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I’m back! Sadly, I lost my district to the incumbent by only 33 votes in what was a nail-biting race, but now I'm back with the Pointe-Claire Record to bring you community news and to give our residents a place to tell their stories. 

There were quite a few close results in Quebec this election — the mayoral race in Côte Saint-Luc was decided by just a single vote! Yes, this is democracy, but, sadly, voter turnout was still low in Pointe-Claire and the province in general.

The fact that the government holds municipal elections on a Sunday, with few voting hours compared to provincial and federal elections, certainly doesn’t help encourage a higher turnout. Generally, provincial and federal elections are held on a Monday, which encourages people to drop in to vote after work. Holding an election on the weekend when everyone has other things to do, then scratching your head wondering why nobody came, is just being out of touch with reality.

I did hear from a few seniors that they found the voting circle on the ballot to be very small and difficult to fill in compared to past ballots. There were also delays at the polling stations due to a new system, which required people to check in twice, creating a backlog.

A pilot project carried out in a number of Quebec municipalities included candidate photos on the ballot in an attempt to make voting simpler. In districts where candidates have similar names or are only remembered as “that nice man/woman who came to my door,” this could be a way of simplifying things further.

How was your voting experience this year? Did you have any issues voting? Let us know about your experience.

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Now, I want to make a left turn and talk about the Pointe-Claire Record (PCR) and the Pointe-Claire Citizens’ Association (PCCA). Over the past several months, quite a few of you have expressed interest in helping with the newspaper or the association, and I said to stay tuned for the announcement of a public meeting where discussions could be held and ideas presented.

I do not want to see the PCR or the PCCA cease to exist, but there is, without question, the need for more help and participation if either is to survive. There is great potential for both, but more volunteers are definitely needed.

On the agenda would be looking at what would be needed to sustain this newspaper. While our team of volunteers is incredibly hard-working and has been working under tough deadlines, we could definitely use more help with writing, technical support, and possibly looking into earning revenue through advertising. The format, expectations, and mandate of the Pointe Claire Citizens’ Association also need to be discussed.

So, with this in mind, you are all invited to attend a gathering about the future of the PCCA and the newspaper on January 20th at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Pointe-Claire Legion, at 365 Saint-Louis Ave. Please give us some thought over the holidays, and we hope to see you there. An RSVP isn't compulsory, but we'd love to know if you’d like to attend.

Happy holidays from everyone at the Pointe-Claire Record to you and your families!