JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report
In the 2021 municipal elections,only two of the nine positions on St. Lazare council were contested, drawing only a small fraction of the more than 16,000 registered voters to the polls.
This year, with a challenger running against incumbent Mayor Geneviève Lachance and three first-time candidates having already stepped forward to run for council, the November vote is shaping up to be a little bit more of a contest.
In District 8: Incumbent councillor David Hill, who was acclaimed in 2021, is only one of nine incumbents who has yet to announce whether he will run again in this district that covers much of the west end of the town.
While Hill said he will announce his intentions “in the next few weeks,” a challenger has stepped forward.
Daniel Thibaudeau is seeking the seat. A retired Sûreté du Québec officer, who spent nine of this 33 years on the force as the national spokesperson for the SQ, says he’s ready to give back to the community once again.
“With my background (in the SQ), I can bring that experience to the table at the city council in affecting change regarding many aspects of public safety,” Thibaudeau explained in an interview. “Looking at infrastructures and doing crime prevention and traffic safety through environmental design is one of my specialties and I look forward to putting that to the benefit of the citizens.”
Thibaudeau, who was awarded the Governor General’s Police Exemplary Service Medal in 2024, said his top priority is to address the looming issue of water quality and pressure in the Green Maple Hill neighbourhood – a small cluster of about 60 homes in the far-west sector in District 8.
“I want to get that file rolling and make sure that those people have adequate drinking water services,” Thibaudeau explained.
Like Hill, Thibaudeau said he wants to focus on preserving the natural character of the district, which covers heavily-forested areas west of the Saddlebrook neighbourhood. However, Thibaudeau explained he would take a more pragmatic approach to the role, differing himself from Hill’s approach, which he described as more of an activist.
Hill has voted against several development projects because they are “incursions into pristine forested areas.”
“We need people like that, most definitely,” Thibaudeau said of Hill. “They have their role. But his role in municipal council is not expected to be one of activist. It’s one to be working for the people and concretely achieving change.”
Thibaudeau added that he would be open to development in the district to meet with the increasing demand for housing. “But development on our terms, by our standards and at our pace.”
In District 7: So far there is only one declared candidate in this district, which covers the central-west portion of the town, including a swath north of Ste. Angélique Road east of Côte St. Charles.
Incumbent Donald Andrews, who won the seat by acclamation in 2021, said he will be running again.
In District 6: With incumbent Brian Trainor already stating he will not seek re-election, first-time candidate Lorraine Caron is the only registered candidate running in the ward, which covers the Cedarbrook neighbourhood.
A scientific researcher and consultant with a PhD in biomedical sciences and bioethics, Caron has held numerous committee roles with the town over the past decade. These include chairing the town’s environmental committee since 2016 and sitting as a member of the town’s Economic Development Committee since 2021. In 2023, she was recognized as St. Lazare’s “Volunteer of the Year.”
“I want to get involved in municipal politics to play a more proactive role in the decisions that will shape the long-term evolution of my town,” Caron stated in a press release.
Her priorities include maintaining “sound financial management,” adapting the town to climate change, preserving St. Lazare’s natural heritage and promoting the local economy.
In District 5: So far, incumbent Richard Chartrand is the only candidate. Chartrand has held this district, which covers much of the central area of the town, stretching westward from Bédard Avenue to Rue de l’Héritage since 2017. He was acclaimed in 2021.
In District 4: Incumbent councillor Michel Poitras is looking to hold on to his seat, which covers a central area of the town east of Bédard Avenue.
In 2021, this was one of the two seats that was contested, with Poitras winning the contest with just over 70 per cent of the vote cast.
In District 3: With incumbent Marc Emond having confirmed his intention to run for re-election last week, this is the only district where a race is guaranteed in the November election.
Emond won the ward, which covers the easternmost area of the town, including the Chaline Valley neighbourhood, in 2021 with a slim 51.5-per-cent majority.
To date, his only challenger is Roselyne Legault, a retired labour lawyer and former teacher who wants to encourage more residents to get involved in governance at the local level.
“The first government with which we can engage, it’s the municipal government,” Legault said in an interview. “We can speak much more easily to our municipal representatives than to our (MNAs or MPs).”
Many residents are unaware of the responsibilities of municipalities, how municipal budgets work or how to make sense of some of the language used by municipal governments, she said.
“Sometimes, governmental language, it’s like Chinese,” she said. “Often, when you don’t understand, you can’t get interested. We must improve resident participation and demystify the government language.”
“Through my training as a lawyer and teacher, I’m used to explaining things and simplifying them so that people understand,” Legault added.
She would maintain a constant on-the-ground presence in order to check the pulse of the district. “When you see people face to face, you better understand the situation.”
In District 2: To date, there is no declared candidate in the ward, which covers the town’s northeastern area, made up mostly of agricultural land.
Incumbent Pierre Casavant has not publicly announced whether he will run for re-election, and has not responded to a request for comment. He has represented the district since 2019, winning his seat in a by-election. He was re-elected by acclamation in 2021.
In District 1: Incumbent Tanja Minisini has confirmed her intention to run for re-election. The ward, which includes the north end of the town, including a cluster of homes south of Highway 40, and stretches to Harwood Boulevard, just south of Hudson. Minisini was acclaimed in the 2021 election.
Residents interested in running for town council have until Oct. 3 to register as a candidate. Municipal elections across Quebec will be held on Nov. 2.