JOSHUA ALLAN

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A ‘pattern’ by the city

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cutline:

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But not everyone is upset with the move.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

This “makes absolutely no sense,” Seguin said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

A push for equality

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

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

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

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

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

An ‘object of couriosity’

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

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

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

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

A woman who dared

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

Cookie-cutter answers

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

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

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

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

Her answers left the residents unsatisfied.

Disconnected from community

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

She added Mauzerolle failed to adequately address concerns.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Credit:
Courtesy City of Beaconsfield

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cutline:

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

Credit:

Courtesy of Gerdy’s Rescue

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOHSUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

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

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

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

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

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

See EMERGENCY, Page 2.

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

From Page 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The first official celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the West Island is set to kick off this Saturday in Pointe Claire.

West Island Pride will be a one-day event featuring activities for all ages, genders and sexual orientations.

“Every single person that we spoke to kind of immediately said: ‘Hey, this sounds really wonderful. How do we get involved?’” said David Hawkins, executive director of the West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre, which is organizing the event.

“Just the fact that we had such a groundswell of community support without even having a firm plan told us that this is definitely the time to do it,” Hawkins continued.

The day will feature a community market with local vendors, artists, artisans and community organizations; musical sets by local MCs; Rainbow Story Time with drag performer Bambi Dexterous; as well as panels and special presentations aiming to educate event-goers about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. 

Despite the local support, Hawkins said a rise in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment across the country in recent years was another reason to organize the event.

An Ipsos poll in June revealed that support for LGBT+ visibility among Canadians has declined over the past three years. For example, belief that people from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community should be open about their sexual orientation notably dropped from 61 to 49 per cent between 2021 and this year.

“For us it was also important to make sure that we have a space locally that reminds people that they do belong here, and that there’s love and community and support here for people of all backgrounds,” Hawkins explained.

West Island Pride will be held at Edgewater Park, just off Lakeshore Road in Pointe Claire, on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance is free.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A petition calling on Transport Quebec to construct a high-speed bypass route for Highway 20 in Vaudreuil-Dorion is approaching its Sept. 8 deadline after having amassed more than 15,000 signatures this summer.

As of Sept. 2, the petition had collected 15,191 signatures, said the Alliance of Citizens for a Real Highway 20, the group behind the initiative.

“We’re happy with the numbers because it shows that people are taking it seriously,” said Céline Pilon, one of the group’s organizers.

A total of 3,745 signatures were collected virtually on the National Assembly’s website, while 11,446 have so far been gathered on the paper version of the petition, which has been made available at a variety of locations across Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

Pilon predicts there will be as many as 2,000 more signatures added to the count as the group gradually collects the physical petitions this week.

The group launched the petition May 30, looking to resolve an issue residents of Vaudreuil-Dorion have been advocating for over the past 60 years.

The length of Highway 20 that runs through the old Dorion section of Vaudreuil-Dorion and across Île Perrot is the only stretch of a major highway in Canada that is controlled by traffic lights. It is used by an estimated 87,000 vehicles daily, as it directly connects Ontario’s 401 highway with the Island of Montreal. It has also seen increasing congestion as traffic is diverted from Highway 40 due to work on the Île aux Tourtes Bridge, including during periods when the bridge is closed completely.

The group is calling for the implementation of a bypass route to redirect traffic away from the suburban thoroughfare.

Starting at the Taschereau Bridge, which links Île Perrot to Vaudreuil-Dorion, the proposed bypass route would run alongside the railway tracks, linking to the existing highway about three kilometres westward, relieving Harwood of much of the bumper-to-bumper traffic it now regularly sees.

With support from Vaudreuil MNA Marie-Claude Nichols, the group plans to table the petition in the National Assembly on Thursday, Sept. 12. The assembly resumes its sitting after the summer break on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

The next step for the group will be to increase its profile through advertising and social media channels to continue to raise public awareness of the issue and applying pressure on the government to act, Pilon explained.

“We just want a commitment,” she said. “We’re done with promises.”

While the online petition is closed, the group is accepting signatures on the paper version of the petition until Sunday, Sept. 8. The petitions can be found at businesses along Harwood Blvd. in Vaudreuil-Dorion, as well as at IGA grocery stores across Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

As the group is gradually collecting the petitions this week, Pilon recommends that anyone looking to add their name to the list reach out to the administrators of the “Pour une vraie 20 à Dorion/Île Perrot” Facebook page.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A new $250,000 project at Le Nichoir bird conservation centre in Hudson will train wildlife professionals from across Quebec in providing emergency care to birds impacted by oil spills.

The organization will receive a $117,000 federal grant to help get the Oil-spill Avian Response System (OARS) off the ground.

Starting this coming April the project will train 40 individuals with professional backgrounds in animal biology and environmental science on how to properly wash oiled birds. The program will detail the step-by-step process on identifying containments, wearing the proper protective gear and safely cleaning the animals.

“A lot of these containments are toxic for people, as well as the animals,” Susan Wylie, director of operations at Le Nichoir, said in an interview.

She said a lot more goes into the cleaning process for these birds than a popular dish-soap commercial might make one think.

“It’s important that the people taking the course understand how to protect themselves because it can become a dangerous situation if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Wylie said.

Staff at Le Nichoir, one of Canada’s largest wild bird conservation and rehabilitation centres, assist many oiled birds each year. But on the whole, Quebec is alarmingly underprepared to act should a large oil spill impact numerous birds in different areas of the province, Wylie explained.

As thousands of commercial ships and recreational boats travel the St. Lawrence Seaway each year, she added that it is not a matter of if, but when an oil spill will occur.

“If something were to happen tomorrow, everyone would be scrambling,” Wylie said, adding that it is “unrealistic to think that it won’t occur, knowing that we have a lot of boats that are coming and going, we have a lot of industry in the province. To me it’s about being preventative and being prepared.”

The project will be launched in collaboration with International Bird Rescue – a California-based non-profit specializing in rehabilitating aquatic birds impacted by oil spills.

Trainees will be given three courses, taught in English and French, two of which will be hands-on training sessions.

“By supporting Le Nichoir through the Environmental Damages Fund, we are increasing our collective capacity to respond to environmental emergencies and improve the outcomes for impacted birds,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault in a statement.

“In time, OARS could also become an important platform for oil-spill training across Canada,” Vaudreuil-Soulanges MP Peter Schiefke added.

The federal government’s $117,000 contribution to the $250,000 project will mean Le Nichoir is tasked with raising the final $133,000. So far, $77,000 has already been raised, Wylie said.

As well as the training sessions, funds will be put toward the construction of a new aquatic aviary, which will allow the centre to receive and rehabilitate aquatic birds year-round.  

Le Nichoir rehabilitates about 2,500 to 3,000 injured birds every year. Founded in 1996, the conservancy began its operations in a 200-year-old barn on its property on Main Road in the west end of Hudson. In 2016, a new facility was built, enabling the organization to operate all year round.

It takes in songbirds, aquatic and insectivorous birds, referring to species that feed exclusively on insects while flying, like barn swallows, nightjars and flycatchers. It does not admit pigeons or birds of prey.

There are other sanctuaries in Canada, but what makes Le Nichoir unique is its size. In addition to its nursery it has an equipped treatment centre and a large outdoor flight enclosure where vistors get to watch the birds while they rehabilitate safe from predators.

The facility is licensed by the federal and provincial governments to rehabilitate and care for wild birds in captivity with the goal of releasing them back into nature. But its funding is all privately sourced.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Anyone driving along Cité des Jeunes Blvd. in St. Lazare may have noticed some changes over the recent months. Several of the commercial buildings along the route have been put up for sale, while at least one has already been torn down. Change is coming to this sector. It’s all part of the municipality’s long-term vision to transform the corridor into a vibrant residential environment with about 1,200 new dwellings.

Fuelling the change is the anticipated opening of the $2.6-billion Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital – located just a kilometre from the St. Lazare border in Vaudreuil-Dorion – that will front on Cité des Jeunes.

Slated to open by the end of 2026, the hospital is expected to bring an influx of workers and economic activity to the area, which will increase the demand for housing in the region.

That expected increase in demand for housing, services and retail outlets prompted St. Lazare to plan for how the area will be developed, leading the town to draft a Special Urban Planning Program – known by its French acronym, PPU – which was released in 2022. It outlines what development along the Cité des Jeunes corridor will look like.

“The massive influx of workers with varied socio-economic profiles is expected to put pressure on housing demand, particularly for affordable units corresponding to the median salaries of hospital staff,” reads St. Lazare’s PPU in its explanation for the need for new development.

As the Cité des Jeunes sector is “the closest within the urban perimeter to the future hospital . . .  it is also the one that contains the most vacant lots to be developed,” explained Alexandra Lemieux, St. Lazare’s director of urbanism services and the environment.

Vision for the future

The municipality’s vision for the sector sees new development along a 3.6-kilometre stretch of the two-lane artery – an area that runs roughly from just east of Mergl Farm in St. Lazare to just before Montée Labossière in Vaudreuil-Dorion. The plan for the sector is called Projet des Pins.

The area now is home to just over a dozen single-family houses, several commercial buildings and long stretches of land zoned for agricultural use, although little of it is actually being cultivated. A description of the PPU on the municipal website describes many of the empty plots as “herbaceous, shrubby and wooded wastelands, ditches and wooded edges.”

“On the whole, travelling along this stretch of Route 340 gives the impression of a territory in latency, with development imminent,” the document continues.

There is no plan to rezone the farmland, however.

The PPU envisions most of the empty stretches of land along the route to be transformed into an urban area containing about 1,200 new dwellings – a mix of townhouses and multi-family dwellings, with integrated affordable housing.

The PPU will also propose zones for new commercial businesses serving the everyday needs of these new residents, including a grocery store, day-care centres and restaurants, Lemieux added.

The plan also dedicates a future commitment to building a new elementary school in the area.

The closest school to the sector now is École des Étriers, located in a relatively new housing development off the intersection of Ste. Angélique Road and Cité des Jeunes. It is at capacity at 450 enrolments as of 2022.

“Given that the majority of residential development will take place in the Cité des Jeunes sector over the next few years, the town is targeting the PPU zone as the site for the future school,” the plan states.

Last year, St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance had confirmed that a new school would be located in the municipality after the French-language Trois Lacs school network determined it would need to build a new French-language school in the municipality to meet the needs of the ever-growing population.

There are currently eight schools in St. Lazare. Three of those schools – École à l’Orée du Bois, École Auclair and École des Étriers – are French. The remaining five are English – Evergreen Elementary, Birchwood Elementary, the junior campus of Westwood High, as well as both campuses of Forest Hill Elementary.

The exact location of a new school, however, has not been determined.

“The PPU is still in the early stages, zoning for such venues has not been drawn up yet,” said Christelle Paré, St. Lazare’s director of communications and community relations.

“When contracts with be signed with entrepreneurs, then a timeline will be drawn,” Paré added.

Looking down the road, the PPU paints a picture of what the Cité des Jeunes corridor may look like by the year 2035, describing it as “a true living environment that welcomes a variety of households within attractive and complete neighbourhoods.”

Simultaneous PPUs

Will the Cité des Jeunes corridor be a new commercial hub in St. Lazare?

Not exactly.

Lemieux pointed out that a simultaneous development plan is being outlined for St. Lazare’s village core.

Though less development-heavy than on Cité des Jeunes, plans for the future village area would stretch along Ste. Angélique Road, from Borderlais Street in the west, until Chevrier Road in the east.

This plan includes creating a municipal core that is less car-dependent, encouraging more active transportation via bike paths and better conditions for pedestrians, as well as improving “public green spaces.”

“The strategy behind the simultaneous production of two PPUs is to make sure that both sectors can grasp new opportunities, while being complimentary to each other, avoiding competition between the two,” Lemieux added.

One of the main concerns in past decades, as St. Lazare has seen its population grow, has been adequate water supply. This service has been factored into the municipality’s plans, Lemieux explained.

Development plans will respects water-use limits recommended in a 2022 study by TechnoRem Inc, an environmental consultant group. The study stated that the municipality has the water capacity to grow the population to around 27,000 residents – a number that has been repeated publicly by Lachance.

“The PPU takes these numbers into consideration,” Lemieux wrote in an email to The 1019 Report. “The new planning bylaws will be respectful of the water supply.”

How fast development proceeds will be up to the owners of the land along Cité des Jeunes. But as the number of ‘for sale’ signs grows, anticipated change appears to be imminent.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Despite loud opposition from some residents, St. Lazare council last week moved to municipalize one of its last two remaining private streets, removing the last barrier preventing the building of more residential dwellings along the artery.

With only one dissenting vote, council approved two bylaws affecting the private stretch of Sandmere Street on Aug. 13, including reducing the minimum width of lots permitted from 50 to 37 metres and dropping the minimum front setback from 12 to 10 metres, among other measures.

These changes will allow an estimated 42 to 44 single-family homes to be built on Sandmere in the Saddlebrook area of the town.

The group of 24 property owners along the private artery are breathing a sigh of relief as the change was finally approved, bringing them a significant step closer to selling their lots after years of waiting.

The western portion of Sandmere – one of the last private roads in town – is home to four houses and dozens of lots, which up until now could not be developed.

Owners of the lots have spent years pushing for the municipalization of the street, as its private status has made it impossible to build on their properties and difficult to sell off. These owners have nevertheless been paying taxes on these plots of land.

No more than 20 per cent of the existing trees can be removed if a house is to be built on the lots, however. This limit was imposed, said St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance,“to reduce the impact of residential development on the forest ecosystem” within the area.

Lachance also pointed out that this number of new houses would be consistent with the current density in the area – 2.7 dwellings per hectare.

She also highlighted the fact that the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) is in the process of drafting its 2025 Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement (PMAD), which will likely call on the municipalities like St. Lazare to densify to around 40 dwellings per hectare.

If the proposed CMM plan is eventually approved before the area along Sandmere St. is developed, the new housing density ratios could see as many as 880 units built instead of a maximum of 44.

“I think it’s clear that all of us don’t want that high density in that sector,” Lachance said. “We would rather be in control of the development now while we can. Allowing these changes would help solidify the low-density aspect of the project before the PMAD is implemented in our bylaws.”

Barbara Dodds, who owns several of the empty lots, is pleased.

“That was very much a relief on my part and everybody else’s too,” Dodds said.

Dodds and her husband had purchased the property when they were in their 20s and were among those who helped build the road that became Sandmere Street.

She recalls when the municipality “arbitrarily” declared that Sandmere would become a private street in the 1980s. “Nobody asked us about that,” she said.

Now almost 80 years old, Dodds explained her frustration over the years in trying to get the street municipalized, coming up short each time.

She noted that she and the other lot owners – many of whom are also seniors – would like to finally get these properties off their hands and use the revenues to help their families.

“I’ve got two daughters and four grandchildren,” said Dodds. “I’d like to leave them some money.”

However, not all St. Lazare residents are pleased. Several residents have repeatedly expressed their opposition to a development project that would see a portion of the surrounding woodland destroyed to make way for housing.

Objectors to the project had turned out en masse to a public consultation meeting July 30. Several expressed their concerns again during question period Aug. 13.

David Hill was the only member on the council to vote against both zoning change which was approved by a majority of council.

In an email to The 1019 Report, Hill explained that he believes his vote was an “accurate reflection” of the will of the constituents in his district.

Though he wrote that agrees with certain articles of the bylaws, including efforts to reduce tree cutting and protect forest cover, he stated that the deforestation of the lots for development, even limited to 20 per cent per lot, would be unwise under the circumstances of climate change.

“At a time when the effects of the climate crisis are being felt so intensely by so many of us, the deforestation of this pristine forested area does not seem prudent,” Hill wrote.

The next step is for town officials to meet with developers to discuss a way forward.

However, according to Alexandra Lemieux, St. Lazare’s director of urbanism services and the environment, no timeline for development has yet been put in place.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

What’s better than a day of celebration?

Try a year!

That is how St. Lazare’s 150^th anniversary festivities will roll out over the course of 2025, organizers unveiled at a press conference last Wednesday.

Notable events to commemorate the milestone anniversary will include a hockey game featuring former Montreal Canadiens players in the winter, giant kite flying in the spring, barbecues and the “largest parade ever seen in St. Lazare” in the summer and a tribute to some notable figures throughout the town’s history in the fall.

The municipality will organize several festivities spanning the four seasons in 2025, with a cluster of events for each, said Paul Lavigne, president of the St. Lazare 150th anniversary celebration committee at the press conference.

The celebration will kick off on Friday, Feb.14, with a tailgate barbecue, followed by the hockey game, where a team of former Montreal Canadiens will face off against St. Lazare’s best players in the 35 and over age category at the Complex Sportif de St-Lazare.

The full roster of Canadiens’ old-timers will be confirmed in January.

The highlight of the spring festivities will be a giant kite flying activity at the St. Lazare air field. The event, which will take place on May 24, will bring together some 25 of Quebec’s best kite flyers to let these giant gliders soar.

“The kite activity is not something that’s available in southern Quebec,” Lavigne told The 1019 Report, adding that the committee predicts that the event may see up to around 4,000 guests.

In the summer, the committee said it will be teaming up with Festi Ouest organizers to highlight the history of St. Lazare. Lavigne promises a “grandiose” event.

“I can confirm that it will be a show that’s never been done before in the region,” he said.

Lavigne also added that the “largest parade ever seen in St. Lazare” will take place Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. The parade will “bring together associations, merchants, the builders, the pioneers and our founding families of St. Lazare in a colourful and nostalgic parade.”

The fall portion of the festival will see tributes paid to some notable names throughout the town’s history who played roles in the foundation and growth of St. Lazare.

The 150th anniversary will feature numerous community dinners, brunches, workshops and other activities over the course of the year.

Locally-brewed alcoholic beverages will be available at all events throughout the year, courtesy of the Trois Lacs de Vaudreuil-Dorion microbrewery, the Distillerie 3 Lacs and Le Bourg des Cèdres winery.

The Trois Lacs microbrewery will even be introducing a commemorative beer for St. Lazare’s 150th anniversary, which will see its preview debut at this year’s Festi Ouest 2024 celebrations next week.

Ninety per cent of all anniversary-related events throughout 2025 will be free of charge and will not require pre-registration.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Hudson is hosting its fourth annual Hudson Day this Saturday, Aug. 24.

Among the features of this event will be the Hudson Auto Show, giving vintage car enthusiasts an up-close look at hundreds of classic cars. The show will be located at St. Thomas Park, at the end of Blenkinship St., and will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Organizer Joseph Eletr said anywhere between 200 to 300 vintage cars at will be on display at this year’s show.

Other “activity zones” for this year’s Hudson Day festivities will stretch along Main Road and Cameron Ave. and will range from arts and crafts to outdoor musical performances to a market with local merchants.

A “Family Zone” will be located at Benson Park, featuring circus workshops, face painting, temporary tattoos and line dancing.

Other zones include open houses at municipal buildings. The fire department will offer visits of the station and the firetrucks. Various community organizations, including the seniors’ committee and environment committee, will be meeting with guests at the town hall. The community pool will also be holding a free swim.

