“They’re leading the multi-resource committee and they’re the ones who are benefiting” -Serge Newberry
“They’re leading the multi-resource committee and they’re the ones who are benefiting” -Serge Newberry
At the most recent municipal council meeting, the mayor of l’Ile-du-Grand-Calumet, Serge Newberry, stated that some of the members who head the MRC Pontiac’s multi-resource committee are taking advantage of their position.
“They’re leading the multi-resource committee and they’re the ones who are benefiting,” said Newberry, when asked to explain on his properties near the outlined location of the proposed national park project in the Iles Lafontaine area, a situation which the Council of Mayors of the MRC Pontiac have described as “perceived conflict of interest.”
These statements and the denunciation by Mayor Newberry were made during the public questions period at l’Ile-du-Grand-Calumet municipal council meeting Tuesday, October 22nd.
According to Newberry, some of the leaders of the multi-resource committee benefit from their contract. On November 15th, 2018, the president of the multi-resource committee was Martin Boucher, of the Groupement forestier du Pontiac.
[(“It’s the same person who sits, who runs the committee. However, in the rules of the committee, it says that the committee must never be taken over by the people who benefit from it. Those who make the contracts are those who … the chairman of the committee is the one who makes the development plans and he is given all the money to cut wood.” – Serge Newberry)]
Newberry, who was involved in the MRC’s multi-resource committee last year, was absent at the November 15th, 2018 meeting. He still sits on this committee today.
The current chair of this committee is Maurice Beauregard, Mayor of Campbell’s Bay. Serge Newberry was also absent at the most recent meeting of the multi-resource committee on October 3rd.
MRC Pontiac disagrees with Mayor Newberry
When the newsroom of CHIP 101.9 contacted Warden Jane Toller, she refuted the words of Serge Newberry. She said she was “worried” about this statement, which she says does not apply to the multi-resource committee and may “mislead the public”.
A mayor in turmoil
The Mayor of l’Île-du-Grand-Calumet, Serge Newberry, has made headlines several times recently, particularly when he was the subject of two resolutions at the MRC Pontiac on October 2nd, regarding the “perceived conflict of interest” in the Iles Lafontaine file. He also blamed CHIP 101.9 for making and declaring this conflict of interest, thereby provoking anger towards him from citizens of l’Île-du-Grand-Calumet.
One of the resolutions in question is that MRC Pontiac reveal the information pertaining to this file with the Commission municipale du Québec.
Links :
Multi-resources’ committee rules
Minutes of the Multi-resources’ committee’s meeting on November 15th, 2018
Also read :
September 24th, 2019 : Jane Toller and other elected officials were “unaware” that Serge Newberry owned land surrounding the envisioned National Park site
October 3rd, 2019 : Serge Newberry – Report on Conflict of Interests (French)
October 3rd, 2019 : Two resolutions on Serge Newberry’s Conflict of interest in the National Park Committee
October 9th, 2019 : “We have a new vision based on the Pontiac” – Jane Toller
October 18th, 2019 : Mayor Serge Newberry says he is “very comfortable”
October 21st, 2019 : Will we have more explanations from M. Newberry at the meeting of the council of Ile-du-Grand-Calumet on Tuesday night?
October 23rd, 2019 : CHIP 101.9 made the conflict of interest, according to Mayor Serge newberry
October 24th, 2019 : CHIP 101.9 verifies the statements of Mayor Newberry
