protéger, respecter, conserver
The LLPOA has removed a post on it’s website dated September 6th, 2019. This is a gesture of reciprocation to the olive-branch extended by the mayor as announced during the October 7th regular municipal meeting.
The LLPOA is heartened that the Council has since declared that the protection of Lake Louisa and surrounding environment is recognized as a high priority for them.
A follow up piece in La Presse Plus to the Sep. 18th article, this one by Tommy Chouinard. Read more here. . .
Dear Residents of Wentworth,
On October 6th, there will be an important Wentworth by-election. My name is Philippe Cyr, and I am running for the position of Municipal Councilor. Resident of Wentworth since 2013, I am running to defend your interests with dedication and transparency. Like you, I chose Wentworth for its quality of life, tranquility and proximity to nature.
I am a father of two and live with my wife of over 30 years. We greatly appreciate how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful municipality whose motto is, “Where country living is a reality”. I am also a director of the Lake Louisa Property Owners Association. An engineer by profession, I am especially qualified to analyze and translate into plain text our complex laws and regulations for both our elected and residents’ comprehension. If I am elected:
My # 1 goal as a councilor will be to represent the interests of ALL Wentworth residents. Complete respect of the Code of Ethics for elected officials is a sincere promise on my part. For the past several months, you have been asking for answers that you are not receiving and for changes that are not coming. We definitely need a change in Wentworth. As a taxpayer, you have the right to be heard and you deserve answers.
I will be the councilor who will listen to you, who will work closely with you and other councilors to assert your rights and interests. I want full respect for your democratic rights in our municipality.
My Strengths at your Service:
My Promises:
TRANSPARENCY and ACTION Vote for PHILIPPE CYR on October 6th
Email : PhilippeCyr.Candidat@gmail.com
A review of many aspects of the WITRI story over the last few months are to be found in this article by Marc Thibodeau from La Presse Plus.
September 15th, 2019
Dear Ms Black,
Please consider this an official document and forward this letter to the councillors and the mayor for their consideration.
I’m writing today to comment on and ask questions about issues raised at the council meeting of September 9th, 2019.
The main area of concern is the continuing communication problems between Wentworth and its residents. The fact that approximately 130 people turned out for a council meeting in September in itself demonstrates that the taxpayers are unhappy and want answers. The municipality’s response, to strictly limit the time available per person and in total, was a poor start. Thirty minutes of discussion for all of the issues important to Wentworth’s residents is not enough, particularly in the exceptional situation which we are facing. Furthermore the aggressive tone of at least one councillor was unprofessional and unhelpful.
To continue reading this letter please go to September 15th, 2019 in the Letters from Readers section under the WITRI section or click here
Thank you for the many calls and emails of encouragement received over this past week. We will be campaigning door-to-door in our community to speak with you, shed light on recent events, and share information as we support the candidate Philippe Cyr, in his efforts to win the open seat on Wentworth council.
In a recent communication, Wentworth council stated that our Mayor had a verbal interaction with the WITRI developer as early as May 2018. This appears to be a departure from the Mayor’s past statements. Many residents will recall that this new date is earlier than he previously indicated in response to questions at past municipal meetings.
While we at the LLPOA continue to be dismayed by the municipality’s response to many of our questions in the past months, rest assured we will continue to speak out, to point out inconsistencies and to help protect your environmental interests and democratic rights.
We are encouraged by your continued support and look forward to speaking with you.
The LLPOA Team
Sept. 16th, 2019.
James Morgan, journalist for The Review newspaper, was in attendance at Wentworth’s General Council Meeting and his report of the meeting made their front page!
Read more here.
Please be advised that the current lake trout and splake season ends on September 15, 2019. It is imperative that trout are not caught after this date as the trout will be busy spawning during the fall.
Fertilized trout eggs will adhere to rocks, cobble and gravel and continue to develop through the winter under the ice. The eggs hatch approximately in mid-April and early May. Newly hatched fry remain hidden in the gravel and survive on their yolk-sac for several weeks. Once the fry become mobile, they seek out deeper waters to avoid predatory fish including bass, perch and larger lake trout.
During the season, lake trout and splake measuring a minimum 45cm (or 17.75″) may be kept. There is a daily maximum of 2 fish per licence holder.
Additionally, the bass season continues until November 30th, 2019, with a 6 fish daily maximum.
