The tension was high between elected officials during the meeting of the mayors of the MRC Pontiac which took place yesterday (Wednesday, January 20) concerning the bio-park file. This subject, or certain aspects of this file, have already been dealt with a few times in recent meetings, sometimes concerning resolutions affecting the Renmatix company and the financial resources devoted by the MRC Pontiac to developing the revival of the industry. forestry and the Pierre Vézina contract.

Elected officials who voted not to impose conditions on consultant Pierre Vézina came back with a resolution from Bristol Mayor Brent Orr. According to Brent Orr, it was an intervention by the federal deputy for Pontiac William Amos that motivated this new resolution.

The mayors who had seen the resolution adopted last December to impose conditions on consultant Pierre Vézina quickly spoke. They said it was important to move forward in the development of a bio-park to revive the timber industry. Among them, the mayor of Clarendon, John Armstrong, refers to the wood that comes out of the Pontiac to be transformed elsewhere than in the region. The Warden, Jane Toller, criticized the resolution for not being precise.

On several occasions, one could feel the impatience of the Mayor of Isle-aux-Allumettes, Winston Sunstrum, that of the Mayor of Litchfield, Colleen Larivière, and Warden Jane Toller. The Mayor of Otter Lake, Kim Cartier-Villeneuve, asked a question as she felt there was some confusion in the discussions on this resolution.

Finally, the mayors decided to postpone this resolution to a plenary meeting, in order to allow everyone to express their point of view. In light of the discussions on this issue, it is obvious that there is currently no consensus among elected officials of the MRC Pontiac on this issue. Jane Toller said she was still confident that she would eventually find a consensus.

Colleen Larivière had also recently insisted on affirming that the project of the biomass valorisation center was still possible. The Warden Jane Toller relies on the meeting on the forest industry between community stakeholders and elected officials to bring together elected officials from the 18 municipalities of Pontiac around the same position.