(NSN) The Moisson Laurentides food bank has announced that it has received a $100,000 donation from the Stablex company as part of a recent Moisson Laurentides fundraising campaign.

The food bank says the donation will help Moisson Laurentides develop and build a new and larger distribution centre that will be better adapted to new realities.

Part of the community

“Stablex was already a valuable partner for Moisson Laurentides and we are very proud they are supporting our major financing campaign,” said Moisson Laurentides executive-director Annie Bélanger.

“For more than 35 years, Stablex, a pioneer in the Blainville industrial park, has been actively taking part in regional community activities,” said Stablex executive-director Michel Perron. “We are proud to be able to contribute to Moisson Laurentides’ work combating hunger while nourishing hope,” he added.

Martin C. Barry

Recent modifications to the Town of Rosemère’s regulations stipulating dates when winter car shelters can be put up and taken down motivated two town residents to complain during the Jan. 13 town council meeting that they find the shelters unsightly and might just as soon not see them at all.

Shelter period extended

In a change made in December by Rosemère town council, by-law 801 was amended in order to allow “Tempo” winter car shelters, as well as shelters covering private sidewalks, to be kept up for about a month longer at the end of winter.

Whereas a previous version of the by-law required property owners to take down the shelters by April 1, the amended by-law will now allow them to remain up until May 1. The earliest date each year when the shelters can be put up is Nov. 1.

They disagreed

“The reason we came here is that we don’t agree,” said one of the residents, adding that they were concerned about some winter car shelter owners who don’t maintain their shelters properly and don’t always respect the deadline for removal.

According to Mayor Eric Westram, the town has been extending the deadline for removal for the past three years as the winter-time weather has lingered longer than usual, leaving ice behind and the shelters more difficult to remove.

“I think we postponed the deadline at least twice,” said Westram. Still, the woman’s spouse noted that even if the weather is good by the end of April, some people may still delay taking down their car shelters.

A form of pollution

“It’s a form of visual pollution, especially in certain neighbourhoods,” he said. “And now you’re going to extend it to the end of the month of April, so it’s certain that people are going to go to the end of April. Whereas the old way, you gave them permission on a case-by-case basis.”

The two residents maintained that after checking the rules in nearby municipalities, few except for Rosemère allow winter car shelters to be kept in place to the end of April. The exceptions are Saint-Eustache and the City of Laval.

They suggested Rosemère should change the date to remove the car shelters to April 15, as a compromise between March 31 and April 30.

No change in policy

In an interview with the North Shore News immediately after the council meeting, Mayor Westram said the town will be continuing with the extension to the end of April for at least another year or two in order to assess the impact.

“We’ve adopted this change and it’s with us for a year or two, and then we can look at it again,” he said. “Because obviously if the winters keep on going the way they have the last few years, I think it’s a good change we’ve made.

“People have a hard time removing the plastic on those shelters because remains stuck to it,” he added. “But if things change then we’ll adopt a new ruling when it becomes necessary.”

Marsh boardwalk repairs

In other business during the meeting, the mayor and councillors formally approved a $976,000 loan and expenditure to cover costs related to repairs to be carried out on the lengthy wooden boardwalk that crosses the Tylee Marsh.

As previously reported in the North Shore News, the footbridge was closed last summer after it became apparent the structure was deteriorating and had become potentially dangerous. Also during the meeting, the council approved a more than $3.5 million expenditure for the construction of a new chalet building along the riverbank at Charbonneau Park.

Bill 101 sign compliance

As an interesting aside, the town council’s Planning and Architectural Integration Committee gave its approval for a change to a commercial sign located above the Chaussures Yellow Shoes store at 390 Labelle Blvd.

According to town councillor Marie-Hélène Fortin who oversees the SPAI’s work, Quebec’s Office de Langue Française now requires businesses with English names to add descriptive information in French. As such, the Yellow logo above the Rosemère store must now also include the phrase “Depuis 1916.”

Martin C. Barry

The owner of an average single-family home in the City of Deux-Montagnes will pay 0.82 per cent more in property taxes next year, representing an increase of around $23 for a house worth $254,000, according to the 2020 budget tabled at Deux-Montagnes city hall last week.

Avg. $2,917 tax bill

A single-family house owner in Deux-Montagnes who paid $2,894 in property taxes in 2019 will be paying $2,917 in 2020, according to the new budget.

