JAY BROTHERS
August, 2025
A Communication from Jay Brothers, Current Councilor and Mayoral Candidate:
Greetings from Wentworth! I hope everyone is finding some end of summer activities that will take full advantage of our ongoing great weather! We are so fortunate to have our beautiful waters, woods and trails, in all of their seasonal beauty, that provide us with outdoor activities throughout the year. We are also fortunate to be able to appreciate the natural physical beauty of this area as well as the many groups and individuals who provide many services and activities. There are many people within our Wentworth community, who hold a wide variety of interests, and who provide residents with a great number of activities and events including social events for young and old, cultural events and a wide range of physical fitness opportunities that are pursued individually or in groups. Biking, hiking, cross country skiing, snowshowing, sledding, etc. all come to mind.
BRIEF HISTORY:
I want to provide a brief history for those of you who may not know me. As a child, our family built a cottage on Lake Louisa and I was very fortunate to have spent a great amount of time at the lake, enjoying the Lake Louisa Social Club, swimming and boating in the summer and skiing at Carling Lake in the winters.
I have lived full time in Wentworth for thirty years and have been elected and served as a Councilor, in two large increments, for over twenty years.
During our thirty years of living and raising our family here, I have participated in a large number of activities, some volunteer, some in connection with being a Councilor and some through me personal work doing snow removal and renovation work within the Municipality.
When the Fire Dept. consisted of volunteer firemen, I took training courses and worked as a volunteer. Although not within this Municipality, I have served twice, in separate terms, as the President of the Canadian Legion Branch 71 in Brownsburg.
Working for 30 years doing snow removal in Wentworth has brought great familiarity with how snow removal best functions, both on personal properties as well as at the municipal level, within Wentworth. Other files that I have worked on through Council include Neighbourhood Watch and the Fire Department.
In general, Municipal Councilors become very familiar with acquiring information and making decisions on a large variety of Council topics, including making and changing bylaws, working on municipal repairs and projects, becoming informed about and working in conjunction with the MRC and the Provincial Government on Environmental topics, etc.
The Municipality of Wentworth remains an interesting dichotomy between full time residents, which number at roughly 550 and a larger number of part time residents, all of us together enjoying the many benefits of living in this small charming, rural community.
Between those two groups, we likely have some similar visions of how the Municipality can best provide and extend the goods and services that are provided through our taxes. These include things like garbage and recycling collection, snow removal, building regulations and guidelines that provide safe and enjoyable living for all.
Environmental concerns are also important to many individuals. As mentioned above, the Municipality works within a larger framework and in conjunction with the MRC as well as the Provincial Government.
CONCERNS:
I feel concern over the size of our current budget and the extent to which our spending of tax dollars may have exceeded what is reasonable for the size of our Municipality.
A review of services is needed, in my opinion, so that tax payers receive the best services possible, through their taxes, and that are appropriate for a small, rural municipality.
A review and possible changes to Sector Taxes needs to occur. At times, sector taxes are appropriate for one area in the municipality and should not be shared throughout the entire municipality. An example of this might be the creation of a dam on a private lake within the Municipality. In this case a sector tax is appropriate and the cost of this work would not be assumed throughout the Municipality.
However, when improvements to a public road are needed, as another example, the cost should be shared by all and not relegated as a sector tax to only one area in the Municipality.
IN CLOSING:
I do believe that individuals from all areas of the Municipality need to ensure that they are well represented on Council.
VOTING:
Exercising your right to vote is important!
Please register yourself to vote on November 2, 2025. You can vote as a full time resident and also as a home or landowner. Your name must be on the Electoral List. Voting will take place in person or by mail.
If you live permanently in Wentworth, you are most likely already registered to vote. You can check with the municipality to be sure.
If you have a secondary home or property in Wentworth but have not voted in previous elections, (not in person or by mail), registration is required. Completed voting registration forms must be received by the Municipality by Oct. 3, 2025.
If you want to register, go to the website of the Municipality of Wentworth, Quebec, and you should find all the forms there. You might also wish to contact the Municipality by phone. 450 – 562 – 0701 if you require further help.
If you would like to contact me, please call me at 450-533-5823. Taking the time to read this is appreciated!
Jay Brothers