For more information on the provincial Fishing Regulations, please refer to the following link:https://www.quebec.ca/en/tourism-and-recreation/sporting-and-outdoor-activities/sport-fishing/zones-periods/particular-rules/zone-9/
Tight lines, Steve
The days are a little cooler but it’s still warm enough to wear a T-shirt when the sun comes out. We even have T-shirts for small people.
Send us an email or get in touch with one of the directors. They are 20$ each and proceeds go to the Action Group. We’d love it if you send us a photo of yourselves wearing them for our gallery.
While the Lake Louisa Property Owners Association ( LLPOA/APLL) has noted on more than one occasion that it is highly irregular for a Municipality to provide a prospective developer/proponent a summary of comments before a project plan is deposited, and to present feedback “collected as part of the public hearing process”, we have none-the-less reviewed the report.
Respectfully, the LLPOA/APLL asks that the Counsellors of Wentworth decline to publish, distribute or make available this report in the June 23, 2019 format for the following reasons:
1. The Summary Report fails to fulfill its mandated purpose as noted clearly on the cover page and the introduction. Specifically the Summary Report does not make any reference to the community organizations that contributed feedback in person and in writing outlining the concerns and comments of Wentworth community members and stakeholders. The two obvious omissions refer to the LLPOA/APLL and the Dunany Community Association (DCA), and these community organizations represent the views of the largest Wentworth community groups, as well as the views of the majority of Wentworth community. These organizations have conservatively held over 100 meetings in 2019, and consistently communicated opposition to golf and the large scale development envisioned by WITRD for zone RU6. In fact, the Summary Report also failed to communicate that these organizations represent a significant portion of the population that support and “welcome development when done thoughtfully and according to the rules and regulations in place from all levels of government that doesn’t in any way compromise the environment” – as noted in the DCA and LLPOA/APLL submissions. Further, the Summary Report mentions individual names and anonymous feedback, and quantifies that 18 briefs and 11 verbal presentations were made; and in contrast the Summary Report does not mention that the President of the LLPOA held up over 270 signed petitions from community members documenting wide-spread opposition to golf and the large scale WITRD concept.
Note: In Section 1, Introduction, it is stated that the “purpose of the public hearings was to provide the municipality’s citizens and community organizations with a forum to comment on WITRI’s recreational tourism development concept”. Reference to the petitions should have been included in the summary, and reference to anonymous feedback should not be included in the summary.
Bottom Line: The Summary Report does not meet its mandated purpose, and it is unacceptable to exclude the feedback and contributions from the two largest Wentworth community organizations, it is also unacceptable to not make mention of the 270 petitions from LLPOA/APLL, and it is unacceptable to include references from anonymous individuals in the summary. Before publishing or making the Summary Report available to the WITRD, all contributors should be offered the protection of anonymity – if anonymous content is included in the summary, appendix and verbal testimony.
2. The Summary Report fails to put into context the widespread public concern that resulted in the hiring of a consulting firm to help the council manage the unexpected volume of letters, emails, etc. As the mayor said on a number of occasions, when asked why they had not replied to the residents’ letters within a reasonable delay, he indicated that it was because the staff and councilors had been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of concerns and inquiries expressed by the community.
Note: At several of the public meeting held in 2019 the Mayor promised that the early letters and phone calls received expressing concern and opposition to the WITRI concept would be included in the overall assessment of community support. It appears only some letters and comments submitted via the FAQ portal of the Wentworth website have been included – regular mail and email directed to Wentworth and Councilors have been excluded.
Bottom Line: It is unacceptable that the context outlined above was not included in the summary. Reference to the widespread expression of concern from the Wentworth community and the unmanageable volume of calls and email inquiries, resulting in the hiring of a communications consulting firm must be noted in the summary.
3. The Summary Report also fails to make mention of the significant visual indication of community concerns represented by hundreds of red signs installed on the streets and waterfront of private residences of Lac Louisa, Wentworth and bordering communities.
Note: The Mayor was recorded at a recent meeting stating “You would have to live under a rock to not know about the Red Sign Campaign” (…. in opposition). ]
Bottom Line: Reference to the hundreds of red signs in opposition to golf and large scale development, as well as red signs urging increased protection of the heronry, must be included in the summary.
In summary, the LLPOA/APLL respectfully asks that the June 23, 2019 Summary Report be considered a DRAFT or preliminary report, and if it is shared with the Wentworth community that DRAFT watermarks be clearly visible on each page of a PDF format document.
Please confirm in writing or via email to the LLPOA/APLL, how Wentworth plans to proceed to address the concerns outlined above.