It seems we are forever apologizing for the length of time between each newsletter. So it is again with this Fall, 2001 edition. So few people are involved in putting this flyer together, and other priorities have kept your journalist-president (recent past) quite occupied in the past several months. Ah well, better late than never!
We will try to make up for the time lapse by giving you extended news coverage of the events that shaped our lake environment over the past several months.One of the regular items of discussion was the election of officers, held every two years. Morris Richardson advised the members he would regrettably not stand for re-election for another term, citing other priorities and a desire to relax a little more and enjoy his cottage.
If you have a subject you wish discussed, notify a member of the Executive in advance. They are all listed at the end of this newsletter.
Two general meetings will be held on (to be announced by new Executive).
. As usual, the meeting will be held at the Salle des Loisirs on Chemin du Lac Long, and starts at 10:30 a.m. We invite everyone to attend.
Clean-up day on Lake Latourelle is scheduled for (to be announced by new Executive). Please participate and help keep our lakes safe from debris.
Childrens' and adult picnics have been scheduled for (to be announced by new Executive).
. Join us at the spring general meeting for more details on these initiatives!
The property we spoke of in an earlier issue of this newsletter continues to disturb us. Additionally, another property is quickly becoming a dumpsite for abandoned vehicles.
We understand that the municipal director has addressed a letter to the property owners to clean up their act. However, to date, the owners have made little or no attempt to do so. Should the matter continue to drag on, municipal council should establish a time limit, and then clean up the property, with the costs to be borne by the delinquent property owners.
Most of us make the necessary efforts to have our properties look decent and safe for the visual enjoyment of ourselves as well as our neighbors. It is indeed a pity that a few seem to have so little self-respect as to allow deterioration to the extent present in this instance.
We ask all property owners to maintain their properties to at least a minimum standard of decency. Such efforts contribute to maintaining the property values, minimize pollution, and encourage community pride.
In the end, all positions were filled by acclamation of those members present. The following is a list of the new Executive, whose phone numbers should appear at the end of this newsletter, for those wishing to communicate with them on any issues.
President David Adcock
Vice-President Gisele Adcock/Tremblay
Secretary-Treasurer Laurence Tremblay
Directors: Victoria Karalekas
Josée Tremblay
Peter de Carle
Marc Girard
Alternate Director
Frank Capello
Note that the post of alternate director for Lake Morissette was left open due to the very low participation by residents of that lake in the association, and the apparent unwillingness of anyone from that lake to take on the responsibilities of representing that lake's interests. It is indeed a shame.
The development of that site was supposed to foster tourism. Yet, during the popular fall season, when the leaves are turning a blaze of colours, the road to the top of the mountain was barricaded. I would hope that the municipal council will look closely at the timing of the open roadway with a view to accommodating tourists whenever possible. The next opportunity will be winter, and the skidoo season. Will they close the road again, like they did last year? Stay tuned.
"No hunting" signs are posted everywhere on the mountain and the roadway leading to the mountain. That is a clear indication to any observer that it is safe for a tourist to climb the mountain at this time. Yet, on the week-end of November 1, 2001, the first week of hunting, at least a dozen vehicles could be seen parked along the roadways leading to the mountain and many hunters, sporting equipment and munitions walked along the roadway, oblivious to the signs prohibiting such activity.
When yours truly confronted a municipal councilor on the problem, we were informed that, since the property is owned by the municipality, only a resolution of council can authorize the closing of the site to hunters during this season. Since there was no resolution, there was no prohibition in effect.
I do not intend to debate the merits of this argument. However, basic common sense dictates that it is one situation or the other. It cannot be both. If there is no hunting, then it should be rigidly enforced. If there is hunting, then the signs prohibiting same should be removed immediately. To do otherwise is to invite disaster by instilling a false sense of security upon the unsuspecting tourist who risks getting shot at by an over zealous hunter. Such a situation could clearly expose the municipality to potentially expensive lawsuits.
Josée Tremblay had organized two sessions at the Salle des Loisirs on Chemin du Lac Long road.
Both sessions had to cancelled for lack of participation by the members. This was especially disappointing, since it was the members who requested we organize the activity, and then it was those same members who cancelled out, citing other priorities.
We nonetheless thank Josée for her efforts in this regard. Fran Barresi has taken up the gauntlet to make another attempt at organizing another course session late in the fall. If interested, members are advised to communicate with her directly.
On Sept. 8, 2001, a joint meeting of the outgoing Executive and the new Executive decided to take additional tests. At the time of the writing of this newsletter, we have not yet heard of the results of that initiative.
