Pontiac Equestrian Association

The Pontiac Equestrian association website is at: http://www.pontiacequestre.com/.

New members are welcome. Contact: pontiacequestre@gmail.com, 819-319-9633.

There are plans to extend the trail east of Pilon (as far as Luskville Falls park).

Get ready to ride the trails!

Fundraiser for Japan

Aylmer's Japanese community will be holding a bake sale / fundraiser this Friday at the community kiosk at Les Galeries Aylmer between 10:00 and 8:30 pm. 

Please come and encourage us if you can.

If you have time to bake and want to donate some goodies, you can drop them off directly at the kiosk that day or at our house Thursday evening.

 

If you can't come and and have no time bake, all prayers ,no matter how small, are accepted!

 

Thank you so much for your support,

 

 

Alain David and Mayumi Sakamoto

1652 Rte 148

Breckenridge, Pontiac,

J0X 2G0

819 455-1125

Designer lives in Luskville, from the Pontiac Journal

Brand new threads

 Kate Aley

   LUSKVILLE - Trading the high end fast life of Toronto’s fashion district for some bucolic riverside Pontiac real estate, designer and fashion artist Wendy Ratcliffe has launched a new career path,  producing unusual and practical bags and children’s gear from home. The Journal caught up with Ratcliffe as she prepares to launch her new spring season designs.

Q: What is your design background?

 I attended Ryerson Polytechnic University's Apparel Design and Production program and spent eight years as Head Designer and Production manager for a Toronto clothing manufacturer.
 I also taught a number of courses myself including 18th century corset making.

Q: What materials do you like to work with?
     My favourite material is vinyl: it’s durable, versatile and comes in a vast variety of colours and finishes, plus it can stand up to anything our Canadian climate throws at us.  Marine vinyl is perfect for kids backpacks which always take a serious beating, while the soft hand of ‘leather look’ vinyl makes excellent shoulder bags.
I am a big fan of cotton prints and snap up the funky ones when I see them.  Once layered with vinyl, these cotton fabrics make great pencil cases and messenger bags.
   
Q: How did moving to a rural area affect your business?
     It was a love/hate relationship!  I hated that I could no longer walk out my door and immediately get whatever supplies I required.  But I love that my studio space now looks directly onto the river and that the sounds of the birds and slapping of beaver tails drifts in though the windows as I work.

Q: How do you juggle a young family and a small business?

     With great difficulty and lots of patience.  I constantly remind myself that the boys will only be young once and that my business has years to grow.  Everything I create is %100 made by me, and this requires time.  Our family are not a big fans of winter, so I spend the cold months sewing like a mad woman, allowing us to spend the summer outside together. 

Q: What’s new for you this season?

     Drawing inspiration from the Victorian Era, this spring/summer's line incorporates more supple vinyl, natural colours and softer appliques, such as swirls, wings and copper flowers.
     Currently I am expanding my line of whimsicle reusable lunch sacks to include sandwich wrappers and snack packs.

Q: Where can people purchase your products?

A variety of products can be found in Shawville, at Studio L'Artizan In Shawville; at Flock Boutique in Ottawa on Wellington St. West; and at the Workshop Studio and Boutique on Dalhousie.

 An even wider selection is available at the local artisan shows I participate in, and through the website: www.liebchendesigns.com

Luskville nuisance bylaw, from the Pontiac Journal

Nuisance laws hassle Pontiac residents

Kate Aley

Retired Luskville farmer Georges Whelan has won his case against the Protection du Territoire Agricole du Quebec (CPTAQ), instigated by an infraction report on his farm property in 2008, as reported in the Pontiac Journal in August 2009.

After selling 101 acres of farmland on Smith Leonard Rd., the sale was deemed null by the CPTAQ, who claimed he had made an unauthorized separation of one part of the land, despite that subdivision having taken place in 1973.

Whilst removing farm equipment and personal effects from the property, Whelan received a notice from the inspector of the Municipality of Pontiac ordering him to clean up the debris. As a result of this notice, the CPTAQ became involved and the seemingly inconsistent separation was noticed.

At the final hearing in Gatineau on March 16^th, Whelan’s property separation was legally recognised. “I am very happy and relieved,” remarked Whelan, but added: “The Municipal inspector exercises too much power. He can visit anyone’s property, looking around and taking photographs, without permission; rights not even a police officer has.”

Currently a call is circulating through the Municipality of Pontiac for an amendment to Bylaw 04 – 07, following several incidents where nuisance notices were served by an inspector without any complaints from neighbours. A couple have been ordered to remove a working freezer, operating on their deck but imperceptible from the road. Another man has been warned for storing viable building material son a lot following extensive renovations to his home.

As it stands, the bylaw defines a nuisance as ‘material and/or object which, by its nature or its illegal or abusive use, cause serious inconveniences or that can endanger public safety and/or security, the wellbeing of the community or the aesthetic of the building.

The description also includes an accumulation of earth, stones or other similar materials, or a building left in a dilapidated state.

The community is asked to attend the April 12 Pontiac council meeting to support the call for the amendment. An online petition may be viewed at www.sites.google.com/site/nuisancebylaw0407/home

Youth Group

Groupe Action Jeunesse is a remarkable organisation, offering activities and, I think, employment opportunities to young people from Luskville and Quyon.
Contact them at 819 208 2789 or go to http://www.gajluskville.com/ for details of events.

Coming up:

A youth dance, for those in 6th year grade school to those 18 years old.
On 17 June from 7 pm -- 11pm.
Cost: $2 per person.
Parents and volunteers are sought to help, and a canteen will be available.

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A summer day camp, for school age children.
An information and sign up evening is on Thursday 28 April at the community centre in Luskville, next to the town hall.
Bring your payment in cash and your childs health care card.
The camp will be $60 per week and runs from 9 am -- 4 pm.
For another $20 per week, you can drop kids off as early as 7 am and pick them up as late as 5.15 pm.

The camp runs from Monday to Friday for 7 weeks: 27 June to 19 August, with a break from July 1 to July 29.

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[I have translated all of this from the sheet my kids got from school, and so should stress this is all offered in French; if you are concerned about how anglophones will fare at camp, call the number and ask.]

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A skate and bike evening will be held for all ages every Thursday, starting from May 5th at the Recreation Park in Luskville (3206 Hwy 148).  From 6 -- 8 pm.
Parents need to supervise.

A "roller day" (journee roulette) will be held at the Recreation Park in
Luskville (3206 Hwy 148) on Saturday June 4th from 1.30 to 4.40pm. with a BBQ, a DJ and prizes offered!
Bring your protective gear and your bikes, in-line skates or skateboards.

[I can tell you that the surface of the arena is incredibly smooth, so it's terrific for younger riders.
The park also owns a number of skate/bike jumps and ramps!]

No charge!   

Top seven reasons to visit Pontiac

Katharine Fletcher's article in Canadian Living on how and where to enjoy nature in Pontiac.

Local wonders in Pontiac