JOSHUA ALLAN

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Plans for Beaconsfield’s new cultural centre in Centennial Park has attracted international recognition for its innovative design.

Montreal-based architectural firm Lemay was awarded top honours for its conceptual design for the centre by the World Architecture News earlier this spring under the category Future Projects – Commercial Buildings. The plans for the unique-looking building includes a grass-covered roof that rises from ground level, providing visitors with walking paths along the rooftop.

The distinction is very encouraging for the long-awaited project, said Andrew Duffield, Beaconsfield’s director of sustainable development, who has spearheaded the project since 2019.

The design beat out several submissions focused on sustainability, including an all-electric high rise in Boston; a massive 131-hectare entertainment centre in Shenzhen, China; and a 100-per-cent renewable energy resort in the Maldives.

“The fact that not only (WAN) as an organization recognized the project, but the fact that it (was) awarded the gold level clearly demonstrates the design’s value in terms of its integration within its environment,” Duffield told The 1510 West.

The Lemay design was one of several options presented to the city last summer as part of a design contest for the new cultural centre. Now, with this international recognition, Duffield said the city clearly made the right choice.

“It’s a validation of the respect of the design for its place and value to the community,” he said.

The “very prestigious” gold achievement is also encouraging for Lemay, explained Eric Pelletier, an architect and senior partner with the firm.

WAN’s panel of international judges were looking for project designs that were high quality, innovative and sustainable, as well as integrate well within the environmental context and were predicted to have a positive social impact, Pelletier explained in an interview last week.

A presentation by Pelletier and a team of architects in July detailed the innovative design of the cultural centre, titled “A Landscape Reinvented.”

The group’s design aimed to intertwine the centre with the surrounding nature of Centennial Park, Pelletier explained at the time.

Made almost entirely of wood in the Scandinavian minimalist style, the single-storey centre features a sodded ramp-styled roof, giving the impression of a natural slope rising from the ground, thereby serving to “blur that boundary between architecture and landscape,” Pelletier said.

The building will house a library, a bistro and meeting rooms, as well as several areas to accommodate youth of all ages. The exterior plans include footpaths connecting between the centre, a new waterfront boardwalk and the yacht club.

In the fall, Beaconsfield will issue a call for tenders, with plans for construction to begin in spring of 2026. The centre is scheduled to open its doors to the public by the summer of 2028.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

It was with a heavy heart that Nicole MacDuff watched workers last Wednesday tear down the pet boarding facility she had been operating in Dorval for the last 35 years. The demolition is part of an expansion plan being carried out by Trudeau Airport.

“They always said they would never need this land, so we kept (renting),” said MacDuff in an interview. “When they told us they need all the land around the airport and they need to make some parking lots, we were in shock. I couldn’t believe it.

“It’s so sad,” she added, noting how she has been receiving many messages of support from customers since the centre, known as Manoir Kanisha, ceased operations Jan. 31.

Earlier this spring, Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) announced an ambitious $4-billion redesign project of the airport that is targeted to be completed by 2035. The plan includes construction of a new terminal, pickup and drop-off areas and expanded parking lots. And given that the tracts of land surrounding the airport are federally owned and managed by the ADM, the airport did not require to consult with tenants that rented space in this area nor municipalities in the region.

In March, elected officials in Dorval and Montreal, as well as the neighbouring borough of St. Laurent, spoke out against the airport expansion, particularly the plans to build on 167 hectares of green space just northwest of the airport. This area includes Golf Dorval and the Monarch Fields, which will be developed over the next 20 years in what ADM has dubbed a “decarbonization zone.”

“The best decarbonization zone is exactly what we have today,” Dorval Mayor Marc Doret said at a press conference in March, alongside St. Laurent Borough Mayor Alan DeSousa, Montreal city councillor Alex Norris and former Quebec and federal representative Clifford Lincoln. “It’s a natural greenspace.”

They argued in favour of the green space being preserved and protected from future development.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” Doret said in a subsequent interview.

The ADM did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

As for MacDuff, who built her business in 1990 on land controlled by the airport authority, she is now spending her days sending refund cheques to clients who had reserved many months in advance for their pets to stay at the facility. Conveniently located next to the airport, the centre offered boarding services to both local pets whose owners were travelling, as well as for pets coming from abroad whose owners, for one reason or another, were unable to pick them up for several hours, days or even weeks. Rather than leave a pet to linger in its cage, pet owners or airport officials would reach out to MacDuff, who would send a member of the team within minutes to pick up animals and bring them to her facility.

