Michael Goldwax

Hampstead will reinstate stop sign

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / July 18, 2024 / Fleet Road and Baronscourt, Gordon Kugler, Harvey Shaffer, Jeremy Levi, Michael Goldwax

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

A stop sign that was installed briefly at westbound Fleet Road and Baronscourt in 2021 and then removed a week after that year’s town election will be reinstated as a pilot project, Baronscourt resident Gordon Kugler was told by Mayor Jeremy Levi at the town council meeting.

Kugler, who said he was speaking on behalf of all 14 homeowners on the street, told the council, “we have insisted upon, and been ignored, quite frankly — [regarding] a stop sign at the corner of Fleet and Baronscourt for westbound traffic on Fleet and for people on Baronscourt turning left to go west on Fleet.

“This is an extremely dangerous intersection. Councillor Harvey Shaffer and the previous Mayor [William Steinberg] acknowledged it and they immediately put up a stop sign. A week after this administration was elected, the stop sign was summarily removed for no reason. Someone doesn’t have to get killed or seriously injured to make you act. Please put the stop sign back.”

Councillor Michael Goldwax said the sign was removed because it is not in compliance with Quebec’s Highway Safety Code, “so technically speaking, it wouldn’t be able to be enforced” by police, as stop signs have to be spaced a certain amount of metres apart.

“Having said that, we rediscussed this whole issue and said ‘let’s look at reinstating it on a pilot basis and see how it goes, what the reaction is, the exiting of the homeowners on Baronscourt onto Fleet,” the councillor added. “This means painting a stop line, erecting a stop sign and reviewing it based on vehicle traffic. We’re not against it, but we’re looking at our options right now.”

Mayor Jeremy Levi said there are similarities and differences with the intersection of Fleet and Minden, where there is also no stop sign on Fleet. Drivers on Minden can turn right to go eastbound on Fleet, but not left onto westbound Fleet.

“It’s only dangerous [for Baronscourt residents] if you turn left. If you turn right, there’s a stop sign at that intersection, so it’s not 100 percent a dangerous intersection. We’re going to put the stop sign back as a pilot project and we’ll take it from there.”

Kugler asked how soon the stop sign will be reinstated. Levi said that depends on scheduling and logistics. Goldwax pointed out a line has to be painted, as that has to accompany a stop sign.

“This is not going to take place in five months, but it may not be tomorrow.”

“We’ll proceed based on the results we get,” Councillor Leon Elfassy responded to some shouting residents.

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Hampstead Mayor asks for special constable powers

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi is asking the town council to give him the power to appoint special constables in case of an emergency.

Levy introduced a notice of motion June 3, as is the procedure, and the bylaw will be voted on at either a special meeting in June or at the next regular meeting in July. The notice of motion was given by Councillor Michael Goldwax and, from comments overheard by The Suburban, is likely to be approved unanimously.

The resolution notes that Section 108 of Quebec’s Police Act authorizes a town council to grant the Mayor such a power. The resolution says that the Mayor can authorize, “for a period not exceeding seven days, special constables with authority, under the supervision of the Director of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM), to prevent and suppress offences under the municipal bylaws within all or part of the territory of the Town of Hampstead.”

Levi told The Suburban that the bylaw, which has been adopted in other municipalities over the years, is being passed as a precaution in light of recent attacks against Jewish institutions, including the Belz School last week in CDN-NDG and other attacks on institutions in Toronto and Vancouver in recent days.

“The rampant wave of violent antisemitic attacks on Jewish institutions witnessed last week demands immediate action,” Levi posted on X. “I will not hesitate to invoke this power at the earliest opportunity through an emergency decree, ensuring the safety and security of all Jewish institutions in Hampstead. Enough is enough.”

The Mayor told The Suburban that the motion is “much broader than just armed constables.

“We can have unarmed special constables. We were talking about different tiers, special constables that can carry taser guns, that would have the certification to give traffic violations, if we were having a major event and we thought we needed to ensure safety on the road. There’s different scenarios on what would constitute an emergency. This gives us the ability to navigate through that.”

Levi added that the motion “gives Hampstead Public Security an additional tool to deal with [emergency] situations.”

The Mayor said there is no specific threat to Hampstead.

“This is just a precautionary measure. We’d rather be proactive. We received a comprehensive legal opinion on this, we did a deep dive. We’re looking at all kinds of measures to offer a next level of security for our community.” n