COVID-19 at Poisson-Blanc
No, don’t worry. Here we relax in the tranquility of our little paradise, however, for our members from Ontario or elsewhere some health restrictions in Quebec are different please follow this link for real time news: https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/
PLEASE MARK OUR NEW DATE FOR OUR AGM: SUNDAY MAY 24th starting at 1pm at the community hall at Lac-Ste-Marie
This year winner of our photo contest is ELAINE PAUL HOWES!
Our 2020 Facebook and website feature photograph:
WE ARE GETTING READY FOR YOUR RENEWAL AND RECRUITMENT PERIOD IN APRIL!
that it is with the help of your $ 25 membership fee and some donations that:
- We can renew and install new safety buoys on Lac Poisson-Blanc south;
- Buy our new yellow buoys to mark invasive plants on the Poisson Blanc;
- Prepare new awareness posters for the islands and also for our roads;
- We can prepare community activities for you;
- Pay our debts for the administration and others activities.
Have some fun here!
Your links to find out about activities in our neighboring municipalities:
Lac-Sainte-Marie: https://lac-sainte-marie.com/en/news_and_events.php
Denholm: http://www.denholm.ca/index.php/en/community/news-releases
Bowman: http://www.bowman.ca/calendrier/#contn
Let’s not forget that we are fortunate to have an outdoor base that offers winter activities for the whole family.
Base de plein-air Air-Eau-Bois: http://www.aireaubois.com/index-en.php
And the icing on the cake, a regional park that provides services for the whole family during the winter.
Parc régional Poisson Blanc: https://poissonblanc.ca/activites/raquette/
THANK YOU LAC-STE-MARIE AND DENHOLM FOR…
For the past two years, we have noticed a general improvement on the Trans-Outaouais. More and more this inter-regional “panoramic” road is gaining value for our residents and vacationers.
A special thank you to the municipality of Lac-Ste-Marie for the maintenance of our roads in the Lac Brochet sector and on Chemin Grand-Poisson-Blanc during the winter period. Thank you Martin!
An excursion to the old growth forest!
With the partial marking of the trail (thank you Louis-Philippe), David & Debby, Jeff & Gil, Lori and Pierre tried to find this sector of the original forest of our region. Our guides, David and Debby helped us get to the big pines as well as the hemlocks which are quite impressive.
According to Pierre, we have not yet found this little gem that is beyond the big mountains. Our excursion lasted approximately 4 hours (round trip). The climb is a little physical but, the return was very pleasant… we were even able to slid downhill. The circumference of the largest tree was 2.10 meters.
We will wait for the return of spring or even before to explore further.
If you are interested in coming exploring with us… let us know!
A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM PIERRE, YOUR PRESIDENT IN 2019
The holidays are behind us now and we’ve had our regular end-of-year reviews, it’s time to look at 2020.
2020 is a big one in many ways. It’s loaded with as many challenges as community events, new adventures, promises and hope.
We’re ready to go. Everything is set… Only thing missing is you! We’re over one hundred members! We now have the potential needed to promote our values to protect our lake. I’ve been volunteering with the association since 2014, and am your president since 2016.
As part of my mandate, I took on updating our bylaws and structure to be comparable to what we saw elsewhere in the region and, due to the lack of volunteers, I looked after several of our committees and administrative tasks myself.
I’m sharing with you my thoughts about our Association as it enters its sixth year.
Without the help from our board members, it would have been very difficult for our Association to have survived. THANK YOU to Linda, Jeff, Benoît and David who agreed to represent you, thank you Gilbert, who, with his big smile, has always agreed to take care of our accounting, Marcel who was my support and motivator when I lacked energy , Monique and Diane for their help in transcribing our meetings. And finally, to Carla, for her great generosity to listen and advise me, in the preparation of our annual newsletter, for her help in hosting our “Corn Roast” and for storing our material and finally as administrator of our Facebook page.
This is what I think is important for 2020:
This spring, we’re creating two committees as are part of our mandate: the Invasive Species Monitoring Committee (see details below) and another committee that was suggested by the municipality: the Old Growth Forest Walking Committee (see details below). We must revitalize our Island Monitoring committee for lake Poisson Blanc, if we want to preserve the beauty and rustic nature of the islands. We also need to think about our emergency measures in the event of a natural disaster.
As for me, I must consider my health. I’m realizing today that I can’t continue this way. I think having a new president can be done this year! We’re not an ASSOCIATION if we leave all the responsibilities to the same people year after year. We need new ideas, new approaches and above all, to renew creative energy.
Thinking about of our FUTURE Invasive Species’ Committee….
We have to be proactive before the situation gets out of hand. We’ll get yellow buoys, but will we have the volunteers to look after them? I’m afraid and I have the same feeling for our Old Forest Trail Committee. Hopefully I’m wrong! An association will move forward thanks to the active participation of its members. If we don’t have volunteers or managers for our committees… They won’t be operational in 2020… so we need people!
At the next AGM, I won’t be accepting the role of president. After four years in management, I’m less efficient, have less energy to devote myself entirely to this role as before. I would also like to take advantage of the few years ahead of me for my hobbies and other passions that I have put aside.
If I’m appointed again at the AGM as a director, I’ll gladly accept, but not as president. A new president will bring new ideas, new members, more participation. More energy!
In my new role I vouch to assist the President in his or her duties and will retain certain responsibilities that the directors will give me.
According to our bylaws, the President is chosen from among the directors who will be voted for at the May 24 AGM (see details below).
In my opinion, whoever will be PRESIDENT must: 1) Have a open vision of our watershed from Notre-Dame-de-Laus to Lac Brochet; 2) Be able to understanding both French and English, 3) Be open to meetings and exchanges with municipalities and other associations (about 2 hours annually) 4) Have a unifying and motivating spirit.
I’m ending my thoughts by saying a THANK YOU for having put your trust in me. I feel positive and excited about our Association’s future. It will continue to progress, with your participation in representing us with municipal and government authorities.
Thank you!
Pierre Charlebois
Outgoing President 2019
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
NOMINATION PROCEDURES FOR THE PRESIDENCY AND FOR ELECTION:
The AGM meeting does not directly select its president or the other positions of its Board of Directors. It is the elected directors, after the AGM, who divide the administrative tasks among themselves, including the presidency, sector representatives and other tasks. In short, if you’re interested in the position of president, you must be elected as a director.
If you’re interested in representing your sector, the presidency, sharing your administrative knowledge, helping the cause of the Association, you must present yourself on Sunday, May 24 at our AGM. You must be appointed and assisted by a member who is not in your immediate family.
For those interested, below are all the details for our current or future committees…
LISTS OF COMMITTEES IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS AND OPERATION:
ISLANDS MONITORING COMMITTEE:
As a volunteer, you’re responsible for monitoring an island where there is camping based on the list of available sites on lake Poisson Blanc. Our sites are marked with a sign. Your task is mainly to check the general condition of the site and, if needed, clean it (we provide the bags) if it has been vandalized, check the ashes and bury feces. According to our volunteers, this rarely happens, but if there is a problem, you should contact the coordinator of this committee (Ray Thibodeau) to inform us.
Interested? Contact us immediatly at: abv.poissonblanc@gmail.com
FUTURE COMMITTEE ON INVASIVE SPECIES:
The coordinator and volunteers will be chosen among the interested members who will attend our AGM.
A volunteer’s task will be to set up one or more yellow buoys in late spring and to remove the same buoys in the fall. The procedures are similar to the Buoy Committee, which is under Margaret’s responsibility. In addition, he or she will inform the coordinator in case of any problems. It may also be that this committee is responsible for the development of a boat washing station if that happens.
Interested members can join us immediately via email or attend our AGM. The team of interested parties will meet immediately after the AGM.
Interested? Contact us immediatly at: abv.poissonblanc@gmail.com
FUTURE COMMITTEE OF THE OLD GROWTH FOREST TRAIL:
The coordinator and volunteers will be chosen from among the interested members who will attend our AGM.
The task of a volunteer will be to implement a plan to develop and protect this old forest of the Montée Jean-Marc and its realization. This project will probably be highlighted by the municipality of LSM and the MRC during the reconstruction of the Montée Jean-Marc this year. If we want to be listened to, we must organize ourselves.
Interested members can join us immediately via email or attend our AGM. The team of interested parties will meet immediately after the AGM.
Interested? Contact us immediately at: abv.poissonblanc@gmail.com
COMMUNITY CORN ROAST COMMITTEE:
It is important to reorganize this committee so as NOT to DEPEND only of the presidency and Carla. There has been progress but also gaps in the organization of this fundraising event in 2019. We had volunteers, but NO coordinator or committee officially named. The result was a lack of communication.
Volunteers in 2019 will be contacted to find out what their interests are for 2020.
What I am suggesting is the appointment of a coordinator to ensure that all tasks are completed by volunteers.
19 tasks to fill to have a stress-free community Corn Roast party!
Interested? Contact us immediatly at: abv.poissonblanc@gmail.com
