Pointe-Claire

Pointe-Claire neighbourhood bands together after floods

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The heavy rain produced by tropical storm Debbie caused flash flooding in multiple pockets of Pointe-Claire causing significant damage to homes. One of the areas particularly affected was Cragmore Street, bordered by Braebrook Avenue and Concord Crescent.

At the height of the rainfall, the entire street resembled a river overflowing the curbs onto front lawns with the bulk of the flow building up on Braebrook. The drainage capacity of the sewage system appeared to be completely overwhelmed on these streets. It took over an hour for the water levels to subside following the second wave of the storm. Water infiltrated most of the houses and caused entire basements to be flooded by 12 inches of water or more, according to residents.

Residents spent the next 24-48 hours pumping, drying, tearing out walls and floors while sifting through cherished belongings. Some homes are still without amenities such as A/C and hot water, four weeks after the flood.

The street view for two weeks following the August 9 storm showed huge piles of damaged debris that home owners had to remove to prevent mold and mildew. Depending on their economic situations, some home owners were helped by hired demolition crews while others had to do the job themselves. Many reported feeling poorly and attribute that to the humidity and mold, while others simply wore themselves out responding urgently, with a 36-hour time frame to the damages caused to their homes.

Most insurance policies usually specify or limit claims for outside water infiltration because of the low probability of such events occurring in areas outside of known flood zones. As a result, many people were under-insured for this type of claim.

Many residents have expressed thanks and appreciation to the City of Pointe-Claire’s volunteer rescue team who assisted residents in pumping out some basements overnight after the storm subsided. Residents also expressed their appreciation for the City’s prompt organization in arranging regular pickups of the debris over the last few weeks.

A group of residents living on and near Cragmore street banded together to create e-mail chains with City officials to keep themselves up to date and on the same page with the ongoing assessments as well as the future remedial work plans.

Mayor Thomas has acknowledged that Cragmore/Braebrook and Glanlynn/Terra Cotta streets were two areas in Pointe-Claire that were the worst hit . The mayor and Pointe-Claire council members have promised residents that the flooding will be assessed in the next few weeks and the findings will be disclosed . Residents are also calling for a town hall meeting where everyone affected can attend to understand firsthand the issues and the city’s plans going forward.

According to Pointe-Claire City Councillor Eric Stork there is also a possibility that the Cragmore/Braebrook intersection itself may have some underlying stability issues.

At this time, many think that because the water took so long to subside, the capacity of the older sewers in this area may be inadequate. Other streets around the area, some of which had infrastructure updates, did not suffer the same degree of flooding. The City’s assessment due near the end of September should clarify the issues that need addressing .

“I am very anxious to review the City’s assessment and the proposed repair plan and schedule. I certainly hope that they are allocating the highest priority to this disaster . This can occur again . Climate change is evolving the weather patterns. We need to see some action before round two,” one resident said to The Suburban. n

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Car thief jumps into lake in Pointe-Claire

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Some Beaconsfield and Pointe-Claire residents were rudely awakened by police sirens at 6:30 a.m. last Saturday morning. Quebec Provincial Police (SQ) officers attempted to intercept two vehicles stolen from Ontario that were travelling on Highway 20 East near the Woodland exit in Beaconsfield. Officers managed to seize one of the two vehicles on Murray Garden in Pointe-Claire however the driver ran away on foot.

Police officers succeeded in apprehending the suspect who fled south to the Saint-Louis Lakefront at Villeneuve Terrace and Lakeshore Boulevard. The suspect jumped in Lake Saint-Louis as he was being chased by police officers. With the assistance of the Montreal Fire Department, police officers apprehended the man who was then arrested and is now facing charges of reckless driving, obstruction of justice and possession of stolen property.

Pointe-Claire residents living nearby watched as police officers pulled the suspect out of the water, arrested him and placed him in their vehicle. One resident snapped some photos and sent it to The Suburban. “It is concerning to see how the West Island has changed so significantly over the years with the rise in crime,” Another resident said to The Suburban. “This used to be a quiet place to live. Now we wake up on a Saturday morning to this kind of stuff and then we open the newspaper and read about more news like this happening nearby. It was never like this before.”

Recently, just a few blocks East on Lakeshore, a six-story building was evacuated as police searched for another car thief that abandoned a vehicle in a residential parking lot after a police chase following a hit and run on a police officer who was on foot in Lachine.

The second suspect managed to evade being captured in the initial police vehicle chase. A K-9 unit was deployed and SPVM officers were mobilized in collaboration with the SQ to search for the second suspect, who has not been caught to date. The SQ investigation is ongoing. “We are committed to catching crime suspects,” SQ spokesperson Nicolas Scholtus said to The Suburban. n

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Mayor and resident disagree on danger of tree

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Pointe-Claire resident John Kilpatrick has a tree on his front lawn that he believes is dangerous to his neighbours, the public and his home. He says that the city of Pointe-Claire is ignoring his concerns by refusing to let him cut down the tree. According to Kilpatrick’s understanding of the city’s by-laws, he claims that he meets the city’s requirements to cut down the tree in his front yard and presented his findings at the April 2 public meeting.

“The mayor refuses to listen and let me explain. I am a responsible person and I would not cut down a tree without a valid reason.” Kilpatrick told The Suburban. Mayor Tim Thomas says that according to his understanding, the trained professionals both from the city as well as a third party company have conducted their evaluations and have decided that the tree does not need to be cut down. “In an environmental crisis, the best thing we can do for our fellow human beings is to not cut down trees that do not need to be cut down,” Thomas said to The Suburban.

