MP William Amos updates on COVID-19 with Pontiac Mayors, Wardens and Provincial MNAs
Press release from the office of Pontiac MP William Amos:
April 28th, 2020
The Member of Parliament for Pontiac, Mr. Will Amos, met with the mayors of his Pontiac riding during a conference call with provincial and municipal elected officials from across the Outaouais region.
"I thank MNAs Robert Bussiere and André Fortin, and our region’s elected officials for sharing their COVID-19 concerns and challenges with me. Timely input allows me to pass on crucial information to the Government of Canada at the highest levels, particularly during our daily caucus meetings.”, stated MP Amos.
On April 16, a conference call was held with the mayors of the MRC des Collines-de-l'Outaouais, warden Caryl Green, Gatineau MNA Robert Bussière, and the representative of the provincial minister responsible for the Outaouais region, Mathieu Lacombe. During this call, the mayors outlined the measures put in place by their respective municipalities to deal with COVID-19 and discussed issues such as the impact on the tourist season. Federal and provincial measures to address the economic impacts of COVID-19 were also discussed, with a view to moving towards a gradual economic recovery.
"We are happy and appreciate this initiative, which has allowed us to [share] the different realities experienced by our municipalities. We are united in working together to help our citizens and to defeat COVID-19," says the mayor from Val-des-Monts, M. Jacques Laurin.
In order to better allow all the mayors of the Gatineau Valley to express themselves, two conference calls were held on April 17 with the warden, Chantale Lamarche, the MNA for Gatineau, Robert Bussière, and Mr. Lacombe's representative. The discussions focused on the measures taken by the federal and provincial governments to limit the spread of the
disease, assistance to small and medium-sized businesses, and the impacts of COVID-19 on their citizens, particularly on hunting and fishing activities and cottage owners.
"It's interesting that the two levels of government are sitting down with each other to listen to the municipalities. I think this is an exercise that is appreciated by all the mayors of the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau," says Alphée Moreau, Mayor of Aumond.
In the MRC Pontiac, MP Amos joined his provincial counterpart, Mr. André Fortin, to make joint calls with each of the mayors and councillors. During these calls, a range of matters was addressed, including constituents’ concerns regarding provincial police checkpoints, the Canada Summer Jobs program to support youth employment and affected businesses, the increase in demand for food banks, as well as government support for the tourism industry. The enhancement of the federal SADC's funding for small business protection was also raised. Such calls were held with the municipalities of Shawville, Fort-Coulonge, Mansfield-et-Pontefract and l'Île-aux-Allumettes.
"Vacationers and tourism represent an important sector of the Pontiac economy., says Gilles Dionne, mayor of Mansfield-et-Pontefract. The call with both federal and provincial representatives allowed us to discuss our municipality's situation in an integrated fashion and discuss the next steps towards economic recovery."
"I was pleased to organize these meetings jointly with my provincial counterparts. This input will help us find better solutions for the challenges we face. It's important that all of our region’s elected representatives are in regular contact to take stock of the situation in different locations and with our local constituents. We agreed that such an exercise will be organized again to discuss the economic recovery of our municipalities.”, concluded MP Will Amos.
As a reminder, through Canada's Economic Action Plan in response to VIDOC-19, the Government of Canada is taking several measures to support Canadians, businesses and organizations affected by COVID-19. This plan and the measures it contains are available on this website.