Report on La Pêche Budget 2009 and Lac Bernard - January 5, 2009

The La Pêche municipality 2009 budget meeting was held during the evening of Monday, January 5 at the Masham Arena.  Janet Bax, President of the Lac Bernard Association  and Jane Barton, Executive Committee member attended the meeting to determine how the budget would affect Lac Bernard.  In particular, the budget should have reflected the plans for Lac Bernard septic system inspections promised by the Mayor at the October 29, 2008 Lake Association Annual General Meeting.

Through questions and answers at the January 5 meeting, the following was made clear:

1. The budget does not reflect any work on septic inspections at Lac Bernard either by the municipality itself or through the provincial PAPA program for lakes with blue green algae.  (Programme d'aide à la prévention des algues bleues (PAPA). For the September 2nd, 2008 discussion of the PAPA program at the La Pêche council meeting, see http://www.villelaPêche.qc.ca/en/2008-09-02PVanglais.pdf and http://www.mamr.gouv.qc.ca/publications/dossiers/algues/doss_algu_list_plan_eau.pdf ) 

2.  La Pêche has no information on how the PAPA will work or the extent of its support for Lac Bernard specifically.  At the end of January/early February 2009, the MRC des Collines should have a clearer idea of its plans for septic systems in La Pêche.   

3. Any work on septic systems at Lac Bernard by La Pêche will continue to be focussed on putting the priority on the properties for which the municipality does not have permitting information. 

4. Mayor Bussière did reiterate his desire that inspections would start at Lac Beranrd at the beginning of the summer and that, starting in 2009, notices requiring corrections of septic systems would be issued immediately on the spot at the end of inspections.  When notices are given to the property owner, the property owner must provide the municipality, usually within 30 days, the name of the chosen engineering firm that will make the correction required as well as the engineering firm's plan. 

5. However, M. Marchildon, La Pêche Director of Urbanism and the Environment, made clear that Lac des Loups would continue to be the municipality's priority. 

Followup by the Lac Bernard Association will be the following:

1. Discussions with the MRC will be scheduled to learn more about the PAPA and how best it can assist Lac Bernard. 

2. Meetings with the municipality will be scheduled throughout the winter for status reports on the work that the municipality promised would be completed by summer 2009 : i.e. Further work on the data base for Lac Bernard; Inspections and classifications by contractors; and Follow-up on requests for corrections made in 2008.