JOSHUA ALLAN

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The decision by the Société des alcools du Québec to shut down eight outlets across the province – including its store in Baie d’Urfé – has ruffled the feathers of both shoppers and municipal officials.

The Baie d’Urfé outlet, located at the Plaza Baie d’Urfé off Highway 20 at Morgan Avenue, is the only SAQ outlet in the West Island slated for closure. There are a total of eight provincially run liquor stores in the West Island.

“It has big implications if people are going to be going to another mall that has an SAQ,” said Baie d’Urfé Mayor  Heidi Ektvedt in an interview. “Most people who are short on time are going to use that opportunity to pick up their pharmacy items, go to the grocery store and grab what they need at the SAQ.”

Ektvedt said she is concerned that this may have a domino effect on neighbouring businesses.

Baie d’Urfé Plaza is the only shopping centre in the town.

In a joint statement released last Thursday, Ektvedt and Sophia Lavergne, general manager of the West Island Chamber of Commerce, voiced their opposition to the closure of the outlet.

Lavergne called the move by the SAQ “deeply concerning for the business community,” as local retailers in the plaza rely on the SAQ “not only for its products but also for the foot traffic it generates.”

No exact date has been set for the closure, but it is stated for some time in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, according to the SAQ.

Ektvedt has added her voice to another joint statement last Thursday issued by seven other Quebec mayors whose municipalities are set to lose their local SAQ outlet. They include the cities of Brossard and Chicoutimi; the towns of Stanstead in the Eastern Townships; Rivière Bleue, near the Maine border; and the neighbourhoods of Ville Émard in Montreal, Hull in Gatineau and Pointe de Ste. Foy in Quebec City.

Both statements shared a link to an online petition, calling for a moratorium on the store closures until the provincial government recognizes the SAQ as a “driver of local vitality” and adopts policies to protect it from such closures.

As of yesterday, the petition has gained nearly 1,600 signatures and has been circulated online by several Baie d’Urfé residents. The petition will be open to signatures until May 26.

Ektvedt said she’s encouraging “anybody who thinks that they would like to have these services remain close to their homes” add their names to the petition, adding that “this could very well be the beginning of other (stores) closing.”

Many residents have expressed dismay over the closure. Resident Brendan Buckley said he will miss the welcoming staff and convenience of having the store nearby.

“It seemed to always be busy and well stocked,” Buckley said, adding that “having it close by was very convenient and felt like a ‘local’ business.”

The decision to close the eight outlets comes as the SAQ reported a trend of declining sales revenue over the past two years. An online statement claims that the company had $514.1 million in revenue for the third quarter of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ended Jan. 4. This represented a $6.9-million decrease from the same quarter the year prior.

The SAQ’s report noted an overall “downward trend in volumes” sold, which it claimed was “largely attributable to changes in customers’ shopping habits.”

There are SAQ outlets in Beaconsfield, Pointe Claire, Kirkland, Dorval, Pierrefonds-Roxboro and two in Dollard des Ormeaux. There is also another in Île Perrot.

Following the closure, Baie d’Urfé residents looking to buy liquors or spirits will have to travel the next-closest SAQ branches in either Beaconsfield or L’Île Perrot.

Cutline:

The closure of the SAQ outlet at the Baie d’Urfé Plaza could impact the other business at the shopping centre, officials say.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

About 30 homeowners in Baie d’Urfé are being told they will have to dole out thousands of dollars to replace old, out-of-date septic systems within the next two years as the town looks to meet the latest provincial standards. But more could soon be in the same situation.

The residents live on two streets – Magnolia and Balsam – who had their septic systems inspected last year. The results of the inspections show the waste systems do not meet provincial standards and will have to be replaced before the end of 2026.

According to Quebec’s latest wastewater law passed in 2019, homeowners are required to foot the bill for their own septic system replacement, Baie d’Urfé Mayor Heidi Ektvedt told The 1510 West.

The municipality, she explained, has been communicating the importance of maintaining up-to-date septic tanks with residents since the law was enacted, adding that the urban planning department will keep its door open to residents and “provide them with any guidance and information that they need.”

Over a dozen residents from Magnolia and Balsam who have been informed of the upgrades required attended the March 11 town council. They questioned council why the town was not providing financial support.

The example of tertiary systems – known as one of the most advanced septic systems – was quoted to cost between $30,000 to $35,000 to replace.

Ektvedt took around 30 minutes to address the issue. The province’s wastewater law, she explained, places the responsibility for septic system upkeep and replacement on the homeowner, while municipalities are required to ensure that their citizens are complying with the law. The differing septic systems and soils from one property to the next would further complicate the issue if the project were carried out by the town, the mayor continued.

“We cannot get involved in telling you what contractor or professional service to use for your private property,” Ektvedt told the group.

Some residents have voiced concerns about the price and timeline for this project.

Magnolia resident Ping Wu had brought the issue before the council at the Feb. 11 meeting. He explained that he and his family were new homeowners and that paying for a new septic system was “completely out of our financial planning.”

Wu added that the high cost was “kind of turning our life into a little bit of a bouleversement,” and requested that the town extend the deadline to replace the system to four or five years.

While Ektvedt understands that expenses like this “can be very stressful,” she said, these necessary upgrades are, regrettably, an aspect of homeownership.

“The timeline that was given was very generous,” she said in an interview with The 1510 West. “Even a two-year timeframe is a very long time to do work like this.”

The council pointed out that homeowners can take advantage of a provincial government tax credit for this project of up to $5,500.

Ektvedt said inspections will be extended to septic systems on other streets, but she did not have a clear timeline.

Cutline:

About 30 homeowners on Magnolia and Balsam streets in Baie d’Urfé have been told they must have their septic systems replaced.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Elected officials from Dorval and Montreal have teamed up to call for a green space next to the airport to be protected.

Dorval Mayor Marc Doret, St. Laurent Borough Mayor Alan DeSousa, Montreal city councillor Alex Norris and former provincial and federal representative Clifford Lincoln last week made a pitch to protect Lot 20 – 140 hectares of green space located next to the Montréal-Trudeau International Airport – by excluding it from the airport’s expansion project.

“The urgency is to protect what we have,” said Doret in an interview.

Doret and the other officials argue the undeveloped land acts as the “green lungs” for a neighbourhood surrounded by the airport and nearby industrial parks.

Lot 20 includes the Golf Dorval course and Monarch Fields. Located in Dorval, just northwest of the airport, it borders the Montreal borough of St. Laurent. To the east are Lots 3 and 4 – 25 hectares of protected green space, including wetlands.

All of the lots are federally owned and managed by Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), which announced an ambitious $4-billion redesign plan last year. The project includes reclaiming surrounding federally owned lands, including Lot 20, for airport use. As this land belongs to the federal government, no permission nor consultation is needed from the surrounding municipalities for the ADM to go forward with this project.

The expansion project has already forced Manoir Kanisha, a pet boarding service located just southeast of the airport, to close its doors in January after 35 years due to its property being reclaimed by ADM.

So far, ADM has dismissed calls to include Lot 20 among the protected green space to the east, offering instead to create what it describes as a “decarbonization zone” on the land within the next 20 years.

Doret, however, rejects this proposal.

“We have an incredible biodiversity here, and it’s all at risk over this concept of a development of a decarbonization zone,” Doret said. “Let’s just think about what that means: the best decarbonization zone is exactly what we have today.

“We have the best tool right here, right now,” he continued. “Leave it as it is. Let’s agree to preserve the space once and for all.”

Norris, who also acts as an associate councillor for major parks, affirmed the city of Montreal’s commitment to advocating for the protection of Lot 20.

“Yes, we do need to decarbonize transport,” Norris said, “but this cannot be done at the expense of natural wetlands and natural green space.”

According to an information package provided by the City of Dorval, Lot 20 acts as an important space for local biodiversity. The land is part of an area that is home to 216 species of birds, some of which are threatened or endangered.

The Monarch Fields are aptly named for being a stop-off for hundreds of monarch butterflies during their seasonal migration. The park also is home to thousands of milkweed plants, which is the only species of plant on which these butterflies lay their eggs.

The ADM, however, has been vocal about its opposition to designating the space as a nature park. In an op-ed published in the Montreal Gazette last Thursday, ADM President and Chief Executive Officer Yves Beauchamp stated his organization would be against any project that would increase the presence of wildlife near the airport.

“Wildlife hazard is a very real and serious threat to aviation,” he wrote, adding: “The creation of a 140-hectare nature park on our airport site would clearly go against the best practices and actions adopted by our partners and ourselves.”

But former politician Clifford Lincoln disagrees with Beauchamp. He addressed the op-ed at last Friday press conference, dismissing the ADM’s reasoning as “completely phony.”

“If today the airport can live with (wildlife), why not tomorrow?” Lincoln asked. “There is no reason at all why this wonderful ecosystem cannot live side-by-side with the airport. It has since 1941 (when the airport first opened). Nature hasn’t changed since. The birds are still there. The biodiversity is still the same.”

He warned that once nature is abandoned for development, “it is gone forever.”

 “I am for nature and against concrete,” Lincoln said.

The group would like ADM and the federal government “to sit down with us in working groups so that we can find a way that we can reach all of our objectives without compromising the protection of this very important green space,” said Norris.

“We’re convinced that we can reconcile the objectives of the airport with the necessity of the protection of the natural green spaces,” he added.

Cutline:

Map shows the 140 hectares – which includes Golf Dorval and Monarch Field – the City of Dorval wants excluded from the airport’s expansion plan.

Joshua Allan
Special to The Advocate

Negotiations to sell a multi-million-dollar vertical strawberry production plant in Vaudreuil-Dorion, just off the western tip of the island of Montreal continue. The Ferme d’Hiver facility, which launched with fanfare in 2021, had come up short of its lofty goal to replace 10 per cent of Canada’s total strawberry imports by this year, even after having received $32 million in government funding in 2022.

Ferme d’Hiver founder and technological director Yves Daoust confirmed that negotiations for the sale of the operation are ongoing but declined to share details, nor offer the names of interested buyers.

The company had reportedly been in talks with GUSH, a vertical strawberry farm based in Montreal, for a potential sale of the facility back in January. However, in a media interview Daoust said the plant is drawing interest from several potential buyers. 

A technological approach to agriculture

Founded in 2018, Ferme d’Hiver had sought to create an innovative approach to strawberry farming. Combining agricultural practices with climate engineering systems in a greenhouse environment and using artificial intelligence, the company aimed to produce pesticide-free strawberries year-round.

The production plant was designed to use indoor climate simulation systems to create an optimal environment for strawberry production. This system was meant to bypass the traditional reliance on Mother Nature for optimal weather for crop growth. The plant includes eight production rooms, with a maximum capacity of 60,000 strawberry plants.

In 2022, Ferme d’Hiver received $32 million in combined funding from the Quebec government and Investissement Québec in order for the company to “position itself among the world leaders in the vertical farm industry,” according to a statement released at the time.

The company aimed to produce about 13 million kilograms of strawberries by 2025, which would have replaced 10 per cent of Canada’s total strawberry imports.

However, the business experienced significant difficulties in the years since. Daoust had explained to the media that the company had made a misguided attempt to start production before construction of the plant had been completed. This led to issues of outside exposure for the strawberry plants, which was compounded by the company’s decision not to use pesticides. As a result, production at the facility never hit full capacity, creating an irreparable gap between expenses and revenue. 

Construction had been completed by last spring, but the decision to sell was made in August following a meeting between the company and its creditors.

In 2021, Ferme D’Hiver built its first strawberry-growing facility inside a $4-million 20,000-square-foot greenhouse. This facility, equipped with lights and climate-control technology, regulates humidity and temperature, and simulate sunshine and rain, creating the perfect growing climate for the berries. This approach to vertical indoor growing was not new, but combining it within a larger greenhouse facility was. Integrating the two facilities was touted as the game-changer.

All the light energy generated in the strawberry-growing space is transformed into heat and used to warm the surrounding greenhouse. The aim was to convert the energy for a secondary purpose to facilitate growing vegetables all year round.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The City of Beaconsfield will spend more than $840,000 to restore a pillar of the pedestrian bridge that straddles Highway 20. 

The project will restore a single pillar of the bridge that has visibly deteriorated over the past few years, said Beaconsfield director-general Patrice Boileau. Motorists travelling along Highway 20 can see the decaying concrete at the base of the pillar in the median between the east and westbound lanes of the autoroute.

The project will see the pillar repaired both for esthetic reasons and for the protection of the integrity of the overpass, Boileau explained in an interview with The 1510 West. The municipality is aiming to have the project completed “before the end of this year,” he added.

For now, the project is expected to be funded by a $844,270 loan bylaw approved by Beaconsfield council last month. However, as a pedestrian bridge falls under the category of “active transport,” the city may have the chance to take advantage of provincial funding support, Boileau explained.

A Quebec government fund that aims to “support the development, improvement and maintenance of active transportation infrastructure,” according to the provincial government’s website, includes providing grants to municipalities for projects that encourage active transportation. This includes restoration projects for infrastructure designated for pedestrian use.

However, the program has not been accepting applications for grants since this past summer. “Normally, it comes back in the fall,” Boileau said, “but so far, it hasn’t come back.”

Transports Quebec spokesperson Sarah Bensadoun confirmed the ministry is not accepting applications for grants under the program at this time, but the funding initiative will be renewed. No date for the renewal, however, has been released.

Cutline:
The pedestrian overpass next to Beaconsfield High School straddles both Highway 20 and the railway tracks north of the expressway.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

One of the oldest building in Ste. Anne de Bellevue is for sale. The asking price: just under $1.3 million.

The Simon Fraser House, located at 153 Ste. Anne Street, is on the market after plans to convert the heritage building into a condo site fell through due to restrictions placed on how the property could be redeveloped, multiple sources confirmed to The 1510 West.

Base Spaces Inc., a property investment company operating in the West Island, had intended to turn the historic home into a condominium project, but found out “the hard way” that this would be impossible due to the building’s heritage status, according to Ste. Anne Mayor Paola Hawa.

The 200-year-old home’s designation as a heritage building creates “a lot of restrictions in terms of updates/renovations,” Hawa explained.

She added that while the Town of Ste. Anne does not plan to purchase the property, she hopes that a buyer “appreciates its historical value.”

Base Spaces Inc. head Chris McLean was not available for comment.

A for-sale sign on the lot beside the house, located near the locks at the west end of the village, went up earlier this month.

The three-storey building is being marketed as being a conversion project with “endless potential,” according to the listing on the Royal LePage webpage. The building is described as having potential for “business, restaurant, office or condo conversion.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

As the growing number of service interruptions on the South Shore have raised questions about the reliability of the REM light rail system in winter – a situation that was exaserbated last week by heavy snowfalls – officials says the opening of the West Island line is still on schedule for this fall. And this despite acknowledging that recent service problems on parts of the network already in service have forced a pullback on the schedule of tests on the West Island tracks.

