Despite being one of the smallest and most remote municipalities in MRC Pontiac, Rapides des Joachims has a vibrant political scene, as there are four candidates running for mayor. Outgoing Mayor Jim Gibson decided to step back from public life after 12 years at the helm of the council.

Dale Levesque is more than familiar with local politics, as she has 10 years experience as a councillor and four as the mayor of Swisha. A resident of the municipality for 36 years, she has worked at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories for the past 13 years, managing historical records.

She said that her reason for running is that she will be retiring soon and will be able to devote her full attention to the duties of mayor:

The small island community is located roughly 100 km from the rest of the MRC and is only accessible via Ontario. Emergency services, like health care and firefighting are handled through agreements with jurisdictions in Ontario, but everything from police services to driver’s license renewals require a two-hour trip to or from Campbell’s Bay. Levesque said that health care services are something that’s lacking:

She said that if elected, she will improve communication with citizens:

The full interview with Levesque is available below: