City of Pointe-Claire

Pointe-Claire Public Works employees honoured

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Three City of Pointe-Claire Public Works employees were honoured for their outstanding contributions at the annual Public Works Stars Recognition Gala held recently.

The event was organized by the Quebec Public Works Association (TP Québec). These awards celebrate the excellence, innovation, and dedication of professionals working in municipal services.

Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas says he is proud but not surprised by the announcements. “They win awards every year. They are one of the best (public works teams) in the country,” Thomas told The Suburban.

Geneviève Rocheleau, Assistant Director of the Public Works and Buildings Department, was honoured for her exceptional commitment to diversity and inclusion, with a particular focus on promoting the role of women in Public Works. Her numerous initiatives have not only helped elevate the status of women in a predominantly male sector but have also paved the way for greater representation and participation of women in municipal infrastructure roles. On the same day Rocheleau was elected as President of the Quebec Public Works Association, making her the first woman to serve in this role.

“I am proud of all our winners, but especially proud of Geneviève’s accomplishments. Women’s accomplishments are honoured at the City of Pointe-Claire. We named the sports centre after Olive Urquhart, Pointe-Claire’s first woman Mayor and the second woman Mayor elected in the province,” Thomas said.

Mathieu Auclair won the outstanding manager award. He was recognized for his leadership and innovations as Manager of the Training and Performance Office, including the digital transformation of morning assignments, which reduced the time spent on this task by 60 per cent. This initiative earned Pointe-Claire the UMQ Ovation Award in 2020. His commitment to excellence and continuous improvement has transformed Public Works operations, notably through the integration of artificial intelligence into their processes.

Claude Lepage was a Finalist in the Health and Safety at Work category. As an experienced blue-collar worker in Public Works, Lepage played a key role in designing an innovative tool to improve working conditions for the road marking team. Faced with significant ergonomic challenges, including physical strain from the repetitive handling of paint templates, Lepage and his team developed a rail system that reduced repetitive strain injuries and boosted productivity. This project not only enhanced workplace health and safety but also cut pedestrian crossing painting time by 50 per cent and reduced paint usage by 10 per cent, making it a success both environmentally and for workers’ well-being. n

Pointe-Claire councillors seek Quebec help to restore order

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / April 27, 2024 / Bruno Tremblay, City of Pointe-Claire, council meetings, Kelly Thorstad-Cullen, Paul Bissonnette, Tim Thomas

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A majority vote by seven city councillors requesting that the Quebec Municipal Affairs Department intervene with an analysis and formulate an action plan to help restore order at the City of Pointe-Claire took place last Tuesday at a special council meeting. The councillors who voted in favour are calling for an overall review of conditions that have led to a hostile political environment and the implementation of solutions to enable the city to better serve its constituents.

Bruno Tremblay was the only city councillor to hold out alongside PC mayor Tim Thomas voting against the resolution tabled by PC city councilor Kelly Thorstad-Cullen and seconded by PC city councillor Paul Bissonnette. “Our public council meetings are lacking leadership and do not meet the standards of professionalism,” Thorstad-Cullen said to The Suburban.

Thomas has repeatedly been accused of abusing his power as speaker at council meetings. “They’ve called for my resignation, they’ve walked out of meetings and now they are calling for this. This is part of a series of events to delegitimize me. The hostility never comes from me. I encourage everyone to watch the webcast to make their own determinations,” Thomas said to The Suburban.

“Unfortunately but not unexpectedly and true to form the mayor made it difficult. He could have simply acknowledged that Pointe-Claire city governance is dysfunctional and cooperated with council’s desire to find a way forward. Instead, he and Councillor Tremblay decided to go full ballistic and accuse the other seven members of council of simply playing politics. If this resolution is just political theatre, the seven of us who voted in favour will look like foolish children. So what are Councillor Tremblay and Mayor Thomas so upset about? That the concerns of the seven might actually have a basis in reality?” PC city councillor Brent Cowan told The Suburban. Councillor Eric Stork told The Suburban that if council was truly the problem, Thomas should welcome this solution as it would serve to prove his notion.

Thomas admits that he has reservations and concerns regarding the proposed evaluation process, but remains optimistic at the possibility that it might generate solutions. “Everybody thinks its a kumbaya, but what this does is give municipal affairs an opportunity to hand over the powers of the city to the provincial government. This is a mistake, in my opinion. It’s one thing to help us get along better but to chance a giveaway of authority is an overstep. If this gets my council to finally sit down and work with me as mayor instead of throwing obstacles at me, great. I don’t have the vote to get what I want but I would like to be heard. This might give us an opportunity to review and improve.” n

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