“We started with a field,” she said last week, describing the original property. “There was nothing. There was just a lot of grass. We cut the grass and we started to build.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Gone are the days when needing to borrow a snowblower or an extra pair of hands for a home maintenance project meant knocking on your neighbour’s door. Instead, Beaconsfield residents can now request this and more through a digital city-wide sharing initiative launched earlier this month.

It’s an app, launched in 2023, that was featured on Radio-Canada’s version of the popular English CBC show Dragons’ Den, Dans l’œil du dragon, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch business ideas and products to a panel of business mogals.

It “facilitates the lending and borrowing of items between neighbours, helping to reduce individual consumption,” city spokesperson Anabel Dumont said.

App creators Fauve Doucet and Anaïs Majidier made an appearance on the show in April 2024 where they successfully pitched the concept as a method to address the “severe underutilisation of our goods.”

The pitch impressed the Dragons, with Quebec entrepreneur Nicolas Duvernois agreeing that it would be ridiculous, for example, “to buy a saw to cut one piece of wood.”

Beaconsfield residents are able to register on the app to easily borrow and lend everything from tools for special projects to everyday household items. There is no charge for borrowing items and the timeframe for borrowing can vary depending on the agreement reached. But app users are required to return the items on time and in the same condition in which they received them.

For the first time on the municipal level, the app is featuring an option for residents to offer and request assistance with small tasks and services, including yard work, knowledge sharing, help outside the home and even companionship.

Dumont added that the initiative would help to “strengthen social ties” and build community resiliency.

The app was created “with the environment at heart,” adding that encouraging neighbourly sharing of items would work to reduce overconsumption of goods and resources.

Apart from Beaconsfield, the fully bilingual application has already been put to use by eight municipalities across Quebec, including the cities of Laval and Beloeil; towns of Prévost and Boisbriand in the Laurentians; the town of Crabtree in Lanaudière; and the Eastern Township’s towns of Coaticook, St. Césaire and St. Georges de Windsor. Beaconsfield is the first of these municipalities to include the services feature.

“It’s a practical way to foster mutual support and strengthen community life,” Dumont added.

The agreement between the town and Partage Club allows for 380 residents to register for free membership on the app. As of Monday, 137 people had signed up. Once the free quota has been met additional registrants will be charged a $60 annual subscription fee.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A citizens’ group advocating for the amalgamation of the four municipalities on Île Perrot alleges municipal officials are preventing residents from getting all the facts by refusing to request a government study to outline the implications of a possible merger.

“I don’t understand why a city wouldn’t want to have the study,” said Gérard Farmer, a spokesperson for the group Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot, which is pushing for the merger of the town of Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, L’Île Perrot, Pincourt and Terrasse Vaudreuil.

 “We have an extraordinary opportunity with the Municipal Affairs Ministry to conduct a study that costs absolutely nothing to cities and will give us answers and would allow citizens to make a clear choice,” Farmer said in an interview last week.

Officials in Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot have been vocal in their opposition to this push for a merger.

In an interview, Mayor Danie Deschênes described the topic as a “non-issue,” “dépassé,” and “above all, not necessary.”

Notre Dame, Deschênes pointed out, is geographically the largest of the four municipalities and has the highest average property value. She said that a merger with the other municipalities would mean that, when it comes to combining debts and added expenses, “it is us who will take the lion’s share.”

Deschênes added that any possible economic benefits to combining the municipalities would quickly be overshadowed by added expenses from managing a larger city.

“We’re going to pay much more for all the personnel,” Deschênes said, adding that “a city of 45,000 citizens (does not have) a budget of a city of 12,000.”

She said the four municipalities have managed to “develop partnerships that are significantly more interesting and significantly more efficient.”

Farmer said cooperation between the four municipalities is well and good, but added that “when it doesn’t suit one city, cooperation no longer works.”

Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot has been advocating for amalgamation for the past year. The group maintains a merger would offer advantages to long-term development and access to increased provincial funding and grants, as well as improved municipal services in culture, leisure and sports.

“We have an idea of the numbers, but we don’t have all the information,” said Farmer. “So we’re asking the cities (to) request the study.”

The study is offered by Quebec’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which offers  “free, no-obligation assistance to carry out a study on the implications of grouping their territories,” said ministry spokesperson Geneviève Drolet.

The program also offers financial assistance to municipalities who choose to fund such a study through private consultants, where Quebec covers up to 50 per cent of the bill.

Only municipal councils can submit a request to the provincial government for a study.

“After this study, we would see if it works or if it doesn’t work,” Farmer added. “If there are no advantages to a merger, then we move on, we forget about it.”

Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot has met with officials from the municipalities of L’Île-Perrot and Pincourt. But Farmer admitted officials with these two towns have so far shown little appetite to go down the path toward merger.

The four municipalities have a combined population of around 41,000 residents. If they merged, the new town would be the second largest in terms of population in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, trailing only Vaudreuil-Dorion.

Avenir Île Perrot – Becoming Île Perrot has organized a petition calling on the four municipal councils on the island to request the provincial study. It has so far received 434 signatures.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The construction of the Côte St. Charles United Church in St. Lazare is advancing steadily and is expected to be fully completed by October, according to the congregation’s minister Kent Chown.

“We’re extremely happy with the way construction is proceeding at this point,” Chown told The 1019 Report.

The building’s exterior envelope has been completed. The next step will be installing an elevator extension to make the upper sanctuary and lower hall and washrooms “completely accessible” to church-goers with limited mobility, said Chown.

 “It used to be that you had to go up two or three stairs to get to the washrooms and it was really not designed to be accessible at the time at all.” This installation is expected to happen within the coming weeks.

The church’s metal roofing is expected to be installed by August. Stain-glass windows that were removed from the old church will also be installed in the new structure.

Chown is pleased with the progress of the work.

“Even though the drywall’s not there yet, the sanctuary already looks beautiful,” he said. “We’re looking forward towards being able to take possession of the building.”

The construction of the new church, located at 2503 Côte St. Charles, began almost two years ago, in  November 2023, following the sale in 2020 of the congregation’s other facility, Wyman Memorial United Church in Hudson. The plan was to expand the church on Côte St. Charles to accommodate all members at this location.

The construction process began with a slight hitch, however. Most of the existing structure, originally built in the early 1900s, was demolished without the proper permit. It was what Chown said was a mistake he chalked up to a “miscommunication” between the church and the city.

“The town was not expecting as much of the building to be removed as was removed,” Chown had explained back in February 2024.

The stone façade at the building’s entrance was preserved and is being incorporated into the new structure. It had been originally estimated that the construction of the new building would be completed by May 2024.

Chown added that the issue, which put reconstruction on hold for about 18 months, has been completely resolved; all necessary materials were submitted to the city and all permits needed for construction have been obtained.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

John Abbott College will mark a significant milestone this coming weekend – a half-century of sporting history – and is inviting all former Islander athletes to celebrate.

“We want to celebrate the past and the current student athletes,” said Patrice Lemieux, the CEGEP’s sports and recreation manager, adding that the event set for Friday, May 2, will be a special edition of the college’s annual sports awards ceremony.

 It will serve to connect the school’s alumni with the “new era of student athletes at John Abbott,” Lemieux said, adding to the college’s 50-year “rich history of Islanders success.”

The event will look back at the school’s many sports triumphs since 1975. Photographs from past teams will be featured, commemorating moments of sports glory.

Among John Abbott’s many historic athletic achievements include: the women’s basketball program winning the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championship 10 times in 20 years in the 1970s and ’80s; the men’s rugby program winning 14 consecutive championships in the late ’90s and early 2000s; the women’s hockey team winning the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship in 2022 and 2023; and the men’s football team winning the Bol d’Or in 2019 and 2021, to name a few of the school’s numerous sporting accolades.

While John Abbott has seen “a tonne of amazing accomplishments” on the ice, court and field, Lemieux pointed out that the school places equal emphasis on the achievements of student athletes in their academics.

“We’ve had a number of student athletes that were high achievers in the classroom that have gone (on) to amazing careers,” he said, adding that he looks forward to seeing many of them at the event.

The 50^th anniversary celebration is open to all current and former Islanders athletes and coaches. All attendees must register for the event, which can be done online via the school’s website or through its social media pages.

The celebration will take place Friday, May 2, starting at 7 p.m.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The City of Beaconsfield has approved a $39.8-million loan bylaw to undertake an ambitious redevelopment of its aging recreation centre.

The bylaw, which was adopted at the April 22 council meeting, is the largest loan the city has taken in the past 15 years, Beaconsfield communications director Anabel Dumont confirmed to The 1510 West.

The project, which is part of the city’s three-year capital expenditures program, will see major repairs and upgrades carried out on the 51-year-old recreation centre, located along City Lane in the park by the same name.

This project aims to give the building “a second lease on life,” according to a statement by Mayor Georges Bourelle, who added redeveloping the centre “will be about half the cost of building from scratch and is less disruptive, as improvements can be phased in over time.”

The redevelopment of the building, which includes both an indoor pool and an ice rink, will include upgrading the infrastructure to accommodate visitors with reduced mobility, including the installation of access ramps and an elevator; updating the heating and ventilation systems; renovating and enlarging the gymnasium, arena, changing rooms and lobby area; and repairing the pool’s concrete basin. The project will also bring the building up to the Régie du bâtiment du Québec’s standard by removing asbestos, adding a sprinkler system and updating its emergency exits.

The proposal for the redeveloped centre, designed by Montreal architecture firm Cardin-Julien, offers a sleek minimalist look that offers lots of natural light. Quebec City-based engineering firm CBTEC has been given the mandate to carrying out the construction work for the project.

Figures obtained from the city indicate approximately 150,000 visitors used the facility in 2023, including 70,000 who used the municipal pool. A survey by the city also indicated that seven out of 10 residents believed the centre’s facilities needed to be upgraded.

Dumont said construction will begin in 2026 and take approximately three years to complete.

As with all loan bylaws, residents who oppose the financing plan can sign a register to block the project. According to the city, if a minimum of 1,407 residents sign the register, council would be forced to either drop the redevelopment plan or hold a referendum to allow all residents the opportunity to weigh in on the project. The register is open today, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Beaconsfield City Hall.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Since Monday, police officers have been patrolling the commercial areas of Dorval and Pointe Claire on foot, part of a pilot project by the Montreal force to increase its presence in commercial districts.

“The foot patrols are there to reassure our merchants (and) to have a police presence,” Dorval Mayor Marc Doret said in an interview last week.

Doret had announced the launch of the initiative at the April 14 city council meeting.

“We’re very excited,” he said at the meeting. “We’ve been discussing that (project) with the police for well over a year, if not, closer to two years.”

Under this program, a team of two Montreal police officers will spend a few hours several times a week patrolling the commercial districts of Dorval and Pointe Claire, occasionally branching out into other areas of the cities. The program will also see officers patrolling local parks on bikes. The patrols will alternate their beats between daytime and nighttime shifts.

For Doret, a police presence is key to preventing crime in the city’s commercial district, which consists of dozens of businesses, including grocery stores, banks, restaurants and smaller retailers.

“A police car that drives down Dorval Ave., it’s a few seconds and it’s gone,” he explained. “A police patrol that spends 3-4 hours walking up and down the street, talking to the merchants, talking to the public, that’s a whole different ball game. It’s the presence of the police inside the community that’s really the thing we were looking for. It reassures people.”

The Montreal police service has had other foot patrols operating in several boroughs and neighbourhoods for the past few months, including in Pierrefonds, Île Bizard, Ste. Geneviève, Lachine and St. Laurent, police spokesperson Mélanie Bergeron told The 1510 West.

The Montreal force will assign foot patrol teams to areas of downtown Montreal starting in May, Chief Fady Dagher announced last month. He told reporters that the officers will be there to prevent crime, but also to assist unhoused and other vulnerable people, an issue that Doret said is becoming more present in Dorval as well as in Montreal.

“We’ve seen generally on the West Island that homelessness is becoming more apparent,” Doret said, adding that the police presence will serve to work with this vulnerable community before any crime takes place and be able to respond quickly if it does.

“Yes, they will deal with crime,” Doret added. “But the important thing is that a police presence makes it harder for crime to take place.”

The foot patrol program is scheduled to last throughout the summer until September.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Town of Pincourt broke ground last Monday on a project to add two pickleball courts at its largest municipal park.

“We are very proud to be kicking off work on the new pickleball courts,” said Mayor Claude Comeau in a statement. “We can’t wait to see the public enjoy these playing spaces.”

The $300,000 project, which will double the number of pickleball courts at Olympic Park, was included in the town’s 2025 budget as part of its three-year capital expenditures program.

The game, which is described as a mix of tennis, badminton and table tennis, has gained popularity across North America among players of all ages in recent years, with residents of Pincourt being no exception. Data from the town quantifies the enthusiasm for the sport, as players reserved more than 100 hours of playing time each week last summer on the two courts that were installed at Olympic Park in 2023. Playing time peaked in July and August at around 120 hours reserved each week.

The existing pickleball courts will remain open during the construction period, though they may be temporarily closed during certain stages of the work, an online statement from the town says.

The construction of the new courts is expected to be finished by mid-summer.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A new program launched by Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges (DEV) aims to help local businesses get their feet wet when it comes to applying for government calls for tenders.

During uncertain economic times, DEV is encouraging businesses to consider the Quebec government as a viable client from which they can secure their next big contract.

“It’s more important than ever that (local businesses) can become a supplier for the government,” said Christine Mariano, a business adviser for DEV.

 “In an uncertain economic climate, where governments are seeking to favour local suppliers, this program will enable them to better position themselves and gain access to promising contracts,” said DEV senior director Joël Lessard in a statement issued last month.

DEV’s Public Procurement Access Program (PAMP), launched last month, is set to facilitate the often lengthy procedure of applying to government calls for tenders for businesses that are new to the process.

The program connects businesses with external experts who will work with the companies to collect and submit all necessary forms and documents in their bid for a government contract. The process is complex, Mariano affirmed, and it can take sometimes up to 20 hours to complete a single bid.

“But it’s doable,” she added. “Once you demystify it, it gets simpler. Once it’s done for the first time, then you know how to do the second one, and the third one, and you’re more at ease on bidding.”

The PAMP program covers 50 per cent (up to $2,500) of the costs incurred by businesses working with external experts on a bid. Eligible applicants to the program must be subscribed to the Quebec government’s online tendering system (SEAO) and be applying for a contract of at least $133,800 in services or $34,400 in goods. Companies that have submitted bids for government contracts within the last five years are not eligible for this program.

What types of businesses is the Quebec government looking to employ?

“It really varies,” said Mariano, adding that the calls for tenders cover “a number of industries that could be applicable for (businesses) in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.”

The SEAO website lists hundreds of active calls for tenders, offering details on types of industry the government is looking for, as well as the location of the project and the deadline to apply. Categories include construction, civil engineering, electronics and software, food services, pharmaceuticals, industrial equipment and environmental services.

DEV is hosting an in-person training session on submitting bids for government contracts on Wednesday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The meeting is being held in collaboration with the Quebec Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy and the Association pour le développement de la recherche et de l’innovation du Québec. Interested businesses can register for this event on DEV’s website.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Nine small municipalities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges are receiving thousands of dollars in new provincial grants to support municipal infrastructure projects.

The nine towns, each with a population of fewer than 3,000 residents, will receive a total of just over $910,000.

The municipalities benefiting from this support are Pointe des Cascades, Pointe Fortune, Rivière Beaudette, St. Clet, Ste. Justine de Newton, Ste. Marthe, St. Polycarpe, St. Télésphore and Très St. Rédempteur. The grants range from $75,000, which will be received by Pointe Fortune, which has a population of 593; to just over $132,500, which will go to Rivière Beaudette, the largest town in the category, with a population of 2,651.

The initiative comes after the Quebec government announced a $90-million increase to its Water and Community Infrastructure Transfer Program, aimed at providing financial assistance to small municipalities across the province.

The municipalities must decide how to spend the funds so long as it is used on municipal buildings, including town halls, community centres and public parks.

“Infrastructure improvements and construction are essential to ensuring quality services for the population, and that’s what these additional funds will make it possible to do,” said Soulanges MNA Marilyne Picard in a statement.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

How do residents get around? How many use public transit daily? How can the city encourage more people to leave their cars at home? These are the questions the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion should attempt to answer now, says councillor Jasmine Sharma, before several major changes planned for the region – which are expected to increase traffic congestion – are set in motion.

With the upcoming opening of the new hospital, which is expected to draw thousands to the region; the eventual opening of new Île aux Tourtes Bridge, which will reduce the hassle of thousands travelling by car; and the launch of the new REM commuter rail line on the island of Montreal next year, which is expected to syphon revenues from transit options like the Vaudreuil-Hudson train line operated by the regional transit authority; the city needs a sustainable mobility plan, Sharma argues.

That is why she is proposing Vaudreuil-Dorion survey the population’s commuting habits, she explained in an interview on Monday, prior to tabling the proposal at the council meeting yesterday evening.

“The idea is to just gather information so that we can see what’s missing to connect the dots and what we can do to facilitate people making different choices in terms of getting around,” Sharma said.

The council understands that the vast majority of Vaudreuil-Dorion residents take a car to get from Point A to Point B. However, the city’s 2023-2027 Environmental Policy Survey indicated that a vast majority of residents are also concerned about climate change and expressed a desire for the city to examine initiatives that would reduce negative environmental impacts.

Collecting data on residents’ travel habits would allow the city to get a better understanding of the realities and challenges for those commuting to work, particularly in terms of what obstacles prevent people from opting for public transit over taking a car.

Sharma explained that the time is right for such a project.

In a statement released last week, she pointed to the region’s major projects – like the opening of the hospital and the launch of the REM – that could negatively impact commuter travel and increase traffic congestion in the area.

An integrated sustainable mobility plan would see Vaudreuil-Dorion examine different initiatives that could reduce residents’ reliance on cars, she said.

The plan would begin with a reflection and gathering data over the next few months.

“Let’s take a little bit of time, gather some information, get a picture (and) a better understanding of how people are moving around in our town,” she said, adding that the city would look at various ways to engage with residents on this topic.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

With less than two weeks to go in the federal election campaign, polls indicate that the West Island’s three Liberal MPs are enjoying comfortable leads ahead of rival parties. It’s familiar territory for the Liberal Party, as voters in the ridings of Lac-Saint-Louis, Pierrefonds-Dollard and Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle have each elected Liberal MPs for the past decade and more.

In Lac-Saint-Louis

According to political projection website 338Canada, which aggregates polling data from several national polling firms, Liberal Party candidate and incumbent MP Francis Scarpaleggia has a strong lead in Lac-Saint-Louis, polling at around 63 per cent support. This is followed by the Conservative Party candidate Matthew Rusniak at 22 per cent, the New Democratic Party candidate Gregory Evdokias at 6 per cent, Bloc Québécois candidate Tommy Fournier at 4 per cent, and the Green Party’s Raymond Frizzell at 3 per cent. The People’s Party of Canada is also running candidate Mathieu Dufort in the riding.

Lac-Saint-Louis is considered a Liberal stronghold, having elected Liberal MPs continuously since 1993, with the election of Clifford Lincoln, who served three terms before retiring from politics in 2004. Lincoln was replaced by Scarpaleggia, who has won seven consecutive elections in the past 20 years.

Pierrefonds-Dollard

338Canada also projects a strong performance for the Liberal Party in Pierrefonds-Dollard. Incumbent MP Sameer Zuberi is polling at around 62 per cent support. He is followed by Conservative Party candidate Tanya Toledano at 24 per cent, NDP’s Kakou Richard Kouassi at 6 per cent, and the Bloc’s Katrina Archambault at 4 per cent. Other confirmed candidates include Gordon Nash for the People’s Party of Canada, as well as independent candidates Shahid Khan and Eyad Mobayed.

Pierrefonds-Dollard has been a strongly Liberal riding for more than 30 years (aside from a brief stint with the NDP from 2011-2015). Zuberi had won back-to-back elections in 2019 and 2021, winning 56 per cent of the vote both times.

Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle

If the election were held today, incumbent Liberal MP Anju Dhillon would be projected to receive around 57 per cent of the vote in Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle, after having won the riding in the three prior elections. Trailing her is Conservative candidate Alioune Sarr with 18 per cent, Bloc candidate Pauline Postel with 10 per cent, NDP candidate Angélique Soleil Lavoie with 7 per cent and Green candidate Amir Badr Eldeen with 3 per cent. Other candidates include Michael Patterson running under the People’s Party of Canada banner; Katy LeRougetel – known for her advocacy as a member of the Communist League – running as an independent; and André Lavigne running for the satirical Rhinoceros Party.

Like Pierrefonds-Dollard, the riding of Dorval-Lachine-LaSalle has been a Liberal fortress for decades (minus an NDP victory in the 2011 election).

Renewed party direction

“We don’t take anything for granted,” said Pierrefonds-Dollard MP Sameer Zuberi in an interview, acknowledging the party’s strong polling in the region. He pointed out that he and his team are “running a positive campaign, meeting voters at their doors and speaking with them continuously.”

Most national polls have the Liberal Party polling at between 43 and 46 per cent across the country – a stark contrast to three months earlier, where the party had been polling in the low 20s. 

“People are excited about what Mark Carney has to offer Canada,” Zuberi said of the party’s new leader, noting a clear change in attitude among voters compared with months earlier.

Zuberi explained how, prior to Carney filling the role, his constituents had been voicing a desire for concrete renewal from the party.

“I think Mark Carney is that concrete renewal,” said Zuberi.

Overall, Zuberi said his constituents’ main concerns for this election include affordability, housing and managing the ongoing trade war with the United States.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The reality of overcrowded emergency wards coupled with chronic shortages of health-care workers means dealing with situations in hospitals on a day-to-day basis comes with added challenges.

To meet these challenges, the Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe Claire has opened a state-of-the-art learning and simulation centre.

The centre, which first was set up last November but marked its official launch last week, provides nurses and medical students  with “comprehensive training adapted to practical realities in a safe and collaborative environment,” according to an statement issued by the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.

The centre incorporates innovative mannequins, which are used to simulate emergency medical scenarios. These adult-, child- and infant-sized mannequins are able to talk, simulate breathing and change pupil size. Among these mannequins are models used for ultrasounds and minor surgical procedures. Using these mannequins, medical professionals in-training can practice complex scenarios that can be transferred to the real-life clinical setting.

“Thanks to advanced simulation technologies, opportunities for learning and continuous improvement are maximized, reinforcing clinical and interprofessional skills in a safe, collaborative environment,” a CIUSS statement explained.

As of yesterday, the emergency ward at the Lakeshore General was at 142-per-cent capacity, according to Index Santé, an independent portal that provides insights from hospitals from across the province. The Lakeshore’s emergency department was the fifth busiest in the Montreal region, according to Index Santé, behind the Jewish General, which was at 194-per-cent capacity yesterday; Verdun Hospital, which was at 165 per cent; the Montreal General Hospital, at 161 per cent; and the Royal Victoria Hospital that was at 158-per-cent capacity.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A decision by Quebec Superior Court this month giving the City of Beaconsfield the right to call current and former provincial and municipal officials to testify in its $20-million lawsuit against the City of Montreal over what have been alleged as inflated agglomeration payments has put a whole new spotlight on the court action.

“It’s very good news for the city,” said Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle, who has on several occasions accused the City of Montreal of treating the demerged municipalities as a “cash cow.”

On April 4, Quebec Superior Court Judge Éric Dufour ruled lawyers for the City of Beaconsfield can question the current and former minister of Municipal Affairs as well as Peter Trent, the former mayor of Westmount who led the municipal demerger movement in the early 2000s, in its attempt to overturn the provincial government and City of Montreal’s claims in how demerged municipalities are forced to fund Montreal Agglomeration services.

“There’s no doubt that the governance of the agglomeration is wrong,” Bourelle said. “We are paying way too much as demerged municipalities for the services we are getting.”

“We’re very confident that we’re going to win,” Bourelle added.

Beaconsfield will call Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs Andrée Laforest and former Municipal Affairs Minister Nathalie Normandeau, who held the role from 2005 to 2009, to answer questions under oath. Numerous provincial deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers will also be called to face questioning under oath.

Beaconsfield’s lawsuit, which was first launched in 2020, claims the demerged municipalities are being overcharged by Montreal for the services they receive, which include public transit, water treatment, social housing and police and fire services.

In an interview last Friday, Bourelle pointed out that a multilateral agreement was made in 2008 between the Quebec government, the City of Montreal and the 15 demerged suburban municipalities on the island on the equitable sharing of costs through agglomeration payments.

In 2017, a second agreement was meant to temporarily adjust the agglomeration’s funding schematic. But in 2019 that temporary agreement was renewed, and has been renewed multiple times since, making it, essentially, a permanent and ongoing deal. This, according to the City of Beaconsfield, has meant that obligations outlined by the original agreement reached in 2008 that outlined an equitable sharing of the cost of regional services are not being met.

“As a result, the contributions of the demerged cities are unbalanced in favour of Montreal,” the City of Beaconsfield said in a statement.

Indeed, demerged municipalities in the West Island regularly see more than half of the tax dollars they collect each year forwarded to the Agglomeration’s coffers. But these municipalities only represent 13 per cent of the vote on the regional body, which means that their say often is simply ignored by City of Montreal officials who hold the majority.

A calculation done by the City of Beaconsfield estimates that Montreal, by not respecting the 2008 agreement, has overcharged the demerged cities by more than $122 million since 2020.

No timetable has been set on when the testimonies will take place. Bourelle said the city’s lawyers will accommodate all who are being called to testify, adding that he expects the first testimonies to take place “in the next few months.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

St. Lazare is moving closer to giving the final green light to a “Growing Greener” development project which looks to balance environmental preservation with building new houses and roads in a forested area south of Highway 40 despite objections raised by residents and one city councillor who says the project will come at the expense of  a “pristine forested area.”

Councillor David Hill has voted against every resolution associated with the project planned for an area north of Oakridge Street west of Côte St. Charles across from the Saddlebrook area, claiming it will have “considerable” impact on the local environment, comprising the forest and wetlands in the zone.

He wants to see the city preserve all of  53 hectares of woods that is slated for partial development.

However, Mayor Geneviève Lachance said Hill is playing the role of “activist” rather than elected official on this topic, telling The 1019 Report last week that his position lacks compromise.

“Nobody wants a project through a forest,” Lachance said. “But the fact is, it’s inside the urban perimeter (and) it was already set years ago to be developed.”

But Hall still raised objections.

“I believe prioritizing more sustainable development projects before making incursions into pristine forested areas is both prudent and in the best interests of our community,” Hill explained in an email to The 1019 Report, adding that the zone for the project is considered to have “high ecological value.”

Hill was one of several residents who asked questions and raised concerns about the project’s potential environmental impact at the March 25 public consultation.

Woodland preserved

The project aims to develop an enclave of 60 single-family homes north of Oakridge Street. Of the 53 hectares in the zone, about 15 hectares, or 28 per cent of the area, will be used for these new homes and roads, while the remaining 72 per cent, or 38 hectares of forest and wetlands, will be preserved in perpetuity.

