Ahead of the municipal elections on October 26, the Clarence-Rockland Chamber of Commerce hosted two information evenings on October 13 in Bourget and October 15 in Rockland to introduce local candidates and foster discussion with residents.

Each evening began with an opening round where all candidates running for mayor, ward councillor, and school board trustee had speaking time to introduce themselves and highlight their platforms. The proceedings then centered around a series of targeted themes guided by an impartial moderator. Citizen-submitted questions had been gathered by the Chamber of Commerce and provided to participants in advance.

Fiscal Policy
Tax rates and fiscal pressures were recurring themes throughout both evenings, prompting candidates to address the balance between required capital investments and residents’ tax burdens.

For the mayoral race, incumbent mayor Mario Zanth highlighted securing $34.7 million in provincial and federal grants, which he noted spared residents from 115 per cent in direct municipal tax increases.

One of his two challengers Laurier Lalonde, urged stricter fiscal discipline, insisting that every expenditure be justified to taxpayers and that the City urgently find ways to cut costs.

To achieve this, several candidates advocated expanding the commercial tax base by attracting businesses and pursuing innovative financial solutions.

Marc Daigneault, who is running in Ward 1, proposed exploring partnerships with neighboring municipalities to share certain capital costs, while Marc Roy, who is running in Ward 8 suggested examining emerging models like municipal service corporations to bridge funding shortfalls without overtaxing residents.

Raymond Luttmer, candidate for Ward 3, demanded an independent value-for-money audit on municipal contracts before asking homeowners for additional tax dollars.

France Daviault, running in Ward 6, suggested prioritizing commercial development along the County Road 17 corridor over purely residential growth to alleviate the residential tax burden.

David Roy, also running in Ward 6, cautioned against relying solely on large retail chains for fiscal stability, arguing that «We need to put more effort into attracting and supporting our local small businesses and shops to help diversify our economy.»

Echoing this rural outlook, Sarma Merdian, another candidate in Ward 6, emphasized that diversification starts with business retention, supporting existing local enterprises rather than solely recruiting external retailers.

Affordability
Multiple candidates underscored the need to protect family budgets amid rising living costs and housing pressures.

Zanth pointed to his administration’s record of mitigation measures, noting 0 per cent fee increases for municipal daycares and recreation facilities, alongside a $40-million infrastructure budget.

Lalonde criticized rising internal municipal costs—particularly municipal payroll—and argued that taxpayers are not seeing adequate value for their money.

Candidates put forward several practical proposals to address attainable housing. Daigneault proposed promoting existing incentive programs, pointing out that combining development charge exemptions and tax rebates can lower home acquisition costs by 30 per cent to 35 per cent , benefiting all residents.

Carl Grimard, who is seeking a re-election bid in Ward 3, highlighted the delivery of 13 affordable housing units in partnership with the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR), advocating for continued collaboration with non-profits and private developers to build housing without burdening local taxpayers.

Luttmer called for cutting red tape, streamlining outdated bylaws, and leveraging municipal land strategically through community partnerships without raising property taxes. In the same ward, Mathieu Gervais advocated for affordable growth, emphasizing that household financial sustainability requires expanding the local commercial base to support municipal revenues.

Transportation
Mobility and congestion relief on County Road 17 drew unanimous agreement as critical priorities. Zanth focused on the road widening project scheduled to begin design phases in 2027 and on traffic safety under Vision Zero, while noting the significant ongoing municipal subsidies required to operate public transit.

In contrast, Lalonde emphasized investing in rural road maintenance and urged council to evaluate lower-cost alternatives, such as a three-lane reversible roadway on County Road 17.

Stéphane Fournier, who was acclaimed to his seat in Ward 2, highlighted the ongoing impact of the municipal Vision Zero framework in safeguarding motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

For rural and local connectivity, Sameer Chhibber, a Ward 4 candidate, called for a commuter shuttle or on-demand transit service linking villages like Bourget, Saint-Pascal, and Hammond to central Rockland, particularly for seniors and youth without driver’s licenses.

Don Bouchard, who is running in Ward 5, suggested transit partnerships with OC Transpo, including a shuttle route running from the Rockland Walmart park-and-ride directly to the Trim LRT station. Chantal Sarkisian, the other Ward 5 candidate, stressed assessing actual rider needs through data, exploring flexible transit options, and collaborating directly with the City of Ottawa to resolve regional bottlenecks.

Transparency and Accountability
Municipal transparency and accountability took center stage amid voter concerns over administrative distance. Lalonde denounced bureaucratic opacity, demanding that all council meetings remain open to the public rather than held in camera, while urging faster turnaround times for building permits and resident inquiries.

Zanth acknowledged the need for ongoing improvement through constituent feedback.
«I’ve heard you say that we need better communication with regards to council decisions and how those decisions affect you, and I agree—we will work on this,» he said.

Ward candidates also advanced specific accountability measures. Roy highlighted the need to boost civic participation.

«With voter turnout around 40 per cent, we are clearly falling short on community engagement; I want to introduce regular town hall meetings,» he said.

Daviault committed to forming a volunteer advisory committee within her first 100 days and pledged to review existing budgets and municipal plans to examine past decision-making criteria and motivations.

Finally, Michel Levert, acclaimed to council in Ward 7, suggested trimming red tape to speed up municipal administrative responses and building permit approvals.

For Nick Oda, president of the Chamber of Commerce, the purpose of these candidate debates was to give residents a clear, respectful, and politically neutral forum to evaluate their prospective representatives and their priorities.

Closing the sessions, he thanked all participating candidates and encouraged voters to turn out on polling day, October 26.