“This winter, particular challenges have been compounded,” said Francis Labbé, assistant director of media relations for CDPQ Infra, the consortium overseeing the rail service.

Labbé said REM workers managing the West Island tests were called to Brossard last week as the line running from downtown Montreal to the South Shore – currently the only line in operation – has been experiencing continued technical issues.

The REM has experienced multiple delays and service disruptions this month as Montreal was hit with a record-breaking 74 centimetres of snow – 10 centimetres more than the previous record set in February 1954. Shuttle buses were deployed to compensate for the delays.

“Our teams are already hard at work to remedy them,” Labbé said, referring to the issues on the South Shore line.

The latest phase of dynamic testing along the West Island tracks between the Anse-à-l’Orme station in Ste. Anne de Bellevue and the Bois-Franc station in St. Laurent, which began Feb. 3, has been reduced in the past week. Up until the record-breaking snowfall this month, trains had been running along the West Island line from 6 a.m. to midnight every day, preparing for its service launch in October.

Labbé added that changes to better winterize the South Shore line would be valuable to the whole operation.

“Any improvements to our equipment will benefit branches not yet in service,” he explained, adding the reduction of these dynamic tests will not hamper the goal of opening the West Island line in October.

Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault told the media last week that riders expect “efficient and reliable service” from the REM, adding that the number of delays caused by winter weather these past two years is unacceptable.

Since its launch in July 2023, the South Shore REM line has been plagued by frequent service interruptions. But this past month has proven to be particularly challenging. In early February, a power outage shut down service for several hours, while switch malfunctions disrupted transit during morning rush hours. Shuttle buses are now in use regularly to ferry South Shore commuters to and from downtown.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

It has been the biggest and longest snow removal operation in recent memory, but West Island municipalities have either completed or have almost completed all street clearing since two major storms dumped a record-setting accumulation earlier this month.

“I could just lift my hat and say thanks to all our blue-collar (workers) who are working tirelessly,” said Beaconsfield director-general Patrice Boileau, adding municipal employees have worked long hours over the past two weeks to clear snow from the town’s streets, sidewalks, bike lanes and fire hydrants. “We’re very happy and proud of our teams.”

Boileau described the snow removal process as “very challenging,” given the unprecedented 75 centimetres of snow that fell in back-to-back storms from Feb. 13-16.

“It’s the equivalent of four to five regular storms,” he said. “It’s a lot of work for all the (workers) who we have in Montreal, Beaconsfield – or any other city.”

Both Pierrefonds-Roxboro and L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, whose snow removal services are managed by the City of Montreal, were just over 75-per-cent complete in their snow removal process as of yesterday, according to the City of Montreal.

All other West Island communities have announced that they have completed removing snow from streets, sidewalks and bike lanes, with some left to clear snow from parking lots and around fire hydrants.

When budgeting for snow removal services, West Island municipalities pay a flat fee that is included in their annual budgets. However, extra costs may be incurred if trucking services are needed to haul the snow away or if city employees are required to work overtime.

Beaconsfield will see added expenses for these services, Boileau said. The city had reserved $945,598 for snow removal this year but that figure could increase by 10 or 15 per cent due to “non-stop overtime.” This estimate, Boileau added, is assuming that there will be no more major snowstorms for the rest of the winter.

Kirkland is another municipality that expects to incur added costs to cart snow away. Its municipal snow dump on Ste. Marie Road just north of Highway 40 is closing in on its maximum capacity, Bruno Possa, Kirkland’s Public Works director, told The 1510 West. 

The mountain of snow at the snow dump is usually so large that it normally survives until well into the spring and summer months before it is completely melted away.

“We are currently reviewing our loading strategy,” Possa said. “Several potential solutions are on the table.”

Kirkland had completed its clearing of streets and sidewalks last Friday, but has been working on snow removal in parking lots this week. The city had budgeted $1.47 million for snow removal in 2025.

As Kirkland continues to look at different options this week, Possa added that the municipality’s priority “is to ensure the best possible solution for the taxpayers.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

West Islanders driving along Highway 40 this past week have surely noticed trains zipping along the elevated REM tracks. The light rail network is being tested, simulating real-time travel in the West Island, marking another significant step forward for the public transit project.

“This is a phase during which we subject our cars to all kinds of situations,” said Francis Labbé, assistant director of media relations for CDPQ Infra in an email.

Labbé said the consortium that manages the rail line has been testing the trains at various times of the day – in the morning, afternoon and up until midnight.

“Tests are going well so far,” he said.

The consortium started the latest round of simulations between the Anse-à-l’Orme station in Ste. Anne de Bellevue and the Bois-Franc station in St. Laurent on Feb. 3, making stops at the Kirkland, Fairview-Pointe-Claire and Des Sources stations along the way.

The tests have been taking place from 6 a.m. to midnight every day as the transit network prepares for its service launch this fall.  When in service, the REM will operate daily between 5:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.

CDPQ Infra had announced in November that it is targeting the fall of 2025 for the launch of the Deux-Montagnes and West Island branches of the REM. Labbé explained that this target has not changed.

“We’re still aiming for next fall, but we can’t be more precise at the moment, since it’s the tests that will dictate what happens next,” he explained.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

It was a “worst-case scenario” decision when Pointe Claire-based pantyhose manufacturer Sheertex made the call to temporarily lay off around 40 per cent of its employees last Wednesday. The decision was made amid ongoing threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on Canadian goods entering the U.S. – a move that would severely impact the company’s revenues.

To Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas, this regrettable development hammers home the need for Canadians across the country to support Canadian businesses by making the extra effort to choose Canadian products and brands while shopping to reduce the blow from U.S. tariffs.

“We’ve got to learn how to support ourselves and support Canadian and our local businesses,” Thomas said in an interview. “It’s a no-brainer.”

The decision “was not made lightly,” said Katherine Homuth, the company’s founder and CEO referring to the layoffs of about 90 of the 350 workers at her facility on the Trans-Canada Highway. Her statement posted on LinkedIn went on to explain the company will look to re-hire its impacted employees within the next six months.

About 85 per cent of Sheertex’s total revenue comes from U.S. sales. The company, Homuth explained, is currently rushing to move as much inventory as it can across the border before the end of the month.

She also explained that Sheertex’s business-to-business sales done in the U.S. are already tariffed at 16 per cent, as more than 9 per cent of the raw materials used in the company’s tights and leggings are sourced from outside Canada and the U.S. The tariffs being threatened by the Trump administration would also eliminate the de minimis exemption – a loophole which allows direct-to-consumer sales of less than $800 to cross the border duty free. Altogether, this would mean a 41-per-cent tariff on all Sheertex products sold in the U.S.

“The financial burden is now immense,” Homuth wrote.

This panic over tariffs in Canada’s business community should serve as a wakeup call, Thomas added. “We’ve been avoiding this reality for a long time now ­­– for decades.”

According to Statistics Canada, about 76 per cent of Canada’s total international exports are shipped to the U.S., valued at around $590 billion in 2024.

In Quebec alone, the U.S. accounts for around 70 per cent of exports. According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, the province shipped around $87.3 billion worth of exports to the U.S. in 2023.

“Canada has got to start to look at itself and start to (increase) interprovincial trade and support locally, but also support Canadian,” Thomas added.

Since the start of the U.S.’s tariff talks, Thomas said he has seen many Pointe Claire residents step up and choose to support Canadian products over U.S. imports. He recalls one recent instance when in a store “and somebody said (buy Canadian) out loud to everybody in the store, and everybody nodded their heads and started behaving accordingly. Everybody was buying Canadian.”

In a subsequent LinkedIn post published last Thursday evening, Homuth described how she was “incredibly moved” by the support her company had received. She called on consumers to reach out to Canadian retailers, such as Shopper’s Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Quebec) and Jean Coutu to encourage them to work with Canadian-based manufacturers. The support “gives me hope that we might find a path to reduce our U.S. market dependency and bring our team back to work,” she added.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Years of debate over how and who should restore the historic windmill in Pointe Claire seems headed to finally culminating in action after the Pointe-Claire Heritage Preservation Society and the Archdiocese of Montreal last month struck a deal.

The move, granting the local historical society a 50-year lease on the iconic stone structure on Pointe Claire’s historic point that juts into Lake St. Louis, means the group can now rev up its fundraising efforts to restore the weathered building and transform it into a cultural and educational hub.

“We were delighted,” said Linda De Witt, an executive member of the historical society, describing the group’s energy after confirming the deal. “We negotiated for several months and when the deal was finalized, it was just wonderful. We think it’s good news for us (and) good news for the city.”

“Above all, this new partnership will allow the people of Pointe Claire to be at the heart of the project,” said Stefano Marrone, head of real estate for the Archdiocese of Montreal, in a statement when the lease was announced on Feb. 27.

The new agreement will ensure the “continued legacy” of the windmill, Marrone said.

The windmill, which dates back to early 1700s, has been showing its age in recent years, most notably when a storm in 2019 broke off two of its four rotor blades. Along with replacing the blades, the historical society will oversee work on the building’s foundation and exterior walls, as well as fix damage done to the roof and replace a missing window.

The cost of renovating the structure has been estimated in the millions of dollars, but the group is unable to provide a precise estimate amid rising inflation and economic uncertainty.

One of the first steps needed, however, will be to complete an archaeological study of the structure, something De Witt said will be done in the spring.

“When the snow melts, we’ll be there,” she said, explaining that the group is ready to move forward quickly.

The ultimate goal, De Witt added, is for the windmill to serve as a cultural centre, with the historical society offering guided tours and hosting information sessions catering to attendees of all ages, as has been done with other historical landmarks in the city.

So far, the group has raised about $350,000 in donations that will go towards the restoration project. And now with a lease on the property secured, the group will move forward with what De Witt called a “serious fundraising campaign.

“We will, of course, explore all avenues,” she added, including possible financial assistance from Quebec’s Ministry of Culture and Communications.

Complications around funding from city

In 2023, the City of Pointe Claire approved a bylaw to provide funding for the windmill restoration. It allows a maximum of $967,000 in funding. However, money would only be provided once the work has been completed.

“This procedure is widely used in Quebec,” said Caroline Thibault, the city’s director of legal affairs, in an interview with The 1510 West, adding that this ensures that taxpayer money does not go toward uncompleted projects.

Thibault added that if money for the project is needed up front, the Archdiocese, which maintains ownership of the property, could consider taking out a bank loan to fund the project until the city provides the reimbursement.

De Witt, however, considered the process for receiving the city funding after the work is completed somewhat disjointed. The Archdiocese, she explained, does not have access to millions of dollars to be used as collateral for a bank loan, nor does the historical society.

 “It’s going to be an ongoing process,” she said, adding that the group is confident that the community will be in favour of this project.

Information on donating to the project can be found on the Pointe-Claire Heritage Preservation Society’s website. “Any amount, big or small, that people want to contribute will help,” De Witt said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

As the race for leader of the federal Liberal party gears up, two of the three West Island MPs have declared their support for former governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney.

Lac-Saint-Louis MP Francis Scarpaleggia, however, is still mulling over who to back, as he explained that there are several strong options for the role.

“It’s an embarrassment of riches, in a way,” Scarpaleggia told The 1510 West lastweek.

“We’re very fortunate that we have so many highly qualified people who are seeking the Liberal leadership,” added Scarpaleggia, who marked 20 years as an MP last June.

He is looking to support a candidate who can connect with Quebec.

 “I think all candidates appreciate the importance of appealing to Quebecers and that Quebec is essential for any desire to form government,” he said.

Pierrefonds-Dollard MP Sameer Zuberi announced his endorsement of Carney earlier this month.

Zuberi consulted with Liberal voters in his riding and found the vast majority were looking for a candidate with fresh ideas and a strong economic background.

“The main thing Canadians and Quebecers want is a fresh start,” Zuberi said in an interview. “There’s a lot of excitement around Mark Carney and that’s a big reason why he is a very good potential leader.”

Dorval–Lachine–LaSalle MP Anju Dhillon also voiced support for Carney in a social media post last Sunday. She encouraged voters to register for the Liberal Party in order to vote for Carney in the leadership election this March, accompanied by a photo of the two.

Dhillon was not available for comment.

Candidates for the Liberal leadership have been gathering endorsements from MPs over the past weeks. Recent reports show that Carney has received more than 50 endorsements from Liberal MPs, followed by 27 for former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland. Government House leader Karina Gould has received three MP endorsements so far.

Montreal businessman and former Pierrefonds-Dollard MP Frank Baylis, the only candidate from Quebec, has not yet publicly received any endorsements from Liberal MPs.

Zuberi pointed out that the voting system in this leadership election allows voters to rank candidates. While he hasn’t yet decided in what order he will rank the candidates after Carney, he said Baylis would be another candidate who could give the party a much-needed shot in the arm.

“The good thing about the ranked ballot system is that you can (support) multiple people,” Zuberi explained. “It’s not necessarily one’s first choice who will take the day; it might be one’s second choice.”

Baylis, Zuberi added, “is very well-respected as a successful businessperson, philanthropist, and somebody who has a lot to offer.”

Other candidates include Sydney–Victoria MP Jaime Battiste and former Brampton–Springdale MP Ruby Dhalla.

Nepean MP Chandra Arya announced in a post on X on Sunday that he was “informed by the Liberal Party of Canada that I will not be permitted to enter the leadership race.” Arya did not offer a reason for his disqualification but had stirred controversy earlier this month by saying he did not speak French and dismissed the importance of the French language in Quebec.

Citizens had until this past Monday to register for party membership in order to participate in the vote to decide the next leader.

The election for party leader will be held on Sunday, March 9.

Cutline:
Pierrefonds-Dollard MP Sameer Zuberi endorsed Carney last week in a social media post.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A “slap in the face.” That is how a West Island tenants’ advocacy group described the annual recommended rental increase announced last week by provincial authorities, prompting a protest in Pointe Claire on Monday.

The news “was quite a shock,” said Lily Martin, a community organizer for the West Island Tenants Action Committee (CALODI), referring to the announcement last week by the provincial housing tribunal that recommended a 5.9-per-cent increase in rental rates – the largest one-year jump in rental rates in more than 30 years.  

“It felt really like a slap in the face,” Martin added, as her group called on the provincial government to halt hikes in monthly rent bills.

CALODI outlined its call to action during a small protest at the Fairview bus terminus in Pointe Claire on Monday. Around 20 protestors braved the cold to show solidarity with renters and gathered dozens of signatures on a petition calling for a province-wide freeze on rents.

Freezing rents “is the bare minimum that needs to happen in order to prevent a severe and imminent escalation of the housing crisis,” Martin said.

Last Tuesday, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) unveiled its annual recommended rent increase for landlords in the province. It recommended a 5.9-per-cent increase for rental properties that do not include heating. Units that include heating by electricity, gas or oil were recommended to increase rent by 5.5, 5 and 4.1 per cent, respectively.

