Residual Materials Management Plan

Gathering Feedback on an Action Plan

The MRC of Minganie, located on Quebec’s Côte-Nord (North Shore), spans a vast territory of over 55,000 km². The MRC is home to 6,470 residents, representing 7.3% of the North Shore’s population and 0.1% of Quebec’s total population. Most residents are concentrated in Havre-Saint-Pierre, the region’s administrative and economic center. The territory includes eight local municipalities—Rivière-au-Tonnerre, Rivière-Saint-Jean, Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Baie-Johan-Beetz, Aguanish, Natashquan, and Île-d’Anticosti—as well as the Indigenous communities of Nutashkuan and Ekuanitshit.

The Consultation

In addition to meeting the legal obligations set by Quebec’s Environment Quality Act (LQE) through public consultations, the MRC aimed to increase citizen participation to strengthen local understanding and buy-in for the Residual Materials Management Plan (PGMR). The goal was also to improve both the quantity and quality of public feedback during consultations.

The online consultation primarily used the proposal sheet available on all Cocoriko platforms. The purpose of this format is to measure participants’ level of agreement with proposed statements issued by the project team. Its advantages include:

• Ease of voting,

• Comment sorting by votes,

• And the ability to identify vocal minorities.

Marketing Efforts

To ensure maximum visibility for the initiative, several communication tools were used:

• A publication in the local newspaper announcing the public assembly and online platform

• A sponsored Facebook campaign

• Postal distribution to every mailbox in the MRC

• Direct promotion of the online survey during the public assembly

This diverse strategy effectively reached residents across the territory.

Success

During the previous PGMR adoption (2018–2023), only two in-person meetings were held, drawing a total of 8 participants. This time, using a hybrid approach—a public assembly plus an online consultation via Cocoriko—the MRC dramatically increased participation:

• 97 participants took part in the online consultation

• 10 participants attended the in-person assembly

This significant jump clearly demonstrates the effectiveness and appeal of the digital platform.

The MRC particularly highlighted the quality of the data collected through Cocoriko. The platform made it easier for residents to share concerns and constructive ideas, helping validate certain strategic directions while also surfacing points of resistance that might have gone unheard otherwise. The digital format empowered thoughtful and free expression, adding richness and depth to the feedback gathered.

Additionally, the support provided by Cocoriko, especially the consultation report, was a major advantage—saving time and improving analysis quality for the MRC. Without this support, achieving such a high level of civic engagement and precision in results would have been far more difficult.

Next Steps

The next steps involve implementing the action plan, which was recently submitted to RECYC-QUÉBEC. Once a compliance opinion is received this fall, the MRC will officially begin executing the citizen-validated actions.

The consultation report is available on the MRC website: click here.

“The proposal format, divided into sections reflecting our action plan, allowed us to gather public opinion on each project action without making the process tedious. The Cocoriko platform was an essential tool for engaging people across multiple villages in our region.”
— Catherine Simard-Côté, Planner, MRC de Minganie