Summary meeting

Purchase and construction of a training centre for firefighters

The Fire Department does not currently have a training facility that can accommodate the Firefighter 1 course and practical training exercises, meaning firefighters must travel outside the region to take their Firefighter I exam. To address this, a training centre will be built on the grounds of the Wakefield Fire Station. Other municipalities will be able to rent it for a fee. This Council resolution is to award contracts for the construction of the training centre:

• Purchase of containers: $18,650 + tax
• Purchase and installation of poles: $4,800 + tax
• A maximum of $5,000 for site preparation, grading, and development.

Support for Syndicat des producteurs acéricoles Outaouais-Laurentides 

The demand for Québec maple products is increasing steadily every year (7% per year). Public lands in the Outaouais-Laurentides and Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions have hardly been tapped for maple syrup and have significant production potential that needs to be protected (30 to 50 million taps). Studies and research show that regional governments have neglected the maple syrup sector, even though cultivating forests and sugar bushes has a very positive impact on regional economic development. Maintaining cultivated forests helps with climate and ecosystem protection because the forests act as reservoirs for our greatest natural resource—water—which flows from the north to the Ottawa Valley. It’s an issue that affects everyone in the area, from municipalities to MRCs, agricultural producers, and governments.

Therefore, Municipal Council supports Syndicat des producteurs acéricoles Outaouais-Laurentides in its efforts to lobby the provincial government regarding the urgent need to cultivate public sugar bushes and protect the maple production potential of our forests.

Partners for Climate Protection: an FCM and ICLEI program 

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability created the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program so municipal governments can share their knowledge of and experience with reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The PCP program is based on a five-step framework that includes developing GHG emissions inventories and projections. Since its inception in 1994, over 350 municipal governments across Canada—representing over 65 percent of the population—have committed to reducing GHG emissions in their municipalities and communities through the PCP program.

Municipal Council has adopted a resolution to review PCP member benefits and responsibilities and has authorized the Director General to share its intention to participate in the program and its commitment to complete the five-step Milestone Framework set out by FCM and ICLEI Canada.

Approved projects supported by the Local Sustainability and Environmental Protection Fund Second call for 2020 projects – financial support for projects

The review committee received and analyzed nine applications submitted during the second call for proposals for the Green Fund, which ended on September 1, 2020. Municipal Council granted the maximum financial contributions to the following projects for a total of $51,227:

Applicant	Project title	Amount
Municipality of La Pêche	Study in preparation for the implementation of an ecocentre	$13,390
Association des propriétaires et résidants du Lac Bernard	Milfoil control plan	$4,692
Andrew Ryan	Study on sustainable housing in Wakefield	$3,750
Cohabitat Wakefield	Sustainable affordable rental housing – phase 1	$15,000*
Fairbairn House Heritage Centre	Flood mitigation through the creation of wetlands	$3,870
Sentiers Wakefield Trails	Sentier Louis Rompré Trail – Environmental and rehabilitation study along the trail	$4,000
Municipality of La Pêche	Diagnosis of municipal agrifood regulations and services by Table agroalimentaire de l’Outaouais	$6,525

*Special conditions based on approval of funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)

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