EXPENSES:
Xmas contribution $200.00
Children's gifts $100.00
Clothing 254.70
Fireworks $326.02
Office & travel $190.00
Annual picnic $454.29
Telephone $57.29
Water tests $ 69.02
Misc. expenses $ 202.53
Total expenses $1,853.85
Less income (-$1,370.00)
Net loss (-$483.85)
ASSETS:
Cash in bank $1,546.30
Hard assets (tents) $163.32
Misc. assets 55.00
LIABILITIES: Accounts payables $ 69.02
Clothing inventory $171.00
Cheques in circulation 175.00
Total liabilities $244.02
Total assets $1,935.62
Less liabilities (-$244.02)
Net worth $1,691.60
Don't you just love summer. There's boating, resting, swimming, building, sailing, gardening, barbecues, and an endless array of visitors. Doesn't it all sound very familiar and GREAT. Summer at the cottage - week-ends of frantic activity. We wouldn't trade it for the world.
Every year we look forward to the childrens' picnic and Saturday, August 11, 2001 was no exception. Blessed with wonderful weather we were delighted with the wonderful turn-out. Our generous hosts this year were Frank and Guay Capello. Sincere appreciation goes out to them for their hospitality and, as well, to Morris Richardson next door for the use of his terrain for the children's games.The barbecue as always, was delicious and we want to thank those who slaved over the hot stoves. You did good. Also, thank you for the extra treats that some of you brought.
By noon, 25 young people were registered for the fishing derby and their catch weighed and measured. Final results were as follows:
Saxxen Steffenson 2 lb 4 oz bass plus 9" perch.
Cassandra Hickey 2 lb 3 oz. bass.
Demitrious Karalekas 1 lb 4 oz pike.
Khalid El Batal l1 lb. 1 oz. pike.
Brock Sweeting 10 ½" catfish.
Derek Sweeting 10 ¼" catfish.
Devin Hickey 8 ¼" perch.
Brevin MacKay 8" perch.
Cierra Steffensen 8" sunfish.
Braden MacKay 4 1/2" & 6 ½" sunfish.
Matthieu Girad. 6 ½" sunfish.
Stephanie Nicholas 5 ¾" & 5 ¼" sunfish.
Brodie MacKay 5 ¾" & 5" sunfish.
Veronique Girard 5 ¼" sunfish.
Michele Cote 5" sunfish.
Gaetan Fortin 5" sunfish.
Vanessa Leclair 4 ½" perch.
Also caught up in the fun: Madison Hickey who caught a real sweet ornamental frog, and Tasha Blazevic who found a 3 lb. pet rock. Also participating in the derby were Evan and Chloe Beisham, Richard Leclair, Nicholas Pyper, Martin & Marie-Josée Tremblay.
The children's enthusiasm was contagious, with a buzz of anticipation around the picnic table, where the prizes were carefully appraised beforehand.
Josée Tremblay, with helpful assistance, held several foot races, much to the delight of everyone. Winners of the running races were Saxxen, Martin & Braden, with Derek, Brock and Junior in another class of the event.
Winners of the 3-legged races were Junior & Stephanie; Brock & Derek; and Saxxen & Martin.
Winners of the balloon race were Brock and Derek.
A hardy thank you to the following people who donated cash or prizes again this summer for the children's tournament: Lisette Tremblay, Gisele Adcock, John Devlin & Debbie Tobalt, Jim Barresi, Pat Whelan, Gaston Tremblay, Frank Capello and the Mayor, Yvon Belanger, on behalf of the municipality. Our own association contributed $100. toward the prizes. Forgive me if I missed anyone's name and we thank you all very much.
Allard's Collision Center
Campbell Ford
Capital Collision Center
Camco Acura Automobiles Inc.
Graham Collision Center
Performance Mazda
Surgenor Pontiac Buick GMC
Southbank Dodge Chrysler (1982) Ltd.
Myers Chev Olds Cadillac Inc.
Jim Tubman Motors Ltd.
The meeting finally got under way, albeit late. A number of topics were discussed and most have been reported earlier in this newsletter, including the election of a new Executive.
Fran Barresi presented our outgoing President, Morris Richardson, with a gift on behalf of the Association for his efforts during his several terms of office. Morris responded by thanking everyone for their good wishes and gave a resume of his experiences and urged the association to continue their efforts.
Over the years, our cottage community and its population has increased significantly. A quantity of undeveloped plots of land have now burgeoned into active cottage sites. This has brought us new neighbors and a number of new potential members to our fold. We welcome this new vitality. It is good for the community spirit, good for enhancing property values, and good for the security of our milieu.