Above all else, Hudson Day creates a “sense of community” that is cherished by attendees, said Laura McCaffrey, communications coordinator for the town. She added that event-goers appreciate the opportunity to see old friends, visit the shops, “and just take in the vibe of the village,” from noon until 5 p.m.

Parking is available along Wharf St. and at the St. Thomas Elementary School.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A first step in what appears will be a major residential construction project in Pierrefonds-Roxboro has raised concerns, as more than the permitted number of trees has been felled on the lot.

A number of trees on a property co-owned by real estate development company Groupe Boda, just off Gouin Boulevard bordering Anse a l’Orme Nature Park were felled last month. Although the owners had permission to cut 32 trees, including 17 ash trees, several more were removed.

“We cannot estimate the number of exceeding felled trees as we are conducting the investigation,” said Marie-Pier Cloutier, a spokesperson for the Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough.

This has triggered concerns over the environmental impact a major construction on the site could have on the surrounding area and has sparked residents to ask questions.

According to Groupe Boda’s website, a planned residential project next to the nature park will include 666 housing units, including single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums. The project has not been given final approval, according to borough officials.

The group, however, had received permits from the borough to fell 32 trees on the property, Cloutier said, adding that the group exceeded the 32-tree limit. The borough is investigating the situation and will issue a fine to the developer.

“As of now, there is no permit given to build anything,” Cloutier told The 1510 West. “There are no projects on the table.”

Groupe Boda did not respond to a request for comment.

The company’s website does not provide a timeline for the project.

Gilles Paquin, a former resident of Pierrefonds, was visiting last month when he saw what he referred to as a “massacre” of the forested area next to the park.

Once a member of the group Sauvons l’Anse-à-l’Orme, Paquin said that residential developments on the property would most likely intrude on wetlands that are sprawled alongside the Rivière à l’Orme.

Wetlands are important for supporting high levels of biodiversity and storing carbon, but are also essential ecosystems for flood prevention, and their protection is regulated by provincial authorities.

Paquin explained that the wetlands in the park absorb surface runoff in an area that is both close to sea level and is located right next to a large body of water – the Lake of Two Mountains.

In an email to The 1510 West, Cloutier addressed the concern about wetland protection: “Wetland regulations must be respected and taken into consideration in any proposed development project, no matter the developer.”

However, Paquin said that he “didn’t feel heard at all” when he brought the issue to the borough and to the City of Montreal earlier this month.

Those concerned about the development will wait for the project to be proposed to the borough before taking serious action, Paquin explained.

“We won’t begin a petition for the moment because the town told us there is no permit to build,” he said, adding that he will organize a petition should the residential development go forward.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Staggering rental increases in the West Island is emerging as the top issue facing tenants in the West Island, according to a spokesperson for a new group aimed at helping renters.

“It’s the hot topic that everybody’s calling about, that everybody’s struggling with,” said Lily Martin, a community organizer with the West Island Tenants Action Committee.

And with good reason.

Rental rates have been steadily increasing in the West Island in the last few years, according to data from the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

Between 2019 and 2022, the average monthly rent has seen double-digit increases in many places – form a low of nine per cent in Beaconsfield, 23 per cent in Pointe Claire to a whopping 67 per cent in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

Putting that into real dollars, the average renter in Ste. Anne, for example, went from paying $780 a month in 2019 to $1,302 a month in 2022. Many renters have also been hit with subsequent increases in the last two years since these statistics were published.

The data also shows that the highest average rent recorded in the region was in Pointe Claire, at $1,507 a month in 2022.

Martin pointed out that around 40 per cent of renters in the West Island are living in “unaffordable housing.” This refers to having to pay rent that costs tenants 30 per cent or more of their gross household income.

To get a better picture of the issues facing tenants in the region, the West Island Tenants Action Committee, which refers to itself as CALODI, the acronym of its French name, Comité d’acion des locataires de l’Ouest de l’Île, launched a survey last month.

It is the first such survey to focus solely on tenants in the West Island, Martin said. It will serve to analyze the main issues facing the tens of thousands of renters in the area, as well as to familiarize the population with services offered by the group, which aims to provide renters with a platform to share the challenges to renting in the region. It is an initial step toward what the group aims to do – advocate for renters’ rights.

“We want to really ensure that this portrait that we’re putting together is as complete as possible,” Martin said. “We want to try and reach people who might not already be aware of our services, people who might be in more vulnerable situations.”

The results of the survey will help CALODI define its priorities, setting the stage for “broader advocacy, raising awareness for tenants’ issues and working to mobilize and organize tenants in the West Island,” she explained.

The survey asks tenants about the composition of their household, the condition of their building or unit, if they feel their rights have been respected by their landlord and their overall experience in renting.

So far, the group says about 100 respondents have completed the survey. Martin said that while this is solid progress “we’re obviously hoping to get a lot more.”

The survey takes about five to 10 minutes to complete and will run until October. It can be accessed on CALODI’s website or Facebook page.

Launched in June 2023, CALODI has worked with hundreds of tenants across the West Island. The group has been educating renters about their rights and resources at their disposal through webinars, workshops, booklets and a help line, which can be accessed by calling 514-505-0840.

As development in the suburbs shifts from construction of single-family dwellings to multi-family units, including apartments, the number of residents in the West Island who are renters is growing.

For example, in 2016, the population of Pointe Claire stood at 31,380, according to the 2016 Census. At that time there were 12,275 private residential dwellings, including 2,275 apartments, which represented 18.5 per cent of the occupied dwellings, the figures from the census show.

Five years later, Pointe Claire had 13,310 private occupied homes, including 4,405 rental units, representing 33 per cent of the households, according to the 2021 Census.

In Dorval, which had a population of 18,980, according to the 2016 Census, there were 8,390 occupied households. Of that total, 3,940 were rental units, representing about 47 per cent.

In 2021, the percentage of renters in Dorval had jumped to 48 of a slightly larger number of residential dwellings, as there were 4,190 rental units out of a total of 8,715 occupied households.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Several Pierrefonds-Roxboro residents have been reaching out to officials at different levels to voice their opposition to the planting of hundreds of trees in a local park – land that was once enjoyed by many as a large community gathering space.

However, constant blame-shifting by municipal leaders has left these residents with little satisfaction and few answers.

In early July, more than 500 trees and 250 shrubs were planted in an open space in the west end of  Parc des-Rapides-du-Cheval-Blanc at the end of Riviera Street in Pierrefonds. This portion of the park, part of the Grand Parc de l’Ouest, had been an open green space that offered a beautiful view of Rivière des Prairies from the neighbouring apartment complexes. The space was also frequently used for gatherings and other outdoor events by local residents.

As they grow, the trees will become a small forest, blocking the view of the river and stripping locals of their much-valued social gathering space. 

The planting was done by infrastructure company NouvLR on behalf of CDPQ Infra, the firm that is building the REM train line as part of an effort to offset the environmental impacts of constructing the new light transit network across the island.

At the Aug. 5 Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough council meeting, several residents pressed borough Mayor Jim Beis on why the planting took place.

Resident Mark Eccles, who has frequented the park during the past 15 years, spoke about the environmental disruption that 500 new trees could have on the existing ecosystem. He pointed out how competition for sunlight would see existing plants and flowers wither under a new tree canopy.

Resident Olga Mora questioned why, at the very least, the community was not consulted first.

“It’s a drastic change,” Mora said. “We just felt that it was very inappropriate that we weren’t consulted, and we felt very disrespected because of that.”

Mora offered more detail in an email to The 1510 West: “It should have been a collaborative effort between the residents, the City of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and the City of Montreal to determine what works for everyone. . . that’s what a democratic society does.”

Beis responded by explaining that the borough had not been informed the trees would be planted.

He explained that in 2022, all boroughs were asked by Montreal to provide a list of areas within close proximity to the REM that could potentially receive new tree plantings.

“According to that criteria . . . that green space was one of the areas that was identified,” Beis said.

The borough never received word from the city that trees would be planted – nor was it informed how many trees would be added.

“This was sprung on us, exactly like you,” Beis explained, adding that the borough halted an additional 100 trees from being planted in the park after hearing the outcry from residents.

Over the past month, one resident of Riviera St., D.J. El-Tayar, reached out to different officials trying to track down who to hold accountable for the drastic change to her local park.

At an information session hosted by CPDQ Infra on July 22, she asked about the trees and was prompted to direct her questions to officials from the City of Montreal, El-Tayar told The 1510 West. In turn, a member of Montreal’s executive committee responsible for major parks, Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, encouraged her to take the issue up with her borough.

“Basically, everyone was pointing fingers at each other,” El-Tayar said.

A spokesperson from the CPDQ Infra also suggested that The 1510 West direct questions to Montreal, while Lavigne Lalonde did not respond to a request for comment.

Both Mora and El-Tayar want to have most of the trees removed and replanted elsewhere in Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

Beis said he would look into that option. “Certainly, we can find other areas,” he said. “We have one of the largest canopies on the island of Montreal.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A packed public information meeting in St. Lazare last week brought a contentious issue into focus once again – the plan to municipalize a private road, which would allow additional development along the street.

The issues involved are complex and have evolved over decades, sparking debate among residents who live on the street and those who own lots in the area, but have been denied the right to build because the street had not been municipalized.

The issue resurfaced last month, when the town proposed two bylaws that would effectively municipalized the private stretch of Sandmere Street – one of two private roads that remains in the town. The street  is currently a dead-end route that runs east from Côte St. Charles in the Saddlebrook area. The plan would extend the road and link it up with the other section of Sandmere Street, which is already public. The proposal would also finally give the greenlight to owners of land in the area to subdivide their land into smaller residential lots.

Frustrated residents took turns voicing their opposition to the project at the public information last week.

The plan to link the two sections of Sandmere Street would see development allowed in a forested area, said Roger Stehr, a resident of the street.

Like many who are opposed, Stehr said that the forest is a beautiful space that he would like to see conserved.

But what’s more, he is troubled by the fact that the project is moving forward despite the fact that residents voted to block it last year, when a plan was first proposed to change the size of lots along the streets.

At that time, there was an “amazing outpour” of community support to halt the project and preserve the forest, Stehr said. He thought that would have been the last word on the issue.

But for the municipality to “just ignore the vote” a year later, he said, “that bothers me more than anything.”

His frustration was echoed by several concerned residents at the information meeting.

“Last year, the will of the population was clearly expressed,” resident Cesar Inostroza said as he addressed members of council. “Why has the city not taken account of that? Why is the city proceeding with a project that the citizens of St. Lazare don’t want?”

In response, Mayor Geneviève Lachance explained how circumstances have changed over the past year, including the forthcoming obligations that will be imposed by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal for municipalities to densify.

Time to act now

While Lachance said that she understands the frustrations of citizens, she explained that acting now to start this development would be in the best interest of the municipality, the residents and the local environment.

She added that avoiding the issue and hoping that the CMM does not ask for increased density on the street is not a gamble the town is willing to make. 

In addition, Lachance pointed out the proposed plan will limit deforestation of lots to a maximum of 20 per cent, resulting in much of the trees being preserved and developers encouraged to build smaller houses.

“In a time when we are facing a housing crisis, balancing development with environmental conservation is incredibly delicate,” Lachance wrote in an email to The 1019 Report in response to a question. “Striking this balance and making these sometimes difficult decisions is crucial for our city.”

The two bylaws are slated for final adoption at the Aug. 13 council meeting. If passed, they would go into effect in the fall, with housing starts expected to begin shortly thereafter.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The future of Sandmere Street in St. Lazare has been an issue that has divided residents in the Saddlebrook area for decades. And now, with the latest proposal, the debate has been reignited.

Residents of the street, along with those looking to preserve the dense forest, have been at odds with the town council and the owners of empty lots in the immediate area over what to do with one of the last private roads in town.

While those opposed are decrying the environmental impacts and noise that new development would bring to the quiet road, town officials maintain that this is the best option given likely future obligations to increase population density for new developments.

New provincial legislation adds fuel to the fire, as municipalities now have more control over zoning changes for construction.

But issues involved are far from simple for this unusual street.

Split in more ways than one

Sandmere Street is split into two sections, separated by about 300 metres of forest. The eastern portion of the street is public, home to around 27 single-family homes, while the western portion is private.

The private section runs a straight line from Côte St. Charles eastward for about 800 metres and is home to four houses and about 34 empty lots.

The street does not receive municipal services – like garbage pickup and regular street maintenance. Manoeuverability is also a challenge for fire trucks, ambulances and other municipal vehicles, as the private road leads to a dead end.

However, one issue stands above the rest for the owners of the 34 empty lots: they are unable to build anything on these properties.

This has been the source of growing frustration for the lot owners, as they still pay taxes for the land, but have been unable to build, which also limits their options to find a buyer if they wanted to sell their lots.

On the other end of the spectrum, many residents of St. Lazare, including the inhabitants of the few houses on the private section of Sandmere, which were built before the province halted development on private roads, have spoken out against the municipalization project for one reason or another.

Many have expressed concern about how the development of new houses on the street would lead to the destruction of part of the lush forest that makes up many of the empty lots.

Others worry that the tranquil street will turn into a popular route for speedsters, as both sections of Sandmere would create a straight thoroughfare with no intersections.

The lot owners have unsuccessfully been pushing for Sandmere to be municipalized for years. But it wasn’t until recently that the tide began turning in their favour.

New law renews push

Last summer, the Quebec government amended legislation respecting land use, planning and development. Requests for certain zoning changes, like the minimum size of lots, are no longer subject to municipal referendum procedures, giving towns more power.

This legislative change fuelled a renewed push by lot owners to municipalize the street.

Enter St. Lazare’s two bylaws that were proposed last month. They aim to reduce the minimum width of properties on Sandmere from 50 metres to 37, which no longer is subject to municipal referendum procedures, and drop the minimum frontage from 12 metres to 10, among other measures, which still could be subject to a registry and possible referendum if enough residents object.

This reduced minimum space would allow between 42 to 44 single-family homes to be built along Sandmere and would “help lower the cost of municipalization for the current landowners who want to develop their land,” St. Lazare Mayor Geneviève Lachance told The 1019 Report in an email.

Why municipalization now

According to Alexandra Lemieux, St. Lazare’s director of urbanism services and the environment, the addition of 42-44 homes would maintain St. Lazare’s current densification standard of 2.7 dwellings per hectare. It would also limit deforestation on lots to a maximum of 20 per cent for each property. 

Connecting the 300-metre stretch that separates the two sections of Sandmere, Lemieux added, would also facilitate the flow of local traffic and emergency vehicles.

Lachance explained that although the proposal was blocked by residents last year, it is being considered again because it is better than what could eventually be imposed on the town by the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

The CMM is expected to impose greater housing densification norms on the 82 municipalities on and around the island of Montreal, including St. Lazare, by 2025.

“Basically, they tell us what to do,” Lachance said at the meeting. “If (the CMM plan) passes, it would mean that the density is not 2.7 homes per hectare. It’s 40 homes per hectare.”

By that calculation, Sandmere Street would be required, in theory, to build 880 dwellings under the revised PMAD.

“If residents are worried about 42-44 additional homes on Sandmere, imagine if the CMM increases this density as they’re proposing!” Lachance told The 1019 Report in an email.

With that in mind, it would be imperative that the development get under way prior to the adoption of the PMAD, Lemieux explained to The 1019 Report. Any construction on the vacant lots “will not be subject to any new minimal density if it is done before the new density is prescribed.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Festi Ouest, St. Lazare’s western-themed weekend of fun, is set to return this August following a highly successful first year.

Running from Aug. 23 to 25, this year’s event features an entire extra day of family-friendly festivities. Attractions will include carriage rides, line dancing, mini golf, a small-scale animal farm, mechanical bull rides and plenty of options for food and drink.

Like last year, the events will also feature musical performances by some notable names from Quebec’s music scene. Montreal-based singer and pianist Grégory Charles will be headlining the event. Country music singer Marven James, who is also resident of St. Lazare, will also be performing. Their performances will take place on Saturday, Aug. 24.

Last year’s event, which saw a turnout of around 5,000 guests, was by all measures a success, said Christelle Paré, St. Lazare’s director of communications and community relations.

She added that the success of the new event “wasn’t just a feeling.” The town distributed a survey to several participants a few weeks after the event to quantify the reaction.

Survey respondents said they enjoyed the family-friendly environment, as well as the rides, accessibility and the overall atmosphere. Paré added that respondents gave the festival a high approval rating.

Prior to last year’s event, some St. Lazare residents had voiced their disappointment with the fact that celebrations for both St. Jean Baptiste Day and Canada Day had been scrapped, part of the funds being redirected to this new event.

However, Paré emphasized that the festival worked to bring together the community for a weekend of fun, without having to compete with neighbouring municipalities for attendance.

“The Festi Ouest was really an event where we wanted to have everybody together, and we’re really happy with the results,” she said, noting that guests had arrived from across the Montérégie region and Montreal.

It remains to be seen whether Festi Ouest will become a regular annual function unique to St. Lazare. However, with the 150^th anniversary of St. Lazare approaching, Paré said plans for a 2025 edition of the festival are already in the works.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

A grassroots group calling on Transport Quebec to build a high-speed bypass route for Highway 20 in Vaudreuil-Dorion that would allow through traffic to avoid having to navigate a series of traffic lights is making solid progress, as thousands have signed its petition supporting the initiative.

“In the stores on Harwood Blvd. there’s been a lot of people signing,” said Céline Pilon, a member of the Alliance of Citizens for a Real Highway 20.

The group launched the petition at the end of May, with Pilon saying it was finally time to give Transport Quebec “a little kick in the derrière” to get going on this long-promised project.

The petition has been collecting signatures at various locations across Vaudreuil-Soulanges and on the National Assembly’s website. As of yesterday, 3,351 people had signed the online petition, while an additional 3,154 signatures have been collected on paper versions of the petition, said Pierre Z. Séguin, one of the organizing members of the Alliance.

The group is calling on the provincial government to immediately start building the long-promised high-speed bypass route along a right-of-way north of the existing lanes of Harwood Blvd., allowing vehicles travelling to and from Vaudreuil-Dorion to Île Perrot to avoid the lights on Harwood. The lights along the Highway 20 lanes in Île Perrot would also need to be eliminated in a second phase of construction.

About 87,000 vehicles travel the route daily, causing headaches for commuters and local businesses located along the strip. It is the only stretch of a major highway in Canada that still has traffic lights.

Earlier this month, Transport Quebec announced it would begin studying the possibility of building the bypass. The group behind the petition greeted the move with enthusiasm, with Séguin saying he was was “very encouraged.”  

But he tempered his optimism, by pointing out that the provincial government has been dragging its feet on this project, which locals have been urging for decades, with the first stretches of land having been expropriated about 60 years ago.

When the petition was launched, Pilon said the group is looking to collect a similar number of signatures as was collected in 2010 on a petition demanding a hospital for the region, which collected about 43,000 signatures.

The group plans to submit the petition to the National Assembly at the opening of the new session in September.

However, the petition itself will not end there, Séguin said.