Dubbed the “Growing Greener” or “Cluster Development” approach, the development will see the 60 houses built more closely than in some other areas of the city. Minimum lot sizes in the zone will be reduced to 1,500 square metres from 10,000 square metres, while the distances between neighbouring houses and between houses and the road have also been reduced.

Buffer zones around wetlands, where no building is permitted, have been expanded to 30 metres from 10 metres, which is the norm in other areas in St. Lazare. A biologist will also be on-hand during the construction process to monitor the environmental impact.

Lachance explained that this was a compromise between the city and property development firm Habitations Robert. The zone is owned by the company, which has been attempting to get the council’s approval to build houses on the land since 2017.

“When we got the first (draft) of the project, it was a traditional development which had many, many, many more homes throughout the entire forest,” Lachance said, adding that she considers the preservation of 38 hectares of the woodland to be “a gain for our city.”

She added that any attempt by the city to completely torpedo all development in the zone could run the risk of the courts allowing the developer to build on the land as originally intended, without any obligation to preserve the forest.

“I think with the long list of things that we’re asking the developer to do in order to preserve (72 per cent of) this land, it’s the most ecological project we can have,” Lachance said. “This is the compromise we came to.”

A subdivision bylaw requires that the developer transfer at least 30 per cent of the preserved land to the city. But this may increase to protect 38 hectares, as the developer may choose to discard land that cannot be used.

St. Lazare council was slated to move forward with the project at last night’s public meeting. The project will be up for final approval in May.

Construction, however, is unlikely to begin this year, Lachance said, as details are worked out between the developer, the city and Oakridge residents.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Worried about the financial impacts of expanded flood zone designations, homeowners and municipal officials across Quebec are calling for public consultations on the provincial government’s proposed updates to its flood-risk maps, which are set to be approved later this spring.

“We want to be part of the decision, not be on the side,” said Vaudreuil-Dorion councillor Paul Dumoulin in an interview with The 1019 Report.

So far, calls aimed at the Quebec Environment Ministry to hold public consultations have been met with silence, Dumoulin said.

According to the proposed updates to the regional flood zone maps unveiled last October by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, nearly 20,000 households in Vaudreuil-Dorion would be included in the expanded at-risk-for-flooding areas. That is just over 15,500 more properties than are included in the current flood zone maps.

Across the entire CMM, the new maps could see $9.9 billion in property values potentially negatively affected, with Vaudreuil-Dorion Mayor Guy Pilon estimating that about $2 billion of that property is located in his municipality.

“It’s a big thing for us,” Dumoulin said, explaining how drops in the valuation of homes would also impact home insurance and lead to reduction in revenues for the city.

“If the (property) valuation goes low, somebody’s going to have to pay for the difference,” he said, adding that this could put city services at risk.

The Quebec government will allow some flood protection measures to be taken into account on its flood maps, Josée Guimond, an Environment Quebec spokesperson said in an email to The 1019 Report. “But only in certain specific cases.”

“If a municipality carries out a study demonstrating that a (flood protection measure) on its territory meets the prescribed safety standards, the mapping of flood-prone areas will be modified to take account of the protection of this structure,” Guimond explained.

A government application form she provided points out that this measure may be applied to both public and private property.

Government approval of these protective measures will not be given lightly, Guimond pointing out, adding: “The failure of these structures can result in flooding that can be catastrophic for the people and property that normally benefit from their protection.”

After the CMM unveiled the draft of the proposed regional flood map last October that showed expanding flood zones alarm bells were raised. Government officials estimated that about 77,000 homeowners in the CMM would find themselves included in the new at-risk zones, an increase of 55,000 homes.

The map has since received condemnation from several municipal officials for what they viewed as a lack of consultation, with Pilon describing the process as  “high-level stupidity.”

In February, Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols sponsored a National Assembly petition calling for a simplified process for citizens to request a revision to the flood maps, urging that improvements made to properties to make them more flood-risk resilient be allowed and demanding approval of the new maps be postpone until public consultations are held.

As of yesterday, the petition had been signed by 1,512 people. It will remain open until May 19.

Cutline:

Shaded areas indicate the territory in Vaudreuil-Dorion that is included in the various degrees of flood zones, according to the proposed new flood maps.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cutline:

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cutline:

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doret, however, rejects this proposal.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cutline:

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

Joshua Allan
Special to The Advocate

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

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

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

A technological approach to agriculture

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Complications around funding from city

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dhillon was not available for comment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

Competing forms of public transit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Traffic: from bad to worse

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A mixed solution

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

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

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

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

Questions to ponder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

Animated public presentation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A building with potential

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maintain line to Ste. Anne de Bellevue

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maintain line to Ste. Anne de Bellevue

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That has meant added cost for residents.

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

Residents who attended Monday’s meeting applauded the move.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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