Who is Daniel Jomphe, candidate for Cap-aux-Meules–Entry Island?

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.