Marc Daigneault is running for municipal council in Ward 1 in the upcoming City of Clarence-Rockland municipal election.
Daigneault has lived in Rockland for 32 years and has more than 40 years of experience working in municipal government and planning.
His municipal career includes working for the City of Montréal before moving to Rockland. From 1990 to 2001, he served as the first Director of Planning and Construction for the Town of Rockland and, following the 1998 amalgamation, the City of Clarence-Rockland.
He later worked for the United Counties of Prescott and Russell as a Senior Planner. From 2009 to 2019, he served as Chief Administrative Officer and Clerk for the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet.
Since retiring from full-time municipal employment, Daigneault says he has continued working part-time as a planning consultant.
Daigneault holds a college degree in Geography, a bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, a master’s degree in Applied Science of Land Use and a university-level certificate in Municipal Services Management. He also says his experience includes civil engineering, land surveying, municipal law and architecture.
“I know how a municipality operates,” Daigneault said in describing his experience. “That’s why I’m ready on day one.”
Community involvement
Daigneault says his community involvement has included providing planning advice and services to the Centre d’Accueil Roger Séguin’s Construction Committee during its project to build a new care centre in Bourget.
He also provided planning advice to the Rockland Housing Corporation’s Board of Directors for its project to build a 25-unit building for seniors in Rockland.
Daigneault was also a member of the volunteer committee that helped establish the Rockland Pickleball Club. He says the club had approximately 140 members before COVID-19 and the closure of the Jean-Marc Lalonde Arena.
Why he is running
Daigneault says his decision to run is based on his long career in municipal planning and his desire to give back to the community.
“I consider myself privileged,” he said. “I have studied in a field, Urban Planning, that I’m passionate about and I was lucky enough to work all my life in that field.”
He says his municipal career provided him with decades of experience dealing with the challenges and opportunities facing municipalities.
“The municipal world has been good to me,” Daigneault said. “I have benefited and learned from it all my life. Not two days were the same. Now it’s time for me to give back with my knowledge and experience.”
Affordable housing, transit and taxes
Daigneault says his campaign platform focuses on several municipal issues, with affordable housing, public transit, and budget and tax management among his primary concerns.
Affordable housing
On housing, Daigneault points to federal and provincial taxes, including HST and GST, as well as municipal development charges, which he says can represent a significant portion of the cost of a new single-family home.
He says federal and provincial programs are currently available that could waive certain taxes and municipal charges to help make new homes more affordable for young families, provided municipalities participate in the programs.
Daigneault says he wants Clarence-Rockland to examine those opportunities as part of its approach to affordable housing.
Public transit
Daigneault also wants to revisit how public transit could operate in Clarence-Rockland.
The city provided public transit before the COVID-19 pandemic through Leduc Bus Lines. Daigneault says any future transit system should take into account the future availability of the LRT station at Trim Road.
Among the questions he says need to be explored are whether Clarence-Rockland could negotiate a combined fare arrangement with OC Transpo, whether transit service could extend to Cumberland, and whether the city could begin with a pilot project serving the urban area before considering an expansion.
Daigneault says there are a number of questions that would need to be addressed before a new transit service is implemented.
Budget and tax management
Daigneault is also making municipal finances a key part of his campaign.
He says municipal and Counties taxes, combined with inflation, have increased significantly over the past six years, while he believes the level of municipal services has not increased at the same pace.
He says the relationship between taxation, inflation and the level of services provided by the municipality needs to be examined.
Daigneault has published additional articles outlining his positions on municipal issues on his campaign website, vote-marcdaigneault.com.