Farmer:
-       I don't see any avenue of development in your plan; only an observation or an assessment of the situation.
-       Buying homes is now reserved for the rich. The majority of those who come will be rather visitors, lovers of recreational activities, which will need services.
-       Shouldn’t you guide development; can you? Rep. It is through zoning.
-       If you can touch the existing habitat, couldn’t you create something new, near an untamed lake, adjacent to a road; with no vested interest or objection from current residents? Appeal to a developer. E.g. The Lake Fiddler resorts.
E. Johnson & E. Farmer: Next step: zoning. Comment by communicating via the web site of the municipality
C. Chapdelaine, January 18, 2017