Potton pushes for Priority 3 first responders as fires, church plans and road project move ahead
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Potton Township Mayor Louis Veillon says the municipality is continuing to press the Quebec government and the regional health authority to let local first responders attend Priority 3 medical calls, even as an otherwise quiet early summer has kept Mansonville’s fire crews busy with two industrial incidents and seen residents rally behind plans to repurpose the village’s former Catholic church.
Two fires test mutual-aid crews
In a June 26 interview, Veillon said two fire calls drew mutual-aid crews to the village in recent weeks, though both were quickly contained.
The first brought roughly seven trucks from North Troy and Jay, Vermont, along with two from Austin, to support the Mansonville Fire Department. “All it was was a fire in an overhead fan, and apparently they had to stop it before it went into the roof,” the mayor said, adding that “everybody showed up and everybody took off and went home.”
A second call came days later at NexKemia Petrochemicals, the village’s expandable-polystyrene plant on rue Bellevue, following what Veillon described as a chemical reaction. Crews from Troy, North Troy and Jay responded under mutual aid alongside departments from Austin and Lac-Brome. The mayor said the situation was contained and referred further questions to the fire chief.
Former church wins support for new uses
Veillon characterized the latest council business as routine. “Very quiet,” he said of the most recent meeting.
The municipality did, however, hold a well-attended public consultation on the future of the former Saint-Cajetan church, which is being repurposed for community use. About 50 residents turned out, and the mayor said the response was strongly supportive of clearing the building’s benches to open up the space for activities ranging from youth programming to pickleball, basketball and exercise classes.
“Everybody was in favour of changing the venue of the church,” he said, noting that final written submissions are still being compiled. The June 1 council meeting had flagged the consultation, noting that roughly 160 residents already use the building each week as a community centre.
Covered bridge fundraiser planned for festival
Work is also advancing on the municipality’s heritage covered bridge, the Pont de la Frontière. Veillon said plans are being developed and that a fundraiser will be held at this summer’s festival, featuring a méchoui and a beer tasting, with all proceeds directed to the covered-bridge fund.
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A busy summer of races and rides
The mayor pointed to a busy season of outdoor events. About two weeks ago, roughly 1,600 cyclists took part in a 140-kilometre gravel ride through the area, he said.
The following weekend an endurance race drew about 200 runners to the mountain, and another gravel cycling outing for about 30 riders was set to follow on a 40-kilometre loop.
$5-million road project heads to engineers
On infrastructure, Veillon confirmed the township has secured a $3.5-million government grant toward rebuilding two main arteries. With a municipal contribution of $1.5 million, the total project is valued at about $5 million.
The work has not yet begun. “It’s just going through to the engineers right now,” he said, explaining that the project will go to tender once the engineering is complete.
Push continues for Priority 3 first responders
The most pointed of the mayor’s remarks concerned emergency medical response, an issue that has dominated recent council discussions. Potton continues to lobby the province and the CIUSSS de l’Estrie–CHUS to add Priority 3 calls to the list of incidents its first responders are permitted to attend. Under current provincial rules, first responders are not dispatched to those calls.
“We’ve had first responders for 35 years and we feel it’s a necessary service … considering we’re at least 45 minutes from the closest hospital,” Veillon said. He added that “the government hasn’t reacted to our demands,” and that neither had the regional health authority.
He explained the distinction at the heart of the dispute: “Priority one and priority two is life-threatening,” he said, while “priority three is assistance in need, or broken legs, cuts … serious accidents.” First responders, he said, could stabilize a patient and prepare them for transport so paramedics can take over on arrival. “Priority three is more to make sure that they can get the patient set up for the ambulance, so when the ambulance gets here, they can take over control,” he said.
The campaign follows a June 1 council meeting at which members cited a cardiac emergency in which an ambulance reportedly took about an hour to reach a Potton resident. In response to the municipality, the CIUSSS has said the policy is governed by provincial clinical guidelines and cannot be changed locally. Council members have indicated they intend to keep advocating for greater flexibility for rural municipalities, arguing that local crews could provide assistance while ambulances are en route.
Festival set for August
Looking ahead, Veillon said the township is preparing for the Spirit of Potton Festival, scheduled for August 20 to 22, with further details to be released closer to the event.
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