LETTER

A councillor responds

 

Our city's new rules for handling waste, resulting from policies mandated by our National Assembly in Quebec, are important and will be implemented this year. We simply cannot continue to dig big holes and fill them with garbage - we must all take more responsibility for our consumption.  

Yes, we foresee a short-term increase in illegal dumping and littering from cars in rural Aylmer's agricultural zone. Thanks to members such as David Reford of Reford Beef (grass fed and naturally raised), this item gets attention at Gatineau's Agricultural Committee for which I was Aylmer's representative from 2013-2017 (Councillor Bureau will now occupy the post until 2021). We must work together to encourage our fellow citizens towards civil behaviours since we all share the same environment. Billing and building walls is not the way forward - we'll start with education and fines and see where these lead.

Regarding the "councillor's mandate" letter -- all 18 of us, from Aylmer to Buckingham, cast votes monthly on all projects, from Aylmer to Buckingham. I tell our Grade 11 students when visiting their Contemporary World classes:  "I was elected by and am paid by the residents of Deschênes Ward (and formerly Lucerne Ward from 2013-2017) and their interests dominate in my decision-making. My next priority is Aylmer, followed by Gatineau, and then the other regional interests". This is not always clear as we navigate complex subjects and must boil things down to a simple "for" or "against".  

If anybody has any questions about what I've said, done, or written, feel free to ask me directly. I'm known as a straight-shooter and will continue to be honest and hard-working for my fellow citizens, though my word choices may not always meet the evolving standards for "political correctness".

Mike Duggan, councillor for Deschênes Ward
Aylmer