The hike would see the average monthly rent for an unheated unit in Pointe Claire – the municipality with the most expensive average rent in the West Island – to increase to $1,971, up from $1,862.

As a community organization that educates West Island renters on their rights, Martin said CALODI “almost immediately started getting calls from tenants who had seen the news and were struggling to comprehend how such a high number could be possible.”

The TAL’s calculation takes into account annual increases in expenses for property owners. Landlords across the province may choose to use this recommendation as justification for rental increases, but frequently raise it at an even higher rate, Martin explained.

This latest recommendation will make a bad situation worse in the West Island, the group claims.

According to a survey conducted by CALODI, the acronym of the group’s French name, Comité d’acion des locataires de l’Ouest de l’Île, rental increases in the West Island emerged as the top issue tenants in the West Island struggling with.

The survey was the first of its kind conducted in the West Island. Martin claimed that about 40 per cent of renters in the West Island live in “unaffordable housing.” This refers to having to pay rents that account for more than 30 per cent of their gross household income.

On Monday, the group also called on provincial authorities to change the way TAL calculates landlord expenses when determining annual rental increases. The group says the calculation is skewed in the landlords’ favour.

That message has been echoed by numerous community organizations in the province, including the Centrale des syndicats du Québec and the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec.

Last week, Quebec Liberal Opposition Critic for Housing, Virginie Dufour, called the formula “outdated,” and claims it creates an “inflationary spiral,” and called on Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau to review and “modernize” the TAL formula.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Homeowners in Baie d’Urfé will see their municipal taxes go up by an average of 3.5 per cent this year, according to the town’s $29.5-million budget unveiled last month.

That means the owner of an average home, valued at about $1.18 million, will receive a tax bill of $5,202, or $176 more compared with last year.

The residential property tax rate for this year was raised slightly. Homeowners will pay 44.61 cents for every $100 of value for their property. This is almost two cents higher than the rate set for 2024.

The town approved its 2025 budget at a special council meeting Dec. 10. Total spending for the year is set at $29.5 million – up by $1.2 million, or 4.3 per cent more than in 2024. More than half of the budget will go toward payments to the Montreal Agglomeration, which is responsible for providing emergency services, public transport and water management among other services for demerged West Island municipalities.

Other areas of significant expenditure for the town include transport – $1.27 million – and general administration – $1.25 million.

The Dec. 10 meeting also saw the council approve the town’s three-year, $22.6-million capital expenditures program, aimed at funding upgrades and renovations to public facilities and infrastructure, with a little over $9 million to be spent in 2025.

The program includes the installation of a septic tank system to accommodate the curling club, Red Barn and aquatic centre; the purchase of several vehicles for municipal use; and the reconstruction and renovation of several streets as well as foot and bike paths.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The average homeowner in Kirkland can expect to pay about $140 more in property taxes this year, according to the municipality’s $76-million budget approved on Dec. 16.

For the owner of an average home valued at $899,508, this means a tax bill of around $5,330, up 2.7 per cent from last year. This includes a $90 water charge, which is unchanged from 2024.

The residential property tax rate has been lowered to 58.25 cents per $100 of property value, which is down by about half a cent from last year.

Kirkland’s annual budget will see a total of $76 million in spending – up by $2.3 million, or 3.1 per cent from last year.

The lion’s share of the budget will go to the Montreal Agglomeration, which is responsible for managing emergency services and public transport among other services provided to Kirkland and the other demerged towns on the island of Montreal. In total, the agglomeration will receive $39.6 million, or 52 per cent, of Kirkland’s total budget.

Other areas of significant spending in the budget are wages and benefits, which account for $16.2 million this year, and contracts for projects and services, which total $9 million.

The town also pointed out that it had made strides in reducing its long-term debt in 2024, which now sits at $17.1 million. For reference, Kirkland’s long-term debt had hovered around $34 million for over a decade prior, until being reduced to $27.8 million in 2023.

The town’s three-year capital expenditures program outlines $44.2 million in spending from 2025 to 2027, with $17.1 million to be spent this year. Significant areas of spending this year include $7.6 million to upgrade the sewers and waterworks; $4.5 million for management of parks, green spaces and bike lanes; and $3.1 million for roadwork.

Detailing the program at the Dec. 16 meeting, Kirkland director general Joe Sanalitro pointed out that $3.4 million of the $4.5 million reserved for park management would go toward resurfacing the town’s tennis and basketball courts. This project would also include refrigeration of these terrains so that they can be transformed into ice rinks during the winter season.

“With climate change, the weather patterns are unpredictable,” Sanalitro explained, adding that the town has been having “a very, very hard time getting outdoor ice for the winter season.” This new feature, he explained, will ensure that Kirkland residents have access to outdoor skating all winter long, no matter the weather.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Homeowners in Beaconsfield will see another property tax increase this year as the average tax bill is set to go up by 3.3 per cent, according to the city’s $63.2-million budget approved last month.

The owners of an average single-family house now valued at over $1 million, at $1,033,418, can expect to pay $7,261 in municipal taxes in 2025, up by $231 from last year.

The municipality’s taxation rate also saw a slight increase – homeowners will pay 62.32 cents per $100 of home valuation, which is almost two cents more than in 2024. Fees for garbage collection are up by $5 for a total of $215, while water fees remain stable at $40.

Overall, Beaconsfield will increase its spending in 2025 by $3.3 million compared with 2024 for a total this year of $63.2 million.

The largest areas of expense in the 2025 budget are general administration ($12.37 million), road work ($12 million) and public security ($11.76 million)

The budget was passed at the town’s Dec. 16 special council meeting. At the meeting, Mayor Georges Bourelle acknowledged the large role the Montreal Agglomeration council plays in the taxation of Beaconsfield residents.

The agglomeration manages shared services across the island, including transit, social housing and emergency services. Around half of Beaconsfield’s annual budget – $31.9 million – will go toward agglomeration payments.

However, several mayors of demerged West Island municipalities, including Bourelle, have claimed that their towns have been overtaxed and underserved by the agglomeration. Beaconsfield launched a lawsuit in 2020 claiming the agglomeration council was overcharging for regional services. The lawsuit is ongoing.

During the Dec. 16 meeting, Bourelle recommended that residents who are curious as to why their taxes keep rising participate in question-and-answer sessions with the agglomeration council.

“That budget has a huge impact on your taxes,” he said at the meeting.

Beaconsfield council also approved the city’s three-year capital expenditures program, which will see $93.5 million spent in 2025-2027 on upgrades and renovations to public parks, facilities and infrastructure.

Notable expenditures will include continued funding for the construction of a cultural centre at Centennial Park, the development of several bike paths, a renovation project for the interior of city hall, and maintenance and upgrades for numerous parks, public pools and community centres.

Of the $93.5 million, the town has marked just under $22.1 million to be spent this year.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Many longtime residents of Pointe Claire were saddened to hear of the passing of former mayor William “Bill” McMurchie on Jan. 1 at the age of 93 in Toronto. Though the McMurchie family is still organizing the details of their father’s forthcoming celebration of life, one thing is certain: he will be laid to rest in Pointe Claire, likely this spring.

“It’s a special place, and will always be home,” McMurchie’s daughter Lyne told The 1510 West last Friday, detailing her father’s deep connection to the community.

“Pointe Claire was where he met the love of his life, where he built our beautiful family home, and where he had an opportunity to serve. He was a special man,” she wrote in an email.

Born and raised in the small town of Paynton, Saskatchewan, McMurchie moved to Montreal as a student in 1956. It wasn’t long after that he met and married Denise Chartrain, with whom he shared his life for 65 years.

McMurchie spent 57 years in public service for both Pointe Claire and Montreal. This included serving as mayor of Pointe Claire for 15 years, during which he manned the helm as the city demerged from the City of Montreal. McMurchie was also responsible for opening the West Island’s first Ecocentre, reducing speed limits on city streets and protecting the city’s shoreline ecosystems. He was mayor until his retirement in 2013.

Many Pointe Claire residents and elected officials took to social media to share their fond memories of McMurchie following his passing.

Lac-Saint-Louis MP Francis Scarpaleggia called him “one of the most down-to-earth, principled and clear-eyed politicians I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

Jean-Pierre Grenier, who served as a councillor during McMurchie’s administration, called him a “true leader.”

Former Montreal Gazette reporter Dave Stubbs commended his “kindness and generosity.”

“He was wise and witty and kind to his core,” wrote Lyne of her father. “He never lost his sense of humour or his respectful demeanour. He charmed people until his last days. We appreciate all the comments and memories people of the West Island have shared.”

McMurchie is survived by his wife Denise, his three children – Kathleen, Neil and Lyne – as well as his six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A private memorial service will be held in Toronto. The family is planning a public celebration of his life in Pointe Claire at some point this spring, as well as laying McMurchie to rest at St. Joachim parish’s cemetery on St. Jean Blvd., across from the Pointe Claire City Hall.

In the meantime, the City of Pointe Claire has lowered its flags to half-staff in his honour.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The owners of an average single-family home in Vaudreuil-Dorion will see their property taxes rise by 5.4 per cent next year, according to the town’s $120.5-million budget for 2025 approved during a special council meeting last week.

The value of an average single-family home, which is now pegged at $588,200, will be assessed a municipal tax bill of $2,671 next year, which is $163 more than the $2,586 in taxes for the same property this year.

The average tax bill includes an annual water tax charge of $275, which remains unchanged from the previous two budgets.

“While some might find the 5.4-per-cent increase high,” said Mayor Guy Pilon in a prepared statement, “the tax bill for an average home remains among the lowest for a city our size.”

But during the budget meeting he went even further, pointing out that the tax increase means the average homeowner will pay about $14 more per month, or just over $3 more per week, adding that a cup of hot chocolate is more expensive.

“That’s just to say that the raise is more than reasonable,” Pilon said.

The tax bills for 2025 will be calculated based on a new three-year property valuation roll, which will be in place until 2027. The new roll saw an overall average increase in the value of homes of 40.3 per cent, forcing the town to lower its taxation rate.

The residential property tax rate for 2025 has been set at $0.4541 per $100 of valuation, down from $0.5984 in 2024.

Overall, the city’s spending is going up 8.9 per cent, hitting $120.5 million, which represents $9.9 million more than in 2024.

Fixed expenses, which include operating costs, snow removal, debt service, and garbage and recycling collection, represent 83 per cent of the total budget, or more than $100 million, budget documents show.

The cost of the Sûreté du Québec will hit $8 million in 2025, up from about $7.3 million, while the city’s charges from the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges; the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal; and the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain, which operates public transit services; has increased by more than a quarter of a million dollars, hitting $8.3 million in 2025. That includes $2.68 million for transport and $5.6 million for the MRC and CMM.

Commenting on local spending, the mayor pointed out the city is investing in upgrading aging infrastructure in certain sectors, including in the Harwood-De Lotbinière and De la Gare areas, to accommodate an expected increase in residential development linked to the opening of the hospital.

“It is important to remember that Vaudreuil-Dorion is still in the midst of a development phase, which requires major investments in structuring projects such as the municipal centre, infrastructure linked to the new hospital, the addition of sports facilities and improvements to our road network,” Pilon said.

“Our financial situation is excellent, and our land wealth continues to grow remarkably,” Pilon said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

By this time next year – more than nine years after the idea was first proposed – the much-anticipated multi-billion-dollar Réseau express métropolitain train service is expected to be in full service, extending its way to the western tip of the island of Montreal.

The 100-per-cent electrically powered light train, commonly referred to simply by its acronym, the REM, is meant to bolster access to Montreal city centre from the West Island, Longueuil and Laval. Such a project is predicted to reduce about 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year – something that citizens and elected officials alike can get behind.

But will this project do anything to benefit commuters in Vaudreuil-Soulanges?

Or could it potentially hinder access to public transit in the region by striking an unintended blow to the already beleaguered Exo transport network?

Competing forms of public transit

Worry about the implications for the region was triggered earlier this fall when a report obtained by Radio-Canada indicated that the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) was preparing for the worst as the REM becomes fully operational.

The opening of new REM stations means the ARTM-controlled Exo train will be competing for ridership in some areas, all while facing a deficit of more than $400 million.

The report notes that the ARTM decision-makers deliberated over how it could overcome some of the likely financial losses that would come should commuters choose the REM over the Exo train in areas where both are offered. This included the possibility of cutting services at some of its most distant stations; Mascouche, Candiac and Mont-Saint-Hilaire were among those mentioned.

And the Vaudreuil-Hudson train line, despite being one of Exo’s most frequented lines, was not exempt from these talks of potential cuts. Exo officials had claimed that the REM’s West Island stations could absorb between 15 to 20 per cent of the Exo line’s ridership, resulting in a significant decline in revenue for the service, which is the only commuter line that serves the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region.

The Vaudreuil-Hudson line provides thousands of commuters from municipalities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the West Island with a direct route into Montreal’s downtown every day. Starting in Hudson, the line makes stops in Vaudreuil-Dorion and Île Perrot, and at nine stations in the West Island en route to the city centre.

Data from Exo provided to The 1019 Report shows that around 1,300 commuters from Vaudreuil-Soulanges took the Exo train on average on a daily basis this fall. The same period saw more than 1,800 commuters take the train on average from the nine West Island stations. The highest daily ridership by far was at the Vaudreuil station, which saw 778 daily commuters.

Exo expects ridership numbers to increase with the reopening of the Lucien L’Allier station in downtown Montreal later this month, said media relations officer Andréanne Gagnon. Lucien L’Allier has been closed for renovation since April.

The ARTM has denied that it was seriously considering cutting any train services, stating that all avenues for cutting costs being studied were “preliminary.”

Traffic: from bad to worse

However, discussions may be preliminary, but if a significant chunk of West Island commuters opt for the REM over the Exo service, it could mean more serious talks of cost-saving cuts down the road. Any cuts to services of the Vaudreuil-Hudson line would potentially result in hundreds more cars on the bridges between Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the island of Montreal during the daily rush-hour periods.

Those who commute by car from Vaudreuil-Soulanges into Montreal are already well aware of the region’s traffic woes when attempting to cross onto the island. Bridge construction, lane closures and sharing the roads with transport trucks travelling from Ontario to Montreal mean daily congestion and traffic standstills, causing delays for commuters as well as for locals and businesses along the busiest streets around the bridges.

Residents in Vaudreuil-Dorion have been urging the Quebec government to build a high-speed bypass to alleviate some of the traffic along Highway 20’s stretch of Harwood Blvd. for decades. However, a 16,000-signature petition for the construction of such a bypass was dismissed by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government earlier this fall, meaning that drivers and businesses along Harwood will be dealing with the traffic for the near future.

In an interview with The 1019 Report in November, Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon criticized the CAQ government’s management of transportation around Montreal.

“Right now, the CAQ is really, really, really bad on that topic,” Pilon said. “They don’t know where to go.”

Pilon added that the government-funded development of competing public transportation services is something of a boondoggle.

“It’s so hard to understand the final goal of the government,” he said. “Promote (public) transportation? Or cut (public) transportation?”

A mixed solution

Pilon suggested that if cuts need to be made to the Vaudreuil-Hudson line, he would encourage ARTM decision-makers to at least maintain the line between Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

“They have to keep the train at least – it’s not a long run – between Vaudreuil and Ste. Anne de Bellevue,” he said.

Once commuters arrive in Ste. Anne, Pilon continued, they would then be able to catch the REM at the Anse à l’Orme station into Montreal. This, he added, would at least save commuters from having to take a car over the bridge and into the city.

He noted that this would be the only solution for commuters from his city who would like to catch the REM into Montreal. The Anse à l’Orme station, Pilon pointed out, is designed with only 200 parking spaces – well below what could accommodate the hundreds of commuters from Vaudreuil-Soulanges looking to drive to the closest REM station.

Questions to ponder

Despite the worrying reports, officials at ARTM and Exo have repeatedly attempted to assuage fears of cuts to train lines.

“The ARTM’s goal is to continue to develop the service throughout the territory, while respecting the limits of available financial resources,” the organization said in a statement earlier this fall. “To do this, several scenarios are being studied (. . .) They are not for decision or implementation, particularly in the case of trains.”

It is clear that Vaudreuil-Soulanges deserves a viable public transit option. The region’s population reached 162,000 in 2021, a 17-per-cent increase in the last decade. More affordable home prices, open space and numerous seasonal family-friendly festivities attract many to the region. And growth is projected to continue, underlining the need for reliable and efficient public transit to and from the region.

However, this also begs numerous questions: To what extent should citizens’ tax dollars go toward a service that relatively few use on a daily basis? Would an increase in Exo’s bus services in the region encourage more commuters to take the train? Would those who already travel by train tolerate possible decreases in the number of train departures? Could Mayor Pilon’s suggestion of a mixed solution be worth a closer look?

As nothing is set in stone, these questions may be pushed to the back burner of public debate for the next while. But should the REM prove to significantly impact Exo’s revenue, Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents may be required to ponder these questions more seriously in the future.

The following are descriptions of five possible scenarios on the future of the annex building at 12 Dahlia, presented on Nov. 26 by Dorval city officials.

Scenario 1: Status quo – The annex would be left as is. However, the building could not be occupied in its current state. The city calculates that the combined annual cost for energy and maintenance of the annex would be around $95,000, with costs expected to vary year by year.

Scenario 2: Partial demolition – Brick cladding would be removed at certain locations of the annex’s exterior and replaced with fibreglass panelling to overcome structural deficiencies. The building’s windows would be replaced. The estimated cost of this option would be just over $9.5 million. This plan does not, however, include the cost of refitting the interior to bring it up to code.

Scenario 3: Full demolition of exterior walls – The annex’s exterior envelope would be demolished and rebuilt. All brick cladding and windows would be replaced. The estimated cost of this option would be around $9.9 million. Like Scenario 2, this plan does not include the cost of refitting the interior of the annex.

Scenario 4: Complete demolition for green space – The annex would be torn down and turned into a community green space. The estimated cost for this scenario would be around $1.2 million. This includes the cost of relocating materials within the annex, like the heating system. It does not, however, include the cost for sealing the wall of the adjoining Quatre Vents building, which would be exposed following the annex’s demolition.

Scenario 5: Complete demolition of the annex to be rebuilt for different uses – Like in Scenario 4, the annex would be completely demolished. Unlike in Scenario 4, however, a new building would be constructed attached to the Quatre Vents residence. The use of the building will depend on public desire. Examples provided include the conversions of historic religious buildings into cultural centres in Bromont, Granby and St. Hyacinthe. Presenters said it would be impossible to determine an exact cost for such a project at this time but noted that the approximate costs could range between $5.4 million and $20.6 million.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Earlier this fall, opposition to plans to demolish a former convent in Dorval prompted city officials to reconsider proposed plans. But now, continued pushback from residents has pushed officials to put all discussions of the future of the four-storey building on hold.

That was the decision announced by Dorval Mayor Marc Doret earlier this month.

The move came after the city held a public consultation meeting on the future of the building known as 12 Dahlia, a 40,000 square-foot annex building on Dahlia Avenue, at the site of the former Congrégation de Notre Dame.

Doret cited the Nov. 26 public presentation on the future of the building that had seen pushback from several attendees as one of the reasons to postpone a decision on the building’s fate until 2025. He added at the beginning of the meeting that he would not be answering questions on this topic.

This, however, did not have the intended effect, as the meeting saw more than an hour of questions and debate about the future of the building from both residents and councillors.

“Citizens clearly expressed their concerns on how the city has not given serious study to alternative use of (the annex) and the entire site,” said Fernando Pellicer, a retired architect with a specialization in the restoration of heritage buildings, during the question-and-answer period at the Dec. 9 council meeting.

Animated public presentation

The Nov. 26 presentation offered residents a look at five possible scenarios on the future of the building and their approximate costs.

Two scenarios would see the annex building demolished, two would see restoration work done to the exterior of the building, while one would have the building left as is.

Participants took turns voicing their disapproval with each of the scenarios. Many lamented the fact that they had no decision-making power over the future of the annex, as the presentation did not constitute a public consultation.

“I want to just remind the audience that they’re here to listen to the scenarios, but that we don’t have a vote on these scenarios,” resident Bruno Fournier told attendees.

“I want to see the city solicit proposals from the community, that the community can think about, research and come together,” said resident Rachelle Cournoyer.

Doret and the councillors had attended the Nov. 26 presentation, but did not participate in discussions. Questions from attendees were addressed by Benoît Lévesque and Jad Kadi, Dorval’s directors of urban planning and engineering, respectively.

“I think what came out of the presentation is that everybody wants a public debate with all the real costs on the table,” said councillor Pascal Brault at Monday’s council meeting.

A building with potential

“There are many potential uses,” said Pellicer at the Nov. 26 presentation. He is opposed to demolishing the building.

“The commercial kitchen has fantastic potential,” he said. The annex “could be a music centre. It could be an arts centre (. . .) the usage can be multiple.”

Speaking with The 1510 West, Pellicer said he had voluntarily inspected the annex and had drawn up a mock budget for the building’s restoration. His budget sets the price tag for restoration at around $7 million.

“Total restoration, complete upgrade to code – envelope, roof, windows, everything new,” Pellicer explained.

The two scenarios presented by the city that would see the annex’s exterior restored had an estimated cost of just under $10 million. However, Pellicer maintained that the figures that had been presented “are totally arbitrary.”

Given the public pushback, Doret said council will not rush to a decision on the future of 12 Dahlia. Instead, he said city officials will reflect on the subject “through January and possibly even February,” and that the file will be reopened “maybe as late as March.”

The City of Dorval purchased the former Congrégation de Notre Dame site in 2022 for $8 million. It has two adjoining buildings: the “Quatre Vents” section, and the annex section. The Quatre Vents manor was built in 1873 and was the home of Dorval’s first mayor, Désiré Girouard. It currently is the site that hosts city council meetings.

The four-storey annex is a brick building that was added to the Quatre Vents manor in 1965. The structure served as a residence for the nuns of the congregation and contains a large commercial kitchen, a dining room, two floors of meeting rooms and two floors of bedrooms.

In April, council adopted a resolution of intent to demolish the annex, citing an architectural report stating that the building had no heritage value and did not meet the requirements in the Quebec Construction Code to be used in its current state.

An ongoing petition, organized by residents looking to preserve the annex from demolition, has collected just over 600 signatures.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The Cinema Des Sources in Dollard des Ormeaux closed its doors Monday after 26 years. With some residents saying they’re sad to part with their local neighbourhood cinema.

“Of course, it’s always sad to see such a business having to close up shop,” said West Island resident Katherine Pottier in a message to The 1510 West. Though she explained that her trips to the cinema were few and far between, “it was a convenience to have Guzzo so close by (. . .) Beats going downtown or other areas so far from me.”

“I was shocked when I heard it would be closing because I grew up living near it,” said Hassan Danab, adding that he had “always felt a sense of it being part of the community.”

Danab had even been part of a group studying the business operations of the Cinema Des Sources as part of a market research course at LaSalle College earlier this fall.

“Part of our project was to choose a business that has seen some decline in sales,” Danab explained. “We thought (Cinema Des Sources) would be the perfect candidate for the project.”

The movie theatre’s final screening was of the highly anticipated Hollywood musical Wicked, which occurred at 9:45 p.m. on Sunday.

Cinema Des Sources was the smallest among the Cinémas Guzzo outlets, with nine digital screens and one IMAX screen. With its closure, Cinémas Guzzo is down to nine movie theatres – three in Montreal, two in Longueuil and one each in Laval, Deux Montagnes, Terrebonne and St. Jean sur Richelieu.

The closure came amid financial struggles for Cinémas Guzzo. A Quebec Superior Court judge placed the company under interim receivership in November, citing the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, following a legal motion by CIBC claiming that the Guzzo Group owed the bank more than $38 million.

Cinémas Guzzo president Vincenzo Guzzo had cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a contributing factor to the company’s financial difficulties. Movie theatres across Quebec had been completely shut down in March 2020. Despite being permitted to reopen in February 2021, Guzzo announced that his theatres would continue to remain closed, protesting the Quebec government’s restrictions on selling snacks. The company reopened its theatres in June 2021.

With the closure of Cinema Des Sources, the sole remaining movie theatre in the West Island now is the Cinéma Cineplex Kirkland.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Could the launch of the REM light rail service in the West Island trigger cuts to the Exo train services – including to the Vaudreuil-Hudson commuter line that also serves the West Island?

It’s a question that needs to be considered seriously, says Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon.

The approaching launch of the REM light rail service in the West Island could trigger cuts to the Exo train services, with officials currently studying the impacts.

Earlier this fall, reports surfaced that highlighted officials at both Exo and the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) have expressed concern over the potential for reduced train ridership on the existing commuter train lines once the REM light rail service to the West Island begins.

According to Radio-Canada, which obtained one of the ARTM’s reports in September, the commuter service is examining the possibility of making cuts to several lines, including the Vaudreuil-Hudson line that makes stops along the West Island’s lakeshore.

In a statement soon after, the ARTM attempted to assuage fears of cuts, stating that “all stones are being turned over to analyze the performance of all public transit services (. . . ) At this stage, the avenues studied are preliminary. They are not for decision or implementation, particularly in the case of trains.”

This offered no satisfaction to Pilon, who says many in the off-island area depend on the train. He described how the CAQ government has doled out well over a billion dollars to fund the REM network, while also putting hundreds of millions in funding toward the Exo train service – two forms of public transit which, due to the close proximity of their stations in the West Island, are likely to compete for ridership.

“It’s so hard to understand the final goal of the government,” Pilon added. “Promote (public) transportation? Or cut (public) transportation?”

The Vaudreuil-Hudson line stretches to the Lucien-L’Alier station in downtown Montreal. Starting in Hudson, the line makes stops in Vaudreuil-Dorion and Île Perrot. The line also makes nine stops in the West Island en route to the city centre. If the number of commuters who access the Exo train in the West Island drops – with users opting to take the REM instead once it is in service – the drop in fare revenue could put the financial viability of the Vaudreuil-Hudson train in question.

If a significant loss of ridership and revenue for the ARTM in the West Island potentially leads to cuts for some Vaudreuil-Hudson services, that could mean hundreds more cars on the roads attempting to cross the Île aux Tourtes Bridge along Highway 40 or the Taschereau Bridge, which links Vaudrueil to Île Perrot along Highway 20.

Data provided to The 1510 West by Exo shows that more than 1,300 commuters in Vaudreuil-Soulanges took the train daily on average this fall. The Vaudreuil station saw the highest ridership on average, with 778 commuters daily, while the Hudson station had the lowest on average, with 62.

Maintain line to Ste. Anne de Bellevue

Pilon added that if cuts need to be made, he would encourage the ARTM to at least maintain the line connecting Vaudreuil-Soulanges to the West Island.

“When the REM is there, (they should) at least keep the train between Vaudreuil-Dorion and Ste. Anne de Bellevue. And then (passengers) transfer onto the REM. I think that would be OK,” he said, adding that this would at least save his citizens from having to take cars across the bridge into the city.

He pointed out that driving to the Anse à l’Orme REM station in Ste. Anne would not be an option for most Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents, as the station is being constructed to accommodate only 200 parking spaces – not enough for the more than 900 train commuters from Vaudreuil-Dorion alone.

The REM began running test trips between the Anse à l’Orme station and the Des Sources station in Pointe Claire in September. The West Island portion of the REM network – comprised of four stations, with one in Ste. Anne, one in Kirkland and two in Pointe Claire – is expected to be in service by the fall of 2025.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Just as the snowy weather arrives, the reconstruction of St. James Anglican Church in Hudson took a major visible step forward this week as the main components of the new roof were put into place. It is an important step for the 182-year-old stone church, which was devastated by a fire last April.

“It’s a very big step for the church, because until now it’s been mostly demolition,” said Judi Meade, the church’s choir director and organist. “It’s the first really visible positive thing that is happening and we’re quite excited about it. It’s hopeful.”

Once the new beams for the roof are installed, decking and insultation will follow. A protective tarp will likely be used to cover the roof during the winter months prior to the final step of installing metal cladding.

Marcus Owen, the church’s building and grounds manager, has been leading the reconstruction project. Progress has been “very good” thus far, he explained to The 1019 Report. Contractors are expected to complete the permanent roof before Dec. 20.

“And then, when the weather gets more amenable, they’ll put the membranes on,” Owen explained, adding that the roof will look “exactly as it was” before the fire.

Plans to finalize the restoration of the church’s large hall, an adjacent structure used for social activities and community gatherings, have been progressing as well. The hall now has electricity and heating, with work to restore the building’s basement completed.

A trailer with three temporary washrooms has also been installed at the site.

“A lot a lot of work has taken place,” Meade said.

She is hopeful that the hall will be open by the end of December for winter holiday-related activities.

“We hope that our Christmas pageant that we do with the children and families can take place in that hall on Christmas Eve,” Meade said.

After the holiday break, contractors will resume their work on Jan. 6.

It is still not known when services at the church will resume, Owen said. The space has been cleared of debris but requires more work before parishioners can be welcomed back.

“We would hope that we’re back in the church before the end of next year (. . .) the end of 2025,” he said.

The roof of the church was completely destroyed by fire on April 14, when flames engulfed the structure. Despite efforts by firefighters, much of the building was damaged, including the adjacent community hall. It is believed the fire started due to an electrical problem in the church’s kitchen, which had been undergoing renovations.

St. James, built during the early 1840s and completed in 1842, was named after the parish’s first minister, James Pyke, and cemetery on its grounds lays claim to being the oldest graveyard in Hudson.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Could the launch of the REM light rail service in the West Island trigger cuts to the Exo train services – including to the Vaudreuil-Hudson commuter line that also serves the West Island?

It’s a question that needs to be considered seriously, says Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon.

The approaching launch of the REM light rail service in the West Island could trigger cuts to the Exo train services, with officials currently studying the impacts.

Earlier this fall, reports surfaced that highlighted officials at both Exo and the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) have expressed concern over the potential for reduced train ridership on the existing commuter train lines once the REM light rail service to the West Island begins.

According to Radio-Canada, which obtained one of the ARTM’s reports in September, the commuter service is examining the possibility of making cuts to several lines, including the Vaudreuil-Hudson line that makes stops along the West Island’s lakeshore.

In a statement soon after, the ARTM attempted to assuage fears of cuts, stating that “all stones are being turned over to analyze the performance of all public transit services (. . . ) At this stage, the avenues studied are preliminary. They are not for decision or implementation, particularly in the case of trains.”

This offered no satisfaction to Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon, who says many in the off-island area depend on the train. He described how the CAQ government has doled out well over a billion dollars to fund the REM network, while also putting hundreds of millions in funding toward the Exo train service – two forms of public transit which, due to the close proximity of their stations in the West Island, are likely to compete for ridership.

“It’s so hard to understand the final goal of the government,” Pilon added. “Promote (public) transportation? Or cut (public) transportation?”

The Vaudreuil-Hudson line stretches to the Lucien-L’Alier station in downtown Montreal. Starting in Hudson, the line makes two stops each in Vaudreuil-Dorion and Île Perrot. The line also makes nine stops in the West Island en route to the city centre. If the number of commuters who access the Exo train in the West Island drops – with users opting to take the REM instead once it is in service – the drop in fare revenue could put the financial viability of the Vaudreuil-Hudson train in question.

If a significant loss of ridership and revenue for the ARTM in the West Island potentially leads to cuts for some Vaudreuil-Hudson services, that could mean hundreds more cars on roads attempting to cross the Île aux Tourtes Bridge along Highway 40 or the Taschereau Bridge, which links Vaudrueil to Île Perrot along Highway 20.

Data provided to The 1510 West by Exo shows that more than 1,300 commuters in Vaudreuil-Soulanges took the train daily on average this fall. The Vaudreuil station saw the highest ridership on average, with 778 commuters daily, while the Hudson station had the lowest on average, with 62.

Maintain line to Ste. Anne de Bellevue

Pilon added that if cuts need to be made, he would encourage the ARTM to at least maintain the line connecting Vaudreuil-Soulanges to the West Island.

“When the REM is there, (they should) at least keep the train between Vaudreuil-Dorion and Ste. Anne de Bellevue. And then (passengers) transfer onto the REM. I think that would be OK,” he said, adding that this would at least save his citizens from having to take cars across the bridge into the city.

He pointed out that driving to the Anse à l’Orme REM station in Ste. Anne would not be an option for most Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents, as the station is being constructed to accommodate only 200 parking spaces – not enough for the more than 900 train commuters from Vaudreuil-Dorion alone.

The REM began running test trips between the Anse à l’Orme station and the Des Sources station in Pointe Claire in September. The West Island portion of the REM network – comprised of four stations, with one in Ste. Anne, one in Kirkland and two in Pointe Claire – is expected to be in service by the fall of 2025.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Île Bizard residents will not see the benefits of significant increases in spending for the Montreal police service in 2025, says the borough’s mayor.

Spending to bolster public security, including police and fire emergency services, will jump 18 per cent next year, according to Montreal’s 2025 $7.28-billion budget approved last week. That will see spending for the police force hit $824 million, an increase of $3 million.

However, residents of Île Bizard will see little improvement in police service despite the increase in spending, said Mayor Doug Hurley.

“Police on the island here are relatively rare,” Hurley said.

A former police commander who is also the program coordinator of John Abbott College’s police technology department, Hurley said that he supports the city providing added support for emergency services. But he does not expect to see any improvement in service in Île Bizard.

The island is served by Station 3 of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal. Located in Pierrefonds, the station is responsible for serving the boroughs of Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève and Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

Having to cover two boroughs can sometimes be a challenge for the police department, Hurley explained.

The Service de sécurité publique de L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève was created “so that we can give our citizens an immediate response” to minor issues, he said. The service is tasked with such duties as enforcing municipal bylaws, managing traffic and monitoring streets on the island.

That has meant added cost for residents.

“Basically, we’re paying for police services, and we have to pay for public security for something that should have been (included) in our taxes before,” Hurley said.

Hurley added that he will be bringing this issue up with the City of Montreal in the coming months.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Baie d’Urfé’s town hall is a big part of the town’s 113-year history.

First constructed as a farmhouse in 1875, 36 years before the town was granted  a charter, and just eight years after the British North America Act established Canada as a unified dominion of the British Empire, the property was purchased in 1909 by James Morgan II as a summer home.

Morgan came from the prominent Morgan merchant family, who had helped establish Montreal’s elite Golden Square Mile neighbourhood. He had been serving as president of the Henry Morgan & Company, which would later be purchased by The Hudson’s Bay Company in 1960, giving The Bay access to key markets in Montreal and Toronto.

Morgan was one of the founders of the town of Baie d’Urfé when the town charter was established in 1911. In 1912 he donated the building to the town to be used as a town hall, along with several other parcels of land that would be dedicated for public use.

It is at this time that town councillor and prominent architect Edward Maxwell volunteered to renovate the building.

Maxwell, alongside his brother, William Sutherland Maxwell, who had made a name for himself in Montreal and across Canada for his buildings designed in the beaux arts style, renovated the building for use as a town hall.

Some of William Sutherland Maxwell’s most notable works include designing the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Canadian Pacific Railway Station in Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. The brothers were also responsible for two renovation projects for the Château Frontenac in Quebec City.

The renovation of the town hall was completed in 1914 and played host to the first Baie d’Urfé town council, which was presided over by Mayor Vivian de Vere Dowker.

That name may ring a bell for Baie d’Urfé residents, as each time they look out on the water, they see Dowker Island, named after the prominent family that helped develop their town, as well as neighbouring Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

One of the reasons homeowners in Pierrefonds-Roxboro will see the largest percentage increase in municipal taxes next year compared with property owners in other areas of Montreal is that residential properties in the West Island borough have increased at a higher rate than the Montreal average, according to borough Mayor Jim Beis.

In fact, property values in Pierrefonds-Roxboro have jumped 40.8 per cent from 2020 to 2023, 9.4 points higher than the Montreal average.

The impact is a 4.4-per-cent tax increase next year, according to Montreal’s $7.28-billion budget unveiled last week.

This translates into the owners of an average house in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, valued at about $620,000, having to pay $165 more in taxes next year.

Another reason for the tax increase, Beis added, is the hike in spending by the Plante administration.

“They have been spending non-stop since the seven years that they’ve been there,” he said, referring to Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante’s Projet Montréal government, adding that any increase in taxes by the city has “an impact to the residents in my community.”

Meanwhile, homeowners in Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève will see the second-largest percentage tax increase of all the Montreal boroughs – 3.5 per cent.

Property values in Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève saw a 33.3-per-cent increase between 2020 and 2023, 1.9 points higher than the city average.

That means the owner of an average house in the borough, valued at $686,000, will pay $167 more in taxes next year compared with 2024.

Mayor Doug Hurley said that the property tax increase, while unfortunate, was “understandable” for his borough.

“Of all the 19 boroughs in Montreal, we are basically the only one with the smallest population and the vast majority of our tax base is residential,” Hurley said in an interview.

“We have very little commercial or industrial (properties),” he added. “We have a preference for parks and greenery. So, unfortunately, the borough has to put up with different increases.”

Non-residential commercial properties in Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève will increase by 1.7 and 1.5 per cent, respectively, slightly lower than the Montreal average of 1.9 per cent.

Beis said accepting the increase is “difficult,” adding: “Any increase in taxes, we know, has an impact on many homeowners. There are folks that, under normal circumstances, would have a difficult time paying that increase.”

Montreal’s $7.28-billion budget for 2025 represents a $290-million increase over spending this year. Since first elected in 2017, the Plante administration has seen the city’s annual budget increase by 38 per cent, or more than $2 billion.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Faced with strong opposition from residents, Vaudreuil-Dorion has scrapped its plans to build a three-storey affordable housing complex in a park area.

“Contrary to what the citizens are saying, we have listened to them, and we have understood that the opinion of the citizens in the area with regard to the project is irreversible,” said Mayor Guy Pilon at a meeting Monday as council voted to withdraw the project.

Residents who attended Monday’s meeting applauded the move.

Last Friday, the city had announced the project would be shelved, citing pushback from residents as one of the major reasons.

The project would have seen the construction of a three-storey structure comprised of 18 affordable housing units, each either with two or three bedrooms, and parking, on St. Michel Street. The residence was to be managed by Toit d’Abord, a non-profit specializing in affordable housing in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

“We’d prefer to work on another project than to lose energy on that project,” Pilon said in an interview with The 1019 Report.

Residents opposed to the project had criticized the location, claiming it would eliminate space in Esther Blondin Park, obstructed the view of the Baie de Vaudreuil, and would be out of place in an area of mostly single-family houses. They also were upset the city had not conducted public consultations before selecting the location.

Faced with the criticism, Pilon had initially suggested that those against the project had intentionally closed their ears off to the council’s arguments.

“They tried everything,” Pilon said, pointing out various topics that residents complained about in relation to the project: “They tried the parking (lot), they tried the cycle path, they tried the height, they tried everything. They don’t want it.”

Another significant issue was the fact that the structure would have been located in a flood zone, according to a the new proposed map unveiled in September by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

Pilon pointed out that the structure would have been elevated, with no basement, so as to avoid flood damage.

Questioned by the media in Quebec City last week, Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette called the notion of building an affordable housing project in a flood zone “irresponsible.”

Pierre Z. Séguin, a resident who had opposed the project, emphasized the residents are not against affordable housing, but rather where the city had chosen to build the facility and the lack of public consultation.

“I’d like to express my point of view very clearly,” Séguin said. “I agree with the construction of affordable housing, it’s the location that’s the problem, not the goal.”

 “I haven’t heard anybody say that they disagree with (building) affordable housing in the city,” he added.

The city is currently studying other locations where a future affordable housing project could be constructed.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

It’s out with the old at Centennial Park in Dollard des Ormeaux. The park’s 50-year-old chalet was torn down last month to make room for a new $3.9-million structure.

The town is emphasizing that “accessibility” will be the keyword for the new and improved chalet.

“The new building will be adapted for access by people with reduced mobility (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.), which the old park chalet was not,” Natalia Correa, head of the city’s communications department, explained in an email to The 1510 West.

Since the 1970s, the chalet has been Centennial Park’s multi-purpose building, offering a space for park-goers to rest, use the washroom and fill up their water bottles on hot summer days, as well as a place to lace up their blades for a wintertime skate in the park.

Designed by Groupe Leclerc – architecture + design, conceptual images of the new multi-purpose chalet illustrate an exterior mirroring the previous design with its signature red roof. However, the new design includes additional windows for increased natural light. The interior features a mix of light wood slats and white walls with a stone accent wall, as well as several washrooms adapted for visitors with decreased mobility, and changing tables for parents with small children.

This new and improved chalet will offer a “more welcoming, safe and accessible space for our entire community,” the city says.

The project is expected to be completed by August 2025. Centennials Park’s trails, playgrounds and dog park will remain open throughout the construction period. Three portable toilets have been installed near the parking area in the meantime.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The West Island Tenants Action Committee (CALODI) is inviting renters to one of four upcoming information sessions to learn about their rights when facing eviction.

“The reality is that there are a lot of protections in place for tenants, but the most important thing is to understand (their rights),” said Lily Martin, a community organizer for CALODI.

The aim of these information sessions, Martin explained, is to educate West Island tenants about new protections they have under legislation passed in the National Assembly this past summer.

Bill 65 declared a moratorium on the province’s landlords using renovation as a pretext for evicting residents for the next three years.

The issue of “reno-victions” – landlords renovating buildings, leading to raised rental costs and evicting existing tenants – has become a hot topic for renters across Quebec.

“That’s something that we’re really going to highlight to people,” said Martin. “If you get that specific type of eviction notice, it is completely illegal.”

Though only around 20 per cent of West Island residents rent rather than own their own homes, renters in these municipalities have not been immune to the trend of landlords wanting to repossess their properties.

A document from the Tribunal administratif du logement shows that applications for repossessions by landlords have been on the rise in the West Island in recent years. The number of applications gradually grew from just nine in 2017 to 33 by 2023.

“It’s a good indication of the desire for landlords to repossess,” Martin said.

CALODI will hold four information sessions – two in English and two in French. Participants are able to choose to attend either an in-person or online session in their language of choice. Participation in these sessions is free, but registration is required on CALODI’s website.

The first session in English is on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Pointe Claire Library.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Transports Quebec’s plan to install photo radar detectors by 2026 in municipalities that request them has piqued the interest of some West Island mayors.

“There’s no doubt that speeding and respecting the stop signs is a major issue with many municipalities in the West Island,” said Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle in an interview. “We have been looking to use photo radar for quite a while.”

In August 2023, the Quebec government introduced its Plan d’action en sécurité routière 2023-2028. Part of the plan includes a new strategy focusing on the implementation of hundreds of fixed photo radar detectors across the province. Municipalities will have the chance to make an official request to have them installed within their boundaries.

But earlier this fall, Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante criticized the plan, saying the city would need 300 photo radar detection devices installed to regulate traffic, a number that exceeds the 250 units the Quebec government aims to purchase for the entire province.

Plante also chastised provincial Transport  Minister Geneviève Guilbault for taking too long to roll out the devices.

The photo radar units automatically take pictures of the licence plates of speeding vehicles, and of vehicles that fail to stop at red lights, automatically issuing a fine to the vehicle owner.

Dorval Mayor Marc Doret said that while it is too early for concrete discussions about installing these radars, he would be potentially interested should Transports Quebec allow municipalities increased control over these devices, including allowing them to be moved different locations, depending on need.

“It would be a benefit (if) we could deploy them on our territory in problematic areas,” Doret said. “Anything that helps us combat (traffic violations) is a good opportunity.”

Transport Quebec currently has 11 photo radars installed on the Island of Montreal, none of which are located in the West Island.

The first photo radars were introduced in the province in 2009. According to data provided in the government’s action plan, the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit fell from 59 per cent to 13 per cent on roads with these photo radars, while the average driving speed was reduced by 11 kilometres and hour, and the number of accidents that caused bodily injury fell by 41 per cent.

In terms of location for these devices, Doret said school zones “would be a prime place to put a photo radar.”

Bourelle suggested that a photo radar on St. Charles Boulevard in Beaconsfield would be optimal for preventing dangerous driving. Indeed, several fatal car crashes have occurred on or approaching the north-south artery in recent years, caused by what some believe to be drag racing.

“We know that the SPVM cannot be there 24/7,” Bourelle said.

He is certain that there would be pushback from some residents about the installation of these devices in Beaconsfield and other West Island municipalities.

“My answer to that is don’t speed,” Bourelle said. “Respect the laws and respect the code of the road.”

It is still too early to determine how many photo radars could be installed in the West Island, Transports Quebec media relations officer Gilles Payer told The 1510 West.

“The deployment of new devices is in the planning stage,” Payer wrote in an email. He explained that the government will open an international call for tenders to produce the devices, followed by a provincial call for proposals by municipalities for potential installation sites by 2025.

The first of these photo radars are expected to come into service by 2026.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

It was a packed house at the council meeting in Vaudreuil-Dorion on Monday, as residents expressed their opposition to plans to build a three-storey affordable housing complex on land that is currently part of a park.

Residents were adamant that they support affordable housing projects and were not taking a not-in-my-backyard stance. Rather, they were against allowing the structure to encroach on Esther-Blondin Park, how it would obstruct the view of the Baie de Vaudreuil and the ill-suited placement for a multi-storey building in a neighbourhood of mostly single-family houses.

“The decision has been made, and we are just here to be heard for show,” resident Sebastien Ménard told Mayor Guy Pilon.

“It’s very evident that you have no intention to take us seriously even if there are many of us against (the project),” said resident Roger Laroche.

The mayor accused many of the residents of approaching the project in bad faith, and said he was disappointed with their attitude.

“No matter what reasons we give, your mind is made up,” he told the audience, drawing a vocal reaction.

Residents frequently applauded after questions were posed and jeered after answers were given by officials.

The proposal put forward by the city includes allowing a three-storey 18-unit affordable housing unit at 25 St. Michel St. The building will be on part of Esther-Blondin Park and a neighbouring parking lot. The project would include two- and three-bedroom units and provide parking spaces for its residents. The base of the structure would be elevated to avoid risk of flooding.

In a brief presentation, Vaudreuil-Dorion’s director-general Olivier Van Neste explained that the city would be reimbursed for part of the project by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

The residence will be managed by Toit d’Abord, a non-profit specializing in affordable housing solutions for the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region. The group did not respond to a request for comment yesterday. No start date for construction has been officially set.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

With no resident of Vaudreuil sur le Lac having voiced opposition to the town’s $961,500 borrowing bylaw, representing its contribution to the purchase of a 28-acre wooded area, the last hurdle leading to the preservation of the forest has been removed.

“We were all crying on the call when we heard the news,” said Geneviève Roy, a spokesperson for Regroupement En Faveur De La Protection Du Boisé de Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac, a citizens’ group that has been advocating for the town to purchase the undeveloped tract of land to prevent it from being developed.

“When we learned that there had been no signatures (on the register), it was very emotional,” Roy explained.

In the end of September, the town unveiled a plan to purchase the land, just more than half of a 50.5-acre forest, for $2.8 million from Planimax D.S.F. Inc., a construction company that intended to develop on the land. The purchase scheme includes a $1.34-million subsidy from the Commaunauté métropolitaine de Montréal and a $500,000 grant from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, leaving less than $1 million for taxpayers to shoulder.

In October, the town adopted a loan bylaw to cover its contribution. That bylaw was subject to a register Oct. 22, providing residents the opportunity to sign if they opposed the move. But no taxpayer stepped forward to oppose the move.

“I think it speaks to the quality of the project that we have and the way we have set it up,” said Mayor Mario Tremblay in an interview. “After all, it’s something to make sure that we would have this forest protected forever.”

The loan bylaw means that the owner of an average home in Vaudrueil sur le Lac valued at $547,000 will see a tax increase of around $165 annually over the next 30 years.

“We’re very proud of (the project) because not all municipalities get as much support as we did,” Tremblay said.

Many residents are attached to the wooded area, referred to by residents simply as “the Boisé,” said Roy, who described it as a place where residents go for a walk or a hike with their friends, children and pets. The land also serves as an important noise barrier between the community and Highway 40.

“For us, the forest is like a citizen in its own right,” she said.

The remaining 22.5 acres of undeveloped land that makes up the rest of the forested wetland is owned by a family. It is not under immediate threat of development, Tremblay said, adding that t he town has expressed interest in purchasing it in the future.

But for now, the town will focus on a few minor administrative steps to finalize its first purchase. Tremblay expects that an official ceremony to acknowledge the purchase will be held by January.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

With an aging water treatment plant that has reached its processing capacity, the Town of Rigaud has issued a moratorium on building permits and any other construction certificates that would result in increased wastewater output.

“Right now, we’re maxed out,” Geneviève Hamel, communications director for the town, told The 1019 Report.

Hamel explained that the town is examining different solutions to resolve the issue, but that the first step is to determine how the town’s wastewater output will grow over time.

“We have to figure out how much development we’re going to have over the next 40, 50 years,” Hamel said.

In the meantime, all permit applications for construction, reconstruction or renovation within the town’s urban centre filed after Oct. 8 will be analyzed by the town’s urban planning department. Receiving a permit under these circumstances would depend on whether the project would increase the strain on the town’s wastewater network.

This measure will last “a maximum of two years and may be renewed, if necessary, after this period, until the wastewater treatment system is brought up to standard,” the town said in a statement. However, Hamel predicted that it may take longer than that.

“Realistically, we have to first do the conception of the solutions, then have somebody put a price on it,” she explained, adding: “We don’t see it happening in the next two years. It (the permit freeze) will probably be renewed.”

Rigaud’s wastewater treatment plant, including four aeration ponds, was constructed in 1985, 39 years ago, with a then-predicted lifespan of between 25 to 30 years. The ponds can each hold nearly as much water as five Olympic swimming pools (17,000 square metres) and was designed to treat up to 2,650 square metres of water a day from residential homes, commercial businesses and industrial sites in Rigaud. However, with population growth and development in the region, the plant now treats around 3,000 square metres of water a day.

One possible solution being studied would be to split the city’s wastewater treatment network in two, between the eastern and western portions along the Rigaud River. The existing plant would then be renovated to manage the wastewater of the eastern portion of the town, where around 70 per cent of Rigaud’s population resides, while a small plant would be constructed to manage the western portion, serving the remaining 30 per cent of residents. This is one of several solutions the town is studying, Hamel explained.

In the meantime, she said that the town is working closely with citizens to determine how it should proceed, specifically concerning how they pictures the town growing in the next few decades – be it growing in residences, commercial businesses or industry – and how the wastewater treatment plant can accommodate the vision of that future. The town is compiling answers from a recent survey it sent out to residents on this topic.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The City of Montreal will not remove any of the 500 trees that were planted in a clearing in the riverside Parc des Rapides-du-Cheval-Blanc in Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

That is the latest word from the city’s executive committee, despite pleas from local residents that the decision earlier this summer to plant about 500 trees and 250 shrubs in the park will eliminate a much-used open green space in the community.

The news of the refusal to the residents’ request to move the trees was delivered by Montreal city councillor Alex Norris earlier this month during a meeting with bourough councillors.

Local residents say the decision is not only disappointing, but frustrating as they have failed at every turn to plead their case with city officials.

“It just seems like they’re doing everything they can to not face us,” said Pierrefonds-Roxboro resident D.J. El-Tayar, who has acted as spokesperson for the residents.

Since early July, El-Tayar and several other residents of Riviera St. have been speaking out after their neighbourhood park was roped off and about 500 trees and 250 shrubs were planted without consultation. The planting was conducted on behalf of the REM, as part of an effort to offset the environmental impact of constructing the new light rail transit network across Montreal.

The approximately 14,000 square metres of mostly open green space in the park had been enjoyed by residents as a locale for many barbecues, outdoor games and other social gatherings.

Now, the park will grow into a small, dense forest. This will not only eliminate the open green space but will also block much of the view of Rivière des Prairies from the neighbouring apartment complexes once the trees have grown.

El-Tayar pointed out the issues the neighbourhood has experienced with squatting in the more heavily forested areas. By expanding the forest into their section of the park, El-Tayar said some residents fear that it will bring vagrancy and drug use closer to their doorsteps.

Officials in Pierrefonds-Roxboro said they too had been caught off guard by the planting. Though they had named this portion of the Parc des Rapides-du-Cheval-Blanc as one of several potential planting spots for trees in the area, the borough had not been made aware of when the planting would take place, nor how many trees would be planted.

“The scope of and the quantity of trees was something that we had no idea about,” Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis said in an interview. The borough halted NouvLR from further planting in the park following the initial outcry from residents.

A ‘pattern’ by the city

Both Beis and the residents have been adamant that they are not “anti-tree.”

“Nobody is opposed to planting trees,” Beis explained: “We (have) one of the highest, if not the highest tree canopy on the Island of Montreal. We’re very proud of that.”

Indeed, each time the residents have spoken to The 1510 West about this issue, they have firmly stated their desire to see some, not all, of the trees removed and replanted elsewhere in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, even presenting possible locations.

Beis and the residents point out a lack of communication on the part of Montreal city officials.

For Beis, this isn’t anything new from this city administration. He lamented that the city has shown a pattern of making unilateral decisions impacting boroughs, lacking proper communication and collaboration.

“If they would have communicated with us, we would have come up with a better solution, including the residents in that area,” he said.

El-Tayar and the other residents added that they will plan their next steps over the coming weeks and are not giving up on this issue.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Residents of Dorval attempting to stop the city from demolishing a former convent building are demanding to be consulted before bulldozers are called in. But so far, municipal officials have only agreed to outline their plans for the site rather than debate whether the building should be torn down.

Dorval Mayor Marc Doret announced Monday that a public presentation by the city will be held next month on the future of the former convent of the Congrégation de Notre Dame. The presentation will give citizens a chance to hear about the possible options for the site following the likely demolition of a large section of the building.

But that is not good enough for a group of residents calling for the preservation of the building. They say nothing short of a proper public consultation should be required to determine the future of the site.

“There are public needs that can be used in that building,” said Fernando Pellicer, a member of the citizens’ group Save Residence 12 Dahlia. “The taxpayers bought that building, and now we can’t have a word of what to do with it? It’s unacceptable.”

The former convent, located at 12 Dahlia Ave., is made up of two sections: the Quatre Vents manor, which dates back to 1873, and served as the home of Dorval’s first mayor, Désiré Girouard; and an attached four-storey, 40,000-square-foot brick annex built in 1965. The annex was added by the previous owners of the property, the Congrégation de Notre Dame. It contains a large commercial kitchen, a dining room, two floors of meeting rooms, two floors of bedrooms and a chapel.

The City of Dorval purchased the entire property for $8 million in 2022. This past April, Dorval council adopted a resolution of intent to demolish the annex section of the building. No date for demolition has been set.

In its April 16 statement, the city pointed out that the annex “does not meet the requirements of the Quebec Construction Code, particularly in terms of wind bracing, fire protection, insulation and personal safety.”

At Monday’s city council meeting, Doret said the city would present citizens with four scenarios on the future of the site. Though citizens will not vote on which scenario they prefer, city councillors will be asked to take the input from the community into account.

This announcement did not satisfy the citizens’ group Save Residence 12 Dahlia. The group has been speaking out in recent months against the city’s intent to demolish the annex, arguing the building could serve a number of needs in the community. A petition organized by the group calling for a proper public consultation has collected more than 300 signatures.

Group member Mario Mammone told the council Monday that he had been in contact with food banks and other community groups providing meals to residents in need.

“They would love to use that space,” Mammone told council.

The group has also been advocating for residents to have a say in plans for the site.

 “The building is in good condition,” said Pellicer, a retired architect. “(It’s) a complete waste of a good building.”

The annex would need a new roof and other upgrades, he said, but that the restoration of the building for public use would best serve the community.

“I don’t think you need to demolish a 40,000-square-foot building that’s chockablock full of all kinds of spaces that could be adapted for any kind of community uses,” said Rachelle Cournoyer, another group member.

 “There’s a place that used to feed 75 nuns plus staff,” Cournoyer added. “They have two walk-in refrigerators, a walk-in freezer, (and) a huge storage space. It could be used for any number of purposes.”

Save Residence 12 Dahlia says it will continue collecting signatures for its petition until the city organizes true public consultations. The group is collecting signatures at various public locations across Dorval and via its Facebook page Sauvons/Save Résidence 12 Dahlia.

Cutline:

The city of Dorval is proposing to tear down the four-storey brick annex attached to the former convent’s Quatre Vents manor (left) on Dahlia Avenue.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Adding fluoride to drinking water supplies  was first studied in Canada in 1947. The federal Department of National Health and Welfare launched a seven-year study on the effects of adding small amounts of fluoride to the drinking water supply of the town of Brantford, Ont., specifically with regards to the dental health of children.

By 1955, research results indicated that resistance to tooth decay and overall tooth health among children in Brantford had become far higher than that of children in the nearby town of Sarnia, whose water supply was not fluoridated.

The federal government began recommending the fluoridation of drinking water supplies to the provinces in 1968 at a target of 1.2 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water. This target was lowered to 1 milligram in the 1970s, and again to 0.7 milligrams by 2008, the amount still recommended by Health Canada today.

The most common side effect of the consumption of fluoridated water listed by Health Canada is dental fluorosis, resulting in small, often unnoticeable white spots on permanent teeth. Dental fluorosis can only develop as children’s permanent teeth are budding and is found in about 16 per cent of all children who consume fluoridated water.

A 2023 report by the U.S. National Institutes of Health National Toxicology Program indicates that children consuming over 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water showed signs of scoring lower on IQ tests than other children. However, a panel of experts commissioned by Health Canada found that there is not enough evidence to determine that smaller amounts of fluoridated water (0.7 milligrams/litre) had any negative neurocognitive effects on children.

Today, some 14 million Canadians access fluoridated drinking water. The provinces with the highest proportion of fluoridated water systems are Ontario (73%), Manitoba (68%) and Nova Scotia (50%).

In Quebec, however, just 1 per cent of water systems are fluoridated, a figure that will drop after the Pointe Claire and Dorval water treatment plants stop fluoridating by next year. St. Georges in the Beauce region will become the last municipality in the province that fluoridates its water supply.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

West Island officials are voicing disappointment with the City of Montreal’s lack of public consultation as it prepares to put an end to fluoridating drinking water at the Pointe Claire and Dorval water treatment plants by the end of 2024, claiming it is just another example of how the central city imposes its will on the demerged suburbs.

“The City of Montreal basically just decided without consulting the West Island or giving the West Island a chance to weigh in on it,” said Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas, adding that this is not the first such instance.

“I was disheartened,” said Baie d’Urfé Mayor Heidi Ektvedt.

The decision “has pretty much been presented to us as ‘fait accompli’ (and) did not sit well with me,” Ektvedt added.

The drinking water for more than 100,000 West Island residents is expected to be fluoride-free by the end of the year. A recommendation by the City of Montreal’s water services department to end water fluoridation at the Pointe Claire and Dorval water treatment plants is expected to pass a vote by the Montreal Agglomeration council some time later this year.

Ektvedt explained that she had been invited to a presentation on the topic by the City of Montreal last month, where it was revealed that the city was going forward with its plan to end water fluoridation in the West Island.

“It didn’t feel like we were partners in anything,” Ektvedt said.

Demerged municipalities collectively have 13 per cent of the vote on the Montreal Agglomeration council. The City of Montreal holds the remaining 87 per cent.

“The people who are going to be making the decision for these plans are other borough mayors who sit around that table, who are not health experts, are not affected by the status quo, and will be voting without having supported a public consultation (. . .) I find that very, very concerning,” Ektvedt said.

Pointe Claire Mayor Thomas added that he believes the City of Montreal must, at the very least, hold information sessions with West Island residents about this topic to provide them with the opportunity to understand all the facts behind water fluoridation, as well as why the city is putting an end to it.

“I think Montreal is obliged to explain it to the citizens of the West Island why they’ve done this,” he said. “Whenever you remove a service from citizens who are paying taxes, you should probably explain it.”

Dorval Mayor Marc Doret says his municipality is investigating whether the move is a breach of contract.

But not everyone is upset with the move.

Pointe Claire resident Ray Coelho has been pushing for several years to see fluoridation ended.

“People didn’t like the fact that they were being medicated without their knowledge,” said Coelho, who has brought up the issue numerous times to elected officials in both Pointe Claire and the City of Montreal.

From 2021 to 2022 he collected around 6,000 signatures from residents in Pointe Claire and Dorval for a petition to put an end to water fluoridation.

He also pointed to recent news out of the U.S., where a federal judge ruled for stricter regulation of fluoridated water last month. The ruling noted that while studies on fluoridated water impacting children’s IQ levels are inconclusive, it presents an unreasonable risk to their health. This, Coelho said, should be a clear indication for Canadian municipalities to end the practice.

“My goal in all this is to give people closure,” he added. “Obviously (residents) have been drinking fluoridated water for years (. . .) I think people are entitled to some sort of apology.”

Since the 1960s, drinking water from the plants in Pointe Claire and Dorval, distribute to the towns of Beaconsfield, Kirkland, Baie d’Urfé and parts of Dollard des Ormeaux has been fluoridated. The City of Montreal has never fluoridated its water supply.

Health Canada, the Canadian Dental Association and Montreal’s Direction régionale de santé publique are some of the agencies and organization that support water fluoridation. Health Canada recommends that no more than 0.7 milligrams of fluoride be added per litre of drinking water.

The federal department also maintains that this practice serves to strengthen tooth enamel, as well as prevent cavities and tooth decay.

However, some studies have suggested that overconsumption of fluoridated water can lead to such effects as lowered IQ levels among youth – a topic that is disputed among health professionals.

In an email to The 1510 West, City of Montreal media spokesperson Hugo Bourgoin explained the city’s decision to end water fluoridation by the end of this year.

“Fluoride is a highly corrosive substance that can damage our water infrastructures over the long term,” he wrote, adding that wastewater treatment cannot remove the chemical from the water. “Fluoride is therefore ultimately discharged into the St. Lawrence River, with little documented impact on aquatic flora and fauna.”

When it comes to the documented benefits of fluoridated water, Bourgoin added: “There are other ways than water fluoridation to promote good dental health.”

In the statements by Baie d’Urfé and Pointe Claire, both municipalities encourage residents who are concerned about the lack of consultation to reach out to Maja Vodanovic, the City of Montreal’s executive committee member responsible for water.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

For the first time, residents of Vaudreuil-Dorion will have the floor to express their concerns and priorities to elected officials for the next annual municipal budget. A public pre-budget consultation is being organized for Wednesday, Oct. 23.

“We felt that usually we just have these discussions among the elected officials and the administration, but we don’t really have a chance to chat with citizens themselves and hear what their thoughts are,” said councillor Jasmine Sharma, who is co-organizing the meeting.

Sharma, along with city councillors Diane Morin and Karine Lechasseur, will be on hand to inform, answer questions and deliberate with citizens on priorities for the 2025 municipal budget and investments for future projects in the city. The takeaways from the meeting will be included in next month’s budget discussions and preparation between elected officials and city administration.

Vaudreuil-Dorion has held citizen consultations in the past on various topics, ranging from municipal communications to public transit. But for the annual budget, this is a first.

“The whole idea of doing these chats is to really get people’s perspectives, hear their concerns (and) understand their reality as well,” Sharma said.

She added that the event will act more as a conversation than the regular question-and-answer period that occurs at the monthly city council meetings.

The meeting takes place Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at the Centre Multisport André-Chagnon. Attendance is open to all residents of Vaudreuil-Dorion. A registration link is being prepared on the municipality’s website. Though registration is not required to participate, it is encouraged to help organizers plan.

“At the end of the day, if we can come out of these meetings having been exposed to one argument, one perspective, one concern that we weren’t necessarily sensitive to going in, it’s a win,” said Sharma.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A group calling for the construction of a high-speed bypass route for Highway 20 in Vaudreuil-Dorion is speaking out after the Quebec government turned down a request to study the project last month.

“It makes absolutely no sense at all in my view,” said Pierre Z. Séguin, one of the members of The Alliance of Citizens for a Real Highway 20.

This past summer, Séguin and a group of volunteers collected more than 16,000 signatures on a petition in support of the group’s call for the construction of a bypass route that would redirect heavy traffic away from Harwood Blvd. in Dorion. The urban thoroughfare, which connects directly from Highway 20, is currently one of the last sections of a major highway in Canada that is controlled by traffic lights.

Adding to the group’s frustration is the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s plan to become a minority stakeholder in a plan to build a tramway in Quebec City, a project the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, it was revealed last week, will invest $1 billion in  to move forward. It is estimated the construction of a tramway will cost $5.7 billion.

This “makes absolutely no sense,” Seguin said.

Harwood Boulevard in the Dorion sector links Highway 401 directly with Montreal, leading to heavy vehicle congestion. Around 87,000 cars and trucks use the boulevard each day, causing traffic headaches for local commuters and local businesses alike. Adding to the congestion is the increased traffic seen on the artery as ongoing work on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge along Highway 40, the only other link between Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Montreal, is regularly diverted to Harwood.

“The economic activity in Quebec is between Montreal and Toronto,” Seguin said. “That means to go (directly) to Toronto from Montreal, you take Highway 20.”

The group’s proposal would see the construction of a high-speed bypass starting at Taschereau Bridge, which links Île Perrot to Vaudreuil. The high-speed lanes would run westward north of Harwood alongside the railway tracks for about three kilometres before reconnecting to Highway 20 on the outskirts of the municipality. The group maintains that the plan would relieve Harwood of much of the daily bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols, who sponsored the petition, also expressed her disappointment in the CAQ government’s decision.

“Thousands of people asked their government to intervene, but the government told them it didn’t even want to talk about it,” she said in a statement issued last month. “This is unacceptable.”

The construction of a bypass route is not a new issue. Residents in Vaudreuil-Dorion have been calling for such a project since 1964 to no avail.

But Séguin confirmed the group is not giving up and will be meeting next week to discuss next steps.

“It’s a long-term issue and we’re going to keep working,” he said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Construction of an 82-unit affordable housing project for seniors will begin construction next month in Dorval, according to Mayor Marc Doret, a project he describes as “hugely important” given the ongoing housing crisis in major urban centres across the country.

“This (project) is for the most vulnerable in our society,” Doret said in an interview, adding that there are currently 120 seniors registered in Dorval looking for subsidized housing.

The $32.6-million project is being led by the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal and being financed in partnership with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the City of Dorval.

The project ­– dubbed “Habitations Les Îles Courcelles,”  referencing the three islands off Dorval’s shores – will be built at 750 Dawson Avenue and cater to autonomous individuals ages 55 and over. It will be three to four storeys and will be built using prefabricated wooden modules designed for on-site assembly. The modules will be provided by Les Industries Bonneville, a manufacturing and building design company that specializes in prefabricated homes.

The central location of the project offers the added bonus of being within walking distance to shops and restaurants, as well as to bus stops, Doret pointed out.

In the planning since 2018, Doret said the current housing crisis, which has been marked by increasing rents and evictions across Montreal and the province, underlines the importance of the project.

The median rental price for a two-bedroom apartment in Dorval is now $2,223, up 48 per cent from last year, according to rentals.ca.

Construction of the building is expected to take around 12 months to complete, Doret said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The city of Kirkland was named in honour of Charles-Aimé Kirkland, a former member of the National Assembly who represented the West Island riding of Jacques-Cartier from 1939 to 1961. But it was his daughter, Claire Kirkland-Casgrain, who was posthumously honoured by the city last month – very nearly a century after her birth – as a trailblazer who has left an enduring legacy.

“The City of Kirkland is very proud to be linked today to Claire Kirkland-Casgrain,” said Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson, describing her as “a pioneer of women’s emancipation in Quebec politics and a symbol of the feminist cause in Canada,” as he unveiled a photo and plaque at city hall thatnow hang alongside her father’s.

A lawyer by training, Kirkland-Casgrain decided to follow in her father’s political footsteps, entering the by-election race for her father’s seat shortly after his death in 1961. Running under the Quebec Liberal Party banner, she won, becoming the first woman to sit in the National Assembly.

A push for equality

Being the first elected female representative in the province wasn’t the only glass ceiling Kirkland-Casgrain would break.

She went on to be named Minister Without Portfolio by Premier Jean Lesage, becoming the first female cabinet minister in Quebec’s history. Over her 12-year political career, Kirkland-Casgrain served as minister of Transportation and Communications, minister of Tourism, Game and Fishing, minister of Cultural Affairs and briefly sat as acting premier in 1972.

In 1964, Kirkland-Casgrain tabled Bill 16, which expanded the rights of married women, including the right to open a bank account or sign a lease without their husbands’ consent.

In 1973, she tabled legislation that would establish the Conseil du statut de la femme – a government agency tasked with consulting the provincial government on issues related to women’s rights and gender equality.

She remained the only female MNA in the National Assembly during her 12-year tenure. The province’s second female MNA, Lise Bacon, was elected in 1973 just after Kirkland-Casgrain resigned from politics after being appointed as a provincial court judge.

An ‘object of couriosity’

Being Quebec’s first female MNA and minister came with no shortage of speculation and scrutiny.

Speaking about her time in office to Radio-Canada’s Rachel Verdon in 1978, Kirkland-Casgrain explained that she was viewed by many as an “object of curiosity,” adding that observers were just as keen to critique her clothing as her politics.

She later recalled the glances she drew on her first day in office by not wearing a hat in the National Assembly, a requirement for women at the time.

“In the beginning, the focus was on the material perspective much more than the intellectual perspective, unfortunately,” Kirkland-Casgrain had said.

A woman who dared

She commented further about overcoming the gender barrier in a 2007 interview for the National Assembly’s archives: “Some people valued me. They knew I had progress in laws concerning women at heart. But a good number of people were curious to see this woman who dared to run for a party. It was so new to see a woman who dared.”

Regardless of the detractors, Kirkland-Casgrain went on to receive many accolades for her years of public service, including being named to the Ordre national du Québec in 1985 and to the Order of Canada in 1992.

In 2012, Kirkland-Casgrain, along with fellow pioneers of Quebec’s feminist movement Idola Saint-Jean, Marie Gérin-Lajoie and Thérèse Casgrain were honoured with statues outside of the National Assembly for their advocacy for women’s rights in the 20^th century.

Kirkland-Casgrain’s achievements in Quebec have blazed the trail for other women to take the plunge into provincial politics over the years. In the 2022 Quebec election, a record 58 women were elected – nearly half of the 125 seats in the province.

West Island MNA Brigitte Garceau was among the record number of women elected in 2022, and the first woman to represent the district of Robert-Baldwin since its creation in 1965. She attended the unveiling of the honour for Kirkland-Casgrain at Kirkland town hall on Sept. 6.

Kirkland-Casgrain “continues to be an inspirational figure for women who strive to advance women’s rights,” Garceau said in a statement to The 1510 West.

Kirkland-Casgrain died in 2016 at the age of 91.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The effort to rebuild St. James Anglican Church in Hudson following a devastating fire in April is progressing well, says a spokesperson for the congregation, with services possibly returning to the 182-year-old church as early as next spring.

There is no solid timeline in place for when parishioners will be welcomed back, said Reverend Sophie Rolland, however, she is hopeful activities could resume by next summer.

“Bit by bit we’re getting things done,” Rolland told The 1019 Report. “Everything might not be finished (by the spring/summer), but we’ll be able to use it.”

Last month, the fire-damaged walls of the adjacent community hall, which was destroyed in the blaze, were torn down, while the stained-glass panels – which were largely untouched by the flames – were carefully removed and stored, and a woodworker was hired to prepare wooden beams and trusses for the new roof of the church.

The focus now is to install a permanent roof over the remaining structure before winter in order to protect the stone foundation and interior of the church, Rolland explained. The church is looking to build a roof that will look identical to the one that was destroyed by the fire. A call for tenders for roof cladding has been issued.

Rolland said the cost of repairs will probably surpass the $5-million insurance coverage the church will receive, necessitating additional fundraising.

“Everything is so expensive right now,” Rolland explained.

As of Sept. 30, the church’s GoFundMe page for the rebuilding effort had raised about $13,000.

The church will organize fundraisers in the coming months to help drum up financial support to defray any outstanding costs “once we get a better sense of how much that $5 million will get us,” Rolland said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Pierrefonds-Roxboro residents upset about the surprise planting of hundreds of trees in a local park used as a community gathering space say they still have not received any answers from Montreal city councillors.

Again this month, residents of Riviera St. in Pierrefonds sought answers to questions as to why in July more than 500 trees and 250 shrubs were planted in the Parc-des-Rapides-du-Cheval-Blanc – a green space bordering Rivière des Prairies that is popular among locals of all ages for outdoor activities.

The planting was done by infrastructure company NouvLR on behalf of the firm behind the REM transit train line, as part of an initiative to offset the environmental impacts of the construction of the rail network.

If left as it is, the once open green space will be transformed into a small forest in a few years, robbing locals of communal gathering space, as well as blocking the view of the river for the surrounding apartment buildings.

No consultations were held locals prior to the planting. Officials from the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro also say they were blindsided by the planting.

Cookie-cutter answers

Last month, resident D.J. El-Tayar had told The 1510 West that she looked forward to speaking to Montreal executive committee Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, who is responsible for major parks.

