Martin C. Barry

During a special sitting of Rosemère town council on May 21 to deal with some significant items between regular council meetings, council voted unanimously to approve a $20,000 expenditure to pay for the creation of new community gardens on land behind the Externat Sacré-Cœur and at Val-des-Ormes School.

While special council meetings are usually convened on such short notice that few residents ever attend, this particular meeting drew the interest of at least half a dozen residents with concerns about community gardens projects.

A surprising turnout

“This is a bit of a surprise. We weren’t expecting to see a crowd like this today,” Mayor Eric Westram said, somewhat astonished by the turnout.

In recent years, town officials with the current as well as past administrations tried unsuccessfully to launch a community garden project in Hamilton Park just west of Labelle Blvd., in spite of the objections of local residents of that area. The town had previously budgeted $30,000 for the deferred Hamilton Park project.

Some of them turned up at last week’s special council meeting. Among them was Wendy Gurd who wondered whether the latest development would impact her neighbourhood. As the mayor explained, the new community gardens are a “first phase” that will be taking place in conjunction with the schools.

Gardens and tree renewal

In addition to gardening spaces at the two schools that will be accessible for planting and growing by residents, the town also announced the planting of 600 trees in a wooded area behind Externat Sacré-Coeur that became the property of Rosemère some years back. The community gardens, which will be located on school property, will be run on a cooperative basis by students and teachers with residents from Rosemère.

“Following these arrangements and following the popularity, if these community gardens turn out to be popular we will see during a second phase the possibility of pursuing an idea we had at the start of  doing this elsewhere,” Westram told Gurd. “But for now, the first phase is to do this in these two locations. So, if your question was about Hamilton Park, there won’t be anything at Hamilton Park this year.”

Shared arrangements

Gurd asked whether the schools and the town have agreed firmly on the sharing arrangement for the community gardens. “And they’re okay with that? You’re taking up part of theirs,” she said. “It was they who approached us,” said Councillor Stépĥanie Nantel.

Questioned further on the possibility of Hamilton Park becoming the site of a future community garden, Westram replied, “If a decision is made to return to Hamilton Park, it will be done in consultation with the people in that area. We could go to Hamilton just as we could go elsewhere. We have no preconceived ideas: it’s one brick at a time. One project at a time. We’re putting community gardens in these two schools and we’ll see how that goes.”

Opponents had petitioned

Some of those attending the meeting had previously gathered and submitted a petition signed by residents around Hamilton Park opposing a community garden in their area. (At the time, Westram had also questioned the methods used by the petition gatherers, while suggesting the petition wasn’t truly representative.)

“I won’t be launching into a debate today because this is not the place for it and we’re not there yet,” he said last week. “If we reach a point where there’s a possibility, we will make sure that the population of the area is in favour.” According to Mayor Westram, the agreement between the town and the schools was only finalized on the same day of the special council meeting, which was why there was so little public notice given.

Recently Linda Lapointe, MP for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, on behalf of the Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced that KWI Polymers has been granted $150,000 under the Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge, funded by the Innovative Solutions Canada program, to develop a possible solution for recycling fiberglass. The end result could potentially turn transformed materials into street furniture, railings, sidewalks and decking.

The funding announced, complements the department’s commitment to advancing vessel recycling and environmentally responsible vessel design.
The Government of Canada is dedicated to protecting Canada’s land and waterways from plastic waste and marine litter. We know that Canadians value their natural environment, and we have a responsibility to prevent plastic pollution now and into the future.

It is a know fact that plastic pollution is a growing problem in Canada and around the world. Canada has committed to global leadership in government operations that are low-carbon, resilient and green.

Options

There are few options for recycling and disposing of boats made of glass fiber-reinforced plastic, commonly referred to as fiberglass. Most of these boats end up in a landfill, or worse, abandoned on land or in the water. To address this issue, Transport Canada issued a challenge to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses to develop innovative solutions for recycling or reusing fiberglass in an energy-efficient way which recovers as much material as possible.

“I am proud that our Government is supporting innovation and research on the recycling and reuse of plastics. Local businesses that receive this funding, like KWI Polymers, will be able to battle the pollution caused by plastics across the country”, mentionned Ms Lapointe.

The Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge is a $12.85-million initiative supporting research projects that aim to address plastic pollution through new and innovative technologies. This initiative is funded by federal departments and agencies, through the Innovative Solutions Canada program, and invites Canadian small and medium-sized businesses to develop innovative solutions in response to specific challenges related to plastic waste.

(NSN) Rosemère mayor Eric Westram recently announced the conversion of the town’s public lighting systems to light-emitting diode (LED) technology. This project to modernize 1,072 lighting fixtures is part of a sound energy management approach and represents a considerable initiative in terms of sustainable development.