“We’re going to continue after that,” he said: “We won’t stop at the end of September [. . .] nothing prevents us from going ahead with the petition and asking for more signatures.”

The deadline to sign the petition via the National Assembly’s website is Aug. 17. The physical petition will remain available to sign and can currently be found at numerous businesses located along Harwood Blvd., as well as at each of the IGA grocery stores in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Île Perrot, St. Lazare and Hudson.

To access the online petition, go to https://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/exprimez-votre-opinion/petition/Petition-10811/index.html

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The town of Hudson is considering its options on whether to invoke its right of first refusal on the sale of a 37,000-square-foot lot off Main Road, which had once been the planned site of the proposed Villa Wyman seniors’ residence.

Listed for sale for $650,000, an offer to purchase the lot was accepted last month.

A member of the board of directors for the Villa Wyman declined to comment, including revealing the identity of the party who submitted the offer of purchase or the amount of the bid.

But news of the accepted offer has triggered a 60-day period that allows the town to decide if it wishes to apply its right of first refusal.

Last August, Hudson council voted to formally register a right of first refusal on 22 lots within the town’s territory, including all the lots owned by Nicanco Holdings Inc. in the waterfront area surrounding Sandy Beach; all the churches in the town, along with the parking areas surrounding them; the Sikh temple on Main Road; the Como golf course; two vacant lots on Como Gardens Street; and the Manoir Cavagnal seniors’ residence. The move was made after the provincial government passed a law that allows municipalities to register a right of first refusal on properties that are put up for sale.

By filing the right with the land registry, the law allows municipalities to match, or even increase offers, in order to purchase properties and buildings that are up for sale once an offer on a registered property is accepted by the current owner.

Last week, Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison said it was too soon to tell if the town will invoke its right in this instance.

“We are still collecting information to bring to council for review and consideration,” Hutchison wrote in an email in response to questions posed by The 1019 Report.

She added that she expects the preparation material to be ready for the August council meeting.

The deadline for the town to invoke the right of first refusal is Monday, Aug. 5 – the day of the next council meeting.

The empty lot, which is situated across from the Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar – formerly the Wyman Memorial United Church – is currently zoned exclusively for the construction of a seniors’ residence/assisted living facility.

The property had been planned as the site of the Villa Wyman, a two-storey, 18-unit seniors’ residence, which had been in the works since about 2015. That was until the project was scrapped in December 2023 due to what the project’s board of directors called “untenable” delays and requests for revisions to its plans by the town.

The decision to drop the project was made after Hudson council rejected a request to modify the layout of a parking area proposed for the residence. The modification had been requested after the project’s board of directors discovered the initial plan for parking, which the town had approved, encroached on the former church lot and it could not reach an agreement with the new owners of that property to permit a right of way. At that time, in a statement to the town, the Villa Wyman board of directors said: “After eight years since the inception of this project we lack the confidence in the town of Hudson to facilitate the timely completion of this project.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A letter sent by Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle calling for Hydro-Québec to implement measures to prevent power outages has been received, the Crown corporation has confirmed. But the response from the utility may not be everything the mayor had hoped for. 

Bourelle sent a letter to Hydro-Québec CEO Michael Sabia earlier this summer, proposing both short- and long-term solutions for Hydro to pursue in order to decrease the number of power outages in Beaconsfield.

In the short term, he requested the utility work with the municipality to increase the frequency of tree trimming around power lines, aimed at curbing potential outage-causing accidents.

In the long term, he suggested Hydro come up with a plan to bury its power lines – a project Bourelle has called for in the past.

While Hydro agrees with increased tree maintenance, burying the power lines would be a far-too-expensive step, Jonathan Laporte, a community relations adviser with Hydro, told The 1510 West.

The organization is taking steps to increase its vegetation control and has earmarked $130 million in its yearly budget for the West Island.

In June, the Coalition Avenir Québec government granted Hydro the right to enter private properties to clear any vegetation encroaching on power lines. This can be done without the property owners’ knowledge or consent.

Bourelle told The 1510 West that he was surprised to hear that Hydro had been given such power, saying that he disagrees with the organization’s authority to “indiscriminately fell trees” without at least working with municipalities.

Removing Beaconsfield’s tree canopy without consent is not an option, he said, adding: “We are very proud of our tree canopy. It has all kinds of advantages in terms of cooling, absorbing carbon dioxide, all the things that a tree canopy does. It makes people want to live in Beaconsfield.”

His letter to Sabia describes the canopy as a “jewel” that makes “a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gases in the global fight we must all wage to counter global warming.”

In terms of burying the power lines, Laporte explained that such a project is not something Hydro is considering, given the high price tag. He pegged the price of building and maintaining underground power lines anywhere between four to 10 times more expensive than above-ground networks.

The process for repair work on underground networks is far more complex than overhead networks, Laporte added.

Bourelle, however, has been adamant that the benefits would outweigh the cost. He said that even a piecemeal plan to bury lines done over time would be better than no plan at all.

“This choice is all the more responsible in that, in addition to guaranteeing quality of life and peace of mind for the entire population, it will limit intervention in our urban forest,” Bourelle wrote in his letter.

“We understand that the costs of such an improvement are high, but they will guarantee, in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way, the reliability of the network itself and, as a result, that of the power supply to the 7,000 properties in Beaconsfield.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A horrible boating accident that claimed the lives of 12 children 70 years ago off the shores of Île Bizard was commemorated last weekend. But the event also served to call attention to how the tragic incident sparked lasting change that has improved safety protocols for all boaters in Canada ever since.

The accident occurred on July 13, 1954, when a group of 62 children – ages six to 11 – from a day camp run by Montreal’s Negro Community Centre along with counsellors travelled from Little Burgundy to Île Bizard for a picnic and outdoor fun. That was until a local man offered to take the group out for a spin around the Lake of Two Mountains on his 12-foot motorboat.

The boat made two trips with groups of children without incident. The third trip saw 17 children and a counsellor embark on the watercraft, which was designed to hold around seven adults.

While on the lake, the motor stalled. The crashing waves sent the children into a panic and the boat eventually overturned. None of the children aboard were wearing life-jackets. Twelve of the 17 children aboard drowned.

“It’s a very sorrowful event,” said Île Bizard borough Mayor Doug Hurley in an interview with The 1510 West. “Any parent would be sorry that this happened.”

But the disaster, Hurley explained, went beyond being felt by the families affected. It “changed (boating) regulations in Canadian history.”

The loss of so many young lives led to authorities looking at how to improve boating safety. And that, in turn, led to new safety regulations being put in place for recreational boating, including cracking down on overcrowding watercraft and requiring that there be a life-jacket for everyone under the age of 12 on board a boat.

As Île Bizard and Montreal are surrounded by water, Hurley said, it is paramount that boaters familiarize themselves with and follow the safety regulations. Especially given what he described as a “very limited personnel” of police boat patrols.

Now, 70 years later, it is important that people remember the story of the lives that were lost off the shores of Île Bizard, and recognize the importance of boating safety so that an event like this will not be repeated, Hurley said.

A plaque honouring the 12 young victims of the 1954 tragedy was unveiled at a memorial service last Saturday, the exact anniversary of the accident, at the Bois-de-l’Île-Bizard Nature Park.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

What does a large multi-purpose athletic complex go for these days?

If it’s the St. Lazare Sports Complex, it’s $8.9 million. That is the asking price for the 70,000-square-foot complex that has been put up for sale last month. And is already drawing considerable interest.

Opened in 2006, the facility is the only indoor ice rink in St. Lazare. It also has a synthetic-turf indoor soccer pitch, a fitness centre, a dance studio and sports bar, as well as spaces for osteopathy and massage therapy.

There has been no shortage of interest in the property, said Joe Rullier, executive vice-president at Colliers International, who is brokering the sale. Rullier said there are already two offers on the table. The town of St. Lazare is not one of them.

The town, however, is one of the complex’s largest customers. During the municipal council meeting last month, elected officials unanimously passed a motion to renew the town’s lease agreement with the complex. The lease renewal, which will run from September 2024 until April 2028, is for a maximum of $817,725.

The current owners of the sportsplex, a five-person limited partnership, are ready to take a step back, said David Laventure, one of the owners.

“It’s just time,” Laventure said, adding that the partners are getting older and have owned the sports complex for nearly two decades.

Two of the original partners have died in recent years. Owners Bill Giblin and John-Paul Longlade passed away in September 2020 and June 2023, respectively.

The complex is in good shape and does not face the need for any major structural repairs, said Julie Daoust, the complex’s director-general. Though the complex requires regular upkeep and maintenance work, she said that no investments are needed for any extensive restoration. Both Daoust and Laventure were adamant that the sale of the building would not cause any interruptions in the schedules of the various leagues, games other activities that take place at the complex.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

St. Lazare’s decision not to host any fireworks shows to celebrate Quebec’s Fête National  and Canada Day again this year is disappointing to some residents, while others are praising the town’s response to the risks these events pose.

The decision is in contrast to the neighbouring municipalities of Hudson, Vaudreuil-Dorion and Rigaud, each of which plan to host fireworks shows either to celebrate Fête National or Canada Day. However, some say St. Lazare made the right choice by considering the negative effects that fireworks have on animals, especially horses.

Letizia Chiminazzo, a trainer at the Centre Équestre l’Intégrité, said she backs the municipality’s decision “100 per cent.”

Horses are very sensitive animals, and are vulnerable to loud noises made by fireworks, she explained to The 1019 Report. “Especially horses that live outside … they could just lose their marbles and try to jump their fence, or run into their fence, or run into a tree and get injured.”

Not only is the health of horses at risk with fireworks shows, Chiminazzo said, but a spooked horse that finds its way to the open road can pose a fatal risk for drivers.

But it isn’t just horses who are negatively affected by fireworks, but all animals, said Hudson resident Gail Meili. She explained that the loud crack of fireworks displays is agony for her two dogs.

“Once there are fireworks anywhere, that’s it. I don’t sleep the whole night,” Meili explained. “It’s terrifying to them.”

She added that she is also concerned about the environmental impacts fireworks displays create. A 2016 study on this impact published in the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association found that the use of fireworks and firecrackers increased particulate matter in ambient air spaces. This can lead to a “substantial increase in adverse health effects,” the study reads.

Meili shared her concerns about Hudson’s decision to go forward with a Canada Day fireworks show on Facebook, applauding St. Lazare’s decision to cancel them, but her opinion was met with divided opinions.

St. Lazare resident Joëlle Ménard is disappointed with her town’s decision to cancel the fireworks shows, questioning whether it was a matter of saving money. She said many other residents believe that the town does not have its fiscal priorities straight.

St. Lazare municipal officials were unable to provide a response to The 1019 Report in time for publication.

Ménard added that the reason she moved with her children to St. Lazare 22 years ago was for the promise of family activities.

“(Now) they’re telling us to spend our money elsewhere,” she said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The temporary closure and repairing of a footbridge along the Soulanges Canal bike path this summer is part of the restoration process for the historic Petit Pouvoir hydroelectric power station in Les Cèdres, government officials have confirmed.

As of Monday, the portion of the cycle path that runs alongside the station – between Chemin St. Dominique and Chemin St. Emmanuel – is closed. Cyclists and pedestrians are being redirected via Chemin du Fleuve, just south of the canal. Transport Quebec predicts construction to be completed and the path reopened by the end of July.

The ministry confirmed to The 1019 Report that the work is part of a restoration project for the Petit Pouvoir building, the canal’s original hydroelectric power plant that powered the waterway’s mechanical locks. It is one of only four hydroelectric power plants built in Quebec before 1900.

The work along the footbridge near the old power plant building is regarded as a “preliminary stage” of the provincial government’s plan to restore the historic building’s “architectural and structural integrity,” said Karine Abdel, a communications adviser for the Transport Ministry.

When asked about the possibility of the old power station being turned into a site that would cater to tourists, Abdel said no such scenario could yet be confirmed.

Following the building’s restoration, Abdel said that the ministry will “look for a partner who can operate this heritage building in a viable and sustainable way.”

The Petit Pouvoir station operated from 1899 to 1959. Recognized as a heritage building in 1984, it has remained vacant since 1995.

In a 2020 academic publication, historian Luc Noppen described the two-storey red brick structure as having been built in the classic “French Romanesque Revival style.” The structure includes turrets, semicircular arched windows, and quoins and cornices made of ashlar stone along the facade.

The Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications characterizes the style of the building as having a “medieval spirit,” and had become a brand image of Canadian architecture in the late 1800s.

In 2021, the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Transport Quebec announced an agreement to revitalize the canal, transforming it into a vast regional park that stretches along the 23 kilometres of the historic waterway. The work to revitalize the canal is expected to be carried out over several years.

The man-made waterway was first opened in 1899, and traces its way along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River – from Pointe des Cascades to Coteaux Landing. Originally designed to bypass the rapids between Lake St. Louis and Lake St. Francis, it operated until 1959, when it was replaced by the Beauharnois Canal.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

At the end of last month, officials with the West Island’s only homeless shelter found themselves without a roof over their head, a situation that forced them to do the opposite of what they are supposed to do – instead of welcoming people, they were forced to send about 50 individuals out into the streets with tents and sleeping bags.

The moment put the Ricochet Centre into what executive director Tania Charron called “emergency mode.” That means trying to keep in regular contact with its users through its shuttle service, which offers emergency food service and survival kits, while continuing its search for a new temporary home. Last year, the centre served 171 individuals.

Over half of Ricochet’s users are over the age of 55. But no two individuals that turn to the shelter for help are alike, Charron said. Their experiences and situations that have brought them to Ricochet’s doors are all different.

“There’s as many stories as there are humans,” she said.

Amid trying to keep track of the people they have been forced to turn out to the street, Charron said her ongoing efforts to find a new temporary home are not getting any easier.

Ricochet has a permanent home, but it will only be ready in January 2025. But that is six months away, and Charron said a temporary home needs to be found soon.

Among the hurdles the shelter continues to face are bureaucratic delays and vocal opposition from local residents.

“I’m hopeful,” said Charron in an interview with The 1510 West. But she is cautious. “With all the disappointments I’ve had in the last few months, I’m hopeful, (but) I don’t allow myself to feel too confident.”

Charron has visited three spaces in the past week, but doesn’t want to get ahead of herself. Her search for a temporary space has been ongoing since 2021.

She had successfully delayed moving out of the centre’s old location in Pierrefonds-Roxboro for a few years. But that luck ran out last month, when the operators of the building, the regional health authority, needed to reclaim the space.

Charron described an adequate new location for the shelter would have at least 10,000 square feet of space equipped with bathrooms, showers, a laundry room, a kitchen and be able to accommodate at  least 48 beds.

Ricochet officials have been working with the City of Montreal to find a temporary space over the past few years. But progress has been arduous, Charron lamented.

While she believes there is goodwill among officials, the process is slowed by a lack of communication and bureaucratic structures.

“At the end of the day, it remains difficult to navigate between the different structures,” she said, “and it’s pretty tiring to hear every structure blame the other for the failure of the system.”

Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough councillor Benoît Langevin, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante’s administration on this file, agrees with Charron that the process needs to be expediated.

“It is the city’s responsibility to provide the location (for centres) like Ricochet,” Langevin said.

He added that Montreal must put money toward renovating vacant buildings owned by the city to house Ricochet and other non-profit organizations.

Opposition from residents

Another significant hurdle for the Ricochet Centre to overcome is finding a space in a neighbourhood while avoiding push back from local residents.

Charron explained that the social stigma around homelessness has created a phenomenon of “not-in-my-backyardism.” She said that there have been numerous instances in which Ricochet users and staff have been harassed by local residents, who voice their objections to a shelter being located in their neighbourhoods.

“Everyone wants to help, but not in their backyard,” she said. “That’s a big challenge.”

Charron added that she herself has experienced such harassment. One such instance occured in 2023 amid efforts to establish an affordable rental housing project in Ste. Anne de Bellevue – a project that was eventually scrapped due to push back from locals.

“(I was) being told: ‘Did you understand? We don’t want you there. We don’t want your people here in our neighbourhood.’”

It takes a strong will to do this work, said Charron. But she added that she’s confident in herself and her staff: “You have to be determined. Our team is really perseverant and determined.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

With the new REM commuter train line linking the West Island to downtown Montreal scheduled to be pushed into service later this year, the city of Vaudreuil-Dorion is looking at how it will affect commuters from this region – and raising a few concerns about parking and bus service from the Vaudreuil train station.

In a resolution passed earlier this month, Vaudreuil-Dorion council is calling on the regional transit authority, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), to develop new parking lots in the municipality that will serve as pickup points for a shuttle service bringing commuters directly to the Anse-à-l’Orme REM station in Ste. Anne de Bellevue.

“The parking lot at Vaudreuil (train) station is currently being used to capacity, sometimes forcing public transit users to use their cars for lack of space,” the resolution reads.

“There are large spaces along Highway 20, along Highway 40 where the (ARTM) could set up public parking and have shuttle buses go directly to the REM from there and kind of avoid having everyone coming into Vaudreuil-Dorion to catch the shuttle,” said District 3 Councillor Jasmine Sharma.

Sharma explained that the streets in Vaudreuil-Dorion were not designed to manage the large influx of commuters from across Vaudreuil-Soulanges that are currently converging at the Vaudreuil train station looking to use the 40 express bus line, which departs from the train station area, and heads to the Côte Vertu métro station in St. Laurent.

The city is also calling on the transit authority to keep the 40 express bus route in place when the REM station opens – providing a direct link from Vaudreuil to the Côte Vertu station – instead of transforming it into an express shuttle to the REM station in Ste. Anne. Such an abrupt change could have consequences for commuters, Sharma said.

Sharma, who tabled the resolution, pointed to service hiccups that occurred when the Brossard line of the REM went into use earlier this year that left many commuters on their own to get to their destinations.

The resolution approved by Vaudreuil-Dorion council calls on the ARTM to maintain the bus link to the Côte Vertu metro station for a one-year-minimum.

“We know that in the first six months to a year there are going to be technical issues with the operation of the REM,” Sharma told The 1019 Report. “And so we’d like that express service to be maintained so that our users off-island have different options to basically get to their final point of destination.”

A copy of the resolution has been issued to neighbouring municipalities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges. Sharma says that the city is asking that these municipalities adopt resolutions as well in order to bolster their message.

“I’m hoping that just by taking more of a public stance through a resolution and having other municipalities join that it’ll now be on the radar,” said Sharma.

Construction on the Anse-à-l’Orme REM station was originally expected to be completed in 2024. However, recent reports indicate that a delay will push the completion date into next year. Sharma said that the municipalities must take advantage of the extra time they’re given.

“The time is now to try to find some creative solutions,” she said.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Beaconsfield has taken several important steps toward the long-awaited creation of a multi-purpose cultural centre in Centennial Park this past month. As architectural contest finalists draft potential designs for the centre, a recent announcement ensures that the project will receive additional financial support from both the federal and Quebec governments.

In a joint announcement on April 29, federal and provincial officials unveiled a plan to invest a combined $3.1 million into the project, whose total cost is estimated to be around $20 million.

The facility will ensure that “culture is at the forefront and preserved for years to come,” said Lac-Saint-Louis MP Francis Scarpaleggia, who was on hand for the announcement.

Meanwhile, the municipality’s architectural design challenge is in full swing as four finalists are currently drafting blueprints and budgets for the new centre.

The four architecture groups competing for the project are: Chevalier Moralès, In Situ + DMA; Lemay, Bouthillette Parizeau, Elema; and Saunders Architecture, Bourgeois Lechasseur architectes, Option Aménagement, Stantec.

The contest, which is currently in its second phase, will see the finalists submit their plans to a panel of judges by Tuesday, June 11. The designs will then be presented to the public for open consultations on Tuesday, July 2.

The new centre will include a library, study and meeting rooms, spaces for community activities, courses and leisure, and a café-bistro. The construction will also offer a view of Lake St. Louis.

The centre will be made to “unite” the park with the Centennial Marina, according to a press release issued on behalf of Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle.

“Ultimately, the park will retain all its splendour and offer a greater area for visitors and activities, extending right down to the water’s edge,” according to the statement.

The municipality’s “Imagine Centennial” project held its first citizens forum to pitch ideas on how to utilize the park space back in 2015.

It is expected that the new centre will be opened in 2027, according to the city.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

As insurance claims get sorted and debris is removed from what is left of St. James Anglican Church in Hudson following a devastating fire that destroyed much of the 182-year-old building last month, residents are showing their support to ensure the landmark is restored through generous donations and a variety of initiatives.

“The church is very important to everyone in Hudson,” said Janet Ellerbeck, the founder of the NOVA thrift shops, which donated $5,456. The amount collected from sales from its boutiques on Saturday, May 4.

“It’s a great, great loss to the town to suddenly lose a beautiful church,” Ellerbeck added. “People go there for exercises, have meetings there. It’s a social hub where everybody meets everybody.”

The Bunker thrift shop plans to donate the proceeds of its sales on Saturday, May 11, in a similar fashion.

A GoFundMe page organized on behalf of St. James has also raised thousands of dollars toward restoration efforts.

“The Parish of Vaudreuil and the surrounding communities are coming together in support of rebuilding this 182-year-old historic building,” reads the GoFundMe page. As of yesterday, $8,150 has been raised.

The majority of donors have contributed between $100 and $200. A few donors, who have chosen to remain anonymous, have committed $1,000 to the cause.

This generosity demonstrates how the community has been “rallying behind us,” said St. James’ Reverend Sophie Rolland.

“It’s the generosity of the people of Hudson who are very well known for their volunteer work and for community awareness and wanting to support their own community, and just the love that they have for St. James,” Rolland said.

Hudson Mayor Chloe Hutchison said she is not surprised to see the support the community has shown for the institution.

“I’m sure that we’ll see many of these (initiatives) through the next months and possibly more,” she told The 1019 Report: “I think it’s just very much a part of who people are in Hudson. They come together. They support each other. They believe in community. And, as they say, they will rise above the occasion.”

Hutchison added that the municipal government remains solidly in support of St. James’ restoration efforts.

“We have sent every signal saying anything that they need, anything that’s not covered (by insurance), know that we are here, and that for us, heritage is very important.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

In its 182 years, St. James Anglican Church has welcomed many worshippers in the Hudson area. The old stone building played a key role in the town of Hudson’s early years.

After first being settled in 1811, the Hudson area saw a large influx of English immigrants, bringing their Anglican tradition with them. The site where St. James now sits was first designated in 1819 to be used as a Protestant cemetery.

For more than 20 years, the Anglicans living in Hudson would travel to Coteau du Lac to attend religious services. Worshippers would make a weekly trek across some 20 kilometres on “difficult roads that were virtually impassable in winter,” as the Hudson Historical Society described it in a historical timeline outlining the development of the region.

Given this harsh reality, Hudson’s Anglican community started to plan to build its own place of worship in the early 1840s. By 1842, St. James Anglican Church was completed, and was named after the parish’s first minister, James Pyke.

“With the arrival of English Protestant peoples in the area, it was inevitable that the religious needs of these peoples would make themselves felt,” the Hudson Historical Society wrote.

St. James’ cemetery is the oldest graveyard in Hudson and is the resting place of some notable figures in Quebec and Canadian history.

Among those interred include Thomas Bassett Macaulay. A noted actuary and philanthropist, Macaulay rose from a clerk at the Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada to become its president, where he played a fundamental role in the creation of the modern life insurance industry. For his achievements, the government of Canada designated a plaque in his honour in 1997 in downtown Montreal. Macaulay has also been recognized for his contribution in the agricultural sector, stemming from work in Holstein cattle genetics.

Another notable Quebecer who is buried at the St. James cemetery is A.M. Pattison, an artist who specialized in outdoor scenes of Montreal and of its surrounding rural regions in the early 20^th century. Pattison’s work has been displayed at such institutions as the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, The McCord Museum, and the National Gallery of Canada.

The cemetery is also the resting place of dozens of Canadian soldiers from the first and second World Wars, including those who died in battle and veterans who returned home after the war.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The heavy snowstorm last week that caused widespread power outages was just the latest example that emphasizes the need for Hydro-Québec to put a plan together to gradually bury power lines, said Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle.

Last Thursday’s outage left more than 200,000 Hydro customers without power, including about 12,000 dwellings in the West Island in the cold, according to the utility. By that evening, 1,600 West Island households were still in the dark. By the next morning, more than 1,000 homes in the area were still without power, several hundred of which were located in Beaconsfield.

Beaconsfield residents are no strangers to power outages, Bourelle explained. He has experienced six outages in his home in the past year alone.

“I’ve received a number of emails from frustrated residents saying, ‘What are you going to do about it?’” Bourelle told The 1510 West. “And there’s not very much we can do as a municipality other than put pressure on Hydro-Québec.”

Hydro blamed the power outages on “strong gusts of wind or the weight of broken tree branches” damaging numerous above-ground power lines.

This is a reoccurring issue that will not disappear without action, Bourelle said, adding that the only viable solution is for Hydro to launch a province-wide plan to bury the power lines.

The crown corporation currently aims to offset damage to existing above-ground power lines by keeping them clear of vegetation, including by pruning branches and clearing weakened trees. According to Hydro-Québec’s website, this vegetation control must be carried out along 17,000 kilometres of power lines annually.

“In Beaconsfield, we have probably the biggest tree canopy on the island, and if not, maybe in Quebec,” Bourelle said, adding: “There’s no doubt that, with climate change, there are violent storms, snow that comes down very heavily. There are chances that trees or branches will fall.”

The mayor argued that these power lines should not be prioritized over tree canopies. These canopies, he explained, serve to reduce urban heat and air pollution, generate oxygen and increase property value.

Premier François Legault had previously said that such a project would be unrealistic, estimating the total cost would be about $100 billion. Bourelle, however, suggested that this number is exaggerated, adding that the cost must be weigh against the financial and economic impacts of regular power outages.

In terms of implementation, Hydro-Québec should prioritize working with municipalities to identify areas where above-ground power lines are the most vulnerable to outages, Bourelle said. “And then have a plan to gradually bury the lines at every opportunity.”

Last week’s widespread power outage comes almost exactly one year after a powerful ice storm caused a massive outage, knocking out power for an estimated 1.3 million Quebecers.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The plan to build a long demanded new north-south boulevard in the West Island but restricting regular vehicle traffic from using it has left some West Island mayors shaking their heads.

In fact, as traffic snarls the lanes of St. Jean and St. Charles boulevards well beyond traditional rush-hour periods, one mayor claims the recent announcement by the city of Montreal for the new artery defies the “West Island reality.”

The new boulevard is set to run from Antoine-Faucon Street in Pierrefonds-Roxboro, west of St. Charles Boulevard, to Ste. Marie Road in Kirkland where a REM station is under construction. The new 1.5-kilometre route will be open to public transit, pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles only. The roadway is expected to cost about $60 million and is projected to be completed by 2027.

“It’s incredible to me,” responded an exasperated Jim Beis, the borough mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

See NEW ROAD, Page 2.

NEW ROAD: Restricting its use defies ‘W.I. reality’

From Page 1

“To spend $60 million when we know that the city is struggling financially, when we have other priorities, and you’re imposing something in my community that’s not wanted, it’s incredible to me,” Beis told The 1510 West.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has said that this new initiative would encourage West Island residents to opt for public transit, a more environmentally friendly option to taking their cars. Montreal city council approved a $20-million loan bylaw in January to allow construction to proceed.

Beis has been vocal with his objections to the project. He says restricting regular vehicle traffic from using the new road is illogical in a highly residential area where public transit is not as accessible as in the city.

He pointed out the fact that Antoine-Faucon is “a dead-end street. A quiet area. And now all of a sudden, you’re proposing to have a transit link that would take you to the train station. And not allow for any vehicles.”

Ste. Anne de Bellevue Mayor Paola Hawa agrees that denying regular motorists access to this new traffic corridor does not reflect the “West Island reality.”

Hawa explained that most neighbourhoods in the West Island were not developed to match the reality of the densely populated areas in Montreal’s downtown.

“The way the West Island developed over time means that it’s very car-centric,” Hawa said, adding that regular day-to-day commutes without the use of a car is not realistic for most area residents.

However, their views on the new project are not unanimous among West Island mayors.

Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson says the plan for the new artery is “on the right track” given the local infrastructure.

“I have nothing against what’s going on right now,” he told The 1510 West. “We need the proper infrastructure to basically accept cars. And eventually we’ll have cars. But for now, the infrastructure doesn’t permit it.

“For now, the realistic thing to do is to be patient,” he added.