However, El-Tayar and other residents in attendance were disappointed to learn that Lavigne Lalonde was not at the meeting, and that their questions would be addressed instead by Ville Marie Councillor Sophie Mauzerolle, head of transport and mobility.

Both El-Tayar and fellow Riviera St. resident Lise Trudel asked why the city had not required the REM to consult with citizens prior to the planting. They also requested to have most of these trees removed and planted elsewhere in Pierrefonds.

In her response to each question, Mauzerolle pointed out the role that tree planting plays in combating climate change and boosting “resilience” to the territory in instances of flooding. She also blamed a lack of communication with the residents on the REM and NouvLR.

Her answers left the residents unsatisfied.

Disconnected from community

In an email to The 1510 West, resident Olga Mora described Mauzerolle’s responses as “well-rehearsed” and “scripted.”

She added Mauzerolle failed to adequately address concerns.

For Trudel, a resident of Riviera St. since 2008, it was clear that neither she, nor the REM were aware of what the park meant to the local community.

Trudel explained that the park was used by locals for everything from having barbecues, to outdoor games, to reading a book in a lawn chair.

“It’s been used for decades as a municipal park,” she said in an interview. “Why would you wipe it out?”

El-Tayar and Trudel were adamant that the concerned residents are not against the REM’s reforestation efforts, and do not wish to be painted as being “anti-tree.”

Indeed, each time the group has spoken to the media or to municipal officials, they have recommended that the majority of the trees in the park be replanted elsewhere in Pierrefonds, even offering possible replacement locations.

Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis has been vocal in his support for the residents. He made it clear during the August meeting – and again earlier this month – that the borough had not been informed of when the planting would take place, nor how many trees were to be planted.

“Although we believe strongly in biodiversity and planting of trees,” he told the council, “the borough was never informed of the gravity of this plantation, to the point where we received the plan a month and a half after the planting was put in place.”

The residents confirmed that Beis has kept in contact and has been “extremely supportive” of the group. El-Tayar said that Beis and other borough councillors have encouraged the group to continue to press Montreal on this issue.

The group launched a phone-in petition last month, denouncing the planting of the trees.

Though the residents said they are frustrated with the situation, they are not planning to give up their park so easily. While they discuss next steps, they will be “peppering” Lavigne Lalonde with emails, Trudel confirmed.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Beaconsfield has taken another key step forward in its long-awaited revitalization project for Centennial Park.

The IMAGINE Centennial project named the architecture group that will design the new multi-purpose cultural centre – the Montreal-based firm Lemay-Bouthillette Parizeau-Elema in July. And in doing so unveiled the look of a unique building that has never been seen before in the West Island.

The group’s concept, titled “A Landscape Reinvented,” blends “harmoniously into the picturesque landscape of Centennial Park,” according to a statement issued by Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle after council endorsed the design selection. He added that the estimated $18-million project, “will provide citizens with a unique experience in a bucolic setting.”

Among one of the most unique features of the design is a sod-covered slanted rooftop that will gradually rise from the ground, almost camouflaging the building into the landscape, and a waterfront boardwalk. Visitors will be able to walk along the graded roof, where at its edge, they will be able to take in a view of Lake St. Louis.

This serves “to blur that boundary between architecture and landscape,” said Eric Pelletier, a design principal and senior partner with the group, referring to the roof design.

Gavin Affleck, an architect and co-chair of the project’s selecting jury, praised the group’s ingenuity in an interview with The 1510 West. 

He pointed out that the park and the neighbouring Lord Reading Yacht Club currently occupy two separate spaces.

“A lot of the objective (was to) find a way to kind of join them together in a more comprehensive way, making a unified new Centennial Park,” Affleck said.

Affleck said he was also impressed by the fact that all four groups of finalists chose the same location in Centennial Park for the building within the park setting.

“It’s almost a scientific study by controlled experiment,” he explained. “That only could have happened in an architecture competition, because normally there are way more exchanges.”

Representatives of the winning group had pitched their vision for the park at a public consultation in July at Beaconsfield city hall.

“What we really want to preserve is the landscape, to retain its uniqueness,” Pelletier said.

He explained that their design sought to intertwine the cultural centre with the surrounding nature of the park.

The new single-storey centre will include a library, a bistro and meeting rooms, as well as several areas to accommodate groups.

The exterior will include footpaths connecting between the centre, a boardwalk that will run along the waterfront and the yacht club. An “events promenade” will also be featured for hosting larger events and outdoor activities.

The centre is modelled in the modern Scandinavian minimalist style – a design commonly used for structures that are intended to blend into forested settings and offer lots of natural light.

Pelletier also pointed out that the structure will be made almost entirely of wood.

“We are in an exceptional forest,” he explained. “We couldn’t imagine doing this project with steel or concrete.”

He added that the group is looking to achieve “nothing less” than a carbon-neutral project.

The next step is for the city to award the winning group with contracts to develop detailed plans and specifications. These will allow the project to go to tender hopefully by 2025, said Andrew Duffield, Beaconsfield’s director of Sustainable Development, who has been responsible for the project since 2019. The idea of re-imagining municipal facilities at Centennial Park was first made public in 2018.

When it comes to a specific timeline on when the project will be completed, Duffield said that it is too soon to tell. Factors he cited include a municipal election next year. “It remains to be seen what council will decide in terms of when to award the series of contracts that will come up, the biggest of which is the construction of the building,” he explained.

Once the contracts have been awarded and the start of work is confirmed, Duffield said it would take about two years until the project is finally completed.

Cutline:
A sod-covered slanted rooftop that gradually rises from the ground, which features walking paths, is one of the most unique features of the design for the planned Centennial Park centre.

Credit:
Courtesy City of Beaconsfield

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The woman who was known to many simply by her first name – Gerdy – and for her love and dedication to animals, was posthumously honoured in Kirkland earlier this month when a dog park at Parc des Bénévoles was named in her memory.

“It was a great event,” said Jayne Heitmeyer, a board member and long-time volunteer for Gerdy’s Rescues and Adoptions, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering and finding homes for dogs and cats.

“Gerdy would have been very proud (and) very honoured,” Heitmeyer said.

Gerdy Cox-Gouron, who died in February 2023 at age 80, left a legacy in the community as someone who showed a passionate dedication when it came to caring for animals.

Having founded the rescue in 2004, Cox-Gouron and a team of volunteers have fostered, cared for and found new homes for thousands of dogs and cats – a mission that the rescue continues today.

The city of Kirkland decided to honour her legacy because many of Gerdy’s animals have found homes in the municipality, Heitmeyer said in an interview.

 “Many of her rescues were adopted by a large number of families throughout Kirkland over many years,” she said.

Cox-Gouron’s selflessness when it came to caring for these animals was a true example of altruism, said Kirkland councillor Karen Cliffe, who had known Cox-Gouron through her time volunteering and fundraising for Gerdy’s Rescues and Adoptions

“She basically dedicated her entire life to saving animals,” Cliffe explained: “Of course we did fundraisers, but she would use her own money to save cats and dogs. She was a very rare person.”

One of Cliffe’s fondest memories of Cox-Gouron was the dedication she showed to a Rottweiler named Enzo a few years back.

A bacterial disease had left the 12-week-old puppy’s back legs paralyzed, requiring him to use a wheelchair designed for dogs. Rising veterinary bills forced Enzo’s owners to surrender him to the rescue.

Cox-Gouron would not give up on Enzo, Cliffe explained. She saw to it that the pup received special veterinary treatment, medications and physical therapy.

The Rottweiler went on to regain his mobility and was adopted at the age of 1. Enzo was among “Gerdy dogs” at the ceremony at the dog park Sept. 15.

“She was a tough cookie,” Cliffe said of Cox-Gouron: “She would not give up on an animal. She would just say ‘Let’s do it. Let’s take him. Let’s fix him.’”

Cox-Gouron discovered her passion for caring for animals at a very young age.

“The first thing she remembered was trying to save a cat,” Heitmeyer explained. “And she never stopped.”

Today, Gerdy’s Rescue, through a dedicated team of volunteers, cares for between 25 to 30 animals at a time.

“It was Gerdy’s wish that the work continue,” said a member of the group’s board of directors, Larry Day. “And we felt that the best way to do that was to continue the rescue as she would like it to have been. So that’s what we’ve done.”

Cutline:

Marilyn Gelfand, a member of the board of directors of Gerdy’s Rescues, unveils plaque along with Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson.

Credit:

Courtesy of Gerdy’s Rescue

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Lester B. Pearson School Board is not immune to the province-wide teacher shortage and is actively looking to fill vacant staff roles as the new school year gets under way.

There continues to be “some teacher staffing shortages across the (board’s) network,” explained Darren Becker, the Pearson board’s director of communications, in a written statement. “But the school board is continuing its efforts to fill the spots as soon as possible. And in the interim, we are not anticipating any impacts on the quality of education we offer our students.”

Becker declined to offer any further details or provide figures on how many teaching positions remain to be filled.

Last month, Quebec  Education Minister Bernard Drainville said that the province was short 5,700 teachers as the new school year approached.

The Pearson board, which operates nine elementary schools and two high school campuses in Vaudreuil-Soulanges along with 19 English-language elementary and six high schools in the West Island, has admitted to hiring non-legally qualified teachers to fill vacancies. It is a practice the board had been following for years, Becker said, adding that all personnel have training in related fields.

However, this practice often leaves parents scrambling to ensure that their children are learning properly, said Katherine Korakakis, president of the English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec.

“There’s a lot of repercussions when you don’t have teachers in the classrooms that are qualified,” Korakakis said. “When you have a teacher in a classroom that doesn’t know the subject matter, then children aren’t learning the subject matter. That affects their motivation, but it also affects exams at the end of the year.”

Korakakis used her personal experience as a parent when it comes to non-legally qualified teachers in school classrooms. She explained that her daughter, who attends a school managed by the English Montreal School Board, now has a French teacher who does not speak French.

“Tell me how this serves my child,” she said. “Tell me how this is going to help me do everything in my power to help keep my daughter here and not lose her to other Canadian provinces or to the United States.”

Korakakis said that the practice of hiring non-legally qualified teachers is partly to blame for the jump in the number of students signing up for summer school across the province.

“It does a disservice,” she added, “and the victims are children.”

In July, media reports claimed the number of summer school registrations had hit an all-time high. Although there were no figures for the summer school registrations for the Pearson board, the reports claimed the number of students seeking help in the summer jumped 48 per cent in the French-language Montreal School Service Centre and 114 in the St. Hyacinthe School Service Centre.

JOHSUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A new charter proposing to bring municipalities bordering the Lake of Two Mountains together to protect both the lake and the surrounding ecosystem received Hudson’s stamp of approval earlier this month. The municipal council voted unanimously to add the town to the charter’s list of supporters during the Sept. 3 council meeting.

The unveiling of the charter comes as the Quebec government last month pledged to implement an “action plan” to address complaints of illegal dumping in the Mohawk community of Kanesatake along the north shore of the lake.

Environment Quebec officials have started taking soil samples in the Kanesatake area where trucks have been dumping potentially contaminated soil reportedly for years. Pollution in the area could be affecting fish habitat, government officials claim.

Hudson is committed to environmental protection, but cannot act alone, Sofia Fuga, an environmental technician for the municipality, told The 1019 Report in an email.

“The charter is a wonderful opportunity for all regional stakeholders to come together and work towards the common goal of protecting the lake and its tributaries,” she wrote.

Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison shared this sentiment, saying at the Sept. 3 meeting: “This is really the first step for the different (municipalities) to engage and to commit to wanting (to protect) the health of our rivers and our public waters. I think it’s a wonderful initiative.”

Since 2022, the Regroupement national des conseils régionaux de l’environnement du Québec (RNCREQ) has been drafting The Lake of Two Mountains Charter of Commitment.

The charter states that its goal is to “invite all involved organizations, from one shore to the other, to unite and act in response to the need to protect this valuable and natural fresh water reservoir.”

The charter requires all municipalities that signs the charter to agree to collaborate to raise awareness about best practices in protecting the lake and the surrounding ecosystems, as well as participate in future ecologically-focused events and projects.

“It’s really to get us all together so that we can share ideas and plans and access grants,” said Hudson councillor Mark Gray, who presides over the town’s environment committee.

The RNCREQ has been seeking endorsements on the charter from organizations focused on environmental protection as well as from municipalities bordering the Lake of Two Mountains and the Ottawa River. The Regional Environmental Council of Montreal declined to provide numbers of signatures and other details on support for the charter

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges is asking the federal government for assistance to improve its telecommunications infrastructure to avoid a repeat of the chaos caused last month when the 911 and 311 emergency phone services collapsed as the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby ravaged the region with heavy rains, causing flooding in many areas.

“We remain concerned about this situation,” said Patrick Bousez, prefect of the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, in response to questions from The 1019 Report.

Bousez explained that the “overloading of cellular networks and communication towers” were the main vulnerabilities the emergency lines experienced on the evening of Aug. 9 during the height of the storm.

The region’s 911 and 311 emergency lines received more than 1,500 calls between 6 p.m. and midnight that day, MRC officials claim, as heavy rains sent rivers of water down some residential streets and flooded thousands of basements in some areas of the region.

The 911 call centre is able to simultaneously accept 16 calls, but reached a peak of more than 100 new calls every 15 minutes between 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., overloading the telecommunications network, according to authorities. This resulted in difficulty for some calls to go through to operators, while some calls were involuntarily re-directed to 911 service centres outside of the region.

See EMERGENCY, Page 2.

EMERGENCY: 311 helpline had complete outage during Aug. 9 storm

From Page 1

“It’s not the 911 system that was down,” explained Catherine St-Amour, communications officer with the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges. “It’s the communication towers that can’t handle the call capacity.”

She added there was no shortage of call centre agents on hand that day.

The 311 service, on the other hand, experienced a complete outage that lasted several hours that evening.

MRC officials suspects a computer system failure was the cause. Bousez said the region is working with the 311 centre “to ensure that this technical problem does not recur.”

The city of Vaudreuil-Dorion, which saw about 1,400 dwellings impacted by flood waters, notified citizens via its Facebook page of the emergency line overload.

“We are in an emergency situation,” read the city’s post on the social media platform on Aug. 9. “311 and 911 are overwhelmed.”

Vaudreuil-Dorion representatives were invited to a meeting with MRC officials on Monday to “take stock and identify possible improvements that could be implemented,” said city spokesperson Jessica Genest.

Genest did not offer whether this meeting alleviated the concerns of municipal officials.

Bousez noted that in June 2023, he spoke before the federal Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, calling for improvements to the region’s telecommunications infrastructure network.

He pointed out that events like the deluge Aug. 9 demonstrate that “we’re going to need more help from governments to adapt infrastructures to these increasingly frequent climatic hazards.”

The MRC “will continue to make its case, as will a number of other municipalities and MRCs facing the same challenge elsewhere in Quebec,” Bousez wrote in a statement.