Author name: Brenda O'Farrell The 1019 Report

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Despite not announcing anything new when she held a press conference last week, Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault’s statements about the construction timeline for a new Île aux Tourtes bridge glossed over key details – including the fact the completion of the full six lanes of the new span is still not scheduled before the end of 2027 – not 2026.

When speaking to reporters last week, Guilbault said: “We are going to have this bridge faster than it was expected because we accelerated it,” and promised to push the new span into service by the end of 2026, a quickened timeline that had previously been announced in April when Transport Quebec failed to deliver on its promise to reopen the structure to five lanes of traffic in the spring. Five lanes were eventually reinstated this past October, but within a month were cut back to three, when a crack was discovered. The capacity of the span was then trimmed again to only one lane in each direction a week later, on Dec. 1.

But the “end of 2026” target cited by Guilbault is for the completion of only one of two separate structures that are part of the design of the new bridge. According to the plans, this first structure includes the westbound lanes of the new bridge. A separate structure of equal width that will support the eastbound lanes is only scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027. Transport Quebec officials did not specify the date of the start of its construction.

The 1019 Report pushed transport officials for details on the construction timeline late last week.

“The new bridge will be put into service gradually in the following order,” Transport Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun responded.

See BRIDGE, Page 2.

Also see: REM plans, Page 2

Parking at train station, Page 4

Economic impact, Page 4

Page 1 cutline:

This is what it is like every day now, as traffic heading towards the Île aux Tourtes Bridge crawls along as vehicles prepare to merge into a single lane.

Page 1 credit:

Ian Grant, The 1019 Report

BRIDGE: Details of timeline pushes full completion to 2027

From Page 1

“End of 2026: The first structure will be put in service (five lanes available with dynamic traffic management to maintain three lanes in the direction of rush-hour traffic,” Bensadoun wrote in an email to The 1019 Report.

“End of 2027: Second structure will be put in service (six lanes available, three lanes on each of the two open structures).

“End of 2028: Finalization of the multi-purpose lane.

“2029: End of demolition of the existing bridge.”

Guilbault has come under intense pressure since work to maintain the existing span has encountered a series of emerging problems, including the discovery of worsening cracks in the structure necessitating the reduction in lanes and triggering massive traffic congestion that has added hours to motorists’ daily commutes and unleashing an outpouring of complaints from residents across the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area.

“There was nothing – nothing – new,” said Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon as he described what Guilbault had to say at her press conference last week. “It was a publicity move. We didn’t learn anything. I didn’t learn anything.”

Transport Quebec then moved to close the span completely last weekend to facilitate work, a measure that is expected to be repeated next weekend as well.

On Monday, the speed limit on the span was reduce to 60 kilometre per hour, a precaution Transport Quebec officials say was put in place to reduce the risk of accidents to further protect against temporary blockage of the span if an accident were to occur. In the lead up to the bridge, where there is more than one lane open, the speed limit remains at 70 km/hr, although motorists rarely move faster than a crawl, especially during rush-hour periods, due to heavy congestion as they make their way toward the span.

Photo radar traps have been installed along the approaches to the bridge on both ends to enforce the posted speed limits.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Transport Quebec officials reiterated its stand last week that it has no plans to redraw its design for the new Île aux Tourtes Bridge to include an extension of the Réseau express métropolitain light rail line to Vaudreuil-Dorion. But the department has what it calls a “corridor” reserved parallel to the new span to build an additional structure across the Lake of Two Mountains to support a rail line if it opts to do so in the future.

“Currently, there are no plans to extend the REM in the west (to Vaudreuil-Dorion),” said Transport Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun in an email to The 1019 Report. “This is why the ministry decided to plan a corridor, south of the future bridge, which could allow the establishment of a mode of public rail transport, such as the REM.”

Bensadoun explained the ministry’s analysis of the need for a commuter rail line to link the Vaurdreuil-Soulanges region to the island of Montreal does not support the extension at this time.

“The analysis carried out for the Île aux Tourtes Bridge reconstruction project concluded that the use of a wide shoulder for buses in both directions is the most relevant preferential measure for public transport,” Bensadoun stated.

In an interview last week, Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon said that in his view, any possibility of extending the REM rail line to the region would not happen before 2030.

The rail line, Pilon said, represents enormous costs, “and we will have to pay,” he said, explaining the it is not the construction costs, but the annual operating costs that municipalities in this region would have to shoulder. “The municipal (level) will have to absorb it,” he said.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

After years of planning, the proposal to build an 18-unit seniors’ residence in Hudson has been shelved, with the project’s board of directors and the mayor trading barbs as to who bares the blame.

According to a message sent to the town on Dec. 9, the board of directors of Villa Wyman, which had been planning to build a two-storey subsidized seniors’ residence on a lot next to the former Wyman Memorial United Church on Main Road, decided to abandon the project after Hudson municipal council earlier in the week rejected its request to modify the layout of a parking area proposed for the site. The modification had been requested after the board of directors discovered the initial plan for parking, which the town had approved, encroached on the former church lot and it could not reach an agreement with the new owners of that property to permit a right of way.

In a statement to the town, the Villa Wyman board of directors blamed the town for what it called “untenable” delays and revision to its plans.

“After eight years since the inception of this project we lack the confidence in the town of Hudson to facilitate the timely completion of this project,” the board wrote.

In a written response to the board, Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison said: “I am surprised by this sudden decision and disappointed that you are opting to place the blame on council for not completing the project.”

In rejecting the modification, council recommended a reduction in the number of parking spaces and that they be moved to the rear of the site, behind the proposed building.

“We did not sense that this ask would represent a risk to the project,” Hutchison told the board.

In an interview last week, Hutchison went further: “I didn’t feel the reason that was given to us is the real reason.” She speculated that the increased cost of construction of the project due to the current inflationary economic climate, could be a factor.

The town had only learned of the board of director’s failure to obtain a servitude to allow the originally proposed parking plan in September, she added, pointing to the fact that the town had approved that plan back in October 2022.

“They were in full control,” Hutchison said, explaining the board of directors could have obtained a servitude at the time of the sale of the church building, and then failed to negotiate a deal with the current owners.

“They are a bunch of amateurs,” Hutchison said, referring to the board of directors. “Put it in the hands of people who can get it done.”

In a statement to The 1019 Report yesterday, the board of Villa Wyman wrote: “We have faced one refusal after another, one change after another…. With each change, the project was delayed, added costs were incurred for the engineering and architects, while interest rates went up and materials skyrocketed.  And yet we persevered because we felt the project was important to Hudson and so did the federal and provincial government who backed our project.”

The church was sold in 2020. In June of that year, the town granted the proposed seniors’ residence a 10-year exemption on its municipal tax bill, a move that helped the board secure funding for the facility. In early 2022, the project received a $4.2-million grant from the federal government to help build the affordable housing complex.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

“We’ve got to find a Plan B.” That is how Ste. Anne de Bellevue Mayor Paola Hawa summed up the crisis facing commuters who use the Île aux Tourtes Bridge after Transport Quebec last Friday announced the span will be reduced to one lane in each direction for up to three months.

And with the first major storm of the winter dumping about 30 centimetres of snow on the Montreal area on Monday, that crisis was thrown into full-throttle red alert as traffic to the West Island on both Highway 40 and Highway 20 was snarled in gridlock for hours and across distances that stretched for kilometres.

“At this point, I’m not sure what I am more afraid of – the traffic or the bridge collapsing,” said St. Lazare resident Monique Valada posting on social media.

The frustration, fear and shear bewilderment felt by residents of the region who travel to the island of Montreal every day for work and school is palpable. Their daily routines have been thrown into turmoil, with frustration levels and now even fear over the safety of the span hitting unprecedented levels. And all the emotion are tinged by the dread that the situation will push into the new year and possibly into next spring.

“It’s so frustrating,” said St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance responding to questions from The 1019 Report. “I really feel (Transport Quebec) is downplaying how it’s affecting our residents.”

“What is the plan if there are further closures?” Lachance asked. “What is the plan?”

“People are fearing the bridge will collapse,” she added. “People are saying they are afraid.”

The latest restrictions on the bridge are creating enormous costs to businesses as well as residents, said Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon.

A total of 46 per cent of employed people who live in Vaudreuil-Soulanges use the Île aux Tourtes Bridge to get to and from work on a daily basis, according to a study conducted for Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the region’s economic development agency.

Pilon is frustrated that more is not being done by the Coalition Avenir Québec government to build the long-talked-about bypass route for Highway 20 through the old Dorion section of Vaudreuil-Dorion. Eliminating the traffic lights on that stretch of Highway 20 would help relieve some of the congestion in the region cause by the problems on the Île aux Tourtes.

When contacted last week, Marilyne Picard, the CAQ MNA for Soulanges, said studies to build the bypass route have been accelerated. But there is no timeline in place.

“When you don’t want to take action, you study it,” said Pilon, adding that the provincial government has been studying the bypass route that would see highway lanes built along a route north of Harwood Blvd. through Dorion for decades.

Pilon said prior to the 2012 election, François Legault campaigned in the region promising to solve the Highway 20 bypass issue.

“The plan is there,” Pilon said, explaining the bypass route has undergone three studies.

Properties have been expropriated to accommodate it, he added. “It doesn’t take (another) study.”

Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison did not respond to a request for an interview.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Faced with mounting and unrelenting opposition, the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges last month made an abrupt turn-around, scrapping plans to build a multi-million-dollar compost treatment facility in St. Télesphore.

The move was immediately applauded by residents who vehemently opposed the choice of location for the open-air plant. It does not, however, mark the end of the MRC’s plan to build a compost treatment facility in the region. It simply halts plans to purchase the proposed seven-hectare wooded site in St. Télesphore.

In announcing the decision to not buy the land on Nov. 22, MRC officials cited a preliminary environmental assessment it received just hours before the decision was announced. That assessment claimed the chosen location for the facility presented certain environmental risks, a claim the residents who opposed the plan have been highlighting since the project was made public in September.

“The land does not meet the requirements for such a project, since it is considered a site of high vulnerability,” MRC prefet Patrick Boussez said while making the announcement.

The assessment was made by an environmental expert, Boussez said at the public meeting, but MRC officials refused to provide any other details of the report. When pressed  last week, one MRC official said the oral assessment provided before the meeting was confidential due to “legal reasons.” The official would not say what firm provided the opinion and that no written report was available.

Boussez was unavailable for comment. In a statement, however, he said: “We have a responsibility as a community to prioritize the sound management of our residual materials while respecting the major environmental challenges we face. This project is essential for us and future generations.”

St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance, one of three mayors on the 23-member MRC council who voted against the initial resolution in support of the regional authority’s bid to purchase the proposed site in St. Télesphore, said she did not have any more information about the environmental assessment that halted the plan.

Earlier in November, despite the pleas from residents concerned about the risk posed by an open-air facility contaminating the underground water network in the area, Boussez was adamant for the need to push the project forward, citing a Dec. 16 deadline to finalize the purchase of the site to avoid losing a provincial grant to help finance the project.

That changed on Nov. 22.

As the MRC council voted to halt the purchase of the site, Boussez asked the residents who opposed the project to throw their support behind the project and the effort to find a new site for the composting facility.

Stephanie Côté, a spokesperson for the residents, made it clear, the group is not against the construction of a facility, merely opposed the proposed location in St. Télesphore.

In addition to the risk of underground water contamination, residents opposed the open-air plan for the site in St. Télesphore because the plan called for the installation of a massive concrete platform over a vast territory in an location that serves as a natural recharge area for the water table, the destruction of a rich natural environment, the rezoning of agricultural land, the cutting of much of seven hectares of forest, and would create truck traffic in the westernmost area of the region to process waste generated mostly by the larger populated areas in the east end of the MRC, including the municipalities of Île Perrot, Vaudreuil-Dorion and St. Lazare.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

“Required reinforcement work,” is what has caused the latest closure of another lane on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge since last Friday, bringing the span down to only one lane in each direction, according to Transport Quebec.

“The removal of an additional traffic lane is necessary since greater deterioration of the central slab has been noted,” said Martin Girard in response to questions from The 1019 Report.

“The experts determined that the removal of an additional traffic lane was necessary to maintain the stability of the structure while the required reinforcement work is carried out,” Girard continued, explaining that the work would take an estimated two to three months.

The explanations are vague and the details few, yet the bottom is clear: a third lane on the bridge, which would provide two lanes of traffic in the direction of the rush-hour flow, will not reopen until February at the earliest.

The latest constriction of lanes on the two-kilometre span was determined to be necessary, according to the information from the provincial Transport Department, as the crack discovered in late October on the eastbound side of the bridge was more extensive than first detected.

With the “removal of layered concrete on the surface, more damage than anticipated was observed,” Girard stated.

Steel girders will now be installed to support the main surface of the bridge, he said.

These girders “will be positioned to support the roadbed,” Girard’s explanation continued. “Then, a concrete grout will join the roadbed and the steel support elements. Once this is completed, a traffic lane can be reopened.”

Girard was adamant that the span’s ability to shoulder the weight of traffic is not a factor. However, he highlighted that since Sept. 1, trucks that have obtained special permits to exceed accepted weight limits enforced on provincial arteries have been banned from the bridge.

“This restriction,” Girard stated, “is an additional preventive measure aimed at preserving the integrity of the structure.”

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Legal wranglings that will likely decide the ultimate and twisted fate of the proposed 214-unit Sandy Beach housing development in Hudson now appear will push into next year, as officials with the province’s administrative tribunal have acknowledged receipt last month of a notice of appeal contesting the Quebec Environment minister’s revocation of the permit to backfill part of the wetlands at the waterfront site.

Although the provincial Environment Ministry has not been formally notified of the appeal, officials with the Tribunal Administratif du Québec have confirmed reception of what it calls an “introductory appeal” of the minister’s Oct. 4 decision to pull the permit.

The tribunal received notice of the appeal from site owner Nicanco Holdings on Oct. 18. But as of earlier this week, officials were still awaiting supporting documents that outline the basis for the appeal.

“To date, the tribunal has not held any jurisdictional proceedings, since it is awaiting reception of the administrative file,” communication officials stated in response to inquiries made by The 1019 Report.

See SANDY BEACH, Page 4.

SANDY BEACH: Next steps
still to be determined

From Page 1

Once the awaited documents are received, “the parties will be convened for a management conference,” the tribunal officials said, where the next steps in the appeal process will be outlined and deadlines set.

The meeting could lead to a conciliation session, the officials explained, which could also lead to

an agreement between the parties or a withdrawal of the appeal.

If there is no agreement or withdrawal, and the appeal proceeds to a hearing. The date for this process will be determined by the parties, the officials said. Once the appeal is heard, the tribunal would then have up to three months to render its decision.

News of the notice of appeal did not come as a surprise for residents who have opposed the housing development.

“This is their last kick at the can,” said Rob Horwood, a spokesman for Nature Hudson, a grassroots environmental group fighting the housing project, referring to Nicanco Holdings.

But he does not believe there is much hope the permit to backfill parts of the wetlands on the site will be reinstated.

“I remain optimistic that the order will be upheld,” Horwood said. “The facts of the case are compelling. The law now has specific protections for wetlands and bodies of water.”

Earlier this month, Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison said if there were no appeal and the Environment minister’s move to revoke Nicanco’s permit stands, the town would be willing to discuss options. What those options would be, however, remains unclear.

The landowner could submit plans for a scaled down development plan for the site or possibly sell the land. Hutchison said the town has already looked into the possibility of obtaining a grant to cover about 65 per cent of the purchase price for the site.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Work is set to begin to build a new Côte St. Charles United Church in St. Lazare now that the old building has been torn down.

A demolition crew removed most of the old building, which dates back to the early 1900s, last Friday, leaving just the stone façade of the entrance of the original building and the foundation.

“Basically, it’s going to look the same as before,” said John Pichovich, a church trustee and treasurer while he was visiting the site Monday to see how work was progressing. The new building will be slightly longer than the original, he added.

The church, which is now home to the congregation of the former Wyman Memorial United Church in Hudson, which was sold in the fall of 2020, opted to build a new structure after discovering a number of issues as it attempted to renovate the old building, Pichovich said.

The stone façade of the front entrance of the building will be incorporated into the design of the new church, as well as stained glass windows that were removed from the old structure and stored before the demolition crew moved in.

The 100-member congregation is expected to begin holding services in the new church next May, when work is scheduled to be completed, Pichovich said.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

In what one protester is describing as the “most significant citizen opposition” in close to a decade, the members of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC council are being urged by a growing chorus of residents to reconsider their choice of location for a $20-million compost treatment centre, the largest project ever tackled by the regional authority.

But, according to MRC prefect Patrick Bousez, the plan to acquire the seven-hectare site in St. Télésphore is moving ahead. In fact, Bousez says the deal to purchase the site, that is currently zoned for agricultural use, has to be completed by Dec. 16 or the offer to purchase will be voided. If that happens, the MRC will forfeit a $6.4-million grant pledged by the provincial government to subsidize the cost of the project, he said.

“If we are not owners of the site,” the subsidy will be lost, Bousez explained in an interview with The 1019 Report, adding, the funds “will permit us to conduct the studies needed.”

These studies, including hydrological assessments, will determine the project’s impact on everything from the area’s flora and fauna to the risk to underground water sources, he said. They will also help determine whether the provincial Environment Ministry gives the project the needed final go-ahead.

It’s that risk to underground water sources that is at the top of the list of reasons residents in the area are opposed to the project.

But it is not just residents who are opposed to the site for the open-air composting treatment facility. Three municipal councils in the region have adopted formal resolutions in the last month urging the MRC to reconsider its choice of locations for the plant.

The councils in St. Polycarpe, Ste. Justine de Newton and Coteau du Lac have formally requested the MRC to consider an industrial site for the facility.

But Bousez said putting the plant in an industrial zone would mean scrapping the plan for an open-air treatment plant in favour of a closed facility, a move that could triple the price of the project to about $60 million.

Bousez said the MRC, like all MRCs in the province, have an obligation to treat composable waste. It could, he explained, opt to contract this responsibility to a private firm. But doing that, he argues, would mean it would not be able to control costs or guarantee the quality of the compost produced, a product, he says, will help maintain and enhance the biodiversity of soils in the region.

He, however, acknowledges the concerns being expressed by residents in the immediate area – who, for the second time in two months, have packed the council chamber for the monthly MRC public meetings, including the session on Oct. 25. He reiterated that the MRC is at the beginning of the planning process. And he pledged that all standards to protect the environment will be adhered to.

But those promises were not enough for residents who voiced their concerns during last month’s public MRC meeting.

“What would happen if there is contamination?” asked St. Polycarpe resident Maxime Bissonnette, referring to the underground water source that traces its route through the area of the planned site. “Zero risk does not exist,” he said, explaining his home – like all in the area – draw their water from underground wells.

“So you have the impression this project is accepted by the population?” asked St. Télésphore resident Stephanie Côté.

Another resident at the meeting asked the MRC prefect point-blank: Will you reconsider the choice of the site?

Bousez responded: “Not at the moment.”

“How can you go forward with citizen opposition?” asked Marie-Louise Séguin, another St. Télésphore resident.

In an interview last week, Séguin outlined the list of citizens’ concerns. In addition to the risk to underground water contamination, she pointed to the fact the open-air facility calls for the installation of a massive concrete platform over a vast territory in an location that serves as a natural recharge area for the water table, the destruction of a rich natural environment, the rezoning of agricultural land, the cutting of much of seven hectares of forest, and creating truck traffic in the westernmost area of the region to process waste generated mostly by the larger populated areas, including the municipalities of Île Perrot, Vaudreuil-Dorion and St. Lazare, which are in the east end of the region.

“We need this (facility),” Séguin said, “but we need to find an appropriate and safe site for it.”

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

As of late yesterday afternoon, there was still no official word from Quebec Environment Ministry officials about whether they have received a request to appeal Environment Minister Benoit Charette’s move last month to revoke the permit to backfill part of the wetlands along the waterfront in the Sandy Beach area of Hudson – despite the fact that the deadline had passed.

If no appeal has been received, the minister’s decision marks the end of any chance the proposed 214-unit Sandy Beach housing development for the site moves forward.

In an email to The 1019 Report yesterday, Environment Ministry spokesperson Ghizlane Behdaoui said simply officials were still working on finalizing a response.

Once the ministry confirm this result of this question, the next question to be considered in this

saga is: What happens next?

Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison on Monday evening said if no appeal is requested, the town is ready to sit down with the landowners, Nicanco Holdings, to negotiate. What that negotiation will entail, however, is still not clear.

“We’re entering unchartered territory,” Hutchison said in an interview. “We’re willing and open to sitting down with them.”

Among the possibilities, Hutchison said, is Nicanco selling the property or presenting a new scaled-down housing plan. The town is prepared to discuss both options.

If the site goes up for sale, Hutchison said, the town has already investigated obtaining grants from the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal to subsidize the cost. But she cautioned that grants from the CMM’s Trame verte et bleu program will only cover about 65 per cent of the value of the land that would be purchased.

The other possibility is that Nicanco puts forward a new proposal for a housing development. Any such plan, Hutchison said, would be subject to the latest environmental laws and guidelines that have come into force in the last few years. This will dramatically reduce the scale and scope of the plan compared with the 214 units that was put forward in 2020.

Any such proposal would also have to adhere to the town’s new development bylaws, which will be unveiled next month. These new rules, which will allow the current building freeze on all undeveloped areas in the town to be lifted, could further limit where housing along the waterfront will be permitted.

“Will they want to go through that whole song and dance again?” Hutchison asked rhetorically, referring to the approval process for a new development. The answer will only be known as soon as Nicanco weighs its options.

If Nicanco opts to submit a new plan, she said, the focus will be on keeping “development right against the street,” along Royalview Avenue, preserving much of the wooded wetlands.

In that scenario, the town’s priority would be to maintain buffers along the Viviry Creek and the lakefront, and to ensure public access to the beach area.

But all of this could be stalled if it turns out an appeal of Charette’s decision has been requested.

All of this comes in the wake of last month’s dramatic move by Charette, who used new sweeping powers allotted to him in a law that came into force in May 2022 revoking Nicanco’s certificate of authorization to backfill part of the wetlands along the waterfront.

In a four-page letter issued Oct. 4, the minister’s analysis of the saga that traces back to when the permit was first issued in March 2014 was unequivocal, concluding:

“The minister is of the opinion that the residential development project for which the authorization was issued will result in the partial or total destruction of terrestrial environments of ecological interest on the lots targeted by the project and will harm permanently the ecological functions and characteristics of wetlands and terrestrial environments of ecological interest found on adjacent lots.”

The letter continued: “Considering that Nicanco has not started the activities referred to in the authorization within the two years from its issuance, the minister is entitled to revoke the authorization … issued to Nicanco on March 31, 2014, for the partial backfilling of a marsh and swamp as well as the complete filling of two swamps, all with a total area of 1.58 hectares, for the completion of the Sandy Beach residential project in Hudson.”

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Hudson council Monday evening hired a legal firm to serve official notice to the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges that it does not intend to pay for policing services it claims it never received.

The move comes after the town received a bill in September for $159,000. The bill stems from a complex formula used to determine the amounts municipalities are charged for services provided by the Sûreté du Québec before a court ruling earlier this year forced the MRC to change the calculation method.

In outlining the town’s objection to the MRC’s charges, Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison explained the town is not only claiming the MRC’s latest bill for $159,000 that references charges dating back to 2020 has no merit, but it will be seeking to recuperate an additional $316,000, which represents the amount Hudson has paid to the MRC for similar charges in previous years.

“It’s a substantial amount of money,” Hutchison said, referring to the total of $475,000 she hopes the town will reclaim.

Hutchison argues the MRC’s practice of billing towns extra – over and above their share for policing services – is illegal. Towns should be charged only for services rendered, she argues.

“I was questioning the legitimacy of this,” Hutchison said, referring to the practice, adding the legal firm Hudson has hired has provided the town with a preliminary assessment of the MRC’s claim, saying the regional authority “does not have a leg to stand on.”

The issue is complicated. In broad strokes, the amount regions are charged for SQ services is apportioned based on property valuations, which provides for the so-called richest regions to pay more. As such, MRCs like Vaudreuil-Soulanges end up footing more of the provincial bill to reduce the financial burden of the SQ on other, less affluent regions.

As per the system, MRCs that pay the most receive a partial reimbursement. The distribution of these reimbursements up until 2021 had been determined through a complex formula that allowed some larger towns to recoup a significant sum, while smaller towns would receive less, or in some cases face additional charges.

In 2021, the MRC passed a resolution to change this calculation method. In response, four towns in the region – Vaudreuil-Dorion, Pincourt, St. Zotique and Les Coteaux – challenged this new approach. Earlier this year, the court upheld the new method.

But what the ruling did not do, Hutchison said Monday, was outline how the redistribution of the reimbursements be applied. And this is what Hudson is calling into question now.

The MRC, she says, has launched an internal review of its billing practices. She anticipates the issue will be settled without having to take the matter to court.

“There is quite a bit of discomfort at the regional level,” Hutchison admitted.

Contacted yesterday, a spokesperson for the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges said officials are working on the dossier.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Are you thinking of retiring? Do you have enough savings to retire? What if your spouse suddenly dies? Would you be able to access the bank accounts and pay next month’s bills?

Maybe you’re wondering: Can I afford to buy a house? Should I have a will? Do I need life insurance? Should I have life insurance?

If any of these questions have crossed your mind – or are on your mind now – you might want to drop by a special event in Hudson on Saturday, Nov. 18, aimed at offering you a few answers and a little peace of mind.

“It’s an opportunity to determine your financial literacy health,” said Cam Gentille, president of the Hudson Creative Hub, which will be hosting the free event.

Called Financial Literacy for All Ages, the event was created as a public service, Gentille said, a welcoming place where you can get a few answers to questions related to your financial affairs that are perhaps worrying you, or that you have been wondering about.

“It’s a service to the community, and there will be no pressure points,” he said.

The idea behind the event, Gentille said, is to gauge people’s needs and interest in practical financial information. Six tables will be set up, where experts will be on hand to answer questions. Each table will be focused on issues geared to different age groups, including individuals in their 30s and 40s, people approaching retirement, retirees, widowers and those who might be interested in learning more about budgeting.

Based on the level of interest and response, a Hub committee aims to provide a series of lectures in the new year that will offer more in-depth information on specific topics.

“We would like to reach different age groups,” said Brenda Rhodes, a Hub volunteer who has been involved in organizing the event.

“If you’re already retired and not sure if your money is going to last, you can find out,” Rhodes added. “I want widowers to come and ask questions.”

Helpful tips, like a checklist of things you need documented – passwords, bank accounts – will be provided, she added.

“I feel really strongly that this is a huge need” for this type of information, Rhodes said, adding one of the main goals will be to demystify some of the issues for people and provide them with information that will help them feel in control of their financial affairs.

Financial Affairs for All Ages: Open House is a free event open to all residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges. It will be held at the Hudson Creative Hub, 273 Main Rd., on Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Hudson town council will unveil its long-awaited planning bylaws next month, a major step that will lead to the lifting of the building freeze that was imposed in the municipality, in part, since the end of 2021.

Drafts of the new planning bylaws will be presented at the council meeting on Nov. 6. These regulations will outline the changes the town proposes to make governing what can be developed, including where and how these developments will be permitted.

Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison said the new bylaws will contain provisions in four categories: preserving the existing tree canopy by imposing additional limitations to tree cutting; protecting natural areas; increasing the contribution towards parks, natural areas, play areas and green spaces; and minimizing the environmental impact of new developments on natural areas. 

“There seems to be strong support towards defining corridors for biodiversity through the town and support from the community to work with tighter rules and requirements to strengthen and preserve this biodiversity,” Hutchison said in a statement.

Once introduced, the town will host consultation meetings to explain the proposed changes in detail and solicit feedback from residents during the third week of November. Based on that feedback, council will then present a final version of the planning bylaws for formal adoption in December. This final version could include amendments that reflect the feedback council hears during the consultation process, Hutchison said.

Following final adoption in December, the bylaws will then be sent to the MRC for the regional authority to review and ensure that they conform to their guidelines. This process could take about 120 days, Hutchison said, explaining that the new bylaws would come into effect in spring of next year.

The new bylaws will replace the temporary building freeze imposed by the current administration.

But this will not be the end of how the town deals with development, Hutchison said, explaining that the provincial government continues to impose tighter environmental control and provide municipalities with new laws to frame how development projects can be rolled out.

“This is an ongoing process,” she said in a statement to The 1019 Report. “I expect that there will be successive waves of tightening regulations through the years, as legal tools and judicial support are provided by the higher levels of government to preserve and conserve natural areas without having to be repeatedly exposed to claims of disguised expropriation by promoters, developers and speculators looking to recuperate anticipated losses of profitability.”

Imposing the building freeze was one of the first moves the current administration made following the general election in November 2021. The first iteration of the freeze, official known by its French term –  a Réglement de controle interim, or RCI – slapped a complete moratorium on all new construction on a wide swath of territory that stretched across 37 per cent of the municipality’s land mass. The affected areas have previously been identified in studies to have the most ecologically value.

The initial 90-day freeze was replaced in February of 2022 by a new bylaw that imposed similar restrictions but with a list of exceptions that allow construction and some tree cutting under defined circumstances. It is this moratorium that will be replaced by the proposed planning bylaws that will be presented next month.

In a separate move in April 2022, the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal imposed a building freeze of its own on a vast tapestry of undeveloped spaces across its territory in the Greater Montreal region. In Hudson, the CMM freeze included much of the land already included in the municipal moratorium. That freeze will continue to be enforced.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges have been dealing with reduced lanes due to repair work on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge for years.

Traffic jams, accident delays, unexpected mishaps and speed traps are among the things motorists have to face – regularly. It has been a long road. And it is far from over. Work on the span will continue until the new bridge is opened – a date that at, according to the last pronouncement from Quebec Transport officials, is set for 2026.

Here is a rundown of the saga commuters in this region have had to contend with.

2016: Repair work on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge begins.

December 2018: Plan to build a new bridge to replace the aging span is announced. At this time it is estimated that planning will take about six years, while construction will unfold over four to five years, which will put the opening of a new span in 2028 or 2029.

2020: Work begins to repair and reinforce the supports under the roadbed. This will continue until the end of May 2021. Lampposts in the central island of the bridge are also replaced.

September 2020: The Coalition Avenir Québec government includes the bridge plan among a list of 181 infrastructure projects it proposes to fast-track in an effort to stimulate the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. No details, however, are released on how the timeline for the project will be accelerated.

January 2021: Transport Quebec wraps up an online consultation of the proposed architectural plans for the new bridge, which includes three lanes of traffic and a reserved bus lane in both directions, as well as a path for pedestrians and cyclists.

February 2021: Trucks and other heavy vehicles are again banned from the eastbound lanes of the span as two lanes are closed to allow ongoing work to continue to maintain the structure.

April 2021: The Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) holds a public online information session on the Quebec Transport Ministry’s plans to build a new bridge. The goal of the consultation session is to outline the project, including the scope of the proposed construction plan and design of the span.

May 19, 2021: Quebec Transport Minister François Bonnardel orders the immediate emergency closure of the bridge.

May 22, 2021: Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon sends Bonnardel a letter outlining his dissatisfaction with the provincial government’s failure to address the transportation needs of the region.

Said Pilon: “…the bridge has already required $110.4 million in maintenance work. The Quebec Ministry of Transport expects to have to inject $172.4 million into it by 2031 to keep it in service before construction of a new bridge.”

Pilon also calls on the provincial government to move on another long-ignore proposal – to build a highway bypass route for the seven-kilometre stretch of Highway 20 through Vaudreuil-Dorion and Île Perrot that is the longest section of an autoroute in Quebec that is controlled by traffic lights. “A commitment was made some 50 years ago by the government to upgrade Highway 20. We are still waiting.”

May 26, 2021: Quebec Transport Minister François Bonnardel says: “We will try to accelerate construction of this new bridge, adding work could begin in spring of 2023 with a completion date some time at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027. The original timeline pegged for completion was in 2028 or 2029.

May 31, 2021: One lane in each direction on the span is reopened to traffic.

June 7, 2021: Two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane on the bridge is opened for morning rush hours, switching to two westbound lanes and one eastbound for the afternoon rush hours.

June 14, 2021: Two lanes in each direction of the span are reopened. The goal of having three lanes open in each direction is planned for June 21, but this never happens.

November 2021: Transport Quebec unveils latest designs of the proposed new bridge that are strikingly similar to the plans presented to the public earlier in the year. Three lanes and two shoulders in both directions are still planned for the new span. The bike and pedestrian lane on the westbound side of the bridge is still there too, although it is slightly wider in the new designs. The only difference is the timeline – the completion is now pegged for 2028 or 2029 at the earliest.

Another new item in the plans: a corridor adjacent to the new bridge is now reserved in the event Quebec’s executive council decides to proceed with a Réseau express métropolitain (REM) extension to Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

“We don’t know if the government is going to go ahead with bringing the REM to the area,” a Transport Quebec spokesperson says. “That’s not our call. All we can do is plan for the possibility that it happens.”

November 2021: Transport Quebec reveals it will spend more than $172 million by 2031 to ensure that the old bridge remains safe.

November 2021: Although precise cost estimates are not revealed, the price tag for the new span is confirmed simply as being “more than $100 million.”

Fall 2022: As part of its regular infrastructure monitoring process, Transport Quebec discovers the progression of certain existing cracks on a box beam located on the north side of the bridge in the westbound lanes.

December 2022: The number of lanes are reduced to two in each direction to accommodate ongoing work on the span, creating traffic delays and sparking complaints from commuters. Once this latest work, which includes the repair of cracks along the span, an additional lane will be reopened, officials promise. That additional lane was finally reopened earlier this month – about 10 months later.

Jan. 23, 2023: A Transport Quebec spokesperson admits the bridge will never reopen fully. Said the spokesperson: “Unfortunately, until we get that new bridge, we have to manage and work with what we have at the moment.”

Last week of January 2023: Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon describesa meeting between Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault and the 23 mayors in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC to discuss the traffic hurdles caused by recent maintenance work on the bridge as “a lot of blah, blah, blah.” Pilon blasts the minister for not coming to the meeting prepared, as well as presenting mitigation solutions that are out of touch with the realities of the region.

Feb. 8, 2023: Commuters share their comments about ongoing traffic delays on the span with The 1019 Report:

• Richard Lamontagne of Rigaud: “It seems like nobody in the government gives a damn about what happens west of Montreal.”
• Paolo Quercia of Vaudreuil-Dorion: “Commuters have been living with problems on the bridge for years. But now, some people are finally at their breaking point.”
• Rachel Leider of Hudson: “These closures affect real people, their families and their mental health. The state of the bridge has gotten to the point of gross negligence and politicians are to blame for not taking care of their constituents.”

Feb. 14, 2023: The town of St. Lazare calls on Transport Quebec to treat the traffic woes caused by ongoing maintenance work on the Île aux Tourtes as a top priority. In a strongly worded resolution, the town demanded that the government “act urgently and ensure a better transit experience between Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the island of Montreal.”

Feb. 14, 2023: A spokesperson for the Transport Ministry confirms ongoing work on the bridge will cost the province an additional $234.6 million.

Feb. 14, 2023: Updating an earlier promise, Transport Quebec says it expects to open a third lane in the direction of rush-hour traffic in April. That lane remained closed until earlier this month.

February 2023: Trucking companies lament the traffic delays caused by work on the bridge, calling the situation a “nightmare scenario” that is costing them tens of thousands of dollars a week.

February 2023: According to the Transport Ministry, new bridge will not open until 2029.

Feb. 22, 2023: LaPresse reportsthe new bridge will come with a whopping $2-billion price tag, which represents a 45-per-cent increase from the previously estimated cost of $1.4 billion.

Feb. 23, 2023: Transport Quebec refuses to confirm figures reported by LaPresse.

March 6, 2023: Transport Quebec confirms that a consortium made up of Roxboro Excavations, Dragados Canada and Construction Demathieu & Bard will take on the construction of the new Île aux Tourtes Bridge. The group confirms the cost of the new bridge will be more than $2 billion.

March 2023: Crews begin preparatory work at the site of the long-awaited new bridge, including clearing trees, conducting geotechnical drilling operations and bringing

equipment to the site.

March 21, 2023: A petition is launched by Vaudreuil MNA Ma­rie-Claude Nichols at the National Assem­bly calling for the new span to include a structure that would extend the Ré­seau express metropolitain (REM) light-rail network to Vaudreuil-Sou­langes.

April 5, 2023: The 1019 report motorists caught by photo radar traps on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge in 2022 have been slapped with $7.7 million in speeding tickets. Almost 21,000 infractions were issued in 2022, including almost 12,000 tickets stemming from the trap in the eastbound lanes, which carried fines that totalled almost $3.6 million, and 8,962 infractions issued by the detector in the westbound lanes, which was set up in September 2022. These tickets carried fines that totalled roughly $4.1 million.

April 17, 2023: Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault reveals the total cost of the new bridge has ballooned to a whopping $2.3 billion – roughly 64-per-cent more than the $1.4 billion forecasted in 2022. The increase is blame don inflation and difficulties in securing labour.

April 17, 2023: Transport Quebec announces details about how the new bridge will be built in phases, pushing forward the opening of the span by 18 months to the end of 2026. A bike-pedestrian lane on the north side of the span will be completed in 2028. The old bridge will be demolished in 2029. And final landscaping touches will be added in 2030, marking the end of the project.

June 7, 2023: A petition calling on the provincial government to extend the Réseau express metropolitain (REM) light-rail network to Vaudreuil-Soulanges via the bridge amasses 3,363 signatures since it was launched on March 21.

October 2023: Transport Quebec reopens three lanes in the direction of rush-hour traffic across the span, while two lanes are maintained in the opposite direction.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Of the five biggest towns in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region, St. Lazare has the biggest income gap among its residents, according to a ranking of Canadian municipalities by the Local News Data Hub at Toronto Metropolitan University.

The ranking lists the 418 municipalities across the country with populations of 10,000 or more, focusing on the gap between the highest earning households and the households with the lowest incomes in each town.

St. Lazare, with a population of 22,350, ranked 279^th on the list, well within the lowest half of towns when measured by the discrepancy between the households that earn the most and those that earn the least within its boundaries.

The other four towns in Vaudreuil-Soulanges that made the list were Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, which ranked 360^th; Île Perrot, which ranked 366^th; Vaudreuil-Dorion, which was 394^th; and Pincourt, which came in at 398^th.

See INCOME GAP, Page 2.

INCOME GAP: Richest households in St. Lazare make 3.1 times more than poorest

From Page 1

Income inequality has been recognized as a social measure that has a negative impact on health, happiness and community ties and can limit opportunities for financial stability, according to researchers.

According to the data, the most affluent households in St. Lazare make 3.1 times more than the least well off in the town.

The data shows that median after-tax income of a household in St. Lazare in 2021 was $100,000. Despite this apparent wealth, a total of 555 people, or 2.5 per cent of the population of 22,350, live in poverty.

In Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, where the median after-tax household income in 2021 was $99,000, the most affluent households make three times more than the poorest households. According to the ranking, 230 people, or roughly 2 per cent of the population of 11,420, live in poverty.

In the town of Île Perrot, where the median after-tax household income in 2021 was $64,500, the most affluent households make 3.1 times more than the poorest households. According to the ranking, 560 people, or roughly 5 per cent of the population of 11,180, live in poverty.

In Vaudreuil-Dorion, where the median after-tax household income in 2021 was $76,000, the most affluent households make 2.8 times more than the poorest households. According to the ranking, 1,625 people, or roughly 4 per cent of the population of 42,190, live in poverty.

In Pincourt, where the median after-tax household income in 2021 was $81,000, the most affluent households make 2.8 times more than the poorest households. According to the ranking, 495 people, or 3.4 per cent of the population of 14,700, live in poverty.

The data shows that both the towns with the biggest and smallest gaps between rich and poor households were found in Quebec.

Westmount is where the biggest gap exists – with 10 per cent of households earning 10.9 times more than the lowest earning households in 2020. Meanwhile, in St. Amable, a municipality of just more than 13,000 residents north of Beloeil, the most affluent households make 2.6 times more than its least well off.

The Local News Data Hub also pointed to a recent Statistics Canada report that showed the wealthiest 20 per cent of households in Canada controlled two-thirds of the country’s net worth as of early 2023, while the bottom 40 per cent accounted for just 2.7 per cent.

The StatsCan report also noted the wealth gap between rich and poor in Canada widened at the fastest pace on record in the first quarter of this year. Compared with the wealthiest households, lower-income Canadians accumulated more debt, saw their savings shrink and received less investment income.

The Canadian median after-tax household income in 2020 was $73,000, according to the data.

To compare income inequality across Canada, the Local News Data Hub ranked the country’s 418 largest municipalities using Statistics Canada’s 2020 Gini index for adjusted after-tax household income. The Gini index is an internationally recognized tool statisticians use to measure how income is distributed across a society. it takes into account wages, pension income, investment earnings and government payments like social assistance.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette has revoked the certificate of authorization to backfill part of the wetlands along the waterfront in Hudson’s Sandy Beach area, a move that effectively scraps plans for the proposed 214-unit housing development on the site.

In a detailed four-page letter issued last Wednesday, the minister’s analysis of the saga that traces back to when the permit was first issued in March 2014 was unequivocal, concluding:

“The minister is of the opinion that the residential development project for which the authorization was issued will result in the partial or total destruction of terrestrial environments of ecological interest on the lots targeted by the project and will harm permanently the ecological functions and characteristics of wetlands and terrestrial environments of ecological interest found on adjacent lots.”

The statement continues, referring directly to the owners of the land, Nicanco Holdings, which had proposed the development project:

“Considering that Nicanco has not started the activities referred to in the authorization within the two years from its issuance, the minister is entitled to revoke the authorization … issued to Nicanco on March 31, 2014, for the partial backfilling of a marsh and swamp as well as the complete filling of two swamps, all with a total area of 1.58 hectares, for the completion of the Sandy Beach residential project in Hudson.”

Nicanco and its partner in the now-shelved project, a numbered Quebec-based company, have 30 days to request an administrative tribunal to review the minister’s decision. Officials with Nicanco did not respond to a request for comment.

News of the minister’s decision to revoke the permit was greeted with elation by residents who have been lobbying for the preservation of the wetlands at the site by the shores of the Lake of Two Mountains.

“We’re very thrilled,” said Rob Horwood, a spokesman for Nature Hudson, a grassroots environmental group fighting the housing project. “It’s a game-changer. It puts things back to Square One.”

Horwood cautioned, however, that this does not mean the land adjacent to the public beach area will be preserved. Nicanco can still submit a new request for a permit to build on some part of the land.

“But the new certificate would be evaluated under the laws of today, which are very different,” Horwood said, adding that the land owners would also have to determine whether a smaller development plan would be financially viable.

The minister’s decision, he said, “changes the way everyone is going to think about this.”

The question of whether the town could or should buy the land has been a topic of sweeping debate in Hudson for years.

In August, the town council took a step that could result in the acquisition of the undeveloped land surrounding Sandy Beach by taking advantage of a new provincial law that allows municipalities to register a right of first refusal on properties that are put up for sale.

The area owned by Nicanco around Sandy Beach were part of the 22 lots the town has selected to file a right of first refusal with the land registry, which would give the municipality the option of buying the land if title of the property is ever set to be transferred.

According to a new provincial law that came into effect in April, municipal councils can claim a first right of refusal on any property they would like to acquire for public use, including land for parks.

Once a right on a property is registered by a municipality, if the owner opts to sell it and a buyer strikes a deal to purchase it for an agreed price, the municipality has 60 days to step forward and match the pending sale price. The municipality could also opt not to buy the property if  it is unable or unwilling to match the offer put forward by a potential buyer.

Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison could not be reached for comment on this subject earlier this week.

Residents that have been pushing to ensure the land in the Sandy Beach area is preserved are now cautiously optimistic in the wake of the Environment minister’s move.

“This opens the door,” said resident Helen Kurgansky, a former town councillor who was the only member of the previous administration who voted against approving the subdivision plan submitted to the municipality by Nicanco in 2020 that carved the area into lots for the housing development.

“The next steps will have to take some thinking, some doing,” Kurgansky said. “We just have to knock on the right doors and find the right formula. It’s still not a clear-cut win because Nicanco will want to do something with that land.”