By : Jean-Loup Beaulne-Morin
Mayor Lee Patterson kicked off the meeting by asking that questions be limited to two per resident, and five minutes per person, and that the two question periods at each meeting not exceed 30 minutes each. Several issues of note came up during the meeting.
Collapsing building and Trestle Cove issue
When questioned about the building collapsing behind the former Sapin restaurant, Mr. Patterson explained that the town had looked into the matter and that the Fire Safety Department was seeking to reach an agreement with the owner to find a solution. On another topic, due to ongoing discussions with parties involved, the mayor refrained from commenting on the ‘topping’ of trees on public land at Trestle Cove, which occurred more than a year ago.
New trail regulations
New rules regarding the 20 km of Brome Lake trails have been introduced (by-law 2026-09) to improve safety and civility. (See article on page XX.)
Heavy truck traffic changes
Good news for Knowlton: there should be fewer heavy trucks speeding through the village. The Ministry of Transport has designated Route 215 as the main route for heavy trucking, instead of Route 243 running along the lake.
Sûreté du Québec costs
The bill sent to the Town of Lac-Brome in 2026 by the Quebec government for Sûreté du Québec coverage has increased to $2.96 million, with no improvement in services.
Zoning by-law 596 and referendum
The provisions of zoning by-law 596 concerning the height and lot coverage percentage of new buildings could be subject to a referendum. Enough signatures from people opposing the by-law have been collected to initiate a registration process. As a reminder, by-law 596 seeks to limit high-density construction and the densification of buildings, primarily on the Bondville side, even though it is too late to modify what has already been approved. The municipality will inform residents directly of the referendum plans.
Code of ethics and councillor compensation
A new code of ethics governing municipal councillors has been adopted (by-law 2026-04), and councillors voted in favour of an increase to their salaries, compensation, and expenses (by-law 2026-05). The mayor’s base salary is $40,542 for the 2026 fiscal year. Councillors receive a base salary of $13,514, in addition to fees and allowances for their participation in various meetings.
Sewer break in Bondville
Shortly after the meeting, Mr. Patterson announced a new sewer break in Bondville along with a significant sewage overflow. The incident occurred on a sewer pipe that should have been upgraded in 2011 or 2012. It was recently discovered that some of that work may not have been done or carried out in accordance with the original plans, which has been reported to provincial authorities in accordance with established protocols. The municipality is examining options for a permanent repair of the affected infrastructure and is seeking to understand what happened to take the necessary steps to establish accountability for this failure.
Next meeting
May 4, 2026, 7 p.m.