Candidate Jacky Poirier, who is running in the district of Cap-aux-Meules and Entry Island, has made a name for himself over the past year as a fervent critic of elected municipal officials.

The rental entrepreneur was president of Tourisme Îles de la Madeleine for almost three years, before resigning in 2023 to get involved in the protest movement against the increase in commercial and industrial property taxes.

Having just celebrated his 50th birthday, he now hopes to take part in the decision-making process by sitting on council, and says he looks forward to working with the other elected officials of the Municipalité des Îles.

 “I am not submitting my candidacy to go look for a fight, what I want is openness. I want healthy management. I want the current elected officials to open the books, and to stop telling us when we are at the Council meetings that we have a time limit to ask questions. There are very important and even worrisome issues. So, I go in with an open mind, with a mind of continued improvement. There is nothing wrong, indeed it is very healthy, to constantly re-evaluate.” (Loose translation from audio)

According to Mr. Poirier, the three priority issues for councillors should be to back off the Passe Archipel project, as well as the Cap-aux-Meules eco-district and the new Grande-Entrée community center.

As such, he doubts that Islanders need a new public infrastructure at the extremity of the archipelago.

“They tell us today that we absolutely need a community center. There is La Salicorne, the seniors building, the church that can also be used as a hall. There is also the school gymnasium, and it raises the question as to why they never put money on the Capitole de l’Est, they’ve been working 8 years on this hall, citizens of Grande-Entrée have been asking for 5 years to fix the roof, I don’t understand. When is the last time this hall was used? Is this a real need?” (Loose translation from audio)

The candidate is also of the opinion that there is “room for improvement” in the eco-district project, particularly with regard to the land drainage and decontamination process.

As for Entry Island, he admits that there are gaps in the services offered, and says he is committed to the quality of life of its residents.

To view the original article and listen to the interview (in French):

Qui est Jacky Poirier, candidat pour Cap-aux-Meules–Île-d’Entrée?

Special thanks to the Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders for the translation.

Georges Painchaud, candidate for the district of Cap-aux-Meules and Entry Island, is no stranger to election campaigns.

A former president of the Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal, Painchaud ran for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) in the Magdalen Islands in 2012, and his volunteer work in the community continues to this day.

The 75-year-old deplores the tense atmosphere that prevails at public council meetings, although he believes that some of the fears expressed by citizens are justified.

“Several people I have met since submitting my candidacy for Councillor said to me that I am for the Mayor. No, I am not for the Mayor, I am not against the Mayor, I am for the citizens of the Magdalen Islands, and particularly those of Cap-aux-Meules and Entry Island. The last word, and my decisions will all be based on one thing: my conscience, no matter what the subject at hand. So I am not on any sides, I am a neutral guy, but when someone comes to me with a given situation, can I verify both sides of the story before giving judgement?” (Loose translation from audio)

Asked to identify the three priority issues for councillors, Mr. Painchaud immediately names the issue of access to public toilets on Entry Island, as well as the difficulties in the tourism sector.

However, he also believes that restoring the municipality’s financial health should be at the top of the agenda.

“There is a rumour, or a will to make citizens believe that we are in a poor financial situation, and that money is being wasted. That needs to be proven. We need to make the difference between doing nothing by fear of having a tax increase, and by the same token decrease the quality of life of citizens, and set back the Islands by not functioning at all. We will always have a need for investments on the Islands, but we need to know if the budget permits it.” (Loose translation from audio)

The candidate “finds it very hard” to justify the high cost of a project such as the future Grande-Entrée community hall to the residents of Entry Island, if the Municipalité des Îles is unable to offer them better public sanitary facilities.

On the other hand, he describes the Cap-aux-Meules eco-district project as “excellent”, although he questions the financial capacity of the archipelago to develop this project.

The by-election for the district of Cap-aux-Meules and Entry Island will be held on September 8, with advance polling on September 1.

To view the original article and listen to the interview (in French):

Qui est Georges Painchaud, candidat pour Cap-aux-Meules–Île-d’Entrée?

Special thanks to the Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders for the translation.

Among the three candidates hoping to represent the residents of Cap-aux-Meules and Entry Island on the municipal council, Daniel Jomphe introduces himself as a person who wishes above all to listen to his fellow citizens.

The 48-year-old, who works as a homecare attendant, has studied philosophy, trained in mining and worked in the hotel industry.

Although he intends to cooperate with the other councillors in the event of his election, he says he has no desire to impose projects on the Islanders.

“What I have observed without being directly involved, is that there seems to be a lot of tension at the local political level, and my sense is that citizens don’t feel listened to and that their opinions have little impact on the decisions. I present myself as a person who would be ready to listen to citizens opinions before getting them involved in a project.” (Loose translation from audio)

When asked what the three priority issues should be for the municipality’s elected representatives, Mr. Jomphe points to the climate and the cost of food.

He also believes that a municipal agricultural greenhouse project could be developed to improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables year-round on the archipelago.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­“What would be nice to see would be to find a project that could look like an agricultural greenhouse that could be operated at the municipal level. We have water originating from the Hydro-Quebec generating station that is used as a source of heat for the hospital and since we are in a planning period, we could work on planning a similar project with a piping system that would give us fruits and vegetable year-round.” (Loose translation from audio)

As for the Cap-aux-Meules eco-district project, the candidate defers to the opinion of the citizens of Cap-aux-Meules before making up his mind.

He also believes that the residents of Entry Island should be listened to more, mentioning in passing the creation of a “more stable” maritime link “officially” administered by the Municipality.

The by-election for the district of Cap-aux-Meules and Entry Island will be held on September 8, with advance polling on September 1.

To view the original article and listen to the interview (in French):

Qui est Daniel Jomphe, candidat pour Cap-aux-Meules–Île-d’Entrée?

Special thanks to the Council for Anglophone Magdalen Islanders for the translation.