Oren Sebag

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Last week at a District 1 information meeting hosted by Councillor Oren Sebag at the Le Vicomte residential complex, regarding what a potential redevelopment of Décarie Square could entail, it was revealed that Mayor Mitchell Brownstein was not invited to attend. Brownstein, who viewed the meeting on Zoom, revealed this as part of a long letter that he asked to be read to the meeting in lieu of attending — the letter was in response to a petition of Le Vicomte residents, put together by Sebag and residents, calling for a halt in the tabling of the master plan.

“I was disappointed that I was not allowed to attend, but I will maintain positive relations and open communications with Councillor Sebag, who I consider a friend, as with all my councillors,” Brownstein told The Suburban after the meeting’s conclusion. “We all want what’s best for the city.”

Tensions in Côte St. Luc over the master plan for the future of the city — including the potential redevelopment of its three malls — manifested themselves Nov. 20 when at a special meeting, council voted 6-2 for draft bylaws related to the plan. Sebag and District 2 councillor Mike Cohen voted against most of the draft bylaws, saying the more than two-year-old master plan process is flawed in terms of consultation and timings of meetings. Tense debates took place.

There will be a 7 p.m. Dec. 11 area meeting at Décarie Square, with doors open at 6:30 p.m., which will include attendance by the mayor, councillors and a presentation by city staff. During the Nov. 26 meeting, questions were raised about potential traffic issues, what the redevelopment of Décarie Square could entail and many other issues.

Councillor Dida Berku held her own master plan district meeting Nov. 5, to which she invited Brownstein and Councillor Steven Erdelyi, as well as CSL Shopping Centre representatives.

Asked about the non-invite of the Mayor, Sebag told The Suburban that the Nov. 26 meeting “was organized by the Vicomte, they sent the invitation…there was no reach out to other councillors because we, and I, wanted to present the facts as [related to the master plan].

“There is a clear exercise where they pitch the master plan…. This wasn’t a pitch. This was me presenting the facts and I do believe the way I presented it was different than the way [associate city manager Tanya Abramovitch] or Dida Berku would have done it, because they are pushing this master plan in a way that they might not be sensitive enough to the way the [area] residents feel.”

Asked for a response, Berku told The Suburban, “it’s not about who was invited or not invited, it’s about the traffic — there is a traffic problem and I am the champion of the city to solve those problems. We are working on it. There’s more things that will happen, and it’s not just in reaction to the master plan, it’s been the city’s mission for the past four years. We have enough briefs and presentations to wallpaper a room, and on Dec. 11, we’ll bring them all so everyone can see what we’re doing and continue to do to open up Vézina and Cavendish.”