Former municipal councilor Jacques Fortin will succeed former mayor Isabelle Lessard at the head of the City of Chapais, a small community located in Nord-du-Québec hard hit by forest fires last year.
According to the results of Sunday’s by-election posted on the Élections Québec website, Mr. Fortin was elected with 54.05% of the votes, for a total of 220 votes, against his rival Daniel Bouchard, who obtained 45 .95% of the votes, or 187 votes.
The City of Chapais revealed on its Facebook page that the preliminary participation rate was around 57%.
If the results are confirmed and there is no request for a recount, Mr. Fortin, as well as two new municipal councilors, will be sworn in in the coming days.
The municipality had been largely affected by the forest fires which ravaged the north of the province in the summer of 2023. In June, around two thirds of the inhabitants had to leave the territory of the municipality for several days, driven out by the flames. .
A few months later, Isabelle Lessard, one of the youngest mayors in Quebec, was forced to resign due to professional burnout.
In November, the 23-year-old left her position after two years at the helm of the City.
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