The mayor of Casselman discusses a new motion to develop a second access route into the town, a new community recognition program, and addresses concerns about the risk of expropriation. 

Jade Laviolette – Local journalism initiative

Geneviève Lajoie, the mayor of Casselman, shares her intention to present a new motion to the council to establish a second access to the community. She also discusses her intention to develop a community recognition program to encourage citizens to engage more in the community. Furthermore, the mayor addressed concerns expressed by local farmers about expropriation if Casselman were to expand its surrounding lagoons.  

New Motions 
For the month of November, one of Geneviève Lajoie's projects to improve Casselman consists of wanting to develop a second access route to the town: “Tomorrow I’m also presenting a motion to council regarding the new development on La Fontaine street, right now there’s only one street going in and out, and so, if ever there was an accident or a street closure, emergency services wouldn’t be able to access the community, so I would like to have the railroad crossing opened on the other side of the community, so there's two accesses” she said. 

Additionally, after giving Dyane Adam the Key to the City earlier in October, the mayor of Casselman shared her intention to initiate a community recognition initiative. When asked why it was important to recognize members of the community, she explained that:  “I find there's a disconnect between politicians and people, and my goals is to really connect that together and really make politics in Casselman about the people and have the peoples voice front and center of everything that I do.”

Risk of expropriation 
Casselman’s annexation of some of The Nation's land has prompted some concerns regarding the possibility of expropriation if Casselman decides to expand the surrounding lagoon. When questioned about the risk of expropriation, the mayor replied, “There’s not going to be an expropriation. I mean, the annexation is really - it's responsible government for municipalities to ensure that there’s land around the lagoons to secure the development of the town”. 

Moreover, when we inquired Geneviève Lajoie about any measure the municipality could take to ease the concerns of expropriation that the local farmers are currently facing, she responded by stating, “I put myself out there, my office is always open, if they want to come talk to me, I am always open to talking to them.”