Steven Erdelyi

CSL says St. Laurent waste site has major problems

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / June 26, 2024 / Côte St. Luc council, CSL Public Works, residual waste, St. Hubert, Steven Erdelyi

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Côte St. Luc council passed a resolution asking that its organic waste be sent to a treatment facility in St. Hubert, off the island, until issues at the much closer site in St. Laurent are resolved “to our satisfaction.”

Councillor Steven Erdelyi pointed out that CSL was the first municipality to implement curbside organic waste collection for all homes and duplexes in 2008, and that the city and other municipalities are responsible for the collection and transport of residual waste.

“The agglomeration of Montreal is responsible for the treatment and disposal of residual waste for the island,” the councillor explained. “The agglomeration of Montreal has asked CSL and approximately 12 other demerged cities and boroughs to send their organic waste to the treatment centre (CTMO) in St. Laurent.”

Erdelyi said that in a visit to the CTMO site by a CSL Public Works team, “they identified multiple deficiencies at the site related to efficiency, safety and logistics of collection, including but not limited to the [fact that] the facility’s private road has only two lanes — one to enter, one to exit; only one scale to weigh vehicles; and only two doors to enter the drop-off site, which will not be sufficient during peak hours and seasons.

“Drivers must exit their vehicles to wash their tires before leaving the site rather than installing an automatic system; the site has only one mechanism to handle the compost and if any of the machinery on the treatment line breaks, such as the grinder, the whole system comes to a halt; and the site will not accept non-soiled cardboard and certified compostable bags.” CSL is calling for cardboard and certified compostable bags to be accepted as part of the process.

The resolution says it would be expedient for the City of Montreal’s environment division to review the CSL Public Works department’s concerns “and meet with them.”

The Suburban has contacted the City of Montreal for comment, and is awaiting a reply. n

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CSL working to help evicted King David seniors

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / February 28, 2024 / Joel Goldenberg, King David, Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, seniors residence, Steven Erdelyi

By Joel Goldenberg

Côte St. Luc council regular Norman Sabin called on the city to speak out regarding the recently announced Sept. 30 closure of the Le King David seniors residence. “You have to feel sorry for these residents,” Sabin said. “They’re going to have to go somewhere else, maybe pay more for their lodging. It’s always a hardship for them and their families.”

He also pointed out that the Quebec government has a five-year program to help such residences remain open, and that perhaps this could help the King David remain operational.”I think, at a minimum, council should make a statement on the King David. These are 77 residents of CSL. We have a certain degree of responsibility towards them.”

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein replied that the city has been in close contact with the King David. Councillor Steven Erdelyi, whose district includes the King David, said he has been speaking to the King David, the Waldorf and B’nai Brith House. He also said he has heard the amount of residents at King David is in the low 60s. “Really, since the pandemic, things have not been going well financially for the King David, they’ve been honest with me, I spoke to them a few times over the past few years. I tried to promote them, they were our Merchant of the Month in the fall of 2022. I tried to help them as much as I could. They haven’t been full for a long time. It was in December 2023 when they told me financially, it wasn’t sustainable.”

Erdelyi said his goal was to help residents find a new home at a comparable cost, and that the Waldorf agreed to have them live at that residence at the same rent they were paying at the King David, “with just an increase based on inflation.

”Many of the residents have gone to the Waldorf, and others have gone to the [west-central] CIUSSS. B’nai Brith House took a few, but they are more independent living. I’m not happy about this but, on the financial side, the city doesn’t have the means to support a private residence, or a public residence.”

Regarding the provincial government program to help residences, “I think, at that point for them, it was too late.”

Erdelyi also said he spoke to the owners of the King David about keeping it open longer.

“They said, it’s a dilemma because the staff are aware the King David is closing, and their first instinct would be to look for alternative jobs, so it’s tough for them to maintain services for the existing residents. For me, the goal is to have the residents placed and their moving costs are being covered.”

On Feb. 22, King David employee Leonora Longdon told The Suburban that, to her knowledge, not one King David employee has found a new job yet.

“Plus, they’re not giving us severance pay and they still owe us $4 an hour bonus that the government said they have to give us. They haven’t paid us that for months.”

The latter point was recently brought up by Daniel Lévesque of the Syndicat québécois des employées et employés de service.

Longdon added that the employees do not know exactly when or why the King David is closing, although the official announcement says the end of September.

“They have brought in two organizations to help us look for jobs. These are unilingual [English] employees who have worked for them for 30 years, and the way we are being treated is not very nice.”

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