Michel Lalonde is going for his own political hat trick by seeking relection for a third term to Champlain Township council.

“I never doubted that I was going to be running,” said Lalonde, during an interview prior to his preparation to file his nomination papers.

Lalonde first decided to seek a seat on township council when the proposed Colacem cement plant expansion was a major issue in the community. He was one of many residents opposed to the proposed expansion because of the potential impacts on air quality for neighbouring areas and increased traffic congestion on County Road 17.

“I wanted to be more involved in this,” he said, explaining why he first ran for election as one of the two Ward 3 councillors.

During his first reelection bid in 2022, Lalonde switched from representing Ward 3 to Ward 2 for the Village of L’Orignal where he lives. His main reason for seeking a third term is that he wants to be involved in the work of council and municipal in the final resolution of a number of issues.

“We have several projects that we’ve started,” he said, citing as an example the Memorandum of Understanding between Champlain Township and Hawkesbury regarding future commercial and industrial development of lands along County Road 17 that border both municipalities.

“I want to be there for finishing them,” said Lalonde, “and also for starting new ones.”

Local recreation services and facilities in his village ward are also high on his priority list. First item on his “to do” list for L’Orignal is seeing that renovations start on the L’Abri community hall. Second on his list is getting a proper-sized outdoor skating rink set up in the village.

“We have a skating rink,” said Lalonde, “but it’s more like a pond (in size). You can’t play hockey there.”

Dealing with budget issues for future improvements to Main Street in the Village of Vankleek Hill are also on Lalonde’s priority list in concert with his desire to keep the annual municipal budget expenses at a reasonable level to avoid high tax increases on property owners.

“First thing for me is finishing the streets and sidewalks work,” he said, “and then the L’Abri.”

Ensuring that all of the public facilities in Champlain Township are in good condition and safe for both residents and municipal employees is also important for Lalonde.

He also wants to ensure that the next council and future councils maintain the policy of public transparency in all dealings that affect local services and residents. He cites his four decades of experience as both a municipal employee and a councillor as one of his strengths in addressing those issues.

“I am a person who listens to taxpayers,” he said, “and I know it’s hard to please everybody, but I try to do my best to help people the best that I can. It’s easy for me to want to help people because I’ve been involved in the municipality since 1989. And now that I’m retired, I have more time for the voters.”

Lalonde also expressed satisfaction and high regard for his fellow council members during his second term.

“This council works as a team, with no fighting or argument, and that’s another reason I want to keep going,” he said. “I also like to work with Mayor Riopel. He is fully engaged in the municipality and it is a pleasure to have him lead the council.”