(TLN) Rivière-des-Mille-Îles Liberal candidate Linda Lapointe has presented her 2019 report on her election campaign, a campaign she noted that was officially launched on Sept. 11.

It is a 40-day marathon, she notes, before the polls open on Monday Oct. 21 and, she adds, there’s only a short time left before the arrival of voting day.

Wants second mandate

“My campaign has been very intense,” said Lapointe. “I’m very proud of it, because I have given everything to show the people of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles that I am the best candidate to represent them in Ottawa. It’s with great determination and motivation that I wish to continue my work for a second mandate.”

Throughout the campaign, Lapointe said she made her way across the riding through the area’s four cities: Deux-Montagnes, Saint-Eustache, Boisbriand and Rosemère.

“The people of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles were very welcoming to me throughout the campaign,” she said. “My goal was to meet them and listen for their opinions and concerns. I moved so much around; I went to the train stations of Deux-Montagnes and Rosemère, I participated in various activities and knocked directly on people’s doors.

Making a difference

“Believe me, I heard you and your interests are my priority,” she continued. “Mobility, seniors and the environment are my local commitments. I will work very hard to make a difference in your daily lives.”

As she pointed out, the Liberal platform was brought forward by party leader Justin Trudeau during the campaign. Their plan aims, among other things, to help the middle class through concrete actions. Lapointe noted that according to a group of researchers at Laval Universty, the Liberal Party stood by 92 per cent of its election promises during the past term.

Lower fees for retailers

Lapointe acknowledged that in the past four years, one of the major accomplishments she helped to broker was an agreement reached by the Liberal government with large credit card issuers to lower transaction fees and rates paid by small and medium-size retailers.

“It’s going to be better for all our retailers,” she said. “Because when you own a small store you cannot negotiate with the banks. You don’t have the power to negotiate.

“Big retailers such as Wal-Mart, Costco and McDonald’s used to have fees very much lower. So I couldn’t understand why smaller businesses couldn’t also have lower fees.”

Beginning in January 2016, Lapointe, who had an established track record in small business and retailing (her father was a grocery store operator), worked on the dossier.

Transaction fees lowered

She was able to work out a deal with Liberal Finance Minister Bill Morneau that Visa, Amex and MasterCard would agree to lower fees for the smaller retailers across Canada. “It’s an agreement between the ministry, the government and those credit card issuers,” said Lapointe.

Lapointe said she has a similar project in the works affecting small to medium-size retailers and business operators that will see the light of day should the Liberals form the next government. Retailers would no longer have to pay federal goods and service tax on transaction fees. The measure would be part of the next Liberal budget, she added.

$49 million for flood protection

She said one achievement over the past term she was particularly proud of was being able to obtain $49 million in financial assistance from the Liberal government to help protect communities along Lake of Two Mountains and the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles from recurrent flooding.

She said she feels confident she will be re-elected on Oct. 21, although “I am not taking anything for granted,” she added. “I am still working hard. I still have a lot of door-to-door knocking to do.

“I invite you all to come and vote on October 21,” said Lapointe. “To vote is to express one’s opinion. It is a direct participation in democracy.”

(NSN) The Town of Rosemère was presented with the prestigious “Class of Champions” prize at the National and International Awards Ceremony for the Canadian Communities in Bloom Annual Competition held on Sept. 28 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Stiff competition

The town received five Blooms Gold and a special mention for Community Gardens and Vegetable Planters. Rosemère was competing with the municipalities of Summerside in Prince Edward Island and Trail in British Columbia.

This award category consists of a competition between former Canadian national winners of the competition and honours a municipality’s overall achievements in horticultural beautification and the protection of its forest heritage.

“The enhancement of green spaces is part of Rosemère’s DNA and a way of life for our residents,” said Mayor Eric Westram. “We are proud to receive this award, because we owe this honour mainly to the Rosemère community.

Mayor thanks residents

“It is our residents and merchants, who — year after year — beautify their lawns, take care of their trees and, through their initiatives, promote good relations with their neighbours and the overall well-being of the community.

“I also wish to make mention, in this regard, the residents who are contributing to our initiatives to protect the natural environment or revitalize community gardens as well as our employees who maintain our public green spaces,” the mayor continued. “I want to thank all of them for their continued efforts to beautify our landscape, protect our urban forest and clean up our environment.”

Reasons to be proud

Faced with the current climate change and environmental concerns, Rosemère officials say they are proud to be leading a green city that demonstrates this through its ongoing initiatives with the community, including the Rosemère in Bloom competition, the Secret Gardens Tour, Rosemère’s success in retaining the classification ranking of “5 fleurons du Québec,” community tree and flower planting projects, and Rosemère’s annual participation in the Canadian Communities in Bloom competition.

Over the past 25 years, Rosemère has won some 50 prizes and honours in various green space enhancement competitions, including the Communities in Bloom competition, which annually enables Rosemère to renew its community commitment and rekindle Rosemère’s pride.

The judges’ tasks

Every summer, dedicated volunteer judges go up and down the streets of the municipalities enrolled in the Communities in Bloom program to evaluate all aspects of the community’s activities — municipal, commercial and private, including volunteer activities — based on the following criteria: cleanliness, environmental action, heritage protection, urban forestry, landscape and floral arrangements.

The judges also recognize the residents’ overall community involvement in gardening and horticultural projects — for example, by creating community gardens in partnership with two educational institutions, by including edible plants in the landscaping and by sharing the harvests of these crops with local food banks.

Martin C. Barry

Answering questions during the Sept. 12 meeting of the City of Deux-Montagnes’ city council, André Hatin of 15^th Ave. presented Mayor Denis Martin and council with a petition signed by residents from Oka Rd. up to Du Lac Blvd. complaining about speeding motorists.

“We are presenting this to the city so that there can be various attenuation measures taken,” he said. The mayor replied that he was aware speeding is a problem in the area Hatin was talking. He said it’s a problem that dates back several decades.

Speeding a problem

“Sometimes when I drive around 31 or 32 kilometres an hour, the people behind become impatient and it’s very problematic,” said the mayor, maintaining that drivers need to be educated about driving more slowly.

“We want people to become aware of the speed they’re travelling,” he continued, noting that the city installed speed warning flashers in several locations around Deux-Montagnes this year alone, with plans to expand the program to other areas.

Flasher warnings help

“We would rather this would not become a habit,” said the mayor, explaining that city officials would rather drivers become aware on their own when they are driving too fast. He said that on 20^th Ave. a reduction in average speed was seen after the installation of a flasher.

In an interview following the council meeting, Mayor Martin said again that residents of Deux-Montagnes need to be made more aware that they’re speeding in areas where children can be endangered.

Children nearby playing

“When you go 30 kilometres an hour it might really feel slow, but if you go 50 it becomes too fast for some of our streets,” he said. “Fifteenth Ave. is a street where there’s Central Park so it’s a problematic area where there’s more traffic than usual because of the park and during the summer especially there are issues over that there.”

Also during question period, Manon Girard of 17^th Ave. asked the mayor whether the city has any intention of paying closer attention to the indiscriminate use of the commercial herbicide Roundup, which she said was recently being used by a property owner around 16^th Ave.

Bad herbicide smell

“It smelled for days and days and from far, not just up close,” she said. Director-General Benoit Ferland explained that the City of Deux-Montagnes restricts the use of herbicides, although not Roundup as a specific brand. He said the city also relies on evidence, such as photos of herbicide applications being made, as proof to establish when a by-law has been violated.

According to Ferland, the commuter railway agency used herbicide on the tracks over the summer and that for this reason the city will be raising it as an issue in the future. All the same, he noted that some residents have reported applying herbicides on their property for years but never received any complaints about it.

Some herbicides banned

Regarding the use of Roundup specifically, Mayor Martin said, “I can’t really say anything about Roundup per se. But for every herbicide and insecticide that is illegal, there a recommendation. As our general manager was saying, sometimes we have to catch people in the act and that is not always easy.

“Sometimes they are doing (herbicide) early in the morning,” he added. “Sometimes they are doing it on the weekends. Most of these things are banned here. Whatever you’re doing, you need to have it approved by the urban planning department. Roundup might be one of those things.”

(NSN) Linda Lapointe, incumbent MP and Liberal candidate in the riding of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, launched her campaign on Sept. 18, surrounded by a hundred citizens.

A woman of heart and mind, Lapointe said she is very proud of the results of the last four years of her party.

She pointed out that it is thanks to her government that more than 10,000 families in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles can now benefit from the non-taxable Canada Child Benefit, which represents, on average, a chequeof $570 per month.

Key role for Lapointe

Lapointe also played a key role in negotiating with major credit card companies to lower management fees for merchants, a huge help for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

Other very important issues for the candidate and her party are the environment and the fight against climate change. She said she is very proud to reiterate that her government has put a price on pollution through the carbon tax and wants to continue moving forward.

Historical investments

She noted that historical investments in the country’s infrastructure, public transport and the development of green technologies have also been made. She said the government has protected more Canadian coastal areas, forests and territories than ever before.

Canadians can also receive a $5,000 grant from the federal government for the purchase of an electric car. The incumbent MP has also managed, in partnership with the city of Deux-Montagnes, to earmark $49 million from the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to prevent future floods for cities from Oka to Rosemère.

Improvements ahead

“In addition to working on national priorities, being re-elected will allow me to work hard on key issues in my riding,” she said. “Among other things, we must continue to improve mobility, provide more help to seniors, continue to improve the quality of life of our families and fight against climate change.

“The experience gained in recent years and the business relationships I have developed across the country will serve me well in working for the future of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles,” added Lapointe. “We must choose to move forward.”

(NSN) Between September 3 and 6, students from Alpha School got out their paintbrushes and smocks to add their own artistic touch to the Murale Internationale des enfants de la Francophonie, also known as the Francoderole.

The mural, which has travelled to more than 550 elementary schools and French-speaking communities in Canada and the U.S. over the past 17 years, stopped in Rosemère so that the students at Alpha School could take part in the endeavour.

Large work of art

Described as “the world’s largest work of art created by children,” the Francoderole is a mural that measures 12 metres high and 198 metres long. It keeps growing as it travels from school to school. Students are invited to draw their vision of their environment on the mural so that others can discover the world around them.

“Contributing to the Francoderole is an opportunity for these children to share their vision of the Town of Rosemère through their art and strengthen their sense of community,” said Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram.

A chance to take part

“We are delighted to provide young Rosemerites with a chance to participate in such a unique project. Through them, other French-speaking communities will discover Rosemère and the things that represent us.”

Students from kindergarten to Grade 6 took part in this collective work throughout the week. Part of the mural will be hung up on the walls of the school, while the rest will be added to the Francoderole, which will continue its travels to other schools. – 30 – Source: Town of Rosemère

Martin C. Barry

The Deux-Montagnes Lions Club will be holding their 16^th Annual Giant Book Fair on Saturday and Sunday Oct. 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Veterans Hall on Grand Moulin Road.

Two weeks early

The popular sale, which has been consistently successful in the past with an amazingly diverse assortment of books for everyone’s reading pleasure, is being held two weeks earlier this year.

There will be a special advance sale on Oct. 4 from 2 to 4 pm for people with mobility issues, as well as for mothers with baby strollers.

According to the Deux Montagnes Lions, a lot more money could be earned for the cause by selling the books commercially to bulk buyers.

A community event

However, the Lions have always kept away from that formula, since it would undermine the community element of the Annual Book Fair which has become a tradition on the North Shore.

Each year, thousands of dollars in proceeds from the event end up being put to good use in the community following the fair. The money helps the Deux-Montagnes Lions make important purchases to fulfill their charitable mandate.

Fundraising for causes

These include large-letter books and reading materials for those with eyesight problems. The money is distributed to causes over a wide area on the North Shore, from Oka in the west, to Deux-Montagnes and St. Eustache along the Mille Îles River, and St. Augustin and Mirabel more to the north of the region.

There will be more than 25,000 books, in good condition, all classified into categories normally found in a book store in both English and French, including a great choice of children’s books.

Prices will be as follows: pocket books are 0.75 cents each and all hard covers and large soft covers will be sold for $2 each. Children’s books are three for $1.

Also DVDs and records

Also available will be many 33 ^1/3 rpm vinyl records, some of which might be rare or collectible, compact discs, pre-recorded DVD movies, computer games and software. There will also be an arts and collectibles table with reasonable prices. A snack bar will serve soup, sandwiches, muffins, coffee and tea.

The way to get there is along Route 344, which also leads to apple country and beautiful Oka Provincial Park. The organizers suggest this could be an excellent way for families to stock up on their winter reading supply at bargain prices while having a great outing in the country. Veterans Hall is located at 141 Grand Moulin Rd. in the City of Deux-Montagnes.

Martin C. Barry

With last spring’s flooding fresh in the minds of many Montreal North Shore residents, Canada’s Infrastructure Minister was in the area last week to announce nearly $50 million in assistance to reinforce flood protection measures in key North Shore municipalities.

Major announcement

François-Philippe Champagne was joined by Rivière-des-Mille-Îles Liberal MP Linda Lapointe, Deux-Montagnes mayor Denis Martin, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac mayor Sonia Paulus, for the announcement of federal funding for flood-protection projects in Deux-Montagnes, Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Boisbriand, Saint-Eustache and Rosemère, as well as in Pointe-Calumet, Saint-Joseph-du-Lac and Oka.

“The catastrophic events of recent years are unfortunately still fresh in people’s mind,” the Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement. “With this investment, the government is showing its commitment to helping the victims and protecting communities from the impacts of such events so they can continue to grow and prosper.”

Several projects

Two of the projects involve the construction, rehabilitation and expansion of dikes and other water-related infrastructure in the Lac des Deux-Montagnes and Rivière-des-Mille-Îles sectors to reinforce water storage, drinking water, sewer and stormwater systems.

Following the dike failure in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac in spring 2019, a third project involves rehabilitating, improving and building up an essential five-kilometre structure in Sainte-Marthe to a height of 26.5 metres before spring 2020 to address the current vulnerabilities and protect residents for decades to come.

Once completed, the projects are expected to benefit 31,400 people. According to the ministry, they will reduce local economic losses, the number of residents left without essential services and the number of people directly affected when flooding occurs.

Dealing with devastation

The government said it is investing nearly $49.2 million in the projects through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund. The municipalities involved in the various projects are also contributing to the projects. They will provide a total of $24,595,400.

“Last spring’s floods had devastating consequences for many residents of municipalities in the area,” said Champagne. “I am wholeheartedly behind those affected by these events and am still feeling the unfortunate consequences. It is therefore essential to invest now so we can be prepared in advance. This is why our government is listening and answering the call so that we are better equipped to deal with the damage caused by future floods. Together, let’s continue working with determination to protect our families and our communities.”

“Relieved,” says MP Lapointe

“After the spring events of 2017 and 2019, it was essential to act to prevent the waters from rising again,” said Lapointe. “I am relieved for the people in my riding and the surrounding cities as it’s the safety and well-being of our citizens that counts.

“Irreproachable work has been done both by the City of Deux-Montagnes and the federal and provincial governments,” she continued. “I want underscore the responsiveness of the government of Canada in meeting the urgent needs of the people affected. Natural catastrophes should not be taken lightly and it is by working together that we can achieve great things and build a stronger community.”

A collaborative effort

“The significant floods we have experienced in recent years have had a profound impact on our infrastructure and affected populations,” said Andrée Laforest, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in the provincial government.