Pointe-Claire arboriculturalist Gisele Merineau made the recommendation that the resident have his tree assessed by an independent company following his disappointment with her assessment stating that his tree was healthy and provided him with a list of approved companies in an e-mail. Kilpatrick agreed to provide a report from one of the six companies approved by the city. According to the report, the tree should be cabled and requires 40% pruning to make it safe. The report does not state that the tree should be felled.

According to Pointe-Claire’s by-law (PC-2775), it is prohibited to fell a tree other than if the tree is a danger to people or property due to the risk of falling branches and pruning or guying would not make the tree safe but Kilpatrick says that the city will only allow him to prune 20% of the tree and pointed out that the by-law does not account for tree cabling.

“What it boils down to is that the city inspector said the tree is safe but the independent arborist says the tree requires cabling and significant pruning to become safe,” District 8 councillor for the city of Pointe-Claire Brent Cowan told The Suburban. “The by-law is outdated and was created for aesthetic reasons, not environmental reasons. One tree on private property is not an environmental issue.”

Kilpatrick says that assuming the costs associated with cabling and pruning rather than felling the tree is punitive and that assuming that expense with no guarantee that the tree will even last another 10 years before it potentially starts to degrade is unfair. “The city is requiring him to take the more expensive option. If a rule is applied for the ‘public good’ then the individual should not have to absorb the expense,” Cowan explained to The Suburban. n

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Month long closure at Sources overpass starts this weekend

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A month long closure of the Sources overpass from Highway 20 Eastbound to boulevard des Sources north in Pointe-Claire is slated to take place starting April 8 through to May 4 in order for the Ministry of Transport (MTQ) to carry out repair work on the ramp.

Repair work on the ramps leading from Boulevard des Sources to Highway 20 in each directions as well as the pedestrian bridge which crosses Highway 20 is expected to continue until the end of the year.

Detour routes will be marked with temporary signage. The MTQ stated that episodes of congestion is to be expected and alternative routes should be considered where possible.

The dates may vary depending on weather conditions.

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West Island Y holds drive-thru food drive

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The annual spring drive-thru food drive outside the Olive-Urquhart center in Pointe-Claire, hosted by the YMCA, kicked off the post-holiday season collection of non-perishable food items to help stock up food banks serving all areas of the West Island.

Dozens of vehicles stocked up with food donations were unloaded by volunteers as West Islanders drove up to the drop off point located front and centre of the lot’s roundabout and the items were sorted on a table with marked sections directly at the sports centre’s front entrance.

“Everything counts, even one tub of peanut butter or pack of pasta. We appreciate all donations,” YMCA St-Laurent representative Corey Oliver said to The Suburban. “People tend to think of food drives during the winter holidays, but spring is another time when food banks need to replenish,” West Island Y site manager Nadia Garofalo told The Suburban.

On Rock community services representative Kayla Reid explained to The Suburban that spring drive stock-ups are critical for students who rely on school-based food programs to curb hunger. “During the year, we have many programs that run to get food into the hands of kids, but when they go home for the summer, they don’t have those same resources.”

“Without the in-school food program, once the school year ends, families need more food security support at home,” TQSOI Community network project coordinator, food security Eve Lemaire St-Gelais said.

“Hunger does not take a vacation. Now is a good time to stock up and the reality on the ground is that we need to stock up all year round,” West Island Mission executive director Suzanne Scarrow told The Suburban. 

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Poilievre addresses housing crisis in Pointe Claire visit

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre

Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre held a news conference in the Fairview Pointe-Claire shopping centre’s parking lot as part of a series of stops where he shed light on hyper-local issues causing delays in housing projects affecting the overall Canadian housing crisis.

Tens of thousands of housing units have been stalled in the Greater Montreal Area, which caught the attention of the Federal Conservative leader. In January, he declared Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante to be “incompetent”, as she continues to stall development.

Poilievre criticized the City of Pointe-Claire for blocking the Cadillac Fairview development plan for part of the mall’s parking lot. “Local bureaucracy is blocking that construction that would allow seniors and students to live next to a massive transit station.”

Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas disagreed, stating that he was elected for the purpose of slowing down development. “Too many housing units have been built without much thought given to the best way to design the urban fabric. This is sensible, responsible urban planning in a community where developers have been given too many red carpets, and not enough red tape,” Thomas wrote in response to Poilievre’s visit.

One thing Poilievre and Thomas agreed on is that the green space for Fairview Forest should remain untouched in the development plan. Cadillac Fairview’s proposal includes two 25-storey residential towers as part of a first phase and single family units in lieu of the green space as part of the second phase. Both phases of the proposed development project were stalled by an interim control bylaw issued in the spring of 2022.

Poilievre said the City of Pointe-Claire could have managed the development better. He stated that under the Conservative government, all new transit projects would be required to include a housing component. “Trudeau has caused this problem by funding local bureaucracies that block homebuilding,” Poilievre told reporters. “Building homes is a 911 emergency and I have a good-sense plan to get it done.”

Poilievre’s plan includes proposed incentives for municipalities who reach development goals and penalties for municipalities that score below the calculated rate of target development. The calculation would include consideration for the size of the municipality while considering the effect and contribution to the overall economy. n

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