Mayor Denis Martin’s latest budget since first being elected in 2013 allots more than $25 million to pay for expenses next year, a four per cent increase over the previous year. There were $24.33 million in operating expenses and a 1.15 per cent tax increase last year.

Debt has been reduced

While the City of Deux-Montagnes’ long-term debt load was close to $50 million six years ago, a gradual debt repayment program undertaken by the current administration over the past five years has brought the total debt down to $35 million (or $22 million as carried by taxpayers), with debt financing costs reduced by 21 per cent.

According to the mayor, Deux-Montagnes’ debt-financing costs previously accounted for up to 25 per cent of the annual budget, which was one of highest debt servicing levels reached by any municipality in Quebec. Debt-financing now accounts for 16 per cent of Deux-Montagnes’ budget, which in turn is helping to keep taxes under control, said the mayor.

Among the lowest taxes

“This is probably the lowest tax increase in the Montreal area,” he said in an interview with the North Shore News. “Since most of the cities are between 1.5 and 2.5, we’re happy to have been able to offer this to our citizens.”

According to a statement issued by the city, this was the fifth consecutive year that tax increases in Deux-Montagnes came in below an inflation rate of 2 per cent.

This was achieved despite an increase in snow removal costs in Deux-Montagnes and elsewhere in Quebec during recent winters. A portion of the city’s annual expenses incurred but not reimbursed for construction of the new anti-flood dike was also an additional budgetary challenge, said the city.

Some 2020 budget highlights

• A three-year capital construction program sets aside more than $9 million for infrastructure investments in 2020, 70% of which will be funded through grants or city reserves.
• An investment of more than $1 million in Armitage Park (corner Oka Rd. and 26^th

Ave.), which will undergo a major transformation in the coming months. The park will be transformed into an intergenerational outdoor space offering attractions for the whole family.

• Deux-Montagnes Blvd. will be completely redone from the train station area further eastward.
• Renewal of wheeled equipment for the public works department, especially for snow removal and for the purchase of electric vehicles.
• A $500,000 investment to purchase blue wheeled bins to standardize those used in collecting recyclable materials throughout the city.

During the regular city council meeting after the budget was tabled, the mayor revealed that the City of Deux-Montagnes is planning to develop a new park, green space or outdoor facility, to be known as Place du Centenaire, in conjunction with the 100^th anniversary of Deux-Montagnes’ incorporation as a municipality in 2021.

Place du Centenaire

“It’s a project we’re looking into,” he said. “We’re having discussions with certain people so we’re not ready to announce it. But it’s in the works to have a beautiful park, an area where the citizens can be close to the water. We hope to be able to announce a project for this early in the spring.”

As well, the city is in the early stages of developing a plan for a subterranean containment basin to have better control of springtime flood waters. The location could be underneath playing fields in Central Park. The mayor said plans are being developed in conjunction with the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM).

(NSN) Mayor Eric Westram presented the 2020 budget estimates that were adopted by town council at a special meeting on Monday Dec. 16.

“Since taking office, we have focused on consultation with our residents in order to clearly identify their needs, expectations and ability to pay,” said the mayor. “With our urbanistic vision taking shape from day to day, the next two years will make it possible to develop the Rosemère of tomorrow in a way that respects our community.”

Budget highlights

An operating budget of $32,226,400; introduction of a new tax for infrastructure consolidation; protection of areas that are sensitive to climate change; improvements to services for residents; implementation of a community life development plan; and a 50 per cent reduction in the use of the accumulated surplus to balance the budget ($350,000), equivalent to 1.5 per cent of municipal tax.

The operating budget is slightly higher (by 1.8 per cent) compared to 2019. With the CPI in Québec at 2.3 per cent, the Westram administration said that “rigorous management of public funds remains a constant priority.”

An enviable tax bill

The 2020 budget provides for a 2.1 per cent adjustment, on average, to the general residential property tax (including the rates of service charges). By adding the new tax for infrastructure consolidation ($0.0043), validated by residents during a public consultation, the new tax rate will come to 0.5452 per $100 of assessment.

Consequently, for the average house in Rosemère, the infrastructure consolidation tax represents an adjustment of approximately $18, while in total, the fluctuation will be $76. For the non-residential sector, the rate of taxation for general property tax will be set at $1.7452 per $100 of assessment.

Non-residential impact

The impact for the non-residential sector is different for each business, depending on the variation in values on the property assessment roll. It should be noted that there is no transfer of the tax burden between the residential and non-residential sectors.