Less loss to sky

From an environmental standpoint, directional LED lighting prevents light from being lost to the sky. In addition, the equipment installed is dark-sky certified and reduces to a minimum the light pollution emitted by street lighting. Better practices lessen the impact of lighting on living environments.

“With its 5 times longer life than original bulbs, LED technology offers invaluable environmental, social and economic benefits: It is an environmentally-friendly solution that efficiently addresses road safety issues, while reducing light pollution through its directional lighting,” said Westram.

Cutting consumption

The conversion of lighting fixtures to LED technology will have a significant impact on energy consumption. Through this initiative, the Town will achieve energy and maintenance savings of approximately $42,460 and $26,800 respectively annually.

In addition to standardizing the Town’s lighting, the new LED lighting fixtures increase residents’ safety and comfort by providing better visibility of the roadway. In fact, LED lighting makes it possible to better perceive colours and shapes.

Now underway

Rosemère officials says this work project started in mid-May and will be completed in October 2019. More information on LED technology may be found online at https://lumieresurlequebec.ca, where the progress of the work involved may be followed in real time.

In February 2018, the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM), in partnership with the energy services company Énergère, launched a program offering Québec cities and towns a consolidated feeding tariff to modernize public lighting systems. The Town of Rosemère is one of the first municipalities in Québec to take part in this program.

Martin C. Barry

In a spontaneous outpouring of emotion rarely seen at Deux-Montagnes city hall, a small but enthusiastic crowd of residents gave the mayor and council a standing ovation at the beginning of the May 16 city council meeting, acknowledging the city’s recent success in keeping Deux-Montagnes safe from the spring of 2019’s floods.

It was a stark contrast to the scene in Deux-Montagnes in the spring two years ago when the city was among the hardest-hit Quebec communities for flooding. The waters overwhelmed dozens of Deux-Montagnes’ streets along the waterfront, resulting in widespread flood damage that seriously impacted hundreds of families’ lives.

City council thanked

Referring to the mayor and council members as “stars,” longtime Deux-Montagnes resident Monique Dorion of 28^th Ave., one of the most stridently vocal critics of several administrations, said, “Thanks infinitely for all the exceptional work that you’ve done. Thank you for the good decisions you made as precautions. Thanks for keeping up the work. What you’re doing is gigantic. Don’t give up. We appreciate it enormously.”

Since the 2017 floods, the mayor and council of Deux-Mountagnes worked ceaselessly on measures to minimize the chances of flooding taking place again – even though no one could be certain until they were tested.

The measures included building up an inventory of concrete barriers to be used along with rubber liners to create temporary anti-flood dikes in strategic locations along Deux-Montagnes’ waterfront. At the same time, city officials lobbied the Quebec Environment Ministry to allow a permanent dike to be built.

No floods in Deux-Montagnes

Although the permanent dike hadn’t been built by the time this year’s floods struck, the temporary measures held firmly and Deux-Montagnes had virtually no flooding this spring, in comparison to the neighbouring community of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac where a section of dike broke, resulting in some of the worst flooding in Quebec.

Visibly moved by the tribute, Mayor Martin said regarding the crisis, “In my life it was something memorable. But that wasn’t the point. The point was that it was something that needed to be done.” A man in the audience shouted out, “It takes a leader,” following which there was another round of applause and the council meeting went on.

Sainte-Marthe’s lot

While what happened in Deux-Montagnes certainly was good news, what happened in Sainte-Marthe certainly was not. And it would seem at this point that some of the impact from the neighbouring municipality’s troubles could conceivably end up spilling over into Deux-Montagnes’ camp.

During question period, Monique Dorion again got up to grill the mayor and council on the implications of Sainte-Marthe’s fate. “We had a close call with the construction of the pool in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac,” she said, referring to the indoor pool project Deux-Montagnes signed onto with Sainte-Marthe. It had originally been slated to be built in an area that got flooded.

Class-action lawsuits

However, the more serious issue may be Sainte-Marthe’s post-flood financial stability, depending on whether the town is deemed liable in pending class-action lawsuits. As it is, up to one-third of Sainte-Marthe’s territory was flooded. Dorion asked the mayor point blank, “Do we suspend the interior swimming pool project with Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac taking into account their current finances and the state of their territory?”

Mayor Martin responded that since the new location chosen for the pool project (near Sainte-Marthe town hall and the Giant Tiger store) isn’t within a flood zone, he didn’t see any reason why the project shouldn’t go ahead. He said that with a government subsidy Deux-Montagnes obtained with Sainte-Marthe, the project should proceed, “or else we are risking losing the subsidy.”

