Mayor Tim Thomas

Pointe-Claire Public Works employees honoured

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pointe-Claire Public Works employees honoured Read More »

Tensions flare at Pointe-Claire’s Fairview consult

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A special public consultation meeting was held in Pointe-Claire last week to discuss the future of Fairview Forest and the height of the buildings planned on the Fairview parking lot. Tensions rose high as the majority of City Councillors say that they were not consulted on the proposed meeting or advised with proper notice.

“To this I can only respond that council has known this resolution vote was coming for a long time and that I had no way of bringing it forward other than at a special meeting, since they would not have allowed it to be introduced at all if I had tried to bring it through caucus to a regular monthly council session. The administration received notice early last week and notified council within a normal timeline for a meeting to be held immediately after our regular Tuesday caucus. Furthermore, councillors have called three extraordinary meetings similar to this one themselves,” Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas explained to The Suburban.

“Had the Mayor seriously wanted the consultation; he could have asked for it to be added to a caucus agenda for discussion. He never did this. His motivation was clearly not altruistic,” Pointe-Claire City Councillor Tara Stainforth told The Suburban.

“The special meeting was called by the Mayor for the sole purpose of having council vote down a resolution he wanted voted down. He wanted to be able to spin it to the population that council voted against public consultations. So in addition to having the resolution call for them, he also packed it with a preamble that he knew council could not allow to become the official position of the city. It was 100 per cent political theatre and an abuse of his position,” Pointe-Claire City Councillor Brent Cowan told The Suburban.

Thomas says that council removed multiple properties from the development freeze that was established in 2021, intended for public consultation prior to moving forward, to allow for condo projects and that they sought to do so with the Fairview parking lot. “Their plan to remove it from the freeze and put it in a comprehensive development plan would have put no restrictions on what Cadillac Fairview could build, since this legal structure would remain subordinate to our existing by-laws and special planning program,” Thomas wrote in a public statement.

City Councillor Kelly Thorstad-Cullen responded to that portion of Thomas’s public post, “it is getting more and more difficult to convince citizens of the facts and the truth. When so much misinformation is being thrown out there you can see why there is so much distrust — it is heartbreaking. But every vote that the current council has done with respect to development projects has been in the best interests of taxpaying citizens. The specific vote to ask our DG to meet with Cadillac Fairview was done with the very purpose of healthy negotiations and collaborations to get the best out of the entire land space owned by CF.”

Pointe-Claire City Councillor Eric Stork told The Suburban that the councillors are not against public consultations, especially on such a important issue. “Where councillors’ differences lie with the Mayor is that the Mayor chooses to incite the public, when the majority of councillors choose to inform the public. The citizens of Pointe-Claire need the know all the facts with relevant and pertinent information, allowing them to make an informed decision which may require a city-wide referendum to reach a consensus.” n

Tensions flare at Pointe-Claire’s Fairview consult Read More »

Cunninghams’s hosts St. Pat’s fundraiser for Nova WI

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Nova West Island hosted a St-Patrick’s Day fundraiser at Cunningham’s pub in Sainte-Anne de Bellevue offering a selection of traditional Irish dishes and entertainment. The Salty Dogs band played upbeat tunes and to the surprise of everyone in the pub, April Wine’s Brian Greenway joined the group to sing Danny Boy. The entire pub went silent  for the duration of the song. Even the kitchen staff took a break to gather near the bar to watch and listen.

Four Irish dancers, Addison Letemplier, Isabella Parent, Brooke Grant-Butler and Lily St-Pierre from the Costello Irish dance school, delighted the crowd with a performance on the sidewalk in front of the pub. The event was attended by the Queen and Grand Marshall of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Irish Society, Veronica Gilmore and Brian Greenway, driving coordinator for Nova, Alphons Euers, Sainte-Anne de Bellevue mayor Paola Hawa, Pointe-Claire mayor Tim Thomas and the former mayor of Pointe-Claire, John Belvedere.

Tables were filled with groups gathered together to share a meal, a beer, good laughs and lots of glass clanking could be heard throughout as many cheers were made in honour of St-Patrick.

Cunninghams’s hosts St. Pat’s fundraiser for Nova WI Read More »

Mayors and MPs gather ar WIWC International Woman’s Day

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Elected officials joined many residents at the West Island Women’s Centre’s (WIWC) new and second location in Pierrefonds last week to hear the inspiring testimonies of women leaders in the community.

Among those in attendance were Kirkland Mayor Michel Gibson, Baie-D’Urfé Mayor Heidi Ektvedt, Dorval Mayor Marc Doret, Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas, MP for Pierrefonds-Dollard Sameer Zuberi and MP for Lac-St-Louis Francis Scarpaleggia.

Sixteen community organizations set up booths behind the seating arrangement in front of the stage to showcase their services and offer information during the coffee and snack breaks.

“International Women’s Day at the West Island Woman’s Centre is a very important event for us. It is an opportunity for us to highlight the contributions of our 900 members, to reach out to the community and to showcase other non-profit organizations which are making a difference,” WIWC board member Dipa Mehta said to The Suburban.

West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA), president Joan Lee shared a heartfelt testament to three special women whom she holds as role models, Gloria Baylis, Gloria Johnson and her mother, who to her surprise was asked to stand for a round of applause. “It is not easy to be a woman, much less a woman of colour. We need to be the change that we seek. Women do the work that they do, not for the income, but for the outcome.”

Attendees listened intently as Thi Be Nguyen, Executive Director in Canada for the Canada-ASEAN business council, told her personal story of how her family fled Vietnam in 1980. For three nights through forests and two nights by boat to leave that country and seek a better life in Canada after being imprisoned for two months. She told the tale of herself as a young girl growing up in Canada, with the challenges of becoming a woman and reaching her goals with the limitations set on her both from home and in society. She explained how she managed to break down those barriers and become the accomplished person that she is today. “Today there are networks and organizations that help women overcome these challenges and promote change,” she said. “We have come a long way with a long way to go.”

“Our goal here (WIWC) is to provide a safe space for women to interact and support each other,” WIWC board of directors member Lisa Gertsman told The Suburbann

Mayors and MPs gather ar WIWC International Woman’s Day Read More »

Scroll to Top