Alan DeSousa

St. Laurent wants retention basin project brought back

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

St. Laurent mayor Alan DeSousa is calling on the City of Montreal to reinstate a retention basin project for his borough that was cancelled in 2022.

St. Laurent was especially hard hit from the downpours that took place in quick succession this past July 10 and Aug. 9, particularly in the areas of Thimens, Côte Vertu, and Autoroutes 40 and 13. During a recent borough council meeting answering complaints about the July 10 flood, DeSousa said affected residents live near the Leduc collector, which goes from Thimens eastward.

“What we’ve noticed is that the collector’s full, if the pipe is full, your water has no place to go and it goes back into the neighbourhood,” he told a resident.

During that meeting, DeSousa also said the borough would see if there is anything the City of Montreal could do.

At the Aug. 20 Montreal city council meeting, DeSousa pointed out that the Aug. 9 flooding caused serious damage to basements, businesses and cars. He pointed out that a Montreal study in 2006 and 2007 recommended the creation of four retention basins to prevent such flooding, and that, ultimately, only the Leduc basin was cancelled. The others, Rockfield in Lachine, William in the South-West borough and Lavigne in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, were built.

“What is the justification of the Montreal administration for abandoning the project?” the St. Laurent Mayor asked. “This infrastructure is essential.”

DeSousa’s microphone was then cut off as the administration was asked for a response.

Maja Vodanovic, the city executive committee member responsible for the water dossier, responded that the requested government funding had already been spent on the other three retention basins, and that the Leduc retention basin did not meet the funding requirement of preventing the discharge of storm water and waste water into a river.

DeSousa countered that the Montreal water service “clearly indicated” that the Leduc retention basin qualified in terms of reducing discharges into a river. n

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Boeing aerospace research centre in St. Laurent hailed

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

St. Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa, who recently attended the Farnborough Air Show in the UK, is looking forward to the Boeing aerospace and mobility research centre planned for the Technoparc, located in the borough just off the Trans Canada Highway.

Boeing, with the Quebec government, announced this past May a commitment to invest $240 million in the Greater Montreal area, of a total $415 million in Quebec — Quebec is contributing $85 million. At the same time, Premier François Legault announced an aerospace innovation zone in Longeuil, Mirabel and Montreal — specifically St. Laurent, that will house the research facilities. Other investors in the overall project include Pratt & Whitney Canada, Airbus, Bombardier, Flying Whales Québec and Thales Canada.

Regarding the air show, DeSousa said that “all of the companies that are in aeronautics from St. Laurent were present, whether they be Bombardier or CAE, but also the companies from the Greater Montreal region,” he explained. “The aeronautical industry is the top generator in exports for Quebec, and a quarter of that is in our territory.”

Regarding the research centre, “Boeing has committed $80 million to that endeavour, and we’re quite keen and excited. The land is in the Technoparc, there would be the National Research Council and we would also have the universities such as McGill, Concordia and the Université de Montréal.

“There will be workspace for people to do research, there will be collaboration activities, there will be space sharing, the opportunity to create jobs in terms of the green planes (planes that are quieter and more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly), and autonomous planes (more automated planes with less functions for pilots). These are things that I had the privilege of sharing at the air show, this opportunity we have and that is about to unleash itself. I’m very pleased to say it was well received.” n

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St. Laurent resident asks for 30km speed limit

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

A St. Laurent resident has asked the borough council to set the speed limit at 30 km/hr on all residential streets throughout the borough. The resident said the speed limit is 30 km/hr in areas around schools and parks.

“Why should we accept less safety in the places kids live?” the email read at the May council meeting says. “Considering the ever increasing size and power of cars today, shouldn’t we be reducing speed limits to compensate for this?” The resident also called for appropriate enforcement and traffic calming measures on the residential streets.

Speed limits have been reduced on numerous streets in Montreal, including to as little as 20 km/hr in the Lajoie area of Outremont. Also, pretty much all of Bertrand in St. Laurent, between Côte Vertu and St. Louis, is 30 km/hr.

Mayor Alan DeSousa responded that the borough is always “questioning ourselves, what is the right speed limit in terms of ensuring safety.”Just reducing the speed limit, we have already done that once for arterial, neighbourhoods and school zoning, so we’ve gone through that experience and an awful lot of work to put that through,” the Mayor added. “But we’ve noticed that just lowering the speed limit as a measure, in and of itself, is pretty limited, and so that’s why what we’re doing is focusing our efforts on traffic calming measures in different communities and other measures to make sure pedestrian and cyclist safety, and your kids’ safety, is enhanced.”

DeSousa also said that “if we get to the point that we think, after those measures, there’s a need again to lower limits, council is open to consider it.” n

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