‘Not concerned,’ says Mayor Martin

In a post-council interview with the North Shore News, the mayor said that even though the flood zone map in Sainte-Marthe is going to be changing, the pool still won’t be within a flood zone. “The project has no change, the property has no change, so the property where we’re going will not be a problem,” he said.

As for Sainte-Marthe’s future financially, he acknowledged, “There are many lawsuits pending. We can understand that people had 15 days to signify what they wanted to do. So now a judge will verify to see if the city is responsible or not. There’s also compensation from the government for many of those homes.”

Asked whether he was concerned about the future of any agreements with Sainte-Marthe taking the recent events into account, he replied, “No, I’m not concerned at all.”

(NSN) On May 14, a press conference was held to officially launch the 20^th anniversary of Rosemère’s Secret Gardens Tour. For the occasion, Larry Hodgson, who will serve as Patron of the event, met with the media to promote this grand tour.

A big weekend

To mark this 20^th anniversary, the Secret Gardens Tour will take place for a full weekend this year, July 13-14, instead of just one day. Participants will have the opportunity to visit a number of private gardens, many of which have never been open to the public.

“We are proud to celebrate the 20^th edition of the Secret Gardens Tour,” said Mayor Eric Westram. “I would particularly like to thank Mr. Hodgson for his participation as Patron of this event as well as all the horticultural lovers who will be opening their gardens to other enthusiasts.”

A beautiful tour

“For the past few years, I have been taking part in Rosemère’s Secret Garden Tour,” said Hodgson. “I am always amazed by the beauty of the gardens and I can see that flowers are an integral part of Rosemère’s DNA. So it is with great pleasure that I agreed to be the patron of this event to mark its 20th edition.”

As may be recalled, this activity will take place rain or shine on July 13 and 14 this year, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Visitors who wish to take advantage of this opportunity to get in a bit of exercise as well will be able to pedal their way along the tour by bike.

Picnic at Hamilton House

At lunch time, they are invited to bring their picnic to Hamilton House, where musicians and painters will also be on hand. The tour will start anytime between 9:30 a.m. and noon from the commuter train station. From there, they will be able to visit the gardens at their own pace until late afternoon.

Tickets will be available from the beginning of June at the following locations: • The municipal library, 339 Grande-Côte Road • Town Hall, 100 Charbonneau Street • The commuter train station, July 13-14 only, 287 Grande-Côte Road. Tickets cost $15 per day or $20 for both days. All proceeds from the tour will be donated to the Les Petits Plaisirs respite organization.

Also a fundraiser

This group, which has been active in the region for a number of years, provides families whose child has a disability with access to certain services that are essential to their quality of life. This activity will therefore not only delight flower lovers with all its splendour, but it is also devoted to a humanitarian cause that is very important to our town.

Do you have a talent for photography? Take advantage of your Visit to the Secret Gardens to immortalize the beauty of the gardens you will admire! The selected photos will be included in the next municipal calendar. Each winner will receive a $50 gift card redeemable at Place Rosemère. More details may be found on the Town’s website.

(NSN) Deux-Montagnes CAQ MNA Benoit Charette, who is Quebec’s Environment Minister, announced last week that flood-besieged Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac will be getting a new lakewater-control dike in order to better deal with the sort of flooding that devastated the North Shore community last month.

According to Charette, repairs will be made to the existing dike, which gave way during this spring’s flooding, leading to the inundation of dozens of streets in Sainte-Marthe and the devastation of up to one-third of the town.

Charette didn’t specify how much of the bill the Quebec government will be paying. He said he used a clause in the province’s environmental regulations in order to accelerate the process of giving the go-ahead for the work, which ordinarily would be subject to lengthy environmental evaluations.

Martin C. Barry

Since Bois-des-Filion town hall has been the setting for so many announcements about finishing Autoroute 19 that almost nobody can remember exactly how many, a big question remained following yet another orchestrated press conference last week. Would this be another one?

In the aftermath, there’s not a good deal of reason to believe things could shape up any differently – especially considering the political dynamics involved in these months leading towards the next federal election.

Deploying a ‘big gun’

For whatever it’s worth, federal Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne – a Big Gun if ever there was one, since he oversees a 12-year $180 billion national infrastructure plan – was mobilized from Ottawa and deployed to the North Shore for the big announcement.

He was welcomed in Bois-des-Filion last Monday morning for what ordinarily would have been a big do. This followed some hints made in recent years and months by local Liberal MPs Linda Lapointe (Rivière-des-Mille-Îles) and Ramez Ayoub (Thérèse-De Blainville), who complained to local media that Quebec wasn’t availing itself of federal money set aside for the A-19 project.

