December

The mayor noted that life has not been dull in West Bolton. A major storm inflicted an estimated $500,000 in damages to roads, culverts and trees. An appeal for financial assistance has been sent to Quebec. A freight train derailed at the Brill-Foster Rd level crossing. Six cars loaded with lumber and paper were overturned.

Questions – Many conditions in a PIIA apply to the location of houses and driveways to provide protection for water quality in the streams and aquifers on Mt Foster. Clearing for the house and driveway is limited to 1500 sq meters. The design and colour of houses is also covered by a PIIA. There will be an article on garbage, com- post and recycling in the next issue of The Source.

Urbanism: – An application to build a small cabin in the woods has been refused by the CPTAQ. There will be a 7.5% subdivision tax on the value of lots on Mt Foster. The proceeds will be added to the Parks and Recreation account.

Environment – An MRC proposal to hire an inspector to check on the condition of all riparian reserves throughout the MRC has been postponed for further study. The proposal was that municipalities pay for the inspections based on the length of watercourses in the municipality. Payment based on proportion of population in the MRC would be more equitable.

January

The mayor and all councillors, except Robert Chartier, were present, plus eight residents.

Administration – The MRC planning and zoning regulations will be reviewed during 2020. West Bolton does not have an urban perimeter and is not permitted to build any new roads to provide access to new houses. The objective will be to change the regulations to allow well-planned construction of new houses consistent with maintaining the rural character of the community. There will be public consultation.

It is important to sort refuse carefully to ensure that material put in the blue recycling bin is all recyclable material – plastic, paper and metal – check the list on the West Bolton website. Household garbage mixed in with the recyclable material results in the whole truckload being sent to landfill at a significant additional cost to the municipality. Poor sorting by our residents has caused Sani-Eco to increase their fees by 10% for 2020.

Bell Canada internet service is now available to some areas of West Bolton from the Bell Tower on Mt Gauvin.

Mt Foster – ACA has almost reached their target for contributions to complete the purchase of the Nature Reserve on Mt Foster. Please make a donation to help reach the goal.

Urbanism – The total value of permits issued in 2019 was $4.4 million.

Next meeting: Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall