JOSHUA ALLAN

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

If your drinking water has a slightly earthy odour and taste, do not be alarmed. It is safe to consume.

That is the message several West Island towns are issuing to residents who have detected an odour and/or slight change in taste of their tap water.

“It is related to the temperature of the water (in Lake St. Louis) that rises during the summer and the algae that grow with the increasing temperatures,” Beaconsfield director-general Patrice Boileau told The 1510 West.

The towns of Pointe Claire, Beaconsfield, Senneville and the boroughs of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and L’Île-Bizard-Sainte−Geneviève have issued notices about this change earlier this month. All these municipalities receive their water from the filtration plant in Pointe Claire.

The change in the water is caused by increased levels of algae in Lake St. Louis, an occurrence that routinely happens in summer.

Algae are a mix of water-based organisms which together create a mossy-looking green foam, recognizable to anyone who has visited a lake. Water treatment plants remove the algae from the drinking water, but its earthy taste and odour can still persist. To offset this, the towns recommend residents place their water pitchers into the fridge to cool before drinking.

Boileau added that, like in years past, this change is expected to only last a couple of weeks.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

This fall’s mayoral election in Dorval is shaping up to be a two-way race as a veteran lawyer critical of the way the city is managed is challenging incumbent Marc Doret for the top job.

“I want to restore democracy at city hall,” said Umberto Macri. “It is currently run as an autocracy or dictatorship where one man and a few people do whatever they want without sufficient public consultation.”

Marci, who has spent 34 years as a civil, corporate and criminal lawyer, had harsh words for the Doret administration.

“I’ve been living in Dorval since 2015,” he said. “It’s my home. And I don’t like the way my home is being remodelled and managed.”

He vowed to bring change to the city at the highest level.

But Doret appeared unfazed by the criticism.

“I don’t really focus on what the opposition is doing,” he said. “I’m not going to debate what our opposition thinks we haven’t done. I think what we’ve done speaks for itself.”

Where the two candidates seem to agree is the need to address the issue of flooding caused by heavy rain events.

Dorval saw significant flooding from extreme rainfall in the past two summers, causing many basements in residential areas to flood during downpours August 2024 and this past July.

“Given the situation, it cannot be that every time there is a heavy rainfall that the homes of the citizens get flooded,” Marci said. “Something has to be done with the reconstruction of the infrastructures.”

Meanwhile, Doret said he will improve flood resilience over the next term, calling it “the single biggest area that we’re going (to focus on).”

Like Macri, Doret said this will include relief measures for homeowners affected by the storms.

Marci said flood victims should receive financial compensation through subsidies both from the city and from the Quebec government.

“If what belongs to the city has caused damage to the citizens, then those issues must be carefully looked at.”

Doret said his campaign will unveil details of how residents affected by flooding will be supported, how the city will invest in infrastructure, as well as plans for leisure and cultural projects in the north end of the city.

In the coming weeks, Doret will also outline plans for a property on Dahlia Avenue, a 40,000-square-foot annex building at the site of the former Congrégation de Notre Dame, which the city acquired in 2022 for $8 million.

The property, which includes the Quatre Vents manor built in 1873, was constructed in 1965 and served as 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. Among the options the city considered in 2024 was to demolish the four-storey structure, but pushback from residents advocating for its preservation prompted the city to put all redevelopment plans on hold.

Doret said that his team has come up with a vision that he believes will garner public support. “I can’t wait to share it once the election starts,” he added.

Marci is not waiting to share how he feels need to change.

City council meetings habitually devolve into a “circus or a shitshow” when these residents voice their views to the council, he said.

“The mayor and the city councillors must treat the citizens with respect and understanding and not contempt or disdain if they do not agree,” he said.

Macri will run a full slate of candidates. One member of his team who has already been announced is incumbent District 2 councillor Pascal Brault. Brault is one of two councillors elected in 2021 who are not members of Doret’s party, Équipe Action Dorval.

Macri said his team is made up of “very qualified and concerned citizens” willing and able to help him restructure the governance of the city. The party’s name and candidates will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Doret stands by record

Doret is proud of his record Doret had announced his intention to run for re-election back in June.

He was elected mayor in 2021, winning almost 64 per cent of the vote, after serving as a councillor for 12 years.

“I love this city,” he told The 1510 West when asked about his decision to run for a second term as mayor. “I grew up with my family here and want to continue to contribute and continue the good things we’ve done in the past into the future.”

His proudest achievements this past term include the city’s financial performance.

“We’ve been very fiscally responsible,” he said. “People talk to me about the fact that their tax bill is the same as it was 15 years ago. I don’t think there are too many other cities in this province that can make that claim.”

Indeed, property taxes in Dorval over the last four years were raised only twice – the average homeowner paid $58 more (+2%) in property taxes in 2024 and $26 (+0.9%) more in 2025. In total, the average homeowner in Dorval spent $2,974 in property taxes this year, far below fellow West Island cities like Pointe Claire, Kirkland and Beaconsfield, where the average homeowner paid $4,297, $5,330 and $7,261, respectively.

During his term, the town opened the much-anticipated $9.5-million outdoor refrigerated skating rink on Dawson Avenue, as well as invested in upgrades for several parks and public pools.

He also took pride in projects that help the community’s most vulnerable. These include the opening of a warming station near the train station to give unhoused residents a safe place to warm up in the winter months, and the ongoing construction of a four-storey affordable housing apartment buidling at 750 Dawson Ave.

“I stand on that record,” he said.

The election is set for Nov. 2.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Many West Islanders will have noticed a significant increase in the number of e-scooters zipping around their neighbourhoods this year. Their increasing popularity, especially among youth, raising issues of safety and where they should be allowed to be used.

“We are concerned because the popularity is increasing,” said Debbie Friedman, the director of the trauma department at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. “Some of the injuries are life-threatening.”

“We’ve had patients who’ve had severe traumatic brain injuries, facial and dental trauma, abdominal trauma, fractures, lacerations (and) sprains,” explained Friedman, who is also an associate professor at McGill’s Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, as well as director at Health Canada’s injury reporting and prevention program.

She said injuries due to e-scooter use is a growing category of emergencies health officials are seeing

While official numbers won’t be tabulated until the end of summer, she said the number of injuries is “more than six-fold” what it was in 2023. “I can tell you that just in the last two weekends we’ve had a number of serious trauma cases involving e-scooters with pedestrians, with motorists and alone,” she added.

What’s more, the use of these scooters has “skyrocketed” this past year, Friedman said.

The rapid rise in popularity of these electric motorized scooters comes two years after Quebec launched a three-year pilot project to test the use of these devices on public roads. The program outlines the rules for their use, including that riders must be over the age of 14, wear a helmet, and not exceed 25 kilometres an hour. The use of the devices are  permitted on bike paths and on roads with a maximum speed limit of 50 kilometres an hour. Riders are required to obey the same traffic laws as cyclists.

However, there is always the issue of rule compliance. Friedman explained that more than half of the youth hospitalized at the MCH trauma centre who suffered e-scooter injuries this year have been under the age of 14, and a majority had not been wearing a helmet.

Several West Island officials have taken notice of this trend and said to have personally witnessed rules being ignored.

“People are not wearing the proper gear,” said Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson. “Some are going extremely fast. Basically, it’s a motorized vehicle and it could go to 20, 30 miles an hour.”

“There are some imminent dangers there, because they can go fast,” said Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas. “I’m a runner and a cyclist and I’m out a lot. On occasion, there have been a couple of instances where I thought they were going awfully quickly.”

Both Thomas and Gibson said they don’t believe e-scooters should be permitted on bike paths.

“It’s like putting a car or a motorcycle on the bike path,” Gibson said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

The MCH trauma centre has also been calling for adjustments to the provincial pilot project’s rules, asking that the minimum age to use these devices be increased to 16. This would bring Quebec in line with other jurisdictions across Canada and much of the United States that have already implemented e-scooter regulations.

Friedman is also concerned with the fact that, unlike similarly-sized motorized devices like mopeds, users do not need a driver’s licence to operate an e-scooters.

Overall, parents need to understand the risks involved with their children using e-scooters, Friedman said.

“E-scooters are really not a toy. This is not the next best thing to get for the holidays as a gift. It’s a motorized device that’s on the road with cars and cyclists and motorcycles.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

With Quebec’s beefed up ban on cell phones in classrooms across the province is implemented as a new school year begins this week, the new measures will not change much at St. Thomas High School in Pointe Claire.

For six years, mobile phones have been prohibited during school hours at the school, and it has had a positive impact on both student interactions and grades.

“Effects on learning have been fantastic simply because the distraction is no longer there,” principal Dean Graddon said in an interview last week. “We’re definitely seeing very, very positive effects on the social-emotional level, as well as the academic level.”

The school had implemented a “bell-to-bell ban” on all cell phone use in 2019. The practice is in line with the new province-imposed measures, which prohibits students from using their phones during class, as well as during lunchtime or on breaks.

In January 2024, the province banned cellphones from classrooms, but now, the new measures extends the prohibition of their use on school grounds throughout the entire day.

The ban applies to both public and private schools at both the elementary and high school levels.

The ban has provided a setting that allows students to socialize face-to-face more than had been the case at previous schools without such a ban, said Graddon, who is entering his second year as principal at St. Thomas and his 28^th year with the Lester B. Pearson School Board.  

“You would literally see kids sitting along the floor or on furniture during free time, not interacting with one another; they’re on their phones sitting next to one another,” he explained. “We used to joke, ‘Are you texting each other?’”

“Now you’ve got kids who are doing kid things. They’re interacting. They’re talking. They’re having some fun.”

Parents are changing their attitudes about phone bans, too.

“I think there’s been a shift in people’s attitudes,” said Darren Becker, communications director with the Pearson board. “I think there’s more of an acceptance for these kinds of (measures).”

Recent polling backs up this claim. A poll by the Toronto Metropolitan University pollster “The Dais” in May showed that 81 per cent of respondents across Canada said they “strongly” or “somewhat” support banning the use of cell phones by students at school.

In Quebec, this number support for a ban was higher, at 84 per cent.

Some parents had publicly voiced concerns about these bans, including about how their children wouldn’t be able to reach them as quickly, should they need to.

Becker said that while these concerns are legitimate, it is important to note that cell phones have not always existed in school settings.

“I’m showing my age, but I was in elementary school in the ’70s, and we didn’t have cell phones, but there were always ways to reach someone in an emergency situation.”

Graddon echoed this response.

“Every single school has landline phones that are available for student use,” he said.

If students need to reach their parents, “the kids know (to) report to the office.

“‘Mom, I forgot my homework. Dad, I forgot my lunch.’ Whatever that message is, landline phones work just as well as cell phones.”

The new province-wide ban is an expansion of the original ban, which prohibited students from using cell phones during class time. That measure went into effect in January 2024.

The updated measure applies to all elementary and high schools in the province, including public and private schools. Strategies on how to enforce this ban are up to each individual school.

St. Thomas students who bring their cell phones to school are required to keep them in their lockers until the end of the school day.

The first day of classes for schools in the Pearson board is Friday, Aug. 29.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Pincourt’s 22-year saga to build an arena is finally entering the home stretch, the town announced last week, as it moved forward with a plan to build a sports centre.

In what municipal officials called “a major milestone,” Pincourt signed an agreement in principle with a construction company to conduct a feasibility study that would see a new sportsplex built across from the École secondaire du Chêne-Bleu on Pincourt Boulevard, the site of a former abandoned arena building.

 “The people of Pincourt have been waiting for this project for a long time,” said Pincourt Mayor Claude Comeau last week, adding that the town was taking “an important step forward with caution and commitment.”

The feasibility study, which will be carried out by construction company Médifice Investissements, will provide Pincourt with details on the timeline and cost of building an arena.

“This stage is non-binding for construction and aims to lay the concrete foundations for a structured and feasible project,” a statement from the town said.

The planned facility would include an indoor ice rink that can double as a multifunctional amphitheatre for musical, cultural and community events.

22-year imbroglio

The project would also mean the abandoned building still on the site, which has been covered with graffiti and has long been an eyesore in the neighbourhood, will finally be torn down.

The dilapidated structure, which was never completed, near Fifth Avenue, was abandoned not long after construction of what was to be an arena began in 2003 due to financing issues.

Pincourt had subsequently faced a lawsuit by the building’s contractor. The dispute lingered in the courts for seven years before the town decided to purchase the building in 2012 for $3.25 million.

There had been multiple attempts since then by the town to sell the property to private firms for development, but each attempt failed to move the project forward. In 2019, the town had announced it would demolish the decrepit structure, but that plan was delayed as well.

Shortly after the 2021 election, Comeau promised to relaunch the project. With support from Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols, the town sought financial assistance from the Quebec government in 2023, but that bid was ultimately declined.

The town has since “deemed it appropriate to explore new avenues to bring this project, which is eagerly awaited by the population, to fruition,” the statement continues.

Over the past couple of years, the town has been meeting with officials of the neighbouring municipalities of Terrasse Vaudreuil, Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot and L’Île Perrot pitching the project as one that would benefit all concerned, as there is currently no arena on the island. All the towns have agreed to collaborate to see this project through.

“I am convinced that we can all work together to finally deliver this project, which is crucial for all citizens of the island,” Comeau added.

There is no precise timeline for when the study will be completed, but the town is hoping to have it by the end of this year, Pincourt communications director Vicky Sauvé told The 1019 Report.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

In the 2021 municipal elections,only two of the nine positions on St. Lazare council were contested, drawing only a small fraction of the more than 16,000 registered voters to the polls.

This year, with a challenger running against incumbent Mayor Geneviève Lachance and three first-time candidates having already stepped forward to run for council, the November vote is shaping up to be a little bit more of a contest.

In District 8: Incumbent councillor David Hill, who was acclaimed in 2021, is only one of nine incumbents who has yet to announce whether he will run again in this district that covers much of the west end of the town.

While Hill said he will announce his intentions “in the next few weeks,” a challenger has stepped forward.

Daniel Thibaudeau is seeking the seat. A retired Sûreté du Québec officer, who spent nine of this 33 years on the force as the national spokesperson for the SQ, says he’s ready to give back to the community once again.

“With my background (in the SQ), I can bring that experience to the table at the city council in affecting change regarding many aspects of public safety,” Thibaudeau explained in an interview. “Looking at infrastructures and doing crime prevention and traffic safety through environmental design is one of my specialties and I look forward to putting that to the benefit of the citizens.”

Thibaudeau, who was awarded the Governor General’s Police Exemplary Service Medal in 2024, said his top priority is to address the looming issue of water quality and pressure in the Green Maple Hill neighbourhood – a small cluster of about 60 homes in the far-west sector in District 8.

“I want to get that file rolling and make sure that those people have adequate drinking water services,” Thibaudeau explained.

Like Hill, Thibaudeau said he wants to focus on preserving the natural character of the district, which covers heavily-forested areas west of the Saddlebrook neighbourhood. However, Thibaudeau explained he would take a more pragmatic approach to the role, differing himself from Hill’s approach, which he described as more of an activist.

Hill has voted against several development projects because they are “incursions into pristine forested areas.”

“We need people like that, most definitely,” Thibaudeau said of Hill. “They have their role. But his role in municipal council is not expected to be one of activist. It’s one to be working for the people and concretely achieving change.”

Thibaudeau added that he would be open to development in the district to meet with the increasing demand for housing. “But development on our terms, by our standards and at our pace.”

In District 7: So far there is only one declared candidate in this district, which covers the central-west portion of the town, including a swath north of Ste. Angélique Road east of Côte St. Charles.

Incumbent Donald Andrews, who won the seat by acclamation in 2021, said he will be running again.

In District 6: With incumbent Brian Trainor already stating he will not seek re-election, first-time candidate Lorraine Caron is the only registered candidate running in the ward, which covers the Cedarbrook neighbourhood.

A scientific researcher and consultant with a PhD in biomedical sciences and bioethics, Caron has held numerous committee roles with the town over the past decade. These include chairing the town’s environmental committee since 2016 and sitting as a member of the town’s Economic Development Committee since 2021. In 2023, she was recognized as St. Lazare’s “Volunteer of the Year.”

“I want to get involved in municipal politics to play a more proactive role in the decisions that will shape the long-term evolution of my town,” Caron stated in a press release.

Her priorities include maintaining “sound financial management,” adapting the town to climate change, preserving St. Lazare’s natural heritage and promoting the local economy.

In District 5: So far, incumbent Richard Chartrand is the only candidate. Chartrand has held this district, which covers much of the central area of the town, stretching westward from Bédard Avenue to Rue de l’Héritage since 2017. He was acclaimed in 2021.

In District 4: Incumbent councillor Michel Poitras is looking to hold on to his seat, which covers a central area of the town east of Bédard Avenue.

In 2021, this was one of the two seats that was contested, with Poitras winning the contest with just over 70 per cent of the vote cast.

In District 3: With incumbent Marc Emond having confirmed his intention to run for re-election last week, this is the only district where a race is guaranteed in the November election.

Emond won the ward, which covers the easternmost area of the town, including the Chaline Valley neighbourhood, in 2021 with a slim 51.5-per-cent majority.

To date, his only challenger is Roselyne Legault, a retired labour lawyer and former teacher who wants to encourage more residents to get involved in governance at the local level.

“The first government with which we can engage, it’s the municipal government,” Legault said in an interview. “We can speak much more easily to our municipal representatives than to our (MNAs or MPs).”

Many residents are unaware of the responsibilities of municipalities, how municipal budgets work or how to make sense of some of the language used by municipal governments, she said.

“Sometimes, governmental language, it’s like Chinese,” she said. “Often, when you don’t understand, you can’t get interested. We must improve resident participation and demystify the government language.”

“Through my training as a lawyer and teacher, I’m used to explaining things and simplifying them so that people understand,” Legault added.

She would maintain a constant on-the-ground presence in order to check the pulse of the district. “When you see people face to face, you better understand the situation.”

In District 2: To date, there is no declared candidate in the ward, which covers the town’s northeastern area, made up mostly of agricultural land.

Incumbent Pierre Casavant has not publicly announced whether he will run for re-election, and has not responded to a request for comment. He has represented the district since 2019, winning his seat in a by-election. He was re-elected by acclamation in 2021.

In District 1: Incumbent Tanja Minisini has confirmed her intention to run for re-election. The ward, which includes the north end of the town, including a cluster of homes south of Highway 40, and stretches to Harwood Boulevard, just south of Hudson. Minisini was acclaimed in the 2021 election.

Residents interested in running for town council have until Oct. 3 to register as a candidate. Municipal elections across Quebec will be held on Nov. 2.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

One of the people that founded a group advocating for the merger of the four municipalities on Île Perrot has stepped forward to run for a council seat in Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, a move that will put the issue of municipal fusions on the debate table.

“This will surely be a subject that will be discussed with people I meet to see how they feel about it,” said Lise Chartier, who announced her candidacy for the District 3 council seat last Wednesday. “I think one must see people, meet with them, talk with them (and) see what their positions are.”

“I intend to ask people ‘What would this mean for you? Do you want it? Would you like to know (about it)?’” said Chartier, who is a former journalist, communications professional and historian who’s written three books on the history of the island of Île Perrot. “Knowledge is the basis for good decision-making.”

The topic of a possible merger of the municipalities of Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, L’Île Perrot, Pincourt and Terrasse Vaudreuil dates back to the 1980s. The subject was revived last year, when Chartier and a small group of residents on the island launched Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot, a grassroots group that is advocating for the merger and currently pushing for the four municipal councils on the island to request a free, no-obligation feasibility study conducted by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) to give residents all the facts on the pros and cons of a merger. A petition created by the group calling for each of the four municipalities to request the study has collected more than 500 signatures.

Chartier, who served as a board member and communications director for the group recently left Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot as she makes her run for council.

While she agrees a feasibility study would provide a much-needed “base” of information on this topic, she will listen to and respect the will of the constituents.

In July, L’Île Perrot council adopted a resolution requesting the merger study by the MAMH. However, a study can only be done if two or more municipalities adopt the resolution, and the topic has not gained much traction among the three other municipal councils.

Last week, Notre Dame council approved a resolution stating it was not in favour of a merger feasibility study. At the Aug. 12 meeting Notre Dame Mayor Danie Deschênes said a merger would complicate finances for the town, the largest and wealthiest on the island.

“We collectively experience enough instability in other areas of our lives that we do not wish to experience the same in our city and community,” she wrote in a message to The 1019 Report.

“That’s her opinion,” said Chartier of Deschênes’s opposition to municipal mergers. However, she added that the opinions of a mayor are not always shared by a majority of citizens. “I think the citizens should give their opinion.”

District 3, where Chartier will run covers the town’s northeastern section, north of Perrot Boulevard, bordering Lake St. Louis. The seat has been held by Daniel Lauzon since 2009. Lauzon did not respond to an inquiry as to whether he will run for a fifth mandate.

Encouraging more citizen engagement

While the merger question matters, Chartier said she is not a one-issue candidate. If elected, she aims to promote citizen engagement through increased communication.

A former journalist and communications specialist, Chartier said she understands the value of open communication. She had co-founded Caisse, Chartier et associés, a media-monitoring firm that operated Canada-wide for 30 years until it was bought out in 2001.

She has also been involved with various local historical and cultural groups, including the Notre Dame de l’Île-Perrot cultural committee, the Ste. Jeanne de Chantal Heritage Foundation and the Pointe-du-Moulin Historical Park Development Society. She also chaired the Île Perrot 350th anniversary committee in 2024 and serves as president of the Île Perrot History and Genealogy Society.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

St. Lazare will not follow other municipalities in the 1019 region with a temporary ban on non-essential water-use activities amid hot temperatures, according to Mayor Geneviève Lachance.

“We’re nowhere close to a ban,” Lachance told The 1019 Report. “According to our infrastructure department, we’re doing fine at this point.”

Although there is no water shortage in St. Lazare, water usage has increased in the past weeks, and is now considered excessive, according to barometer signs posted along main arteries.

This comes after several municipalities in the region placed temporary bans on lawn watering and other non-essential water-consuming outdoor activities earlier this month. Though temperatures have cooled a bit this week, these bans will remain for the remainder of the summer season.

In the past weeks, the towns of Hudson, Les Cèdres and Vaudreuil-Dorion have all announced bans on lawn watering, pool filling and the washing of cars, windows and driveways.

The smaller towns of Vaudreuil sur le Lac and L’Île Cadieux also have the bans in place, as they are connected to the Vaudreuil-Dorion water supply network.

The municipalities of Rigaud and Pointe des Cascades had previously implemented similar bans earlier this summer, which continue.

In separate public announcements, the municipalities all stated that these measures would prioritize water for drinking, infrastructure use and firefighting.

The restrictions came as Quebec’s wildfire management agency – known by its French acronym SOPFEU – listed Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Montreal and the North Shore as under “extreme” risk for wildfires earlier this month. The situation has since improved, with the SOPFEU lowering the region’s wildfire risk to “moderate.”

Bylaws in St. Lazare restrict the use of water to clean driveways or to fill swimming pools, while lawn watering using mechanical or automatic sprinklers is limited to a strict schedule. Lawn watering using a manual hose and washing individual cars is still permitted at all times.

The town has seen water usage increase in the past three weeks. Last week, St. Lazare’s water consumption was 9,054 m³; while the previous week, from Aug. 4-10, water usage hit 10,012 m³. And the week before that, from July 28-Aug. 3, it hit 9,090 m³.

An acceptable level of consumption is set at 7,299 m³ or less.

At this time last year water usage in St. Lazare was considered acceptable as it averaged about 6,500 m³ per week.

Residents should not confuse the barometer reading of usage levels with available levels of water, Lachance said.

“The barometer is to create awareness about consumption and doesn’t indicate that we’re running out of water,” she said. “As always, we encourage people to use water responsibly and follow bylaws on exterior use of potable water,” she explained.

For the time being, the bans are in place elsewhere in the region. Municipal inspectors are patrolling the towns that have bans in place to ensure residential compliance with these measures. First-time infractions could result in fines ranging from $250 to $500. Vaudreuil-Dorion and Hudson have announced its bans will remain in place until Sept. 2, at which time they will be reassessed.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

After a particularly raucous four years in Pointe Claire politics, the council races for the Nov. 2 vote are starting to take shape.

The 1510 West has compiled a list of who’s in and who’s out so far.

District 1 – Cedar / The Village

After serving a total of two and a half terms, incumbent District 1 councillor Claude Cousineau announced earlier this summer that he will not seek re-election.

The open seat looks poised to be the focus of a two-way race, although only one candidate has officially stepped forward.

David Epstein, owner of the popular Studio 77 café in the village, announced his intentions to run Aug. 1. His platform includes supporting small businesses and promoting local artists and cultural organizations, as well as bringing “common sense decorum” to municipal politics. Cousineau has expressed support for Epstein’s candidacy on Facebook.

David Johnston confirmed to The 1510 West that he is seriously considering running in District 1. A former reporter and editor at the Montreal Gazette, he also was the regional representative of Quebec and Nunavut for the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Johnston is actively going door-to-door in the district to take the pulse of the voters, but has not officially register with Élections Québec.

District 2 – Lakeside

Longtime councillor Paul Bissonnette is still considering whether to run for re-election. He has represented District 2 since 2005, receiving recognition on behalf of the Union des municipalités du Québec in June for his 20 years of service in municipal politics.

No other candidate has publicly announced their intention to run in District 2.

District 3 – Valois

Two candidates are vying for the seat so far, setting the stage for a rematch of the 2021 election race.

Incumbent councillor Kelly Thorstad-Cullen, who has represented the district since 2013, will face Barry Christensen. Christensen lost to Thorstad-Cullen by 97 votes in 2021. A retired paramedic, Christensen currently serves as the president of the Pointe Claire Citizens’ Association and is the publisher of The Pointe-Claire Record. The online newsletter’s June edition announced Christensen’s intention to run for council, as well as his decision to put the publication into a blind trust.

District 4 – Cedar Park Heights

Incumbent councillor Tara Stainforth announced Saturday she will not seek re-election. In a Facebook post, she expressed appreciation for the support from her constituents and fellow councillors while lamenting the “toxic” work environment and “persistent conflict” between Mayor Tim Thomas and council. “My values and ethics are not reflected in the current leadership, and I cannot support or enable that by running again,” she wrote. Stainforth has represented District 4 since 2017.

No other candidate has publicly announced their intention to run in District 4.

District 5 – Lakeside Heights

Incumbent councillor Cynthia Homan will face off against well-known greenspace advocate Geneviève Lussier, who helped found the Save Fairview Forest group in 2020.

Homan, who has held the seat since 2013, won the 2021 election by securing 73-per-cent of the vote in the district, the largest electoral victory in Pointe Claire that year.

Lussier has greeted residents every Saturday during weekly demonstrations at Fairview Forest – more than 250 since 2020 – calling for the 43-acre woodland to be preserved from development. She was awarded the King Charles Coronation medal in March for her advocacy.

District 6 – Seigniory

So far, incumbent councillor Bruno Tremblay is the only candidate in the district. He was first elected in 2021 and has served on the city’s Public Library Advisory Committee, the Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Committee, the Public Art Advisory Committee and the Demolition Committee.

District 7 – Northview

Incumbent councillor Eric Stork is the only declared candidate in the ward so far. He was first elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2021, winning about 53 per cent of the vote each time. He describes his political tenure as attempting to “strike a thoughtful balance between responsible development and the preservation of our community’s unique character.”

District 8 – Oneida

With district incumbent Brent Cowan running for mayor, this seat is up for grabs.

So far, Ray Coelho is the only candidate in the race. He played a pivotal role in Montreal Agglomeration council’s decision last year to end water fluoridation at the Pointe Claire and Dorval water treatment plants, launching a petition calling for an end to the practice.

Coelho also stirred controversy for his past connections to the now-defunct Canadian Nationalist Party – a far-right group that operated from 2017 to 2022. Coelho ran in the 2019 federal election as the party’s candidate in the Lac-Saint-Louis riding. He received just 28 votes.

Cowan has been encouraging real estate broker Jeff Zhao to run in the district. “He’s a very active member of the local Chinese community, which is quite extensive in Pointe Claire,” Cowan said. He added that Zhao has organized several Chinese cultural events in the city and has contributed to organizing part of Pointe Claire Days’ international cuisine event. Zhao did not return a request for comment from The 1510 West. He has not yet publicly announced his intention to run, nor has he registered as a candidate with Élections Québec.

“But between you and me and your readers, I think he’s going to (run),” Cowan said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Among the four declared candidates running for mayor of Pointe Claire three are political veterans — incumbent Tim Thomas, former mayor John Belvedere and councillor Brent Cowan.

Belvedere looking for rematch

Belvedere, who officially launched his campaign last week, said it was an easy choice to throw his hat into the ring again after having served from 2017 to 2021.

“I absolutely loved what I was doing,” Belvedere said in an interview last week. “I care about my community. I believe I have the leadership and the vision to take the city to its next level.”

“I only lost by 60 votes,” Belvedere said, referring to his loss to Thomas in 2021, adding he feels he can swing the momentum in his favour this time around. “People have been asking me to run.”

Belvedere first ran for mayor in 2013, losing to Morris Trudeau. He won the 2017 election, securing a little more than 60 per cent of the vote, before losing re-election to Thomas in 2021.

He wants to shed the label of being pro-development — a point of contention for some residents who argued that the city was too quick to approve like high-rise residential complexes during his tenure.

“I’m not going out looking for development,” he said. “When it comes, we’ll adhere to the rules that are in place,” he added, explaining that the arrival of the REM stations had put pressure on municipalities to approve development projects.

Fairview Forest would be safe from development under his leadership, he said.

Another event that ruffled feathers for some voters was the 2018 decision to demolish the Pioneer Bar, with the site redeveloped into luxury condos. The original 119-year-old building was viewed as a fixture in the city’s historic village. However, the structure had been neglected and had been for sale for a decade before it was bought by a development firm. It was torn down in 2020.

Belvedere said this episode falsely painted him as anti-heritage preservation.

“I’m about heritage. I live in a 1920s house. I’ve maintained the character of my own house since day one.”

If elected, he would bring clarity to what he calls a “mishmash” of what the city defines as a heritage structure.

Thomas vying for second mandate

Incumbent Tim Thomas said his goal for re-election is to “protect and grow the beautiful city that is Pointe Claire, and grow it in an ecological and reasonable manner.”

He will face Belvedere for a third time. Thomas placed third in the 2017 election before winning in 2021. He ran on a platform that advocated for development to be slowed, placing heavy importance on environmental and heritage preservation.

His proudest achievements include the temporary freeze on development in Pointe Claire Village and Valois Village; his advocacy for environmental preservation, including Fairview Forest; and his government’s financial performance, which included keeping property tax increases on par with inflation.

“Despite considerable opposition, lots of good has been done,” said Thomas, referencing his often-challenging relationship with council.

Indeed, tensions have regularly been high between the mayor and the councillors over his term. Tensions boiled over during a meeting in December 2023, when a majority of councillors walked out. This event was followed with councillor Brent Cowan calling for Thomas’s resignation.

Thomas pointed to this tension as largely stemming from differing views on development.

“I don’t see the need to go as fast and as furious as they have wanted to. I think we should try and allow our infrastructure time to catch up, and we should not develop overly-quickly.”

He hopes the fall election will bring a few new faces to council.

“I can work with anybody who can share ideas,” he explained. “I can’t work with people who don’t tolerate other people’s ideas. And that’s been the case in the last four years.”

Cowan pitches himself as pragmatic option

Meanwhile, Cowan is positioning himself as the alternative to both Thomas and Belvedere.

“I served four years on council under John Belvedere and I served four years on council under Tim Thomas,” he said. “And I was contemplating my future a while ago. I said, ‘There’s no way I’m going to serve council under either of these two gentlemen again.’”

“I had an option, I either leave Pointe Claire politics or I run for mayor,” Cowan added. “And after thinking about it a lot and talking with people, I decided I’d make a run.”

He will focus on three objectives: Building cohesion between the mayor, council and administration, organizing a coherent city planning program and enacting a public participation policy to better inform residents on what roles they can play in contributing to municipal government policy.

When it comes to development, Cowan said labels don’t help. “People are going to say, ‘It’s all about development. Are you pro-development or against development?’ That’s not the issue at all. The development is happening whether we want it to or not.”

It’s important for the next mayor and council to “accept the realities of what’s happening” with regards to the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal and its 2026-2046 development plan, which recommends increased densification for new residential constructions. “We need to be able to accept the plan that has already been created and we need to be able to get the best deal for Pointe Claire under it,” he said.

As for working with council, Cowan would seek to find common ground with everybody.

“You can’t just impose, like the previous mayors tried to do – impose their own campaign view on everybody else. You have to pitch it, sell it and compromise.”

Municipal elections across Quebec are scheduled for Nov. 2.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

While many in Pointe Claire expected the mayoral contest leading to this fall’s municipal election to be marked by heated and perhaps even fiery debate among political veterans, few anticipated a four-way race. But that is how it is shaping up as incumbent Tim Thomas, former mayor John Belvedere, long-time councillor Brent Cowan and a political newcomer — Jonathan Markiewicz — are set to square off.

But who is Jonathan Markiewicz? And will he be the dark-horse candidate in the race?

The environmental specialist was, in fact, the first authorized contender in the race for the Nov. 2 vote, registering his candidacy with Élections Québec back in January 2024. He also announced his intention to run for mayor on social media in May 2024, unveiling a website to support his candidacy.

In a brief phone call with The 1510 West, Markiewicz refused to comment on his candidacy, saying only he would make an official announcement in the coming weeks.

In a statement posted on his website he said: “I feel that our city is being lead (sic) down a path that does not best represent the needs or values of my fellow citizens; whether it is in regards to our environment, urban development or taxation. We can no longer stand to do nothing, nor can we repeat the old ways of doing things.”

Markiewicz’s LinkedIn profile describes him as a project director for Milestone Environmental Contracting Inc., an engineering and project-management firm specializing in sustainable land development and environmental restoration. His experience also includes a brief stint as a senior environmental specialist at Public Services and Procurement Canada as well as a year as a temporary science teacher for the Sir Wilfried Laurier School Board.

Markiewicz was president of Soccer Pointe Claire from 2019 to 2024. He was thanked warmly by the club in a farewell post on social media for his “tireless energy and enthusiasm” as well as for the “endless hours which he selflessly gave to our club.”

His website says he has been a resident of Pointe Claire for the past 12 years and describes his 20+ year career in environmental science and management roles as having given him “leverage to ensure that Pointe Claire is properly administered today and governed for the future.”

According to his Facebook profile, he grew up in Belleville, Ont., and attended the University of Waterloo, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 2004.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Though the official start to municipal election campaigns across Quebec is still a little more than a month away, the two mayoral candidates in St. Lazare are already laying out their pitches to voters.

Incumbent Mayor Geneviève Lachance will face off against first-time challenger Marie Morin, an agriculturalist and business owner. No other mayoral candidates have stepped forward. This will be the town’s first competitive mayoral race since the 2017 election, as Lachance was acclaimed in 2021.

As the summer winds down, Lachance said she’s looking to hear from voters, inviting residents to “kitchen table meetings” to discuss the town’s direction under her leadership, her vision for the future and the challenges that lie ahead. And there will be no shortage of challenges facing the municipality in the next few years, she explained in an interview last week.

“There are so many different things that we can see coming up,” Lachance said.

These challenges include balancing population growth with forest preservation and water management, as well as funding municipal infrastructure and improving public transit. The arrival of the new Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital, slated to open in 2027, is also expected to pose challenges.

“That’s a big thing that will have a big impact on St. Lazare,” Lachance said, referring to the hospital. “So we have to be able to plan properly and have a vision of what we want to see and set that vision into a plan.”

Lachance said her chief asset heading into the election is her experience in municipal politics — the past four years as mayor and the previous four as a councillor. She is someone “who knows how the law works, how municipalities work (and) how government works.”

Lachance added that she plans to share more details of her vision for the future of St. Lazare publicly in the coming weeks.

Challenger seeks to encourage voter participation

As for Morin, she pointed to several reasons why she threw her hat into the ring, among them was not wanting a repeat of the 2021 election where Lachance and six councillors won their seats by acclamation.

“I believe in democracy, and democracy only happens if there are elections,” Morin said. “The last thing I want is for people to be acclaimed.”

As the owner of Serre St. Laz, a small-scale vegetable growing operation specializing in hot pepper production, Morin feels local businesses face too much red tape, which hampers the town’s economic viability.

“As a business entrepreneur, my way of looking at it is: Why do we have a butcher who lives in St. Lazare and has his shop in Vaudreuil? Why do we have a baker in St. Lazare that has his shop in Vaudreuil? Or a chocolatier that lives in St. Lazare with a shop in Vaudreuil?”

Her shop is located in neighbouring St. Clet.

Morin would also make environmental health a priority with a focus on forest management that sees dead or diseased trees removed more quickly. She mentioned that she would also be keen to see the town implement measures to prevent potential wildfires from spreading, such as using fuel breaks — a man-made clearing of land between forested areas designed to contain wildfires, which Morin recalled she frequently witnessed in her youth in Alberta.

Morin had told The 1019 Report back in March that she planned to knock on the doors of the more than 7,000 residences in the town to meet voters. That plan was paused due to a notice from Élections Québec informing her that the campaign period begins in September.

“I’m a rule-follower,” she said with a laugh, adding that she’ll pick up where she left off on Sept. 19, the official start day of the election campaign.

Residents interested in running for mayor or for council have between Sept. 19 and Oct. 3 to submit their nomination to the town. Municipal elections across Quebec are scheduled for Nov. 2.

BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

How municipal officials communicate with members of the public in English is about to change across the province as new restrictions outlined in Quebec’s Bill 96 come into force next month.

But a directive approved by Hudson town council on Monday aims to maintain using another language other than French in some circumstances, despite the fact that it is one of three municipalities in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region that has bilingual status.

Under the implementation guidelines of Bill 96, adopted by the provincial legislature in 2022 that amended Quebec’s French Language Charter, all municipalities have until September of this year to comply.

But there are a few exceptions towns can avail themselves of if they adopt a specific directive. And that is what Hudson did Monday evening.

Hudson council unanimously approved a motion, entitled Directive relative à l’utilisation d’une autre langue que le français, which outlines a clear framework for town staff as to when and how they can use English.

Council’s approval of the directive is a key move. Without it, a municipality would not be able to provide a broader range of communication in English to residents after September, when the so-called transition period to the stricter language guidelines outlined in Bill 96 expires.

St. Lazare council is expected to make a similar move later this month, according to Mayor Geneviève Lachance.

“It’s a directive that allows employees to apply the exceptions specified in Bill 96 concerning the use of other languages,” Lachance said. “And yes, we plan to meet the deadline. Having said that, Bill 96 brings a level of complexity to municipalities like ours who in real life are truly bilingual even if in the eyes of the (Office québécois de la langue française), we’re not because they use birth language and not spoken language as a base of their law.”

The exceptions include in emergencies, in situations involving public safety, fire prevention, crime prevention, extreme weather events, to ensure that bylaws are accurately interpreted and issues touching on tourism. They also include communication to residents directly from the mayor.

St. Lazare does not have official bilingual status.

Reporter Joshua Allan contributed to this report.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Town of St. Lazare’s is aiming to cap off its 150^th anniversary celebrations with a “major event of the year” later this month, and have turned to a former head of production with the Just For Laughs festival and performers from the Cirque du Soleil to pull it off.

The event is an “urban opera” written by Patrick Rozon, a former executive producer with the renowned Montreal comedy festival, who also happens to be a resident of St. Lazare. The production will be staged in the town’s main park as part of the annual Festi Ouest weekend. It is a six-act performance that “retraces the City of St. Lazare over the (past) 150 years,” said Paul Lavigne, president of the St. Lazare anniversary celebration committee.

“It’ll absolutely be incredible,” Lavigne said. Rozon “really did an awesome job.”

Entitled “L’arbre des merveilles,” the show will be presented on Friday, Aug. 22, at 8 p.m. at Bédard Park.

It is part of ongoing events that have been organized to mark the town’s 150^th anniversary and is being touted as a highlight of the third annual Festi Ouest weekend, which runs Aug. 21-24 .

The performance will feature music, historical images of the town, a fireworks display and performers from the Cirque du Soleil. It is based on historical research conducted by the St. Lazare Historical Society

“We’re using local people as extras, dancers from here and musical guests from all over the place. It’ll be an incredible show,” Lavigne said.

The performance will be followed by a “Supper in the Park” on Saturday, Aug. 23. The event will be held under a tent at Bédard Park that can accommodate up to 400 guests.

“We really wanted to create things that happened in the past. We’re bringing back the Saturday family supper,” Lavigne explained. “The supper with friends, neighbours, colleagues, family. Basically, what we want is to recreate a kind of family supper event.”

Tables, chairs and music will be provided. Guests may bring their own food or purchase from the several food trucks that will be on site. The commemorative 150th anniversary beer brewed by the Trois Lacs microbrewery that has been sold at anniversary events throughout the year will be for sale.

A number of events marking the town’s 150^th anniversary have been held this past winter and spring. The public reaction to the festivities thus far has been “absolutely incredible,” Lavigne said. “People are just overwhelmed by everything original that we’re doing.”

Third annual Festi Ouest

St. Lazare’s annual weekend of western-themed fun will also be returning for its third edition that weekend, kicking off on Thursday, Aug. 21. Like previous editions, the festivities will include carnival rides, live country music, line dancing classes, food trucks, a mechanical bull and a meet-and-greet with some of the horses from Les Forestiers Equestrian Club and the Équi-Libre Therapeutic Riding Centre.

Saturday will feature country artists Sorenne, who performs in both English and French; Félix Lepage, a performer from Les Coteaux; Brittany Kennell, from Beaconsfield, she appeared on The Voice; and Guylaine Tanguay, who has performed with Roch Voisine. They will take to the stage between 11:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. Quebec artists AUDRÉE, Rebell Country and Dunberry will perform on Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m.

“This year is going to be an amazing year,” said Mayor Geneviève Lachance, referring to combining Festi Ouest with the 150th anniversary celebrations. “Just to celebrate the city and get together, all year it’s been a lot of fun.”

She has found it touching to see residents of all ages interacting at events like these, including between those who have recently moved to town and those who have lived there all their lives.

“That’s what I’m looking forward to the most, just the community gathering and the celebrating and people just being happy,” Lachance said.

Both Festi Ouest and the 150^th anniversary celebrations are free events. Bracelets for access to unlimited rides are available for purchase online via the town’s website.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Several residents living on two streets in Baie d’Urfé say the town’s tight deadline to change their aging septic systems is forcing them to take on a hefty cost on a very tight timeline. And they need some wiggle room.

“It’s a heavy burden,” said Bing Wu, who had moved into his house on Magnolia Street with his family about two and a half years ago.

“We’re having difficulties getting this item into our financial planning,” Wu said, explaining he expects it will cost him about $30,000 to replace his septic system. “Basically, we’re struggling, and we’re not alone in our neighbourhood.”

Wu’s house is one of 27 on Magnolia and Balsam streets whose owners received a notice from the town last November after inspections showed their septic systems did not meet provincial standards and would need to be replaced. The deadline to replace the systems was set at December 2026. The notice also explained that those who refuse to comply could face fines from the Quebec government ranging from a minimum of $1,000 for a first offence all the way up to a maximum of $100,000 for a third offence.

Replacing a septic system isn’t an easy process. It can take anywhere between three to five weeks and cost upwards of $30,000 for replacing tertiary systems – one of the more advanced septic systems. That price tag is making Magnolia and Balsam residents balk, explained François Gilbert, another resident of Magnolia.

For the past several months, both Gilbert and Wu have been meeting and discussing with the owners of the other 25 houses on both streets whose septic systems need replacing. They said that the heavy cost, along with the December 2026 deadline are causing no shortage of concern in the neighbourhood.

Homeowners are also having trouble finding and booking companies specializing in the replacement of these systems, he said. Few such companies exist in the West Island. For the handful of companies that can do the work, Gilbert pointed out that summertime is their busiest season, making it difficult to carve out a few weeks to carry out the work.

Gilbert and Wu said they only know of one homeowner among the 27 who has had their septic system replaced so far.

For the majority of residents, Gilbert explained, “there’s no way we’re going to be able to meet the deadline.”

Town declines deadline extension

Gilbert, Wu and other residents have been asking the town to extend the deadline, possibly by a few years. A formal letter requesting this extension signed by more than 20 homeowners on Magnolia and Balsam was sent to the town in early spring. But to date, the town is sticking to the timeline.

The council has repeated on several occasions that the timeframe being offered for this project is fair.

“Even a two-year timeframe is a very long time to do work like this,” said Mayor Heidi Ektvedt in a March interview, describing the December 2026 deadline as “very generous.”

Ektvedt pointed out that the province’s 2019 wastewater law puts the onus on homeowners to pay for their own septic system replacement and that it is the municipality’s responsibility to ensure that residents comply. She added that the town cannot get involved in replacement work or even recommend businesses to carry out the work.

Residents have raised their concerns at the town’s February, March and April council meetings, sometimes resulting in arguments between the mayor and the residents. Ektvedt pointed out at the March meeting that homeowners can take advantage of a Quebec government tax credit for this project of up to $5,500.

“You know, $5,500 compared to $30,000, it’s not much help,” said Wu of the credit.

Ongoing townwide initiative

The town’s ultimate plan is for all aging septic systems in Baie d’Urfé to be replaced to meet the provincial standards. After Magnolia and Balsam, the town will continue street by street, informing homeowners about whether their systems need replacing and giving them a deadline to make the upgrades. The vast majority of homes in Baie d’Urfé use septic systems. Only a few streets close to Highway 20 are connected to a municipal sewer system.

Gilbert and Wu said they had met with the town’s director-general Nicolas Bouchard in June to discuss the issues, but no compromise was reached. They added that Bouchard predicted that between 50 to 60 per cent of septic systems in Baie d’Urfé will likely need to be replaced. Bouchard was unavailable for comment last week.

Baie d’Urfé communications coordinator Justin Mah confirmed Monday that there is still no timeline for when inspections of systems on other streets will be carried out or when homeowners could receive notices.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Michel Gibson is seeking a fourth term as mayor of Kirkland in the upcoming November election.

The veteran politician confirmed his decision to run during a call with The 1510 West last week, but declined to comment until making an official announcement in early August.

Gibson has held the top elected seat in Kirkland for 12 years, after spending several years as a councillor. He was first elected mayor in 2013, beating incumbent John Meaney by 500 votes – a difference of just 6.7 per cent. He was acclaimed in 2017, and went on to sweep the 2021 election with more than 83 per cent of the vote.

His tenure has been marked by careful fiscal management. Annual increases in the town’s spending and residential property tax increases have kept pace with inflation since 2014, even as the Montreal Agglomeration’s slice of the town’s budget has increased gradually each year. At the same time, the municipality’s debt has more than halved since Gibson first entered office, dropping to $17.1 million in 2024 from $36.5 million in 2014.

Gibson has also sat on numerous committees on the Montreal Agglomeration council, as well as the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, where he collaborated on such initiatives as the development of the West Island branch of the REM commuter train network and the adoption of the Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan (PMAD) 2026-2046.

Under Gibson’s leadership, Kirkland voted to keep its bilingual status in 2023, which would have been lost under the province’s Bill 96, which updated Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, as fewer than 50 per cent of residents had listed English as their mother tongue in the 2021 federal census. The town also took part in a court challenge along with 22 other bilingual municipalities this past fall, calling for the suspension of several sections of the language law, arguing that it was unfairly intruding into how municipalities communicate with residents. The challenge was ultimately dismissed by the Quebec Superior Court.

No other candidates have yet publicly announced their intention to enter the race for mayor this fall.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Although the scheduled opening of the West Island REM light rail system is still officially set for October and the last stages of testing will continue until mid-August with a “dry run” set for September, officials with the transit service are hinting delays could push the launch date by a “few months.”

“For the time being, our goal remains to commission our entire network this fall,” said Francis Labbé, assistant director of media relations for CDPQ Infra, the group responsible for managing the REM network.

But that will depend on a number of factors.

Dynamic testing of the West Island branch of the REM line began in September 2024. This involved simulated real-time travel between the Anse-à-l’Orme station in Ste. Anne de Bellevue and the Bois-Franc station in St. Laurent.

Then in June, West Islanders may have noticed an increase in the frequency of the REM trains passing on the elevated tracks, as the “intensive summer testing” phase kicked off June 20, with trains running between 5:30 a.m. and midnight each day. These tests will continue until Aug. 17.

In September, CDPQ Infra will then initiate what it calls “dry runs,” real-time simulations of the rail service in operation.

Similar testing is being conducted on the network’s other new line, the Deux-Montagnes branch, which services the North Shore.

“If, at the end of our trials, one of the two branches must be prioritized, it will be the Deux-Montagnes branch,” Labbé explained. “If this situation arises, the Anse-à-l’Orme branch would be brought into service a few months later.”

Labbé offered no other details.

Since July 2023, only the South Shore line of the REM network, which links Longueuil with Montreal, has been open to public use. However, this line has been plagued with operational issues, including shutdowns due to poor weather conditions and technical errors. The South Shore line has been completely shut down since July 5 for system-wide testing ahead of its coming expansion and is expected to reopen on Aug. 17.

Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault had told reporters earlier this year that the numerous delays and shutdowns on the REM’s South Shore line were unacceptable and that commuters expect “efficient and reliable service.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

West Islanders looking to beat the heat by taking a dip in Lake St. Louis, Rivière des Prairies or the Lake of Two Mountains may want to check the water quality before diving in. Data collected by Montreal’s aquatic monitoring network points out which shorelines are safe for swimming and others that residents should steer clear of this summer season.

Of the 45 points along the West Island shoreline where the water was tested by the Aquatic Environment Monitoring Network (RSMA) last week, eight were marked as being “poor” quality, while one — along the shore of the Parc de la Rive-Boisée in Pierrefonds-Roxboro —was listed as “polluted.” This data is made available through an interactive map on the City of Montreal’s website.

RSMA calculates the quality of the water based on the number of fecal coliforms — bacteria including E. coli, found in plant soil as well as human and animal feces — measured per 100 millimetres. Levels acceptable for swimming must not surpass 200 coliforms per 100 ml.

Areas measuring 1,001 or more fecal coliforms per 100 ml are listed as “polluted.” Swimming in polluted water can lead to gastrointestinal illness.

Last week, the water along the shore of the Parc de la Rive-Boisée was measured as having 10,000 coliforms per 100 ml. This is not unexpected, as data going back to 2012 shows that the water in that spot routinely scores high in fecal coliform due to a nearby storm sewer pipe draining into the river. Swimming is not authorized at the park.

Of all the areas tested, the waters behind Stewart Hall in Pointe Claire was measured as having the best water quality in the West Island, with just seven coliforms per 100 ml. The only shoreline in all of Montreal with better water quality was at the southern point of the Jean-Drapeau Park, at just two coliforms per 100 ml.

The longest stretch of waterfronts that were measured as having “good” or “excellent” quality water reached from Kelso Park in Ste. Anne de Bellevue all the way to Bayview Park in Pointe Claire.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The Lakeshore General Hospital launched a $790,000 digital transformation project, the regional health administrators announced last week.

“It’s great. (The hospital) had to come to the 21st century,” said Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson, who attending the official kick-off hosted by the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the regional board that administers health services in the West Island.

The project will see the hospital transition to using digital files, abandoning all paper record-keeping practices. This change will provide clinicians with faster access to patients’ medical records and eliminate the irritation of storing and sorting through extensive physical files. The change would facilitate the overall experience for patients, as they can now book appointments and check test results online, as well as have their prescriptions sent directly to pharmacies. Going digital will also fast track information sharing between medical departments, hospitals, clinics and doctors working in Family Medicine Groups.

The transition will also result in a “reduction in redundant tests and better coordination of care,” CIUSSS communications coordinator Hélène Bergeron-Gamache explained in an email.

“It was greatly urgent to do it,” Gibson added. “To be able to have a file where you can communicate from one building to the other automatically, it’s great.”

The project is being totally financed by a $790,000 donation from the Trottier Family Foundation. The Montreal-based charitable foundation has funded projects and initiatives at numerous hospitals across Quebec and Canada since its founding in 2000.

These changes will provide “faster and more streamlined services” that will “only serve to enhance the patient experience during their stay,” said Dan Gabay, president and CEO of the CIUSSS, in a statement.

The full transition is happening gradually, the statement continued, as the Lakeshore staff are undergoing training sessions to adapt to the digitized systems.

The transformation had already begun earlier this month with the hospital’s outpatient clinics transitioning to electronic medical records. This first phase is “already making a real difference in the lives of patients and health-care teams alike,” reads a July 22 Facebook post by the Lakeshore General Hospital Foundation.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Le Nichoir bird conservation centre in Hudson is reminding residents not to abandon any fishing gear after the death of a young female mallard last week. The bird was admitted to the centre last Sunday with a fishing line tangled around its body and fish hook caught in its wing, requiring surgery. Despite the surgery having gone “really well,” the bird died the following day.

“Anytime we get a bird that was affected by fishing material, it always breaks our heart,” said Élise Laferrière, the education program coordinator at Le Nichoir.

Most residents enjoying summertime fishing may not think twice about cutting a tangled line, losing a small lead sinker or releasing a fish back into the water that had swallowed a hook too deeply to be removed.

“It’s been happening as long as people have been fishing,” said Laferrière. “And with the years, of course, those discarded materials accumulate.”

Le Nichoir treats about half a dozen birds that have been badly injured by abandoned fishing gear each summer, she said.

“And those are only the birds that were found,” Laferrière explained.

Cases often involve these birds getting tangled in abandoned fishing lines, sometimes cutting off circulation to one or more limbs and requiring amputation. Many fish-eating birds, especially loons, will also inadvertently consume hooks that have been left inside fish, causing severe internal damage, Laferrière said.

Even small lead fishing sinkers, a pack of which can be bought at Canadian Tire for around $7, can have a negative impact when left at a fishing site. Many species of birds swallow small stones to help with digestion, which can be easily confused with these lead sinkers.

“That causes an acute poisoning,” Laferrière explained. “They (become) anemic. They have severe neurological symptoms. Most of the time they will die from it.”

What’s more, deciding whether these injured birds require surgery is always a tough call for the workers at Le Nichoir, Laferrière added. Wild birds don’t tolerate anesthesia well, raising the risk of them dying during surgery or soon after.

“But we can’t just leave (them) because they will die from infection,” she said.

Residents who go fishing can prevent these unnecessary injuries to birds by being more mindful of their gear, Laferrière explained. This includes ensuring that all gear that was taken for fishing is brought back home at the end of the day.

Prevention may also include small changes in the choice of fishing gear, like using steel or copper sinkers instead of lead ones, and using barbless hooks that are more easily removed while catch-and-release fishing.

“We always say that it’s always better to prevent (these injuries) than to try and heal them from it,” Laferrière added.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

All towns in the 1019 region face the challenge of balancing population growth with maintaining an adequate water supply. However, some smaller municipalities in the region’s western edges face unique challenges on that front — without municipal water systems, the towns of St. Télesphore, Rivière Beaudette and part of St. Polycarpe rely on an ancient groundwater source, known as an esker.

“We made it our mission to preserve the esker sector, because the sector is very fragile,” said Marie-Louise Séguin, one of the founding members of the group L’Esker de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. The non-profit organization held a launch party July 11 to celebrate its renewal as a group dedicated to the protection of a 12-square-kilometre area in St. Télesphore, as well as to broadening public knowledge about its functions and importance to the area.

L’Esker de Vaudreuil-Soulanges is a grassroots group that had been formed in the fall of 2023 to advocate against a plan put forward by the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges to build a compost facility north of the esker.

“It was a vulnerable location (for the project),” said Séguin, explaining that such a facility risked contaminating the water source.

The MRC ultimately abandoned its original plan. It is now proposing to build a multi-million-dollar compost-processing site on an 11-acre tract of land in the industrial park in Coteau du Lac.

Today, the group seeks to educate residents about the esker’s importance, not only as a source of drinking water, but also as part of the region’s “geological heritage,” Séguin explained, adding that it is “a unique and impressive ecological formation.”

The esker is a remnant of the Ice Age, when Canada was covered by a glacial sheet. The erosion of these glaciers about 10,000 years ago left behind geological ridges of sand and gravel deposited by glacial meltwater which are found across Canada and parts of the United States. This created a unique source for natural groundwater filtration, resulting in high-quality potable water.

A special feature of L’Esker de Vaudreuil-Soulanges’ July 11 launch was the introduction of a new craft beer, made with water sourced directly from the esker. The beer, named “L’Esker,” is brewed by the Ferme Brasserie Schoune, located just north of the ecosystem. The beer can sports the group’s blue water droplet logo. For each can sold, the Ferme Brasserie Schoune says it will donate $1 to L’Esker de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. The group is also accepting donations online.

The group says it plans to carrying out environmental studies of the esker, as well as organizing various public awareness campaigns to promote its continued protection.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion is moving forward with a plan to construct a $14.67-million covered refrigerated ice rink in a park just north of Cité des Jeunes Blvd., near the junction with De la Gare Blvd.

City council adopted a loan bylaw for the project at the July 7 city council meeting, which then put it to a register process last Friday to allow anyone against the plan to oppose it. It failed to collect enough signatures to block the project.

The new refrigerated rink will be built in Quatre-Saisons school park, located next to École des Légendes and Hymne-au-Printemps elementary schools. It will have an NHL-size surface (60 metres by 26 metres) and will be included among the many playing surfaces already offered at the park, including a soccer pitch, a basketball court, a playground and a splash pad.

The rink will be built on the eastern side of the park, bordering Toe Blake and Maurice Richard Streets – a fitting location given that both were Montreal Canadiens legends who are in the NHL Hall of Fame. “Rocket” Richard and Hector “Toe” Blake, who also coached the team for 13 years, helped Montreal secure the Stanley Cup a combined 12 times in the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s.

The rink project is part of the city’s five-year capital expenditure plan, which includes adding two pickleball courts and a utility building at the site.

The $14.67-million loan bylaw will be financed over a 20-year period, city clerk Zoë Lafrance explained at the July 7 council meeting.

As winter weather conditions become increasingly uncertain, more municipalities in Quebec are turning to refrigeration technology for outdoor rinks. These types of rinks use generators to keep the ice at an acceptable temperature for skating of around -5° C, even in fluctuating outdoor temperatures that reach as high as 18° C.

The towns of St. Zotique and Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot are currently the only municipalities in the 1019 region that have rinks that use this technology.

There is no set start date for construction of the rink, said city communications adviser Jessica Genest, but the city aims to have it operating for the winter of 2026-2027, and welcome skaters from November to April each year.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

At the urging of a grassroots groups advocating for the merging of the four towns of Île Perrot, L’Île Perrot’s council has approved a resolution requesting the Quebec government conduct a feasibility study on the possible fusion of the four municipalities on the island. But it is going to take more for the study to be triggered.

“We consider it to be a good coup,” said Gérard Farmer, president of Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot, of the resolution, explaining that other towns will have to pass similar resolutions before the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will conduct the analysis.

L’Île Perrot’s council opted to make the first move, unanimously adopting the resolution at its July 8 meeting, because the study would outline the pros and cons for any potential merger, said Mayor Pierre Séguin.

“The council and I think that if there was a serious study made that said the pros and cons (of a merger), the citizens could make a decision about whether they’re for it or not,” Séguin said in an interview last week.

The study can only be done at the request of two or more municipalities. Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot — a grassroots group focused on promoting the merger of the municipalities of L’Île Perrot, Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, Pincourt and Terrasse Vaudreuil into one city — recently launched a petition calling for each of the four municipalities to request the study. The petition has collected more than 500 signatures.

The group had previously met with officials from Pincourt, but Farmer said there is little indication that elected officials are looking seriously into passing a similar resolution. A request for comment from Pincourt Mayor Claude Comeau went unanswered.

Though the group is content that L’ Île Perrot council took this step, it doesn’t come as a surprise.

“During our presentations (earlier this spring), the people from the Town of L’Île Perrot were very receptive,” Farmer told The 1019 Report. “So there wasn’t much surprise there because the majority of the councillors at that point were quite in favour of the unification of the cities.”

Séguin has previously spoken in favour of a merger and explained that his council felt the offer of a free, no-obligation feasibility study by Quebec would be too good to pass up. However, he added, “it takes two to tango.”

Both Farmer and Séguin said a feasibility study would at least provide answers to these long-standing questions about merging the towns. Séguin added that he has been hearing the same debate since the 1980s.

“If the study isn’t done, the conversation will continue anyway,” Séguin said. “We can’t ignore the question. Does it make sense? Or, does it not? “If it doesn’t make sense, we stop. That’s it.”

Notre Dame Mayor Danie Deschênes had described the subject as “dépassé” and a “non-issue” in an interview back in May.

“I don’t have any citizens who talk to me about this except those who write to me asking ‘Come on, what is this idea?’” she explained.

Merging the four municipalities would mean combining things like municipal debt, Deschênes said.

“It’s us who will take the lion’s share of this debt,” she said of her town, pointing out the higher average property value.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Throughout the summer, a group of youths in Baie d’Urfé will be collecting donations of non-perishable goods and hygiene products as part of an effort to help the West Island Mission, a non-profit food bank that serves the region.

The initiative offers an opportunity to give the youth, ages 10 to 18 who are part of the municipality’s junior town council, a group who take an active role in their town’s democratic life by discussing local issues, “a better understanding about food insecurity in the West Island, because they’ve been sheltered from that,” said Baie d’Urfé councillor Wanda Lowensteyn.

While residents of Baie d’Urfé may not face the same levels of food insecurity as in other communities, Lowensteyn explained that this initiative will get “our junior council involved in understanding that they have a responsibility to help those who are less fortunate than they are, because they are very fortunate.”

“When you put these bins at various clubs, you hope that people who can afford to be members at these clubs should certainly be able to afford to help out with some donations,” Lowensteyn said.

Donation bins are set up at the town’s community pool, the tennis club and the yacht club. Donors may drop off the items, which are then brought to the West Island Mission in Dollard des Ormeaux.

This new initiative is part of the West Island Mission’s annual summer campaign, titled “Hunger doesn’t take a vacation.”

 “I think that’s great and it’s a new audience for us in the sense that having a youth council involved just gives them a little bit more understanding and awareness of who’s vulnerable in the community and what the community needs are,” said Suzanne Scarrow, the Mission’s executive director.

According to Scarrow, the summer tends to be the slow season for food donations. It is also the time that charities and food banks need them the most.

“A lot of our families are living in areas where schools provide snack programs and potentially even lunch programs,” she explained in an interview. “In the summer, when they (the children) are off school, the parents are responsible for providing those snacks and lunch, so it’s an added expense for our families.”

The West Island Mission is asking for residents to consider donating the following five specific foods: Canned meats, peanut butter, rice, granola bars and canned tomatoes. “It’s really the basic necessities that we run out of very quickly.”

What’s more, she added that donations do not need to be limited to food products. “We’re always short on diapers and feminine hygiene (products),” she said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

As the cost of living and food prices continue to rise, several local community organizations have expanded their offering in an attempt to curb the issue of rising food insecurity in the West Island, including the non-profit Corbeille de Pain which is expanding its Solidarity Markets initiative, bringing fresh produce and other food products to more locations in the region.

The organization added Dorval to the list of West Island cities hosting the markets that employ a “pay-what-you-can” model, giving some relief to shoppers facing financial difficulties, and a “pay it forward” feature to encourage individuals with more financial stability to add a few extra dollars to their bill to cover some of the cost of the goods for others who can’t afford them.

“The markets are really for everyone,” said Anik Vigneault, communications coordinator for the Corbeille de Pain. “Those who can afford to go to the supermarket, we encourage them to also come because then they can help out other people in their community that way.”

The market’s first day received an impressive response from local residents, Vigneault said.

“We actually had more people show up to the one in Dorval than the first one that we did in DdO last year,” Vigneault explained, adding that the Royal Dixie Park location “was really quite accessible to a lot of apartment buildings. So that was great. A lot of people were able to come on foot, for those who don’t have access to a car.”

The group has also extended the operating hours of existing weekly markets in Pointe Claire, Pierrefonds and Dollard des Ormeaux.

The markets offer fresh fruits and vegetables from farms within a 50-kilometre radius of the West Island, but also offer bread, eggs, maple syrup, preservatives and dried goods.

“I really would encourage people who can afford to pay a little extra” to do so, said Dorval Mayor Marc Doret on Monday. “Even if it’s $1, $2, $5, pay a little bit extra. The money stays within Corbeille de Pain and it pays for the people who use the option of paying what they can.”

Doret said he had begun discussions with Corbeille de Pain just over two years ago to bring the solidarity markets to Dorval. He explained that expanding this initiative is welcomed as food insecurity becomes increasingly prevalent.

“Prices keep going up,” Doret said, adding that food insecurity is becoming a concern “for everybody. Even for the average working family it’s a big concern.”

Non-profit organizations focused on combating food insecurity have witnessed the growing issue firsthand.

“The last 18 months have been terrible,” said Suzanne Scarrow, executive director for the non-profit West Island Mission, a food bank based in Dollard. 

She explained that her organization has gone from serving 250 households to more than 450.

“It’s mostly people on fixed income, but a lot of it is pensioners, and a lot of it is single males,” Scarrow said.

For the past decade, the West Island Mission has attempted to bolster summertime support for charitable donations to combat food insecurity with its campaign titled “Hunger doesn’t take a vacation.” This summer, the organization added three new donation stations in Baie d’Urfé, located at the community pool, tennis club and yacht club. A group of youths will be collecting the donations of non-perishable goods and hygiene products from these stations and bringing them to the West Island Mission throughout the summer.

While Doret is happy with his city hosting four solidarity markets this year, he is hopeful the number will be increased to 17 by next summer – the number of market days already in operation in Pointe Claire, Pierrefonds and Dollard.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Dr. Sylvain Martel of Île Bizard was one of 83 individuals appointed to the Order of Canada last month.

A professor at the engineering university Polytechnique Montréal since 2001, Martel was named a member of the order, honouring his two decades of research on the use of nanorobotics in medical applications.

“It was a big surprise for me,” Martel said in a statement to The 1510 West. “This nomination is a great recognition, not only of the work and progress made in this new field, but also of the impact it could have.”

Martel has spent years in the school’s nanorobotics laboratory working in close collaboration with doctors and other medical specialists on the potential use of nanotechnology for cancer treatment. His research has looked into using nanorobots — some measuring no more than a micrometre (one-thousandth of a millimetre) — to access and administer medicine to cancerous cells via the patient’s bloodstream. This method, Martel said, is more precise and can avoid damaging healthy cells, a casualty  that normally occurs with chemotherapy.

Being named a member of the Order of Canada is not the first honour Martel has received for his research. He was named a member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2009, awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, as well as the Prix Génie Innovation from the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec in 2016. Martel also has won the Prix d’excellence en recherche et innovation from Polytechnique in 2018 and has been credited among the “10 discoveries of the year” twice by Québec Science magazine.

Martel earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, followed by a doctorate degree at McGill University. He also worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He currently resides in Île Bizard.

Martel was one of 83 individuals named as members, officers and companions of the Order of Canada – the highest civilian honour awarded to Canadian citizens. Among the appointees were 16 others from Quebec.

“We proudly recognize each of these individuals whose dedication and passion for service not only enrich our communities but also help shape the fabric of our nation,” said Governor General Mary Simon. “Together, they inspire us to strive for greatness and to foster a future filled with hope and possibility.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Construction for a long-awaited affordable housing project kicked off on Dawson Ave. in Dorval on Monday. The four-storey building will offer 82 low-cost rental units to autonomous residents ages 55 and up.

The project, titled “Habitations Les Îles Courcelles,” was first pitched back in 2017, but progress on the file was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The important thing is that we never abandoned this project,” said Mayor Marc Doret at a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday. “There were, of course, difficult moments, but also moments of hope. And today we’re here, proud of what we accomplished together.”

The price tag for the project is set at around $35 million. The City of Dorval will cover approximately $5 million of that cost, which will include the cost of decontaminating the property. The rest of the cost is covered through financial support from the Quebec government and from the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal. Other financial partners will be announced “a little bit later on,” Doret said.

The building will be constructed using prefabricated modules designed by Les Industries Bonneville, a manufacturing and building design company that specializes in prefabricated homes.

Speaking at the press conference, Isabelle Pépin, director general of Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal, expressed excitement about the modules.

“They are vibrant,” she said. “I walked around the factory – they are magnificent,” adding that this is an innovative approach to affordable housing projects.

The building is expected to be completed in early 2027.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

New density levels outlined in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal’s proposed development plan will not drastically reshape the character of West Island municipalities, officials with the regional authority say.

And CMM officials are encouraging residents to understand the full picture of the increased dwelling density targets laid out in its 2026-2046 development plan, often referred to simply as PMAD, the French acronym for the document’s official title: Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement. The proposed plan was released last month.

According to the proposed update of the plan, the target for the number of dwellings per hectare for new developments in the West Island will be set at 52 by 2031, and gradually be increased until it reaches 69 dwellings per hectare by 2046. This is up from the 30 dwellings per hectare outlined in the 2012 version of the urban plan.

In zones within a one-kilometre radius of a train station, areas known as transit-oriented development areas, or TODs, the density levels outlined in the new development plan will be increased to 240 dwellings per hectare next to REM stations, up from 60; and 140 dwellings per hectare next to Exo train stations, compared with 40 in the current plan.

CMM officials pointed out the new density thresholds “apply exclusively to new residential constructions, and do not apply retroactively to existing buildings,” said communications adviser Jennifer Guthrie.

Guthrie also pointed out that density levels are measured differently in the updated development plan compared with the existing plan.

“The density thresholds in the 2012 PMAD were expressed as gross residential densities, calculated over the total area, including streets, park and public facilities,” Guthrie said in a statement to The 1510 West last week. “In contrast, the new PMAD expresses density thresholds as net residential densities, calculated only on the area used for new residential developments, excluding non-residential uses.”

But despite this modification, could the increased density mean a future of more high-rise apartment complexes and an end to single-family home development in the West Island?

Not necessarily, according to Laurence Pelletier, a research consultant for the CMM’s sustainable and prosperous communities department.

“The PMAD does not impose any height, lot coverage or dwelling dimension,” Pelletier explained, adding that achieving the new density targets will depend on the “different standards established by the cities.”

She gave an example of a four-storey apartment building with apartments each at about 1,000 square feet in size. The density per hectare of such a structure, she explained, would be over 100 dwellings, more than meeting the new target of 52 dwellings per hectare outside of TOD zones by 2031.

The new PMAD also does not outright ban the future construction of single-family homes, which make up the majority of residential dwellings in the West Island.

Pelletier explained that their construction “depends on a number of variables, including modulation of the density and the exceptions to the density identified in the PMAD.”

Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson is a member of the CMM council. Gibson offered a written statement explaining that future residential developments in his town would focus on social acceptability, along with sustainability and infrastructure capacity.

“It is certain that new developments will emerge with varying levels of density (under the new PMAD), which will allow us to offer a broader range of housing types to meet the needs of our population,” Gibson stated. However, he added: “Let me be clear: We will not pursue development at any cost. Each project must align with the public interest, taking into account key considerations.”

Future developments in Kirkland, Gibson said, would be prioritized in the Lacey Green Village area, the RioCan commercial site next to the cineplex and near the town hall.

“The rest of our urban fabric is largely built out and consolidated, and we remain committed to preserving the same type of housing currently found in those areas.”

Gibson also pointed out that it will be some time before any increased density requirements go into effect.

The proposed new PMAD must first be approved by the Quebec Municipal Affairs Ministry, which has until December to do so. This will be followed by a process of revisions at the agglomeration and municipal levels.

“This process could take up to five years and will allow us to refine our strategy and vision for the future of our community,” Gibson stated.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

For centuries, the St. Lawrence River has served as an important shipping route, giving access to the interior of Canada. And for more than half a century — from 1899 to 1958 — the Soulanges Canal was part of that vital commercial route. Thousands of ships would enter the canal either at Pointe des Cascades or Les Coteaux and travel for 23 kilometres to bypass rapids before exiting and continuing their journey — either westward toward the Great Lakes or eastward out to sea.

Construction of the canal began in 1892, designed to replace the Beauharnois Canal that was not deep enough to accommodate larger cargo ships.

Construction of the Soulanges Canal spanned seven years, with as many as 1,200 workers facing the challenges of having to remove large stones found all long its route.

When it finally opened in October 1899, the canal was the first in the world to use the river’s current to generate electricity, which was used to power street lamps along its route. This electrification also enabled the five locks along the canal to function with fewer operators, allowing the canal to run 24 hours a day.

Four lighthouses — two at both the entrance and exit of the canal — also lit the way for passing ships. These lighthouses in Pointe des Cascades and Les Coteaux are still standing today.

Between 1940 and 1950 an estimated 5,000 ships travelled through the canal, with the last ship passing through in the fall of 1958.

While the Soulanges Canal fell into disuse, its history has been immortalized with numerous information panels that can be found along its 23-kilometre stretch. Over the past 70 years, the canal has also been enjoyed by locals for swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding and other water activities.

Petit Pouvoir

The hydroelectric power station built alongside the canal in Les Cèdres in 1899, dubbed the “Petit Pouvoir,” was designed by engineer Thomas Monro in the Romanesque château style, including turrets, quoins-style corners and cornices.

As with the canal itself, the station ceased operations in 1958, however, the Petit Pouvoir’s impressive architecture earned it a designation as a heritage building by the Quebec government in 1984.

Though the building has been vacant since 1995, Transports Quebec confirmed plans are in the works to restore the historic structure.

“Once restored, the ministry will seek to find a partner who can operate this heritage building in a viable and sustainable manner,” Transport Quebec spokesperson Stéphanie Langelier told The 1019 Report.

There is no timeline for the refurbishing plan, however.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal aims to more than double the number of people in Vaudreuil-Soulanges who live near an Exo train station — except in Hudson.

The regional authority’s proposed 2026-2046 urban development plan, or PMAD, would see the average number of residences within a one-kilometre radius of train stations in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Pincourt, Terrasse Vaudreuil and Île Perrot stations increased from 40 to 100 dwellings per hectare.

Hudson, which also has an Exo train station, however, has been exempt from having to adhere to the transit-oriented-development (TOD) density levels being imposed by the CMM, Mayor Chloe Hutchison confirmed earlier this month to The 1019 Report.

Hutchison welcomed the CMM’s omission of Hudson from the TOD zones in the proposed PMAD, explaining train departures from the Hudson station are too infrequent to justify a significant density increase.

The increased density requirement would have also have an impact the surrounding natural spaces, she said.

“Had we kept the TOD, that would’ve doubled the density and had (an) impact on Sandy Beach,” Hutchison said. There has been a push by both the town an

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

An ambitious and audacious multi-million-dollar project to transform the Soulanges Canal into a unique linear park envisioned to become an iconic regional attraction that provides recreational activities, hosts cultural events and serves as a tourist destination, took a step forward earlier this spring when the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges put forward a plan it hopes will capture the imagination of residents and provincial government funding agencies.

The blueprint, officially adopted in May, outlines a modern new vision for the historic 126-year-old canal.

Designed by Montreal-based architectural design firm Collectif Escargo, the plan showcases a series of hubs along the abandoned canal that follows the north shore of the St. Lawrence River and once served as a route for ships to bypass the rapids between Lake St. Louis and Lac St. François, stretching from Pointe des Cascades through Les Cèdres, Coteau du Lac and Les Coteaux.

Creating access points for water-based activities, improving cycling routes and providing outdoor entertainment venues, the revitalization of the canal is designed around five core themes: accessibility; recreation; protection of water and natural environments; art, culture, heritage and archaeology; and urban integration.

“It’s a project that has taken several years,” Marianne Sigouin-Lebel, the director-general of the Parc du canal de Soulanges, said in an interview last week. “But for us, it’s really worth doing it this way, to do it well.”

These themes closely align with residents’ desires for the future of the canal that have been expressed at numerous public consultations, Sigouin-Lebel explained. “We could really see in the project, and then in the images they gave us, the whole aspect of citizenship that was being promoted and then really the projects for accessibility, for citizens, for families, all that.”

Concept images of the plan show wide footpaths along the canal, boardwalks and pedestrian bridges, as well as docks for pleasure boats and ramps for improved accessibility to the waterway. Wooden bleachers look out to a platform on the water to be used for concerts or other forms of live entertainment. 

The plan also outlines potential locations for nearby dining and spaces for community gatherings, as well as locations for murals and other works of public art. The length of the walkways along the canal will also be lit at night using directional projection devices, allowing users to safely stroll the area at night while minimizing the impact on the local ecosystem. 

A nod to canal’s history

The plan also incorporates some of the canal’s historic landmarks, some of which are showing their age after years of neglect.

“We’ve got to remember the canal was closed in 1959 due to the fact that the St. Lawrence Seaway opened up,” said Pointe des Cascades Mayor Peter Zytynsky in an interview. “So the canal was abandoned. (Left to) rot.”

The “Petit Pouvoir” hydroelectric power station,  which operated along the canal in Les Cèdres from 1899 to 1959 — is shown as a featured point of interest in the plan. The two-storey red brick structure was deemed a heritage building in 1984, but has remained vacant since 1995. The plan envisions the building fully restored and open to the public as a heritage site in the future.

The plan also features the renovation of the historic lighthouse at the entrance of the canal in Pointe des Cascades, including the construction of a paved footpath up to and around the structure. The 50-foot-tall lighthouse was built in 1904 and served to guide vessels into the narrow canal at night.

Good for tourism, future generations

Zytynsky expressed appreciation for the care the MRC is showing in preserving the history of the canal, as well as enthusiasm for the added tourism the plan will bring to the area.

“Just in Pointe des Cascades, the amount of visitors we get now is huge,” said Zytynsky, explaining that people from all over the region and even from Montreal come to the area to swim, kayak, paddleboard and cycle along the canal, among many other outdoor activities in the area. He expects the plan to improve accessibility and restore the historic landmarks and help to “bring the canal up to snuff when it comes to stuff like (tourism).”

Zytynsky said that while this ambitious design is unlikely to see results in the near future, he called the plan a long-term investment “for future generations to enjoy.”

There is no estimated cost pegged to the plan.

“There is no specific cost associated with it, as the work and projects will be carried out as opportunities and subsidies become available, in collaboration with other partners as needed,” said MRC communications adviser Catherine St-Amour, who added the project will be rolled out over a 30-year timeframe.

Sigouin-Lebel confirmed that no estimates for the total estimated cost to the region could be provided, adding simply: “It is certain that it will be several million dollars, if not tens of millions” over the course of the 30-year timeframe, paid for both by the region and through subsidies from the Quebec government.

As the canal is owned by Transports Quebec, it is now up to the ministry to accept the MRC’s plan and implement a strategy to upgrade the existing infrastructure.

“We hope that this (master plan) will push Transports Quebec to act,” Sigouin-Lebel added.

In the meantime, St-Amour said the MRC will develop “a strategy for implementing the plan (. . .) based on future opportunities.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal is looking to dramatically increase residential density in all 11 of the municipalities in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region that are part of the regional authority’s territory, according to its new regional development plan unveiled last month.

The plan sets a minimum target density of 36 dwellings per hectare by 2026 for all municipalities in the region. That target will increase to 46 dwellings per hectare by 2046.

Although these targets are a significant increase from the levels outlined in the current development plan, they represent a dramatic five- to eight-fold hike from the reality of housing density that actually exist in towns like Hudson and St. Lazare in the next two decades.

For example, in St. Lazare, the second largest municipality in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region, existing housing within the urban perimeter of the town stands at 4.9 dwellings per hectare, according to the CMM.

Some areas outside this village core, however, according to Mayor Geneviève Lachance, have a housing density of 1.2 to 2.7 dwellings per hectare, while in parts of the east end of the town, the ratio is about 16 dwellings per hectare.

In the current CMM development plan, the target has been set at 16 to 20 dwellings per hectare in much of the municipality, while the new proposed plan would see that benchmark rise to 36 units by 2026, and jump to 46 units per hectare by 2046.

In Hudson, the residential density is now at 4.5 units per hectare in the town’s urban perimeter. In the current plan, the minimum is 16. This target would increase to 36 units per hectare by 2026 and 46 units by 2046.

In parts of the 11 CMM municipalities in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region that are designated public transit hubs — or Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones — the ratios would be even higher. These zones are located around the train stations in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Pincourt, Terrasse Vaudreuil and Île Perrot. In these zones, the housing ratio would be set at 40 to 100 dwellings per hectare. This would more than double the number of people in Vaudreuil-Soulanges area who live near an Exo train station.

“The revised (development plan) aims to create a complete and sustainable living environment,” said Laurence Pelletier, a research consultant for the CMM’s sustainable and prosperous communities department.

Pelletier added the recommendations included in plan, commonly referred to by its French acronym PMAD, including increased density in TOD zones, would “contribute to resolving the housing crisis while protecting the agricultural zone and conserving natural environments of interest.”

TOD zones include areas within a one-kilometre radius around a transit hub. Concentrating development in these zones is part of the CMM’s objective to reduce urban sprawl and encourage more residents to choose public transit over taking a car.

Does this increased density mean that residents of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Pincourt and L’Île Perrot should expect to see high-rise apartment complexes built near the train stations within the next few decades?

Not necessarily, according to Pelletier.

“The PMAD does not impose any height, lot coverage or dwelling dimension,” she explained, adding that the objective will depend on the “different standards established by the cities.”

She gave an example of a four-storey apartment building with apartments each at about 1,000 square feet in size. Such a structure, she explained, would more than meet the density requirement of 100 dwellings per hectare in a TOD zone.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The City of Beaconsfield ended 2024 with a $3.2-million budget surplus, according to the annual audited financial report presented at the city council meeting last week. This is the largest budget surplus the city has seen in four years.

According to the numbers read aloud to the council by Mayor Georges Bourelle on June 16, Beaconsfield posted a total of $57,878,804 in expenses last year, while generating $61,128,078 in revenues. The resulting surplus comes in at $3,249,274 in total.

“Part of this surplus may be due to higher-than-expected revenues,” Bourelle said. “These include real estate transfer taxes, subsidies from various governments and interest income.”

The financial report provides numbers on these revenues. A total of $5.2 million more than expected was generated in transfer taxes last year, while $2.5 million more than budgeted was generated in fees for municipal services. Another $465,000 more than budgeted was earned in interest.

The 2024 budget surplus is the highest annual surplus since 2020, when extra revenues totalled just over $5 million.

Increased long-term debt

The report indicates a slight increase in the city’s long-term debt, which was pegged at $21 million, an increase of $2 million compared with 2023. This comes after the long-term debt had steadily decreased each year since 2021 but remains lower than the 2020 long-term debt total of $22.4 million.

Of this debt, a total of $7.2 million, or 33.3 per cent, will be reimbursed to the City of Beaconsfield from the Quebec government.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Members of a local grassroots group advocating for the preservation of Fairview Forest in Pointe Claire were relieved to see the regional governing body recommend preserving the forest in its entirety in its new comprehensive development plan (PMAD) earlier this month.

“We were really grateful to see that Fairview Forest in its entirety is in the final version of the PMAD,” said Geneviève Lussier, a spokesperson for the Save Fairview Forest group, in an interview last week. “We’re feeling really vindicated that the CMM acknowledges that this space is amazing and it’s ecologically biodiverse.”

The Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal  — the governing body responsible for setting development, economic and environmental preservation guidelines for 82 municipalities in the Greater Montreal region — released its proposed new development plan for 2026-2046 on June 9. Among its objectives, is the identification of several green spaces as “territories containing natural environments of metropolitan interest,” and encourages municipalities to preserve this land to meet the goal to ultimately protect 30 per cent of natural spaces in the region. The entirety of the 43-acre Fairview Forest was given this label under the new plan.

Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas called the designation a “real coup” for the protection of the forest in an interview last Friday.

“That, for me, is huge, and encouraging that they (the CMM) are seeing it that way,” Thomas said, praising the fact that the CMM recommends preserving the entirety of the forest. Thomas has been a staunch supporter of preserving of the woodland, at times butting heads with fellow members of his council on the subject.

The label of being a “territory containing natural environments of metropolitan interest” would not strictly serve as a legal shield to prevent all possible future development of the forest. However, along with strong recommendations to municipalities to preserve these areas, the CMM would require ecological studies to be done before ground is broken on a development project.

The new PMAD also encourages municipalities to increase densification within a one-kilometre radius of public transit stations, known as TOD zones, in order to limit further urban sprawl. A separate document, detailing management of TOD zones, encourages these municipalities to preserve existing green spaces found within the zone. An interactive map of these zones on the CMM website shows that the Fairview Forest falls within the TOD zone of the future Fairview Pointe-Claire REM station.

This past weekend, the Save Fairview Forest group held its 240^th demonstration, advocating for the city to safeguard the forest from being turned into a “new downtown” of the West Island, as has been proposed by developer Cadillac Fairview since 2020.

Fairview Forest is the largest green space in the city’s northern sector. The forest is surrounded by suburban developments on one side and a business park on the other. 

“I’ve long maintained that (the Fairview Forest) has to be left as a green space for that hugely dense area,” Thomas added.

Though the PMAD is encouraging for Thomas and Lussier, the document is still a few years away from being implemented at the local level.

In the meantime, Lussier said the Save Fairview Forest group will continue its Saturday demonstrations. “We’re going to keep having those protests until we know the forest will be protected in perpetuity,” she said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The number of residential units in the West Island will be forced to increase dramatically, according to the new regional development plan unveiled by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal earlier this month.

And, as expected, the locations that will be targeted to accommodate the greatest degree of housing densification will be the areas immediately around the new REM commuter train stations.

The areas around the REM stations will see the densities jump to 240 units per hectare, while areas around the Exo train line that runs parallel to Highway 20 will be pegged at 140 dwellings per hectare.

, according to the CMM’s Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan 2026-2046 released June 9. Currently, the West Island has the highest density rates ranging from 40 to 60 units per hectare, with many areas falling below that level.

The 318-page planning document, often referred to by its French acronym PMAD, lays out a set of guidelines for the 82 municipalities on and around the island of Montreal that make up the CMM to follow in an effort to strengthen sustainable development and preservation of natural spaces. To achieve this, the CMM focuses on TOD zones, transit-oriented development areas, whereby dwelling density around public transit stations is increased. These zones consist of a one-kilometre radius around train stations and a 500-metre radius around bus stations.

The 240-dwellings-per-hectare target for the areas around the six West Island REM stations represents a four-fold increase in the housing density, according to the CMM. These stations include the Anse à l’Orme station in Ste. Anne de Bellevue; the Kirkland station; the Fairview–Pointe Claire station; the Des Sources station, also in Pointe Claire; the Pierrefonds-Roxboro station; and the Sunnybrooke station in Dollard des Ormeaux.

Around the West Island’s 10 Exo train stations, the density target is proposed to be set at 140 dwellings per hectare – 3.5 times higher than the current rate in those areas, which is now about 40 dwellings per hectare.

The PMAD outlines that achieving the higher-density target is not a strict obligation to municipalities, nor is it asking that municipalities to tear down existing buildings to rebuild denser developments. Rather, it states that the density targets will only apply to new residential constructions.

In a statement released June 9, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante explained the goal of the PMAD is to “enable intelligent densification of the metropolitan region to provide homes for as many people as possible, improve active and public transportation and protect natural environments.”

When asked to comment on Monday on the proposed densification targets in light of the opposition in Pointe Claire about a plan to build 25-storey residential buildings next to the Fairview REM station, Mayor Tim Thomas said: “We will do what is required. But there is no need to maximize.”

The CMM plan now awaits approval from the Quebec Ministry of Municipal Affairs, which has until December to complete its review. It is expected provincial officials will recommend some changes. Municipalities will then have to align their development plans, pushing the implementation of the new targets to 2026.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Town of St. Lazare ended 2024 with a $6.1-million budget surplus, according to the annual audited financial report presented at last week’s town council meeting, bringing its total accumulated surplus to just over $10 million.

According to the figures presented by St. Lazare financial director Dominic Leger, the town received $39,658,310 in total revenues last year, while posting expenses of $34,751,900, accounting for a $4.9-million surplus. Calculating these figures alongside payments for long-term debt and transfers leaves the town with a $6.1-million surplus.

The presentation highlighted $5.4 million unanticipated additional revenues in 2024. Among these revenues included $650,000 more than expected in “welcome taxes” from new property owners, $1 million in funds for projects pushed to 2025, and $1.5 million returned in fee adjustments for Sûreté du Québec services.

Mayor Geneviève Lachance spoke about the mishap with the SQ at the council meeting, lamenting the fact that the Quebec government did not see fit to pay the town interest on the $1.5 million it had been overcharged.

“The government took it (the money) and was very kind to keep it and send it back to us several months after, but we didn’t receive any interest paid to the city,” Lachance said. “The government makes interest on the backs of our citizens, so it’s a little absurd.”

Increased long-term debt

The presentation indicated a substantial increase in the town’s long-term debt, which was pegged at $48.9 million. This is an increase of 83 per cent, or about $22.2 million since 2023. This was attributed to temporary loans totalling $23.6 million, the majority of which went toward the construction of the sanitary sewer system in the Frontenac sector in the town’s east end — a project that looked to link 360 homes to the town’s sewer infrastructure. Residential homes in the sector were connected to the city’s network in August.

Despite this increase, Lachance pointed out that the debt rate for St. Lazare residents currently sits at 96 cents per $100 of property valuation.

“If we look at comparable cities in Quebec, the rate is $1.49 for $100 of valuation,” she explained, adding: “For the municipalities in the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, (the rate) is $1.35 for $100 of valuation, which is much higher than it is for St. Lazare residents.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The St. Lazare town council moved forward with its “Growing Greener” development project last week, which looks to develop an enclave of 60 single-family homes on land in the Saddlebrook area while preserving natural spaces by adopting two proposals to reduce the minimum sizes of the dwellings in the zone.

Councillor David Hill, whose district is where the project will be located north of Oakridge Street, was the lone council member to vote against the pair of bylaw changes June 10, meant to reduce some of the environmental impact of the new development. The proposals passed nonetheless by a vote of eight to one.

Hill had previously spoken out against the development project, telling The 1019 Report back in March that he does not support any project that causes “incursions into pristine forested areas.”

He took to Facebook on June 9, the day before the council meeting, to inform residents of the council’s proposals, calling the zone “the few remaining green spaces within the urban perimeter.”

Mayor Geneviève Lachance, however, has insisted on multiple occasions that this project takes environmental preservation to heart.

“This project is the result of a long process of discussions and revisions between the city and the developer, to reach a balanced compromise that supports both development objectives and environmental protection,” Lachance said in a reply to Hill.

She said developer Habitations Robert, which owns the land, had sued for the right to build a traditional development in the zone back in 2019. She added that such a project would have seen “a much higher number of homes covering the entire area.”

The “Growing Greener” plan will see 15 of the 53 hectares in the zone developed for homes and roads. The remaining 38 hectares, made up of woodlands and wetlands, will be preserved in perpetuity. What’s more, the wetlands in the zone will be given a 30-metre-minimum buffer area with the development – an increase from the 10-metre minimum in other areas in St. Lazare. A biologist will also be on-hand during the construction process to monitor the environmental impact.

The project sees the minimum lot size in the enclave reduced from 10,000 square metres to 1,500 square metres. The minimum width between units and the road will also be reduced from 12 to 10 metres, while the minimum distance between units will be reduced from 10 to eight metres.

“I think with the long list of things that we’re asking the developer to do in order to preserve (38 hectares of) this land, it’s the most ecological project we can have,” Lachance had explained in a March interview.

The town held a registry on the pair of bylaw changes yesterday, June 17, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both Lachance and town clerk Nathaly Rayneault clarified at the June 10 meeting that the registry was not for residents to vote against the development project itself, but against the proposals to decrease the lot sizes in the zone, and that the project may still go ahead regardless.

The two changes required 28 and 14 signatures, respectively, in order to be put to a town referendum. Results were not available before The 1019 Report went to print.

The project is not expected to break ground until at least next year.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The plan to increase the number of housing units across the Greater Montreal area — including parts of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region — has been unveiled and, as anticipated, it outlines a framework that will see huge population increases in local municipalities.

How local towns will deal with this push to increase population densities is an open question, however.

“Such densities are not feasible across much of our territory, particularly in the west, where groundwater recharge zones, forest cover and low-impact development models must be protected,” said St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance in response to questions from The 1019 Report.

According to the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal’s new land development plan released earlier this month, which sets guidelines for 2026 to 2046, housing density rates will be increased to 40 dwellings per hectare for much of the residential areas of towns like St. Lazare and Hudson, while areas next to transit services in Vaudreuil-Dorion could see housing densities reach up to 300 units per hectare. Currently much of the residential sectors of St. Lazare have a housing density of less than three units per hectare.

The CMM’s density target has been a topic of concern in St. Lazare for the past few years, where elected officials have cited increased density requirements as a risk to the town’s rural character.

Lachance said the town is already in contact with officials at the MRC to seek exemptions from the increased density target, particularly in the densely-forested Saddlebrook sector, where the density level currently sits at 2.7 dwellings per hectare.

While the PMAD offers some flexibility with the density requirements, Lachance added that “flexibility is conditional and must be justified with strong technical and planning arguments.”

The CMM, which includes 82 municipalities on and around the island of Montreal, released its land-use plan June 9. Now, Quebec’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs has until December to approve it. It is likely, however, that the plan will be sent back to the CMM for changes, said Catherine St-Amour, a communications adviser for the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

“The (Municipal Affairs Ministry) will validate whether it is compliant (with the law),” St-Amour explained. “If there are things that are not compliant – that’s happened often in the past – often the first version is refused.”

She added that the MRC is still in the process of digesting the plan and declined to comment further.

“It’s very tricky to make a quick judgment,” she said.

Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison, who chairs the CMM’s Culture and Heritage commission, a position that has provided her with a front-row seat on how the plan has been development, said environmental preservation can be achieved by limiting urban sprawl – one of the goals of the plan.

“I think that’s what’s often missing in the criticism of this plan is that in order to protect more and to keep within our footprint without sprawl, we need to increase our density,” Hutchison said.

“It’s really an interesting plan once you understand what they’re up to,” she said. “It’s really about making sure the Greater Montreal area remains attractive, competitive and ‘un endroit où il fait bon vivre.’”

Lachance acknowledged that it would be several years before any proposed changes would be implemented at the local level.

“It’s a long way’s away,” she said while commenting on the plan during St. Lazare’s last council meeting on June 10. “But we still have to prepare now for it.”

Once Quebec approves the plan, it is expected that the MRC will have two years to conform to meet the goals listed. Once that is completed, individual municipalities will be given between six months and two years to ensure that their territorial development align with the regional guidelines.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Life-long West Islander Daniel Todd-Norris often dreamed of one day writing his own fantasy novel during his 17 years working at the Kirkland Provigo, where he started as a grocery bagger at the age of 19, working his way up to a managerial position.

So it was a thrill for him to return to the store recently to host a book signing following the launch of his first book – Alaric Thorne and the Soulforge Amulet.

“It was a bit surreal, to be honest,” said Todd-Norris, who had worked in various departments at the Provigo from 2006 to 2023. “It wasn’t just a great reception from all my co-workers and friends, but just the general public. It was a really surreal and touching moment for me.”

The book signing was held May 31 and again on June 1.

Launched in November, Todd-Norris’s fantasy novel delves into a fantasy world of dragons, magic and adventure. Published by FriesenPress, the 396-page work is available on Amazon and at Indigo-Chapters.

Growing up in Beaconsfield, Todd-Norris had spent much of his childhood absorbed in fantasy novels. He credits the series The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini as cementing his love for the genre.

“I’d always wanted to try and do what (Paolini) did,” the 38-year-old explained. “I would always think (that) one day I’d like to write my own story, my own novella, to be able to do something that’s similar to what he had already done for me.”

Now living in Pierrefonds, Todd-Norris explained that writing had been a hobby of his for several years. He would jot down ideas for chapters, characters and stories “but nothing really clicked.”

“That was until the year 2020, when the pandemic was at its peak, that I decided that now was the time to begin my writing and take it seriously.”

Four years later, Todd-Norris finished the book. He credits his wife, Neveatha, who was “pushing me to go for it” in getting it published, “because it was one of my dreams.”

Fans of Alaric Thorne and the Soulforge Amulet can look forward to a second instalment, which Todd-Norris said is already in the works.

“If I can inspire one person like I was (inspired) or help one person through a dark time with my writing, then it will have been a success and will have been worth it.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Pointe Claire’s longest currently-serving councillor was recognized for 20 years of service at last week’s council meeting. Paul Bissonnette, who has represented the Lakeside district on the council since 2005, was presented with an award by Mayor Tim Thomas on behalf of the Union des municipalités du Québec.

“It makes you realize how fast time went by,” said Bissonnette in an interview, adding: “It’s nice to feel appreciated.”

Will Bissonnette try to reach 30 years as a councillor?

He is not sure for the time being, he said, adding that he is contemplating whether he will run again to keep his seat in this fall election. Nevertheless, Bissonnette said his time on the council has been “very rewarding.”

At the June 3 meeting, Bissonnette was praised by Thomas for his “unwavering commitment to the Pointe Claire community,” including a near-perfect attendance record at council meetings over his 20-year career.

“Beyond his dedication, he has shown a particular concern for the well-being of seniors in Pointe Claire,” Thomas added.

Indeed, Bissonnette helped establish the Navette Or transportation program for seniors in Pointe Claire back in 2012. The service, offered by the Société de transport de Montréal public transit system, provides a 37-stop shared taxi service within the city for residents ages 65 and over.

“It was really a team effort,” said Bissonnette, praising the collaboration of the city’s Sports and Recreation department to bring the program to Pointe Claire. “The main reason (for the program) is to give someone a chance to (take) a bus to a destination where there is no service. Often seniors don’t have cars and they go to different events.”

“It was very rewarding, because it helped a lot of people,” he added. “And it’s still going.”

Bissonnette jumped into municipal politics in 2005, at a time when Pointe Claire’s demerger from the City of Montreal was on everyone’s lips.

“Everyone was all excited about that,” he said, recalling working alongside then-mayor Bill McMurchie.

Since then, Bissonnette has served under four mayors: McMurchie, Morris Trudeau, John Belvedere and Tim Thomas.

He explained how his previous managerial position with the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways had inspired his foray into politics, particularly with the fulfillment he gets from working directly with people, whether they are clients or constituents.

“That’s always been my background,” he said. “My motivation comes from being able to get something fixed. I’ve always enjoyed service-type situations. And I still enjoy it now.”

Bissonnette said he has tried to approach municipal politics with both empathy and open communication with residents.

“I’ve always tried to treat people the way I’d like to be treated,” he said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Almost two years after a fire destroyed the Collins Clarke MacGillivray White funeral home in Pointe Claire, work to rebuild the facility is set to begin by the fall.

“We’re currently awaiting final approval from the (Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal)” said Simon Dubé, market director for Service Corporation International, the funeral home’s parent company, in a message. “It is too early to have (an estimated end date) at this time, but we think at the end of spring 2026,” he continued. “In a month from now we should have a better idea.”

An early design image provided to The 1510 West shows the new facility will be a two-storey brick building. The design does not include the signature white pillars of the old building that stood at Highway 20 and Cartier Avenue. However, Dubé noted that this design “is not 100-per-cent official until we obtain our final approval.”

Construction of the building is expected to cost $6.5 million, he said.

Earlier this year, Pointe Claire city council approved a series of resolutions permitting the construction of the new building to move forward.

Known simply as “Collins,” the funeral home had been the go-to option for funerals and memorial services in the West Island since it opened in the 1960s. That was until the two-storey structure went up in flames in November 2023. The cause of the fire was reported to be undetermined due to extensive damage to the interior of the building, but Montreal police ruled out foul play.

Pointe Claire residents had described the fire at Collins as the loss of an “icon in the community.” Resident Terry O’Shaughnessy had previously explained to The 1510 West how memorial services for both her parents and her grandparents had been held at Collins. “It’s sort of like a place for our family history that’s now gone,” she said in an interview soon after the fire.

Since the fire, Collins employees have been operating out of an office space across the street, at 201 Cartier Ave., while memorial services and visitations have been hosted at The Church of Saint John the Baptist in Pointe Claire.

The remains of the damaged building were fully removed in August. The lot has remained empty ever since.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

After 33 years on the Vaudreuil-Dorion council, Paul Dumoulin announced his bid for mayor for the fall election last week. Dumoulin was accompanied by current Mayor Guy Pilon and fellow members of the Parti de l’action de Vaudreuil-Dorion (PAVD) at the historic Maison Trestler on Wednesday evening for the event.

“It’s been 33 years that I’ve been a councillor, and I’ve always said one of these days I’d like to (run for) mayor,” said Dumoulin in an interview. “Now the time (is right).”

Current Mayor Guy Pilon plans to step away from municipal politics after filling the role since 2005. He voiced his support for Dumoulin at the Wednesday evening event and in a subsequent interview.

Dumoulin “understands that you need to make decisions,” said Pilon, commending the political decisiveness of his government over the past decades. “We made decisions (. . .) when you look at the result after 20 years, I think it’s (been) fantastic.”

Pilon added that he plans to be involved in the election campaign this fall, where he’ll lend his voice in support of Dumoulin and the PAVD candidates for council.

Continuity promised

Dumoulin explained that he isn’t ashamed to say that his administration would largely maintain the same course set by Pilon.

“People like it in Vaudreuil-Dorion,” he said. “Sometimes people (are elected) and say it’s going to be different. But why should it be? I’ve been there with (Pilon) since he started as mayor. I don’t necessarily want to change everything.”

He compared the role of mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion to manning the helm of a large ship. “The ship is moving well, and we still want the ship to go as well as it was going.”

The PAVD candidates will see a mix of new and returning faces. Councillors Luc Marsan and François Séguin will run again in Districts 1 and 2, respectively. They will be joined by political newcomers Dominic Lalonde (District 3), Alexandre Ménard-Levasseur (District 4), Nancy Dallaire (District 5), Sarah Champagne (District 6), Zoulikha Benfares (District 7), and John McRae (District 8).

At the Wednesday evening event, party members detailed their priorities for the future, including addressing the traffic woes along Harwood Blvd. in the Dorion district, flood zone protection, overseeing the opening of the new Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital, and practising fiscal responsibility.

New party to challenge old

Dumoulin and the PAVD will be running against the recently-launched Inspire Vaudreuil-Dorion, led by current District 4 councillor Karine Lechasseur. Lechasseur announced her bid for mayor at a party event on May 6, promising increased collaboration between residents and the city under her leadership.

District 3 councillor Jasmine Sharma will also run under the new party’s banner. Both Sharma and Lechasseur had been members of the PAVD, but left the party to sit as independents in January 2023, accusing the party of lacking inclusive engagement.

Along with Sharma, Inspire Vaudreuil-Dorion unveiled four candidates for council so far, all political newcomers: Maëlys Eouani, Sheldon Burgoa, Noémie Huet Gagnon and Benoît Giguère. This team will be the largest organized electoral group to challenge the PAVD since 2017, when the Équipe Nous Sommes challenged the ruling party, but fell short of getting any candidates elected.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Rigaud’s mayor has yet to announce whether she plans to run again in the November municipal election but that has not delayed the start of the race for the top elected position in the town of about 7,900, as two candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring.

Rigaud councillors Charles Meunier and Kevin Ménard announced their intentions to run for mayor in the fall election in the past weeks.

“I think the City of Rigaud is a wonderful playground with enormous potential,” Meunier said in an interview last week. “There’s so much we can do here. We just need to work more together. I think I can be the one with my team to make that happen.”

Meunier said he is running “with the goal of bringing more responsible and transparent leadership to Rigaud.”

If elected, his government would focus on infrastructure maintenance and development, environmental management and increasing community engagement.

Incumbent Mayor Marie-Claire Frigault has not indicated whether she will seek a second term.  She did not respond to a request for comment.

On May 16, Ménard announced he would be running for the position this fall. In a statement published to his Facebook page, Ménard explained that his focus would be on transparency and community unity, as well as “working together to build a more dynamic, ambitious Rigaud that is a great place to live.”

Ménard was acclaimed to his seat on council, representing District 4, in the 2021 election. He could not be reached for further comment.

Speaking with The 1019 Report, Meunier said that the town has been putting important issues on the backburner for too long.

“Instead of investments we need to do, we say that we’ll do that later,” he explained, using the example of the town’s aging wastewater treatment plant.

An engineer by training, with a background in sustainable development, business development and water treatment, Meunier said his professional experience would be an asset at the local level, but also when working with regional governing bodies.

Overall, Meunier said he’s hoping for a positive campaign with productive debates between candidates and without mudslinging. He added: “It’s very important to me that once the election is over that we all work together to do the best for our city. She deeply needs it.”

He added that more details on priorities and candidates are expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

First elected to the council in 2021, Meunier was faced with an Élections Québec inquiry amid questions about his place of residence prior to the election. The case was dismissed by the Quebec Superior Court in April 2024.

No other candidates have publicly announced their intention to run, confirmed Geneviève Hamel, communications director for the town.

With Meunier and Ménard in the mayoral race that leaves three of the town’s six councillor seats wide open, as the District 2 seat, held by long-time councillor Archie Martin has remained vacant since Martin’s death in January.

The period to officially register as a candidate for either mayor or for town councillor runs from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3. As this is still several months away, Hamel added “we can look forward to some surprises during this period.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Quebec government’s proposal to give smaller towns in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal more clout is a positive step, but still will not amount to much for municipalities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, according to the mayors of the region’s largest cities.

“We’ll see what it will mean and how it will be put in place,” said Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon, the only mayor in the 1019 region who sits on the regional authority’s council. 

It remains to be seen, he said, whether the rebalancing of power among the 82 municipalities on and around the island of Montreal can appease elected officials in smaller towns who are fed up with the centralized decision-making ability of the governing body that imposes population densification requirements and huge costs for such things as public transit and on all its members.

“In my view, it’s mostly symbolic,” said St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance, adding that the larger cities – Montreal, Laval and Longueuil – would retain a majority of the decision-making power, while the smaller, more rural municipalities along the North and South Shores would continue to hold little weight on the council.

She described the proposed changes as “nothing-game changing.”

For these smaller municipalities, she said, “it’s a small win at best.”

There are currently 28 seats on the CMM council, 14 of which are held by representatives from the City of Montreal. In the instance when a vote results in a tie, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante holds the deciding vote.

The proposed changes would see Montreal’s representation reduced to 12 seats on a 26-seat council. Plante, however, would retain the deciding vote in a tie.

The proposed changes were included in Bill 104, which was unveiled in the National Assembly on May 21 by Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest. In addition to reducing Montreal’s weight on the governing council, the proposal would also slightly increase the weight of the North Shore and South Shore representation. The municipalities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges are considered part of the South Shore region, or “couronne sud.”

“At the end of the day, you have to consider the couronne too, because we give a lot, lot, lot of money, and without the couronne, Montreal cannot live,” Pilon explained. “We have a big impact (and) we want to have an impact on the decisions, too.”

Among the CMM’s largest responsibilities are economic development and regional planning for the municipalities in the Greater Montreal region, an area that includes more than 4.4 million people, almost half the population of the province.

Included under the responsibility of regional planning is the task of setting population densification targets – a hot topic in several municipalities, including St. Lazare, where the threat of increased population density has left many residents worried about the impact on the rural identity of the town.

Lachance has warned that the CMM is expected to require new development projects to increase density to 40 homes per hectare – a significant jump from the current average of 2.7 homes per hectare in St. Lazare.

As for Pilon, he has been taking the temperature of local municipalities, gauging their sentiment toward the regional authority.

“There’s no town who, if given the choice to stay on the CMM or leave, they’d stay. Everyone would leave,” he said, adding that the municipalities would prefer greater control over their own planning and development.

Bill 104 is currently awaiting adoption by the National Assembly.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The Ecomuseum Zoo in Ste. Anne de Bellevue is calling on the Quebec and Canadian governments to take swift action to protect the snowy owl following an independent advisory body classifying the species as “threatened” earlier this month.

The classification, announced by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) on May 15, “should really raise a flag” for governments and citizens alike about the need for concrete action around both protecting these animals and combatting climate change, said David Rodrigue, executive director for the Ecomuseum.

Researchers have estimated that Canada’s snowy owl population has declined by more than 40 per cent in the past 24 years, said Dr. Louise Blight, a conservation biologist and co-chair of COSEWIC’s subcommittee overseeing birds. The advisory panel of wildlife experts has been identifying at-risk species in Canada since 1977. Since 2003, the federal government has been legally obliged to consider listing species as being threatened based on COSEWIC’s reports under the Species at Risk Act.

However, the Quebec government must be pushed to act, said Rodrigue in an interview on Monday. Though the iconic bird has been the province’s avian emblem since 1987, the title does not provide legal protections for the animal nor its habitat.

Quebec’s Environment Ministry had previously told media outlets that it will evaluate the snowy owl’s status, based on COSEWIC’s report. However, designating a species as “threatened” is a long process in the province, Rodrigue explained.

“Historically, here in the province, it takes many years to go through that process for a species. So any time soon would be a good time to start looking at the snowy owl.”

Climate, infrastructure driving decline

The snowy owl is faced with many survival challenges linked to climate change and interactions with human infrastructure.

Warming arctic temperatures are leading to a decline in the lemming population, Rodrigue explained. These arctic-based burrowing rodents are the primary food source for snowy owls, and their population decline leads to an increasing number of snowy owl deaths by emaciation.

Snowy owls leave their arctic home during the winter and fly to Canada’s southern regions. During their stay, their diet shifts from lemmings to other available rodents. However, the use of rodenticides in agriculture has been known to cause secondary poisoning of these birds, further contributing to their decline, Blight said.

Even navigating the more populous south is dangerous for snowy owls. A 2022 article published in the peer-reviewed journal Oecologia detailed different studies on causes of death for wintering snowy owls. Multiple studies found that nearly half the deaths of snowy owls observed came from collisions with vehicles, powerlines and other man-made structures.

Preserving the snowy owl population will, however, take more than switching out rodenticide or driving more cautiously during the wintertime, Rodrigue said. There needs to be more public education on how warming temperatures are impacting the environment, and the subsequent impacts this will have on humans.

“Whichever way you look at it, we’re just another animal species that depends on the same ecological mechanisms and systems that all other species do,” he explained. “And we should be worried by what we’re seeing now.”

Rodrigue added that he’s hopeful that the snowy owl’s status as Quebec’s official bird will work to draw attention to the conversation around climate change.

“People often ask, ‘What does it matter if (threatened species) disappear?’” he said.

He responds by comparing our ecosystem to a game of Jenga: “That’s exactly what we’re doing with ecosystems and animals. We’re pulling species out. One day you pull one out, and everything collapses.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A Quebec government proposal for more equitable decision-making power between the City of Montreal and neighbouring municipalities at the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) level is being praised by groups and municipal leaders as a step toward better representation for these smaller cities and towns.

Following such a proposal, first announced last week, some West Island residents may ponder: could the same be done to the Montreal agglomeration to give the demerged municipalities a stronger voice at the table?

“I doubt it,” said Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle in an interview, adding that the issue has been his “pet peeve” over his 12 years as mayor. He explained that the Quebec Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) has indicated in the past that it has no intention to involve itself in the agglomeration’s affairs. MAMH officials did not respond to a request for comment from The 1510 West.

He applauded, however, the MAMH’s proposed changes to the CMM council structure. The governing body represents 82 municipalities on and around the Island of Montreal and makes decisions on regional planning and economic development. The council currently has 28 seats, 14 of which are chaired by representatives from the Montreal agglomeration, which includes West Island Mayors Alex Bottausci of Dollard des Ormeaux and Michel Gibson of Kirkland. In the case of a tie, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante holds the deciding vote.

Under the proposed changes, the total number of council seats would be reduced to 26, with Montreal holding onto 12. The Montreal mayor would retain the deciding vote in the event of a tie.

In a statement released Thursday, the Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM) voiced its support for the proposed changes. Bottausci, who sits as co-president of the ASM, called the bill “a milestone for municipal democracy in Greater Montreal.”

The ASM continued by calling on the Quebec government to enact similar measures at the agglomeration level. “The 15 towns representing 250,000 non-Montreal citizens similarly have no real decision-making rights, nor any real capacity to influence the agglomeration’s orientations and, more importantly, its spending, which is entirely under the sole control of the City of Montreal,” the statement reads.

Bourelle shared in the sentiment.

“The City of Montreal decides on the budget,” Bourelle said. “It decides on the agenda at agglomeration council meetings. They have 87 per cent of the vote, so they can vote on anything that they want at the meetings. (Demerged municipalities) have absolutely no say.”

The agglomeration council is responsible for managing shared services across the Island of Montreal, including public transit, social housing, water management and emergency services. However, West Island cities regularly see up to half of their annual budgets going to the agglomeration’s coffers. Bourelle claimed that Beaconsfield residents “pay 60 per cent more for the same services as residents of the City of Montreal.”

The City of Beaconsfield has an ongoing $20-million lawsuit against the City of Montreal for what it argues have been years of over-inflated payments to the agglomeration. A decision by the Quebec Superior Court in April has allowed the city to call for testimony from current and former municipal and provincial officials, including current Quebec Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest. No timetable has yet been set for these testimonies to take place.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Longtime Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle announced last week that he won’t be seeking a fourth term in the fall election.

“Three mandates to me is enough to pass the torch,” he said in an interview. “I’m going to miss it.”

Having originally retired from his role as a business executive in 2003, Bourelle, now 84, said he has an ongoing joke that he tells people who ask why he decided to run for mayor a decade later. “The joke is (that) I had to go to Lakeshore Hospital to get an MRI because I wanted to figure out what was wrong with my brain getting involved in politics,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’ve enjoyed it,” he continued. “There’s no doubt that it’s been a very demanding, meaningful and fulfilling commitment in my career.”

Announcing his plan to retire from municipal politics at the May 20 council meeting, Bourelle said he was leaving “with peace of mind and with immense pride in what we have built together.” His speech received a standing ovation from the council.

Having served as mayor since 2013, Bourelle has left his mark on Beaconsfield with several cost-saving initiatives as well as getting the ball rolling on future projects that are expected to be completed after he’s left the mayor’s office.

Asked about his proudest accomplishments over his 12 years as mayor, Bourelle began with his administration’s financial performance.

“If you look at inflation and look at the agglomeration tax increases that we’ve had to suffer and you look at the local tax increase, we were well below inflation,” he explained. “That conservative financial management is a very good accomplishment on our part.”

Other noted accomplishments include: the preservation of the Angell Woods in 2014, which is the last old-growth forest and largest wetlands on the Island of Montreal; the “pay as you throw” principle to waste collection, which reduced the city’s overall landfill waste generation; and the 2019 challenge of the Quebec government’s flood maps, preventing losses in both property values and municipal tax revenue.

Ongoing projects include the ambitious upgrade for the recreation centre and the new cultural centre to be located in Centennial Park. Both projects are expected to break ground in 2026.

One of the most significant issues Bourelle said he’s proud to have been part of is the ongoing court challenge of what he described as an imbalance of power on the Montreal agglomeration council. The 14 demerged municipalities, most of which are located in the West Island, “are no doubt a cash cow to help Montreal balance its budget,” he said, pointing out that the City of Montreal holds 87 per cent of the voting power on the council.

Bourelle added that the $20-million lawsuit has gone “extremely well,” thus far. “We’ve won a couple of battles that we’ve had.”

The city is expecting to arrange a date to hear testimony from current and former municipal and provincial officials.

Discussing potential candidates to fill the mayor’s seat, Bourelle said he has full confidence in the current city councillors.

“I would say that I have a very capable council. (They) have a lot of experience around the table, a lot of expertise. There’s no doubt they all can do the job.”

Bourelle added that he does not plan to endorse any particular candidate.

“I will let the electors decide,” he said.

So far, only councillor Martin St-Jean has launched a bid for the top spot.

St-Jean is a lawyer who has been on council since 2020. He also has experience in the municipal field, serving as director of legal services and the city clerk’s office for the City of Westmount from 2015 to 2019; and as a lawyer for the City of Montreal, from 2011 to 2015, where he managed the process of awarding contracts. He also represented Montreal before the Charbonneau Commission, the provincial inquiry into corruption in the management of public construction contracts.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Cycling enthusiasts will be pleased – the long-awaited BIXI expansion to Pierrefonds-Roxboro is set to launch next month, with eight new stations, mostly located along Pierrefonds Blvd., marking the popular bike-sharing service’s first go in the West Island.

Could this indicate plans to expand into other West Island cities?

A company spokesperson explained that BIXI is “in contact with municipalities in the West Island with a view to extending the service over the next few years,” in an email to The 1510 West. No further details could yet be confirmed.

Pierrefonds-Roxboro residents may have noticed city workers installing BIXI stations along Pierrefonds Blvd. starting last Wednesday. The eight stations will stretch from Roxboro Park in Roxboro westward for 12 kilometres to the Cap St. Jacques Nature Park in Pierrefonds. Cyclists will be able to take advantage of the already existing separated bike lane along Pierrefonds Blvd.

The easternmost station will be at Roxboro Park, near 11^th Ave. and 9^th St. From there, the stations can be found along Pierrefonds Blvd. at the corners of Athéna Street, Fredmir Street, the Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough Hall, Esther-Blondin Street, Guillaume Street, and Château-Pierrefonds Avenue. The westernmost station will be found at the corner of Gouin Blvd. West and Pilon Street, on the edge of the Cap St. Jacques Nature Park.

A ninth station is expected to be installed close to the future Pierrefonds-Roxboro REM station, located in Roxboro along Gouin Blvd. West. This will be done after the REM’s West Island branch opens to the public, expected this fall.

“These eight new stations will not only make daily travel easier, but also promote a healthy and sustainable lifestyle,” said borough Mayor Jim Beis, a self-claimed cycling enthusiast, in a statement issued earlier this month.

Discussions around BIXI stations coming to Pierrefonds-Roxboro had been ongoing for the past few years. BIXI had announced in April 2023 that the first stations would be set up that fall but was delayed due to finalizing the locations of stations. The stations are expected to enter into operation in early June.

BIXI has enjoyed steady growth in ridership around Montreal with more than 13 million bike trips recorded in 2024. The bike-sharing service was first launched in Montreal in 2009 and has since expanded its stations to Laval and Longueuil, as well as planned expansions to South Shore St. Lambert, Deux Montagnes and St. Eustache on the North Shore and Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

As Hydro-Québec carries out its action plan to manage vegetation around above-ground power lines in St. Lazare, both the crown corporation and the municipality are asking for more cooperation from homeowners when it comes to vegetation management on private property. This comes in the wake of another heavy rain and wind storm at the end of April knocked out power for hundreds in St. Lazare and the surrounding municipalities.

“We need everyone to chip in,” said Mayor Geneviève Lachance in an interview, urging homeowners to permit Hydro-Québec’s arboricultural technicians and forestry engineers to fell trees on their properties that pose a risk to the power lines. “In order to reduce the outages, they (residents) need to allow Hydro-Québec to intervene when needed.”

Hydro-Québec shared the same sentiment in a statement issued last month: “Given the amount of vegetation in St. Lazare, it’s not surprising that many power outages are attributable to vegetation coming into contact with the power grid (. . . ) Every homeowner can make a real difference by accepting to the clearing and felling of trees that pose a risk to public safety.”

For the past two years, Hydro-Québec has been carrying out an action plan focused on St. Lazare, aiming to keep the power network clear of branches, trees and other vegetation. The corporation’s team carried out 2,724 vegetation management assignments in St. Lazare in 2024.

Another storm leaves hundreds without power

A powerful thunderstorm April 29 led to several toppled trees and power outages for hundreds of residents in Vaudreuil-Soulanges. Hydro-Québec estimated that more than 430 dwellings – most in St. Lazare – went without power for more about two days.

This is not a new phenomenon. Hydro-Québec determined that the town experienced 308 power outages that lasted longer than five minutes in 2024, 117 of which were specifically attributed to interference from falling trees and branches.

The corporation noted that there had also been 67 instances where residents refused or simply ignored requests from Hydro-Québec workers to fell trees on their property that posed a risk to the power lines.

“You need one person to refuse and it’s their tree that takes down a (power) line,” Lachance said.

Under Quebec’s Tree Protection Act, Hydro-Québec workers are unable to fell trees on private property unless they are given permission from property owners or if the tree is actively interfering with the electrical network.

“When a landowner refuses a felling order for a tree identified as being at risk for the network, they are putting the entire downstream section of the power line at risk of future outages,” said Francis Richard, Hydro-Québec’s head of Vegetation Control, in the statement. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” he added.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Town of St. Lazare marked an “important milestone” in its environmental conservation efforts last week, as council adopted a plan that aims to conserve 30 per cent of its territory as natural spaces by 2030 – an objective that aligns with the target set by the United Nations in 2022.

Describing the move as “essential to protecting what makes St. Lazare such a special place,” Mayor Geneviève Lachance said: “I have to admit that this goal is ambitious. But with steady, concrete actions like this, we will move toward our 30-per-cent goal.”

The town’s 2025-2030 Conservation Action Plan approved May 13 includes details and statistics on the town’s ecological makeup as well as recommendations on preservation. It will serve as the guide to reach the objective set at COP15, the UN’s Biodiversity Conference held in Montreal in 2022.

Lachance said the town’s 2025-2030 Conservation Action Plan includes 34 recommendations that will help it meet this conservation goal.

These measures include zoning all municipally owned natural areas as under “conservation” by 2030; identifying high-value natural areas on private land and working with landowners to protect them through agreements or acquisitions; and strengthening regulations around new developments to protect sensitive ecosystems, Lachance said in an email in response to questions from The 1019 Report.

Although the plan was officially approved by council May 13, town officials refused to provide a copy of document. They will officially release the details at a public meeting Thursday, June 5.

Currently, only 3 per cent of St. Lazare’s total territory is under “conservation zoning.” However, Lachance explained that this “doesn’t reflect the full picture.”

“Many other areas are already protected through different legal tools,” she said, explaining that these tracts of land are not included in that calculation.

Lachance also guaranteed that the local wetlands, making up around 8 per cent of the total territory, would be preserved in perpetuity. She pointed out that the town has existing bylaws to “make it basically impossible to build in wetlands,” including bans on digging out or draining these ecosystems and requiring a minimum 10-metre buffer zone for future developments of lots that are larger than 3,000 square metres.

Wetlands – which include marshes, swamps and peat bogs – act as a natural flood control, absorbing heavy rainwater and snow thaws. They are also essential for carbon sequestration, absorbing an estimated 8 billion to 10 billion tonnes of carbon per year in Quebec alone. These ecosystems also support a wide variety of flora and fauna, providing natural habitats and sources of food.

Lachance said it the plan is the product of seven years of work by volunteers on the town’s environmental and urban advisory committees.