Of all the issues that concern the people living in our village, the most consistent is the lack of communication by the administration of North Hatley with its residents. Along with many others, we, the undersigned, have written and talked about the lack of openness and transparency on the part of the mayor and the councillors.

From the installation of a communications tower in the village, to proposed expensive cosmetic additions to a replacement bridge, to a last-minute demolition permit issued for a heritage building, to the possibility of unspoken intentions behind the locking of the public beach, to support for a massive condo development in the heart of the village – despite pleas to involve residents in discussion and participation, the mayor and the town council have remained silent as the administration has pressed forward with its unaired, and apparently unplanned, agenda.

Thus, when we received a copy of a recent letter* sent by the mayoress of the small town of Saint-Irénée, in Québec’s beautiful Charlevoix region, to its residents, inviting all to a citizens’ planning workshop on September  8^th, we felt this might be the perfect example of how the administration of a town the size of North Hatley, in an equally picturesque and sought-after destination, should interact with the people who live there, pay taxes, and are invested in the long-term planning of the village.

On Monday August 13, North Hatley resident Vincent Ranallo forwarded the letter to Mayor Page, and to Councillors Farrugia, Fee, Gerrish, LeBlanc, and Veillette, with an introduction saying “.. that such an attitude towards citizens displayed by Saint-Irénée is the kind we expect from our council when it comes to defining a vision or addressing difficult situations.” To date there has been no acknowledgement of, or reply to his message by any member of the administration. 

It would seem that the mayor and members of council have agreed—or possibly have been directed—to not display attitudes of listening, empathy and sharing but, rather, to defend themselves and continue to simply forge ahead. Citizens’ questions and concerns meet with answers that are both repetitive and vague

As involved citizens, we feel we need to work out for ourselves, through inclusive dialogue with our fellow community members, with or without the involvement of councillors, what we want for our town in the way of economic and social development, community awareness, and attentiveness on the part of our elected representatives. 

We feel the ongoing beach crisis, the announcement promised for this month regarding major public works that will deprive us of the use of the bridge for a few months, the upcoming by-election and the Laliberté project that will resurface in the near future, give us an opportunity to consult with each other—before the next by-election and, together—to formulate a vision for our village. We invite you to submit by e-mail or as a comment to this post, within the next two weeks, your suggestions relating to such a consultation.

Please circulate this information amongst your neighbours, friends and relatives. 

Thank you.

• Brian Merrett, Vincent Ranallo, Paul St-Pierre

The opinions expressed on this website are those of their authors. Space on the website is provided as a service to the community and FANHCA and its administrators cannot be held responsible for any of the opinions expressed thereon.

*Below is the translated text of the letter from the mayoress. The original is on the web at: http://www.saintirenee.ca/evenements/atelier-citoyen.aspx#contentAnchor

***

INVITATION TO A CITIZENS’ WORKSHOP

Dear Citizens,

Saint-Irénée is an excellent place to live for its 753 residents, surrounded by the majestic landscapes of the St. Lawrence River and Le Massif de Charlevoix. Our municipality has a well-defined identity, based on its exceptional natural and agricultural environment.

Today, Saint-Irénée is at an important stage in its development, and we invite you to join us in thinking about its future.

Saint-Irénée is undertaking a process of strategic planning in order to define how it should position itself in the coming years, based on a concerted examination involving everyone concerned and on the aspirations and expectations of its community members.

For this purpose, a citizens’ workshop is being organized by the municipality, in which participants will be able to share their views on different topics.

When? (time given)

Where? (location given)

Activities for children will be offered upon request. Please confirm your attendance at (address given) before August 31, 2018.

We are convinced the process will be enhanced by your presence, and we hope to count you among us!

The letter is signed by the Mayoress of Saint-Irénée.

(English follows)

Un scrutin partiel aura lieu le 21 octobre 2018 pour combler le siège numéro 5 laissé vacant par la démission du conseiller Claude Villeneuve. Vous êtes fortement encouragé à participer au vote.

Qui peut voter?

Vous devez être de citoyenneté canadienne et avoir 18 ans le jour du scrutin.

Vous devez soit 

a) être domicilié à North Hatley, et, depuis au moins six mois, au Québec ; ou

b) être, depuis au moins douze mois avant la publication de l’avis d’élection, le propriétaire d’un immeuble à North Hatley ou l’occupant d’un établissement d’entreprise à North Hatley. L’avis d’élection sera publié au cours de la première semaine de septembre 2018 – veuillez vérifier la date exacte auprès de la municipalité.

Note: Si vous n’êtes pas domicilié à North Hatley, mais que vous remplissez la condition « b » ci-dessus, vous devez communiquer par écrit avec la municipalité pour demander que votre nom soit ajouté sur la liste électorale. Cela peut se faire jusqu’à la révision de la liste électorale (vers le 9 octobre 2018 – veuillez vérifier la date exacte auprès de la municipalité). Vous pouvez demander à voter par correspondance. Le délai entre l’obtention du bulletin de vote par correspondance et le jour où le bulletin de vote doit parvenir à la municipalité est souvent très court.

Les personnes copropriétaires d’un immeuble ou cooccupantes d’une entreprise à North Hatley doivent désigner parmi elles, par une procuration transmise à la municipalité, le nom d’une seule personne à inscrire sur la liste électorale.

Qui peut se porter candidat?

Vous devez avoir le droit d’être inscrit sur la liste électorale (voir ci-dessus) et résider à North Hatley depuis au moins les douze derniers mois avant la date de publication de l’avis d’élection.

Vous pouvez déposer votre déclaration de candidature, accompagnée des documents appropriés, au bureau du président d’élection, entre le 44^e jour et le 30^e jour avant le jour fixé pour l’élection partielle (entre le 08 et le 22 septembre 2018). Plutôt que de vous fier aux dates indiquées ici, qui sont approximatives, veuillez vérifier auprès de la municipalité les heures et les jours pendant lesquels le bureau municipal est effectivement ouvert et pendant lequel les documents de candidature peuvent être déposés.

A by-election will be held on October 21, 2018, to fill Seat #5, left vacant by the resignation of councillor Claude Villeneuve. You are very strongly encouraged to participate in the voting.

Who can vote?

You must be a Canadian citizen, and be 18 years old on polling day;

You must either 

a) be domiciled in North Hatley and have been domiciled in the province of Québec for at least six months; 

or 

b) have owned property in North Hatley for at least twelve months prior to the date of publication of the notice of election (the notice will be published during the first week of September 2018 – please check with the municipality for the exact date), or be the occupant of a business within North Hatley for at least twelve months prior to the date of the publication of the notice of election.

Note: If your domicile is not in North Hatley, but you meet Condition ‘b’ above, you must, in writing, contact the municipality to ask to be added to the list of electors. This can be done up until the revision of the list of electors (around October 9, 2018 – please check with the municipality for the exact date). You can ask to vote by mail. The delay between obtaining the ballot for voting by mail and the day by which the ballot must reach the municipality is often very short.

If you co-own the property or co-occupy the business in North Hatley, only one person, designated by a power of attorney sent to the municipality, can be entered on the list of electors.

Who can run?

You must meet the conditions for being added to the list of electors (see above) and have resided in North Hatley for at least twelve months prior to the date of publication of the notice of election.

You can file your nomination papers, along with the appropriate documents, at the office of the returning officer between the 44^th day (September 08) and the 30^th day (September 22, at 16h30) prior to day set for the by-election. Rather than rely on the dates given here, which are approximate, please check with the municipality for the hours and the days during which the municipal office is actually open and during which nomination papers may be filed.