Legault welcomed in style at Saint-Crème d’Alma

"I'm never washing that shoulder again!" "Me neither!" Young Mégane and Marie-Soleil were very excited at the idea of meeting François Legault on Sunday in Alma. After having a photo with the outgoing premier, they exclaimed "It's really him!", while the owner of the Le Saint-Crème d'Alma creamery, Vincent Lavoie, introduced them as "two excellent customers."

François Legault arrived at the dairy bar around 3:25 p.m., where he was expected by about 200 people. Even before his arrival, the security measures put in place announced a special event. Among the personalities who had come, we should note the presence of the mayor of Alma, Sylvie Beaumont.

“I have a gift for you, Mr. Legault. Nathalie Bisson, this woman made us run for 100 Sundays during the pandemic. At 10 a.m. every Sunday, she gave us the go-ahead. I'm giving it to you, you'll have time to read it!” said a woman from Chicoutimi who had approached him as soon as he got off the bus to offer him a book, Le pace du bonheur, written by Le Soleil colleague Mylène Moisan.

The prime minister remained at the site for about 30 minutes, shaking hands and taking photos with supporters on what was the first day of a 33-day marathon.

"I'm a foodie, but that's my only fault!" he declared in front of the tasting buffet planned for the occasion, under the skeptical gaze of his partner, Isabelle Brais. "No! It's not true!"

In the end, the outgoing Prime Minister tasted mango and basil products, haskap berries and mochi glacé, a Japanese dessert, all before playing the role of dairyman. He had time to prepare a sundae for Mayor Beaumont, all under the amused eye of a young employee. "The body of Christ!" he said as he served it to her.

The humor was definitely there, because a few minutes before leaving Le Saint-Crème, a woman approached him and said: "You're not very handsome, but your wife makes up for it!", which caused bursts of laughter among the crowd.

In 2018, in the riding of Lac-Saint-Jean, the caquiste Éric Girard obtained 39.46% of the votes ahead of the péquiste William Fradette (31.53%), who is once again his opponent. Elsa Moulin (Québec solidaire), Tricia Murray (Liberal Party) and Luc Martel (Conservative Party) are the other candidates.

A nice surprise for Le Saint-Crème

For Vincent Lavoie, François Legault's visit was an unexpected opportunity for visibility. The young entrepreneur was also surprised to receive the call from the CAQ last week, offering to welcome the outgoing MNAs and their leader. "We're really happy. Especially since we're in full development."

Vincent and his partner Ariane plan to build a small hotel, which will be added to the dairy, in the former place of worship. Twelve rooms with private bathrooms will be located there. "Each room will be placed in front of a stained glass window. We are mainly targeting a clientele made up of cyclists and snowmobilers. We know that in Alma, there is a real lack of tourist accommodation."

The man who received $200,000 in financial assistance from Quebec spent several minutes with François Legault to explain his project to him and let him taste some very regional products, including a haskap berry sundae.

“I like entrepreneurs, and I like entrepreneurs who have guts like you!” said Mr. Legault, as he left what was once a church.

The priorities of the mayor of Alma

Alma Mayor Sylvie Beaumont also went to Saint-Crème for François Legault's first walkabout. "He's the first leader to travel, so I thought it was important to be there. He's close to the regions and we see him."

She will be following the election campaign very closely and will soon present the priorities of the Alma city council. The lack of manpower will certainly be on this list. She believes that Quebec must focus more on immigration to the regions. "It's not working anymore. Businesses are closing. Stores are reducing their opening hours. We have to find solutions."

Met a few minutes later, the outgoing member for Lac-Saint-Jean, Éric Girard, assured that he "is aware of the situation and that the Legault government has already done things. We must also help businesses to turn more towards innovation and robotization."

The mayor adds that these workers need to be housed. In Alma, the vacancy rate is 0.7%, far from the equilibrium rate set at 3%.

"This problem needs to be resolved quickly. We need accessible programs for entrepreneurs and we must not only build luxury condos. We also need housing for students and young professionals."

Sylvie Beaumont also points out that the Collège d'Alma is working on a student residence project.

Finally, the elected official reiterated that Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean has been waiting for decades for the Alma-La Baie highway. "We still want it and it has to be confirmed."

According to the report from Le Soleil: https://www.lesoleil.com/2022/08/28/legault-accueilli-en-grand-au-saint-creme-dalma-photos--video-3b9fbd628ce27c32621ae098af7af0f9/