The move of the Saint-Boniface City Hall to the library divides the population. The mayor defended the decision in front of the citizens, but the volunteers involved are not satisfied with the answers obtained.
Last fall, a water infiltration problem caused rot and mold in the town hall. Also, the presence of asbestos was detected. The air quality not meeting the standards of Health Canada and the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST), the council had to leave the premises.
The choice quickly fell on the library, which offers large premises and proximity to residents of the municipality. But when the city council took up residence there, the volunteers were pushed aside. A decision that raises passions on social networks and that does not suit those involved.
“We didn’t do this for fun. The rest of us are in a crisis situation, ”said the mayor, Pierre Desaulniers.
For his part, Alain Gélinas, a resident and volunteer for the Scout movement, was very emotional on Tuesday. He affirmed that he will not be the person who will put the first book in the new premises, because he was hurt by the choice of the municipality. “The work of volunteers is precious,” said Mr. Gélinas. You don’t touch that.”
He and his colleagues believe the board has not considered all the options on the table to avoid the current situation. For example, he mentions telework as an alternative, a method that is used in other municipalities.
“We have 5,000 people to serve, the municipality. We will not bring the town hall to Shawinigan either, the people of Saint-Boniface will start running to Shawinigan for all kinds of services, that does not make any good sense, ”replied Mayor Desaulniers.
The mayor reiterated that this is an urgent and temporary situation, and that the space offered by the library was the best considering size, location, cost and technological needs. “It will come back. That’s what the world is trying not to understand, it’s temporary. They try to tell us that we are closing the library, but we are not closing the library, it is temporary that we are moving the library, ”said the mayor.
The municipality has offered two other premises for volunteers to move the contents of the library. After two meetings, no agreement was reached. “They said ‘we don’t want to know anything’, they pulled out their keys and they resigned,” assured the mayor.
“I think that when you are told that, and you have been working as a volunteer for ten years, yes you put the keys there, you cry a tick, and you crown your camp,” replied the volunteer.
The mayor hopes to be able to return to City Hall in the fall of 2023, when volunteers could also return to their premises. In the meantime, they want to find a good way to continue to provide services to residents.
It is also possible to go to one of Shawinigan’s six libraries to purchase a book, or to order it online.