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.

Doug Rousselle is one of the four candidates, and said that he’d like to bring some new ideas to the municipality. A long-time resident of the Ottawa Valley, he moved to “Swisha” as locals call it, around four years ago.

He said that what he likes about the municipality is that it’s quiet and peaceful:

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.

Rousselle had some ideas about how to mitigate this issue:

Being a relative newcomer to the municipality and to politics, Rousselle said that he would like to bring a fresh perspective to council and listed several goals if he is elected:

The full interview with Rousselle is available below: