OPINION
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Les plans officiels de Prescott-Russell et Champlain… pour qui?
On a lighter note...
Everyone loves a good joke. Check that – almost everyone loves a good joke. The ability to laugh at oneself is a valu- able trait. Mind over matter – if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. However, there are times when even the most jovial can be vexed. For example, let’s say you are on the re- ceiving end of a prank. No matter how creative and hilarious a stunt may be, if you are the target of a practical joke, your sense of humour is going to be severely tested. Or, it is not always easy to be serene in your counte- nance when the world is laughing at you, not with you. Tricks are on our minds, of course, be- cause April Fool’s Day approaches, stimu- lating evil, creative imaginations, kindling thoughts of devilishly delightful ruses. It is all good fun to concoct a canard, as long as nobody gets hurt, or sues. In the newspaper business, some of us amuse ourselves by coming up with fic- tional headlines and spinning yarns that are loosely based on facts. Certain publica- tions actually print fake stories. However, some inside the industry believe that de- liberately misleading the public only fur- ther erodes the credibility of the Media. We could print some made-up news sto- ries, but if some readers, or worse, some politicians, took them too seriously, we might get into big trouble. So we will resist the temptation to in- dulge in bogus articles. Although some possibilities for fake headlines come to mind. Take Hawkesbury council, please. “Pope Asked To Resolve Fights At Hawkesbury Council.” “Pope Declines: Not Even Divine Inter- vention Can Help These Poor Souls, Con- cludes Pontiff.” “This Is Too Negative, Mayor Declares “Quit Writing Anything That May Be Considered Remotely Negative, Mayor De- mands!” “Hawkesbury Chamber Of Commerce Moves To Vankleek Hill, Because Every- thing Is Better in Vankleek Hill, And They Have Beer And Parades And Everything!” “Vankleek Hill Rejects Anything That Has To Do With Hawkesbury, Except Its Water And Its Tim Hortons Outlets!” “Town Water Tower To Bear Tim Hortons’ Logo!” “Intoxicated Man Arrested For Trying To Roll Up The Rim On TownWater Tower!” OK, enough of that. Hawkesburgers’caf- feine addiction and dissent at town council are no laughing matters. Opposing views are one of the reasons our democracy is so fascinating and at times bewildering. Expect the unexpected. A recent source of division among Hawkesbury members was a veritable head-scratcher. The suggestion was that the municipal- ity organize a team-building session, to generate some positive synergy. But that idea was shot down for a lack of consen- sus. The members could not agree on whether they should get together for a re- treat to try to resolve their differences. Following Private Meeting.” “Mayor Questions Pope!”
Affairs of government are serious mat- ters. But, just between us, you have to at least chuckle about a fight over team-building. Sadly, there are few light moments at Hawkesbury town council meetings. Often town council takes itself a little too seriously. For example, for months Hawkesbury and Champlain have been talking about a service-sharing deal to fur- ther development along County Road 17. Just in case you have been on another planet, more businesses on that strip that forms the boundary between Hawkesbury and Champlain would be good for every- one. Late last year, the two councils met. The sense of camaraderie was almost palpa- ble. It may have been the Christmas spirit. The process seems simple. Champlain wants the town to extend services under County Road 17 so new businesses can connect to the town’s water and sewage systems. What is Hawkesbury’s price for providing said services to Champlain? Alas, for some reason Hawkesbury coun- cil had to hold a private meeting to come up with a proposition that was short on figures and long on detailed information about proposed water and sewage ser- vices. Anyway, Champlain council was not amused by the non-proposal. “They’re telling us something we already know,” said Champlain Township Mayor Gary Barton. “A complete waste of time,” stated Coun- cillor Helen MacLeod. Strangely, while stressing the need to cooperate, Hawkesbury has managed to tick off the neighbours. Frustrated with the lack of progress, Champlain is thinking of abandoning any hope of a service-shar- ing deal with the town. That would oblige the township to come up with its own ser- vices. Back to square one. Speaking of which, Champlain council recently spent far too much time discuss- ing a policy on unopened road allowanc- es. Every rural municipality has them. They are those strips of municipal land which are used by farmers to get from field to field. The circular discussion ended at a dead end with council employing the “do noth- ing” option. Much ado about nothing, opined Councillor Gérard Miner, convinc- ing colleagues that the policy was overly complex. But, as public works superinten- dent James McMahon observed: “If you take all the wording out, it is a small by- law.” And then there is Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, another special place where the political “debates” often defy comprehension. Harmony, again, was the theme of the campaign for the vacant mayor’s post. The run-up to the by-election was dominated by personal attacks, shouting matches, al- legations of all kinds. If the candidates had platforms, they were overshadowed by the visceral vitriol. And this was just Round 1. They will do it all over again in the fall, when voters across Québec go to the polls to elect municipal councils. Faced with that prospect, we call all use a good laugh.
Qui nous représente vraiment, nous, les citoyens de Champlain qui n’habitons pas dans les villages de Vankleek Hill et L’Orignal? Le plan officiel de développe- ment présenté récemment par le Con- seil municipal de Champlain s’applique seulement à ces deux villages. Qu’en est-il des zones adjacentes au sein du canton de Champlain? Est-ce que le conseil de Champlain travaille aussi pour les citoy- ens de Longueuil et Hawkesbury Ouest? Nous avons besoin d’un plan officiel qui englobe TOUT le canton de Champlain, villages ET régions qui sont de plus en plus populeuses et toutes inter-reliées. À l’échelle de Prescott-Russell, les Com- tés unis ont déposé au ministère des Affaires municipales de l’Ontario une ébauche d’un plan officiel sur le dével- oppement de notre région; par contre, impossible pour nous, citoyens, d’en pren- dre connaissance! Des dossiers auxquels la population est vivement opposée com- me le gigantesque projet de cimenterie dans Champlain (qui heureusement n’a pas dépassé le stade de proposition) et l’usine d’asphalte dans Alfred-Plantagenet portent toujours ombrage à notre envi- ronnement. Nous avons besoin de plus de transparence et de communications entre citoyens et élus. Champlain et les Comtés unis doivent se munir de plans officiels de développe- ment à long terme, développés dès le départ en fonction de la volonté des ci- toyens et fort clairs pour les entreprises
qui ont notre région à l’œil. Les décisions prises dans les prochains mois auront un impact économique vital à long terme. Comme d’autres régions de l’Ontario, dotons-nous d’un plan qui attirera des entreprises créant des emplois de grande qualité et qui non seulement respecteront l’environnement mais l’amélioreront par leur présence. Des grandes cheminées polluantes et un trafic incessant de poids- lourds transportant ciment, charbon, pierres ou acier n’inciteront certainement pas les gens de l’extérieur à se joindre à notre communauté. L’élaboration d’une vision claire de l’avenir collectif de nos communautés évitera également des con- flits. À titre de témoignage fort éloquent de l’absence d’une vision claire de dével- oppement, notons que des permis de con- struction résidentielle ne sont plus émis dans certaines régions de Longueuil, et ce, entre des résidences déjà existantes. Nous avons la chance de vivre près de la magnifique rivière des Outaouais. C’est une richesse à protéger et à développer. Son avenir ne devrait-il pas constituer un volet majeur de notre plan officiel? As- surons notre prospérité en misant sur nos avantages environnementaux, sur le respect des citoyens et leur pleine partici- pation aux décisions qui forgeront notre avenir collectif. Charles Despins, Gérald Pilon, Michael Santella Action Champlain
Forget the fountain A reader responds to the town of Hawkesbury’s call for tenders to upgrade the entrance to the town hall. The project would include a new fountain to replace the aging pool that was removed last year. I thought we were in a time of “fiscal restraint.”If so, there are many more worthy things to spend our money on (like potholes, for instance) than a fountain. Forget it -- it will need maintenance and cleaning - and the only people who will really notice it are those living across the street. Whilst we are economizing - how about turn- ing off the Christmas lights along Main Street? I think Christmas has long gone. I believe it is the council’s responsibility to ensure that they do not waste our taxes. If there is any to spare, then send us smaller tax bills. Doug Fowler, Hawkesbury
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Bertrand Castonguay , President, bertrand@eap.on.ca Roger Duplantie , D.G. / G.M., roger@eap.on.ca François Bélair , Sales & Development, fbelair@eap.on.ca François Legault , Directeur de l’information/News Editor, francois.legault@eap.on.ca Yvan Joly , Sales director (Hawkesbury), yvan@eap.on.ca François Leblanc , Directeur (Lachute), francois.leblanc@eap.on.ca Gilles Normand , Production & Distribution Mgr., gilles.normand@eap.on.ca Julien Boisvenue , Layout & Prepress Mgr., julien.boisvenue@eap.on.ca
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