Hearst meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Hearst council roundup: no decisions published; landfill hours, staffing on next agenda

No decisions have been published from Hearst council meetings held in the past two weeks. The agendas for those meetings are summarized below, and the next scheduled committee meeting will consider changes to landfill operations and staffing.

Recent meetings

Regular Meeting of Council (July 28)

The agenda included two operations committee recommendations: an agreement with Villeneuve Construction for applying granular material on Blais, Roy and McNee Roads, and a contract for the supply of screened sand. Council was also set to file correspondence from the Ministry of Northern Development, Ministry of Natural Resources, ROMA, FONOM, and multiple municipalities on topics including forest industry, emergency evacuations, hospital funding, physician recruitment, and road safety. No public hearings or delegations were scheduled. Minutes have not yet been published.

Special Meeting of Council (July 28)

This meeting was procedural only, with no substantive items listed. The agenda covered routine opening, conflict-of-interest declarations, and adjournment. No ordinances, contracts, or public hearings were proposed.

Hearst Planning Board (July 29)

The board held a public hearing on consent applications C04-26 and C05-26 by Yves Bastarache to create two new rural lots. It also received correspondence from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry on the Martison Site all-season access road and from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on parkland regulation amendments. Business in progress included updates on pending consent applications, preparation for the 2027 comprehensive review of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law, and discussion on RVs and trailers in the Seasonal Residential (SR) Zone at Lac Ste-Thérèse. Minutes have not yet been published.

Coming up

Policy Committee (August 11)

The committee will discuss three items and make recommendations to the Municipal Council:

• A proposed $12,900 budget allocation to send two elected officials to the ROMA 2027 conference (January 24–26, 2027).
• A proposal to reduce landfill operating hours from the current 64 (summer) / 59 (winter) per week to 40 hours per week year-round, with two options detailed in Appendix A.
• Replacing two part-time Assistant By-law Officers with one full-time Landfill Attendant, with estimated annual savings of $38,112 to $48,235.

The committee will also receive a property standards activity report covering 2024–2026, including cases under By-law No. 37-2020 (yards, outdoor storage, landscaping, etc.).

These items are recommendations only; final decisions will be made by the Municipal Council at a later date.

Hearst committees weigh $1.35M road funding, new staff position; downtown council approves George Street closure for car exhibition

Hearst's municipal committees spent the last two weeks reviewing a potential $1.35 million road rehabilitation funding application, a new permanent Facilities Attendant position, and free hall rental for minor hockey — while the Centre-ville Hearst Downtown council approved closing George Street for a August 29 car exhibition. All meetings listed below are agenda-only; minutes have not yet been published, so items described as approved or proposed reflect what agendas and summaries state.

Centre-ville Hearst Downtown — July 20

The downtown council approved several payments and a street closure, according to the meeting summary. The body approved using CFA funds to pay $250 for a dance session with Hearst Dance & Art Studio held July 9, 2026 at Parc des Nations. It also approved a $300 payment to CINN FM plus $150 in cash for the "Balade sur la rue George" radio event on July 23, 2026.

The council approved closing George Street and municipal parking between 8th and 9th streets on August 29, 2026 for the sixth car exhibition. A $5 registration fee for car exhibition participants was proposed. A mural painting project was discussed, and holiday decoration items were deferred to the next meeting. The May 2026 cheque list was adopted.

Finance Committee — July 21

The Finance Committee is considering amending By-law No. 28-91 to create a permanent Facilities Attendant position classified at Pay Band 3, with an hourly rate of $23.99 to $30.85. The committee is also reviewing the appointment of Sonia Coll as Deputy Treasurer to provide backup for the Acting Treasurer; no new position or direct cost is associated with this appointment.

Additional items include a draft update to the Municipal Procurement Policy covering by-law and delegation of power, and a mid-year review of 2026 revenues and expenses with budget variance reports for Operational and Capital Funds.

Policy Committee — July 21

The Policy Committee is reviewing a proposal to amend Delegation of Powers By-law No. 11-2025 to allow the Chief Administrative Officer to renew existing commercial leases at 801 George Street if terms remain substantially unchanged.

The committee received informational reports on the 2026 Bike Rodeo, which involved 260 students and 26 local business sponsors, and the 2026 Pitch-In cleanup campaign, which spent $70.15 on supplies. The Ontario Ombudsman 2025-26 Annual Report was also listed. A discussion on rebranding the Pitch-In campaign as a local municipal initiative was included.

Operations Committee — July 22

The Operations Committee is reviewing a proposal to apply for the Northern Ontario Resource Development Support (NORDS) Fund for road rehabilitation. Three candidate projects were listed: Route 583 Sud at $1.35 million, Chemin Gaspésie at $750,000, and Chemin Marchildon at $575,000.

The committee also received a progress update on the Mongeon and McManus Streets Local Improvement Project, water and wastewater systems operations reports for April and May 2026, and a report on elevated trihalomethanes (THM) and haloacetic acids (HAA) in the drinking water system for April 2026.

Parks and Recreation Committee — July 23

The committee is reviewing a request to provide free use of La Limite Hall for Hearst Minor Hockey Association youth events, with an estimated value of $1,424.78 plus HST.

The committee received an update on the $904,200 Claude Larose Recreation Centre project, including elevator modernization and bathroom renovations, and a progress report on replacement of 17 exterior doors at the facility. Information on the annual maintenance closure of the Stéphane-Lecours Swimming Pool was also listed.

Economic Development Committee — July 23

The committee received a mid-year air traffic summary for the René Fontaine Municipal Airport, presented for information only with no staff recommendation. Air traffic totaled 1,021 movements in the first half of 2026, up 55% from 658 in the same period of 2025. Passenger traffic reached 1,758, a 282% increase from 460. Fuel stopovers were the largest category at 22% of movements (228), up 48%. Wildlife survey flights accounted for 20% (207), up 184%. The report states this was the busiest first half-year recorded in 16 years of continuous tracking. No decisions were made.

Regular Meeting of Council — July 28

Council is considering two Operations Committee recommendations: an agreement with Villeneuve Construction for applying granular material on Blais, Roy and McNee Roads, and a contract for the supply of screened sand. Council will also file correspondence from the Ministry of Northern Development, Ministry of Natural Resources, ROMA, FONOM, and multiple municipalities on topics including forest industry, emergency evacuations, hospital funding, physician recruitment, and road safety. A special meeting of council held the same day was procedural with no substantive items.

Hearst Planning Board — July 29

The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on consent applications C04-26 and C05-26 by Yves Bastarache to create two new rural lots. The board will also receive correspondence from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry on the Martison Site All-Season Access Road and from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on parkland regulation amendments. Preparation for the 2027 comprehensive review of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law is listed, along with a discussion on RVs and trailers in the Seasonal Residential (SR) Zone at Lac Ste-Thérèse.

Coming up

No upcoming meetings are listed for the next 14 days.