Both Beis and Hawa say they are in favour of climate-conscious measures, like promoting public transit. But both take issue with the City of Montreal and the Société de transport de Montréal making unilateral decisions affecting West Island communities without consulting local elected officials.

“This case is a perfect example of them imposing their will on a community where we haven’t even been brought to the table to discuss and negotiate, or even explain the necessity of having something like this occupy that space,” said Beis. According to Hawa, no West Island mayors to date has been invited to discuss new bus routes with the transit authority. If the buses are not strategically routed to facilitate access for suburban residents looking to get to the REM, Hawa added, “most probably (people) will say ‘to hell with it, I’m taking my car.’ ”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Hudson-Oka ice bridge is not yet open for the season, and it is unclear whether it will be kept closed for the second winter in a row.

The mild temperatures in December and early January prevented the ice from forming a solid base across the Lake of Two Mountains, said Claude Desjardins, the owner of the Hudson-Oka ferry service that operates the bridge.

Whether the bridge will open this season is a question with “no guarantee,” he told The 1019 Report: “In mid-January we had good weather. But we couldn’t take advantage of more cold (weather) before. It’s like the ice is (only) now starting to thicken. We’re going to need it to thicken quickly if we want to have enough in February.”

Desjardins added the recent bouts of heavy snowfall have also created unfavourable conditions for the ice to thicken. Snow acts as an insulator, delaying the freezing process for the water beneath it.

The thickness of the ice needs to measure at least 15 inches for cars to safely traverse the two-kilometre passage. Desjardins said that his team will soon begin to measure the thickness of the ice, but added that he is doubtful that it will be thick enough right away, especially toward the centre of the lake.

“It’s cold now, but it needs to continue like this,” he said. “We need an intense cold and we need the ice to thicken.”

The ice bridge was not open last winter due to mild temperatures and heavy snowfall. In the 2022 season, however, the ice bridge operated for 48 days – significantly longer than the operating average of between 18 and 20 days in past seasons.

“It’s year by year,” said Desjardins. “Throughout global warming we sometimes see extreme weather. Throughout that we will surely see some years that are favourable.”

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Homeowners in Baie d’Urfé will see their property tax bill increase again this year, jumping another 4.6 per cent, according to the town’s $28.3-million budget for 2024 adopted last month.

That means the owner of an average home valued at $1.17 million will pay $5,026 in property taxes this year, $223 more than last year.

The residential property tax rate is set at $0.4310 per $100 evaluation, slightly up from $0.4118 per $100 of valuation in 2023.

Overall, the town will spend $1.9 million more this year compared to last year, which represents a 7-per-cent increase.

Almost 62 per cent of the town’s budget – or $17.5 million – is attributed to cover the cost of services provided to the Montreal agglomeration contribution. These costs, shared with the City of Montreal and other demerged cities, include emergency services, public transport and water management. Baie d’Urfé’s agglomeration payment rises by $600,000 – or 3.5 per cent – this year compared with 2023.

“Overall, this expense represents 62 per cent of our total budget, and 76 per cent of our property tax revenues,” said Mayor Heidi Ektvedt at a Dec. 12 town council meeting.

Among the additional local expenditures in this year’s budget Ektvedt highlighted are adjustments to the drainage systems on Sunny Acres Street and Lakeview Street, the construction of a central septic system to service recreational centres and a “facelift” for Bertold Park.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

Property taxes are swinging upwards once again for Beaconsfield residents. After being hit with a 9.4-per-cent tax increase last year, the city’s $59.9-million budget will deliver another 3.7-per-cent hike.

This raises the total municipal tax on an average single-family home – valued at $1.03 million –

to $7,030, an increase of $242 compared with 2023.

The bill includes an annual garbage fee of $210, an increase of $25 compared with 2023; and a water tax of $40, which is unchanged from last year.

The residential tax rate has been set at $0.6061 per $100 of property valuation, up from last year’s rate of $0.5878.

Beaconsfield will increase its overall spending in 2024 by just over $2 million, according to the budget that was approved in December.

Some $30.6 million – just over half of Beaconsfield’s total budget – will go to toward the Montreal agglomeration budget as payment for shared services. These services include public transit, social housing and emergency services. This cost is up by nearly $960,000 compared with last year.

In a Dec. 12 presentation on the new budget, Beaconsfield city manager Patrice Boileau and finance and treasury director Robert Lacroix delved into the details of the changes in the new budget compared with last year.

The presentation compared the yearly change in cost of the local budget with that of the city’s agglomeration payments. All in all, the cost of Beaconsfield’s local budget was upped by 4.3 per cent, while the cost of the agglomeration portion of the budget rose by 3.2 per cent.

However, Boileau and Lacroix pointed out that this change is not indicative of the overall trend over the past decade.

“Over a time base of 11 years it’s the opposite,” Lacroix said. “The agglomeration increases have been a lot more than the local increase.”

Beaconsfield’s agglomeration payments have risen by 56.6 per cent during that period, while its local budget has comparatively risen by just 12.6 per cent, according to Boileau and Lacroix.

Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle has been vocal in his opposition to the growing price tag of these agglomeration payments for demerged cities. He has argued that the City of Montreal has taken advantage of demerged cities by overtaxing residents, while giving these cities little voting power at agglomeration council meetings.

Bourelle is at the forefront of an ongoing lawsuit against the Montreal Agglomeration Council for what he claims is an over taxation of residents of these demerged cities. The council treats demerged cities and their taxpaying residents as a “cash cow,” Bourelle told The 1510 West in December.

Beaconsfield taxpayers will receive municipal tax bills to be paid in three instalments in 2024, Boileau explained. First, residents will receive their agglomeration tax bills this month to be paid in two installments – one in February, and the other in May. The local tax bill will be distributed in November to be paid in December.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The average Dorval taxpayer will see a 2-per-cent increase on their municipal taxes in 2024, ending the city’s multi-year trend of lowering the average resident’s tax bill.

The owner of an average single-family house in Dorval– valued at $640,631 – will pay $58 more in municipal property taxes this year, according to the city’s 2024 budget adopted in December. That means the tax bill for that house will increase to $2,939 in 2024, which represents a 2-per-cent hike from the $2,881 paid in taxes in 2023.

The residential tax rate per $100 of valuation is set at $0.4587. This is a slight decrease from 2023, when the rate was set at $0.5005.

Tax rates for non-residential buildings, industrial buildings and residential dwellings of six or more units will be raised by six per cent, said Dorval Mayor Marc Doret.

Up until this year, Dorval taxpayers have seen slight reductions in their annual municipal tax bills every year since 2017 – with the exception of 2019, when taxes were raised by 0.1 per cent – followed by a freeze in 2023.

Referring to this year’s increase, Doret called for residents to keep the current economic circumstances and high inflation rates in mind.

“Despite an increase of 2 per cent in their 2024 tax bill, citizens must realize that they benefited from a real-life decrease due to the 4.6-per-cent inflation rate,” he said.

Overall, Dorval will spend $158.4 million in 2024. This figure represents an increase of $10 million, or 6.67 per cent, compared with 2023.

As with other demerged cities, Dorval’s municipal budget includes expenses for local services and payments to the city of Montreal for services supplied by the agglomeration, which include public transit, social housing and emergency services.

For services provided by Dorval, the city this year will spend $74 million, a $6.1-million increase increase over last year, which represents a 9-per-cent jump. Areas of increased local spending include: transport, which increased to $17.1 million, a 20.5-per-cent jump; and leisure and culture, which increases by 5.7 per cent to hit $20.7 million. Amortization costs jump 21.2 per cent to hit $11.7 million this year.

Dorval’s share of agglomeration payments has increased by $4 million, or 5 per cent, totalling $84.3 million this year. This makes up for around 53 per cent of the city’s total 2024 budget. Doret said the agglomeration payments have increased by approximately $15.6 million since 2021.

Dorval will invest just under $51 million in various community projects as part of its three-year capital expenditures program. Among the projects are a redesign of St. Charles Park, the construction of a covered refrigerated skating rink and upgrades at the Ballantyne Aquatic Centre.

JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

Could a case of a purse theft be indicative of a growing trend in Vaudreuil-Soulanges? While the Sûreté du Québec officially says it’s unlikely, a victim’s recent encounter leaves her unsure.

Hudson resident Linnea Owen was surprised that leaving her purse unattended for a mere moment in her vehicle in the busy Costco parking lot in Vaudreuil sur le Lac as she loaded her purchases into her car on Dec. 5 would leave her a victim of crime.

It was at this time when, Owen explained, a young man tapped her on the shoulder and wordlessly pointed to a few coins beside her rear tire.

“I said ‘thank you,’ (and) started picking them all up,” Owen said. “And then as I got up with all the change, I went to find my purse and couldn’t see it anywhere.”

“Within half an hour he was at Walmart purchasing things on my card,” she said.

Owen filed a report with the Sûreté du Québec that evening.

Though an unfortunate occurrence, the SQ does not have data to suggest that these kinds of crimes are trending upward in the area, SQ spokesperson Valérie Beauchamp said. Instead, she suggested that this was likely an isolated incident.

However, Owen’s husband explained that they’ve been hearing a different story.

The SQ officers whom Owen filed the report with told the couple that this type of crime happens “more than one would think” in the area, Marcus Owen explained.

Additionally, the couple was told by an employee at their bank branch that other area residents had recently had to have their bank cards replaced after falling victim to similar thefts.

“They had replaced three similar cards stolen from the same parking lot,” Marcus Owen said.

While Linnea Owen has little hope that she’ll get her purse back, she and her husband hope other area residents will keep a watchful eye on their belongings while in the Costco parking lot to avoid falling victim of the same crime. “It’s good to let people know to be more aware,” Linnea Owen said.