The Editor,
Are you a taxpayer who knows what your municipal council is doing? Really? If so, you should be able to answer lots of questions. How much garbage content has been reduced by your door-to-door composting program? Is it true that it costs more than four times as much to pick up a ton of compost vs. a ton of garbage? Is it true that Val-des-Monts, with its cheap home composting program, has reduced garbage content more than municipalities that use the very expensive door-to-door approach? Does anyone know where collected compost ultimately ends up? What progress has been made to make incineration/gasification practical?
Why have municipalities not technically reviewed expensive requirements for residents to empty septic tanks every two years? Is it true that the frequently emptied tanks are needlessly yielding less than a one-inch depth of sludge? Is it true that the results have been no different than for municipalities that do not require this? Is it true that no one knows the results?
Do you think that municipalities need a tourist facility when most folks have a smartphone? Bill 96 will further enforce municipalities to cease services/meetings in English if less than 50 per cent of the population, according to census, is English.
An elected official informed me that most people buying cottages in West Quebec are English. But these won’t count. Half of the residences in Low are seasonal. It will be possible that 70 per cent of property taxpayers may be English but will be treated only in French. It will be useless for English-only speaking people to run for election.
Bilingual municipal employees will be penalized if they speak English to residents. Do you think that municipalities will cheat the rules to be fair and courteous to English people? Will employees at the new MRC tourist bureau in Low speak only in French to locals/tourists? Do you know if your municipality is now bilingual and how this has been fairly determined?
If you are a paid elected municipal official can you answer these questions?
Steve Connolly
Low, QC