Rémi Bergeron: Proud ‘outsider’ pledges better snow removal
Rémi Bergeron, general manager of the tiny municipality of Bowman, is a proud “outsider” who says he wants to be mayor of Gatineau because residents “should be receiving more adequate public services.”
The 55-year-old father of three was born in the Saguenay region, but has worked in different parts of the province of Quebec, including Montreal, Quebec City, Cantley and Varennes. Upon his arrival in Gatineau, he worked as the project manager for the Société de Transport de l’Outaouais’ (STO) Rapibus project in 2010-11.
“Most candidates were born and raised in Gatineau’s surrounding areas and have always worked here,” Bergeron says, adding his experience working in other cities would benefit his potential constituents.
“I come here without any bias, I simply want justice for the residents who are currently paying full price for services they aren’t getting.”
His slogan in French is “Gros bon sens,” which translates literally as “Common Sense” but which he translates as “Gatineau Better Services” on his campaign material.
If elected on Nov. 5, Bergeron said, he wants to start by looking at the city’s method of clearing the snow, which he considers a disaster.
Bergeron said he’s been in charge of snow removal in both the private and public sector, including in the downtown core of Montreal, and has “excellent expertise” in the matter.
He’s also aiming for a property tax increase of 2.5 per cent, with a maximum increase of 2.8 per cent.
Bergeron has a bit of a troubled history in Quebec municipal politics. In the province’s 2009 municipal elections, Bergeron ran for mayor of Boucherville on Montreal’s South Shore.
He was cited for breaking provincial campaign rules by putting too much of his own money in his campaign and by hiring a friend who did not live in Boucherville as his official agent.
Quebec’s election authorities ordered Bergeron to pay a $1,000 fine and revoked his rights to run for election for five years.
“I was really sick with H1N1, so I couldn’t gather the money in any other way,” he said.
This year, he’s campaigning with less than $1,000 and said he won’t be making signs or pamphlets.
In the leadup to the Quebec municipal elections on Sunday, the Citizen will be casting an eye toward Gatineau and profiling the candidates vying to become the city’s mayor. We’ll also be examining the key issues voters will be grappling with when they go to the ballot box.