BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1510 West
The Pointe Claire mayoral race has officially been triggered. But the only question now is: How many candidates will there be in what is anticipated to be the most hotly contested electoral battle in the West Island this fall?
So far there are two candidates in the race, as councillor Brent Cowan on June 10 declared his intention to run. He is seeking to unseat incumbent Mayor Tim Thomas, who earlier this spring said he will seek a second term.
“I want to organize a better partnership with organizations of Pointe Claire, the citizens of Pointe Claire and elected officials,” Cowan said in an interview last week with The 1510 West.
For his part, Thomas welcomed Cowan into the race.
“I encourage all adversaries who do not believe in responsible development to run,” Thomas said in an interview Monday.
“I am running to help protect the Pointe Claire we love and ensure we don’t overdevelop like in Griffintown or Mississauga.”
Thomas said he is encouraging a group of candidates who are in favour of reasonable development to run for council.
Meanwhile, former mayor John Belvedere, who has long been rumoured to be contemplating a rematch with Thomas, is not yet ready to declare his intentions. Thomas beat Belvedere in the 2021 election by a mere 61 votes. A request for a judicial recount of the slim win was rejected.
“I will be making a decision in a couple of weeks,” Belvedere said in an interview last week.
He will announce his decision by Aug. 2, he said, adding he will spend the coming weeks reflecting and talking to people. He would not elaborate on what issues he was reflecting on.
Tension among Pointe Claire’s elected officials have been on full display since the last election, often sparking vitriolic outbursts among members of council during public meetings, sniping on social media and reports of heated exchanges behind closed doors. The comportment has led to residents on several occasions making impassioned pleas for council members to quell the animosity and work collaboratively.
In January 2024, Cowan publicly called for Thomas to resign, accusing the mayor of failing to adhere to procedural rules during a public council meeting and what he termed the mayor’s “contempt of council and (his) refusal to accept the responsibility that accompanies the powers assigned (him) under the law.”
Thomas responded in kind, issuing his own public statement, saying he had hoped the differing views on council would lead to compromise.
“Instead,” Thomas stated, “the last two years have seen a scorched-earth approach at council meetings and pressure on new members of council to resign before the end of our four-year mandate.”
In January 2023, councillor Erin Tedford resigned her seat in the wake of being denounced by developers for her stance to slow development, creating a confrontational climate she deemed untenable. She also accused her council colleagues of posting lies and half-truths on social media, calling their actions “disappointing.”
Meanwhile, Cowan says his campaign will seek to “heal council, so that no matter who is elected, it will be able to deliberate in a collegial manner to arrive at sound decisions.”
If elected, he said, he will also seek to look at key areas in the city, like Pointe Claire Plaza, to plan redevelopment proposals.
When it comes to the proposed plan to build multi-unit housing on the site of the parking lot at the Fairview Pointe Claire shopping centre, Cowan said, development there “is inevitable,” without specifying what he would deem acceptable.
Thomas said plans for the Fairview parking lot have to be “reasonable,” and provide what he termed “the missing middle” — structures that are “not high, not low.”
“Everything is open to redevelopment,” Thomas said. “It’s the type of development that is at issue.” Adding: Fairview Forest will remain intact in its entirety. It makes no sense to develop Fairview Forest.”