The issues we have had to face have also increased dramatically. The potential merger of Blue Sea and Messines brought our association into the limelight when we decided to take a firm position against the merger. Our stand brought us many new friends in the local community. This was followed by our position paper on the 5-year land management use (Schéma d'Aménagement). Then there were the regular issues of individual property management, lake water levels, water testing, local council issues, road improvements, and last but certainly not least, the question of forest management around our lakeshore.
Along the way, the association and your president joined or became involved with other groups with their own agendas to follow. We joined the Federation of Gatineau Valley Lake and River Associations, which represents the various lake associations in the MRC of the Upper Gatineau, and Morris became a Director of that Federation. Then we joined FAPEL, which represents cottage associations across the Province of Quebec, Then we also became members of CREDDO, the Regional Committee on the Environment and Durable Development of the Outaouais, an umbrella organization grouping together the various interest groups in the 5 MRC's of the Outaouais region. Morris became the representative for the MRC of the Upper Gatineau on lake association issues. Along the way, the municipality formed a committee to study development growth in the municipality, and Morris joined that endeavour, until it ceased to function. A few years ago, the municipality created a committee to develop Mont Morissette mountain, and Morris was invited to become a member of that municipal committee.
All of these involvements have thrust this association into the limelight and secured its importance on the local scene.
Morris even tried his hand on the local political scene, with an attempt at winning a council seat during the last municipal election... He lost by a mere 20 votes in the only contested seat in the municipal election that year.
Our membership, which stood at approx. 35 members when I first assumed the presidency, exploded to a maximum of approx. 90 toward the end of my term. We publish a regular newsletter, with a regular solid base of advertisers funding the publication. We even have our own website on the internet, which is visited in significant numbers on a regular basis.
The association has involved itself in a number of issues. It has hosted a number of events, which were sometimes costly (Annual picnics, fireworks displays); it has taken regular water tests on both lakes. It also acquired a significant number of assets, and purchased a variety of costly signage. It has over the years been the largest community contributor to the Comité des Loisirs on Lac Long Road, with approx $1,500.00 in contributions over the length of my presidency. Nonetheless, the financial affairs of the association are on a sound solid footing, and the bank account has a healthy balance to its credit.
It has been a blast. But like all good things, they must one day come to and end. And so it has. Morris decided it was time to pass the crown to someone else. I leave the presidency with the comfort and knowledge that I have given it my best shot.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their assistance rendered over the years to me and to this association. It would not have been possible for me to accomplish what I did without the on-going involvement, and support of everyone. I would also like to express my gratitude and appreciation for those members, over the years, who decided to assist the association more directly by becoming involved as directors of the association. For the most part I have enjoyed working with them very much. While we have not always agreed on the methodology, we all agreed on the basic aims. Such is as it should be in a democracy.
I would also like to express my sincere thanks for the wonderful gift the association presented me recently. I have hung it in a prominent location in my cottage living room for all to see and enjoy. I shall cherish it forever.
Just about the time someone is ready to say "what more can be accomplished by this association?", along comes potential new problems: deteriorating quality of water, saturation point of local municipal dump, increasing phosphate presence, nagging municipal merger possibilities, councilors indifferent to cottage industry needs and wants. As an association, can there be better reasons to continue to be vigilant, to be strong and firm. Our strength lies in our numbers, our determination to protect our environment, our quality of life, for our children and their children.
I urge you to continue to support your association, as paying members. You will note in the financial statements presented herein that advertising and membership revenue is down considerably from previous years. Don't wait till someone comes in person calling at your cottage property for your membership or advertising dollar. Send it in. Members of the Executive do not always have the time to canvass every cottage individually, and even when they do, they may not find you at home at that precise moment.
Consider also becoming a director/officer and an active participant in its decision making processes. It should not always be the same people carrying the burden for the majority who would otherwise sit back and reap the benefits.
Rest assured. Though I may no longer be the President, I continue to be an active member of this association. I continue to be a property owner on this lake, with a significant investment in its future. And I continue to be a significant taxpayer of this municipality and therefore with a vested interest in its development. I may not become involved on a daily basis so directly as in the past, but I will continue to be active behind the scenes.
I offer my congratulations to the members of the new Executive, and my most sincere best wishes for their future. I offer them my co-operation as well as my assistance if required.
Finally, to one and all, I offer my best wishes for the Holiday Season soon to be upon us. May you all have a very Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year.
Copyright © 1996 APELL
All Rights Reserved
Last Updated: May 21th, 2002
Dernier Mis à Jour: 21 mai, 2002
