VIVA MÉDIA took advantage of its tour of the mayors of Vaudreuil-Soulanges to meet Yvan Cardinal, mayor of Pincourt since 2009. The chief magistrate talked to us about the pandemic and especially about his achievements after 11 years in the public service.
From the beginning, the mayor made it clear that the City of Pincourt quickly complied with the measures against Covid-19 imposed by Quebec. The council even took a stand to immediately enforce all future government regulations on the pandemic.
As the measures are complex and restrictive, the City used its Info-P (alert platform) virtual newsletter system to reach residents as quickly as possible. This daily communication tool brings together all the relevant information that the citizens of Pincourt need to know. The mayor was proud of the communication to the City, especially in these uncertain times when information changes rapidly.
Initiatives for citizens were essential during the summer to keep the morale of the inhabitants. Having no day camp this summer due to the pandemic, the children had plenty of free time. So the administration launched the Happiness Squad. The latter is made up of former leaders from the Pincourt day camp. The squad members carried out activities in the various parks of the City to entertain the children while respecting the distancing measures. Registrations were done on the web and completely free.
Photo city of Pincourt
“People pay for services in a City, explains Mayor Cardinal. They had already paid for this summer’s day camp. So we used that money to create the Happiness Squad to continue providing quality services to citizens.”
Besides the activities, Pincourt had to isolate itself like everywhere else in March. The transition to telecommuting went well. Having hired a full-time computer scientist two years ago, the administration was able to change the way they work without a hitch.
The achievements
Yvan Cardinal is proud of what he has achieved during his last three years in office. One accomplishment that he is particularly pleased with is the active communication with his citizens. A good example is the Voilà! Signalement tool. This application is used to report non-urgent problems to the citizens in a precise manner.
“The Voilà! Signalement tool solved a big public administration problem, says Cardinal. When a citizen came to us with a concern or a question, the different departments worked in isolation. Now everyone is working together to resolve the issues. It is much faster that way.”
Mayor Cardinal believes that these public policies are pillars of his offer to citizens.
Its policy on healthy lifestyles encompasses a large part of the projects that the City has carried out in recent years. The establishment of a multi-purpose, one-way path on boulevard Duhamel is a good example of this. According to the mayor, people must have space to move around other than by car. Pedestrian crossings, footpaths and cycle paths are essential for city life. The key to this policy for Yvan Cardinal is the safe and active movement of the population.
The policy for people with disabilities is a great achievement for the mayor and all the citizens of Pincourt. Suroît Park has become the first in the City to have universal accessibility. The visually impaired, deaf or physically handicapped have access to the park. It is designed so that people with disabilities are comfortable using the facilities. With the addition of this policy, people with disabilities are at the decision-making table for the realization of the project. They have become important participants in the decision making.
The last great achievement of the mayor is the construction of the municipal workshops and the fire station. The site is not yet complete, but the mayor wishes to thank from the bottom of his heart the City employees who have been patient in this project.
“It’s been a long process, but we’re finally seeing the end of the tunnel. The employees were patient. Their current office has not been suitable for several years. Thank you to all of you.”
The future
Mayor Cardinal intends to stand for another term as mayor. “The citizens are satisfied with the work that I and the administration have done, said Cardinal. So we will continue in this direction with continuity and stability.”
A project that has been in the pipeline for years is the famous arena on île Perrot. The mayor is very happy to announce that the four towns on the island have jointly applied for a government grant for the construction of the arena.
“It’s a great project that has been waiting for a long time. For once it’s positive, we’ll take it.»