“It is through collaborative efforts like this one with the elected officials of the Lower Laurentians that we are delivering infrastructure that is helping make Quebec more resilient to the effects of climate change on our land.

“The Government of Quebec has committed to covering 40 per cent of the eligible costs for the Sainte-Marthe-sur-le Lac dam project, as well as for those of Deux-Montagnes and Pointe-Calumet. It is a priority for us that this work be carried out as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the citizens concerned and their property.”

Mayor pleased with funding

“I am pleased to hear that the federal government is providing funding to the City of Deux-Montagnes, and the municipalities of Oka, Pointe-Calumet and Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, as well as cities of Saint-Eustache, Boisbriand and Rosemère,” said Deux-Montagnes mayor Denis Martin.

“This funding will undoubtedly help the cities linked to these projects become more resilient to natural disasters. Deux-Montagnes is proud to have been the instigator and coordinator of this funding application grouping several projects together that will get significant amounts for the benefit of the surrounding communities.”

“When I heard this reassuring excellent news, I immediately thought of the victims of last April 27,” said Sainte-Marthe mayor Sonia Paulus. “I know the degree to which so many among them are attached to their communities and want to stay there.

Ste-Marthe mayor thankful

“This dike, to be built to the highest standards and validated by the most respected experts in the field in Quebec, will help better protect them and reinforce their sense of security,” Paulus continued. “I would like to warmly thank Minister Champagne. Very soon after the disaster he clearly affirmed that he would help us. The Government of Canada’s support is both generous and highly valued.”

According to the federal government, funding for the projects is conditional on Canada being satisfied that the legal duty to consult is met. The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a $2-billion 10-year program to help communities build the infrastructure they need to better withstand natural hazards such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts.

Martin C. Barry

North Shore Liberal MPs Ramez Ayoub (Thérèse-de Blainville) and Linda Lapointe (Rivière-des-Mille-Îles) held a press conference outside the Odyscène theatre in Sainte-Thérèse last week to announce the organization is receiving a $73,000 grant from the federal government’s Canada Arts Presentation Fund to continue promoting local theatrical presentations.

Supported by cities

Odyscène is subsidized by seven North Shore cities: Blainville, Boisbriand, Bois-des-Filion, Lorraine, Rosemère, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines and Sainte-Thérèse. The company helps stage more than 225 shows annually in three venues, reaching an audience of more than 90,000 in the process each year.

Under the auspices of the Canadian Heritage Ministry, the CAPF provides financial assistance to organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series and organizations that offer support to arts presenters.

The CAPF helps provide access to a variety of professional artistic experiences in communities across the country.

Subsidy from Ottawa

Each year, the CAPF supports approximately 600 professional arts festivals and performing arts series, as well as other activities related to art presentation, in more than 250 cities or communities across Canada.

Ramez Ayoub said he was very pleased with the measures taken by the government to come to the assistance of theatre groups like Odyscène.

“The CAPF, which is an important component of Heritage Canada, makes a huge difference for organizations like Odyscène which work hard to promote and showcase the many artistic talents in Canada,” he said.

Helping theatre and the arts

“The arts have a particularly fundamental place in our culture and it is of utmost importance to allow our citizens to be able to see and celebrate them.”

Linda Lapointe was equally pleased to see Odyscène receiving the subsidy. “I am extremely proud of the work that Odyscène has been doing for 32 years now,” she said.

“Since its inception, access to culture has gone up exponentially in the Lower Laurentian region. Odyscène offers a great diversity of shows and it is just incredible to see that people now have access to such a diverse amount of programming.

Subsidies important: Lapointe

“Cultural activities also continue to take place because the governments are there to provide support,” she continued. “My riding, part of which is also in the MRC of Deux-Montagnes, also has the church in Saint-Eustache that offers shows.

“They are not competing with Odyscène, but this way people don’t have to go to Montreal to see shows. Heritage Canada is encouraging the arts precisely for this reason.”