A much-delayed project

Effectively, the Liberal government in Ottawa has now stated its willingness to open its purse in order to release as much as $345 million for Quebec’s CAQ government to spend on the agonizingly long-awaited A-19 completion project whose history dates back to the quasi-prehistoric 1970s.

And while politicians of all sorts from all over the North Shore were on hand for what was supposed to be an historical announcement, the proverbial elephant – in this case the pachyderm not in the room – was somebody – anybody – who might have been there from the CAQ government. If you can imagine, the CAQ was a no-show at a party where they would have been the recipient of this massive gift from Ottawa.

Shows and no-shows

Who was there? From Quebec City you could count the Liberals, since several Grit MNAs from nearby ridings (who now sit in opposition) stand to gain from the project. From Ottawa, several MPs, including Angelo Iacono from Alfred-Pellan and Yves Robillard from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin in Laval, also with vested interests. And, of course, lots of mayors, from the City of Deux-Montagnes’ Denis Martin to Boisbriand’s Marlene Cordato.

Notably absent? CAQ Groulx MNA Éric Girard. Quite a glaring omission that, considering he’s not only a provincial representative from the North Shore, but also Quebec’s finance minister. More to the point, François Bonnardel, the CAQ Minister of Transport who is normally expected to be present for major announcements like these, wasn’t there. Considering that the ridings of Deux-Montagnes, Blainville and Mirabel are also all CAQ territory, something obviously wasn’t right.

Liberal/CAQ tension

So just what was the problem? It’s no secret that relations between Premier François Legault’s CAQ government in Quebec City and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in Ottawa haven’t been good. Especially since Trudeau voiced concerns over CAQ legislation such as the controversial Bill 21 that would curtail the display of religious symbols by public employees and officials.

While spokespersons for the CAQ government have suggested the provincial government’s conspicuous absence from last Monday’s announcement was simply due to the fact they’re not yet ready to proceed with the A-19 project, federal Infrastructure Minister Champagne found himself between a rock and hard place trying to keep a straight face while explaining to reporters what was otherwise obvious.

Waiting for Quebec

“All that’s remaining is our partners in Quebec to move forward,” he told journalists. “From what I understand, all that’s left is a few technical details to finalize before moving forward.” When a TV reporter got straight to the point that the CAQ transport minister was “shining in his absence,” Champagne could only restate the Liberal government’s commitment.

At one point, it became evident that Champagne hadn’t perhaps fully seized the magnitude of the foot-dragging that has surrounded the A-19 project up to now.

“I’m told there have been 20 announcements before,” he acknowledged. “But this is my first, and to my knowledge the first made by the federal government for this project. And what we’re announcing today isn’t just an intention: it’s a confirmation of the commitment of the Treasury Board to move forward.”

Some background

The A-19 extension project, which would extend the autoroute from the A-440 to the A-640, has been in the planning stages for nearly five decades.

During that time, it has become a very convenient political football tossed back and forth between parties from election to election – without very much decisive action ever being taken.

In the meantime, the greater Montreal region’s urban sprawl has steadily crept northward, while the resulting traffic on the highway grid leading north is now reaching crisis proportions.

(NSN) The Town of Rosemère is proud to announce the second edition of the Rosemère en Arts event, which will take place on June 1-2, on the grounds of the Recreation Department and the Sainte-Françoise-Cabrini church.

With more than 50 local artists, including several from Rosemère, this artistic event is the ideal opportunity for residents to broaden their horizons, while taking part in the many interactive activities offered.

Invitation from mayor

“In our community, our values and country-style identity are rooted in culture,” says Mayor Eric Westram. “I am therefore inviting all Rosemerites to take part in this activity, which brings together both youngsters and grown-ups alike, and I’m looking forward to a large turnout among you all. I would also like to warmly congratulate the Rosemère Artists Gathering (RAR), which is so expertly organizing this cultural event.’

Managed by RAR

To encourage this major biennial event, the Town of Rosemère is pleased to provide financial support of $10,000, as well as the loan of equipment and personnel for the technical aspects of the event. This event is fully managed by the Rosemère Artists Gathering (RAR).

“We are inviting all art lovers to come and meet the artists who will be on hand,” commented RAR Director Caroline Foley. “In addition to really impressing you, their works of art will amaze you and carry you off on travels around the world. Discover art in all its forms.”

Planned events

Rosemère en Arts will take place on Saturday June 1 and Sunday June 2, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Young collectors are invited to visit La petite galerie, where they can purchase a signed canvas that they will have taken the time to choose for themselves.

A silent auction will also be held in the library’s atrium. Don’t miss it! Participants will have a chance to win a painting by our guest artist, Madone Simard. For more information on the schedule and exhibitors: www.leregroupementdesartistesderosemere.com