According to town officials, Rosemère is maintaining an enviable regional position. In 2018, the owners of an average Rosemère home paid 9 per cent less property tax, while benefiting from a 30 per cent higher value of their property. Moreover, the Town of Rosemère is 50 per cent less in debt.

Infrastructure investments

“Our financial management policy is to ensure that Rosemerites continue to pay less tax and obtain more value for their home than elsewhere,” added Westram.

The budget will make it possible to invest approximately $11.3 million, in 2020, in the well-being of the community. Here are the main investments: infrastructure consolidation plan; Charbonneau Park pavilion and development; and emergency measures equipment. Details of the 2020 budget may be found on the Town’s website: www.ville.rosemere.qc.ca.

Martin C. Barry

Grande Côte Road in Rosemère was aglow with the magic of the Christmas season on the evening of Friday Dec. 6 as hundreds of residents – including many families with children – came out to take part in the town’s annual Christmas Torchlight Walk.

The colorful procession was the beginning a weekend-long schedule of Christmas events sponsored by the Town of Rosemère along with a few local businesses.

Torchlit Way

In keeping with tradition, torches were handed out to cheerful revelers in the train station parking lot for the torchlight parade to Memorial Community Centre.

Among the local elected officials who braved the chilly air to take part were Rosemère mayor Eric Westram, as well as councillors René Villeneuve, Hélène Akzam, Philip Panet-Raymond and Melissa Monk.

The walkers were accompanied by a float featuring Santa Claus and the Snow Queen from the Frozen movie. All paraded along Grande-Côte to the Community Centre where music, dancing and entertainment continued until 9 p.m.

Christmas Market

The Torch Walk was followed by a Christmas Market at the community centre, where dozens of crafts workers presented their locally-made products. The festivities were organized in partnership with Place Rosemère, the Aile des gens d’affaires de Rosemère and Jeunesse Action Rosemère.

Other activities for the rest of the weekend included a concert by the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Rosemère (OSJR), a concert by the Rosemère Big Band, a performance on Saturday afternoon at Sainte-Françoise-Cabrini Church by the Petit Chœur de Rosemère, and a performance on Sunday at the church by the Chœur Classique des Basses-Laurentides.

Martin C. Barry

What would a book revolving largely around the occasionally confused lives of some suburban teens during the early 1980s in a town eerily similar to Rosemère be without a reference to Subdivisions, that soaring 1982 hit by Canadian rockers Rush?

The progressive band stated just about all there was to say about teen alienation and the social stratification that has always been taken as the norm by those leading a suburban existence.

As it happens, Rosemère expatriate Mark Paterson pays homage to Rush in the acknowledgements published at the end of his most recent collection of short fiction, Dreamers and Misfits of Montclair.

The book was published by Toronto-based Exile Editions, led by Barry Callaghan, a towering figure in the Canadian fiction publishing business.

“The words and music of Rush have inspired, comforted, and kept me company since I first heard them when I was twelve,” says Paterson. “With the works of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart at hand, this dreamer/misfit was never truly so alone.”

Rosemère as Montclair

Paterson, who now lives just beyond the Rosemère town limits in neighboring Lorraine where he earns a living as a writer and translator, grew up in Rosemère. The town becomes Montclair in his fiction. (The name of the fictional municipality references Montclair St. in Rosemère, according to Paterson.)

But in case anyone missed it, Paterson makes sure everybody understands what town on Montreal’s North Shore he is actually alluding to: the art work on the book’s cover features a building that is unmistakably Rosemère town hall.

According to Paterson, the title of Dreamers and Misfits of Montclair was in fact inspired by lines from Rush’s Subdivision song: Nowhere is the dreamer/Or the misfit so alone.

Suburban nostalgia

“It talks about how the city becomes like an attraction for people from the suburbs,” he said, interpreting the song’s meaning. “But then there are people who also kind of migrate to the city and end up feeling nostalgic for the suburbs.”

That might just as well describe at least part of the path Mark Paterson has taken through life up to now. Attracted by the advantages and perks of living in Montreal nearly 35 kilometres southward, he moved to west end Montreal at age 18 while pursuing history studies at McGill University.

In the end, though, Paterson found himself being lured back to the suburbs. “What I was trying to do was write a book about the dreamers and the misfits and the suburbs, and the people who kind of try to make their lives a little bit remarkable while they’re living in the suburbs,” he said.

Rosemère as inspiration

If a few longtime Rosemèrites are wondering whether they might have ended up serving as inspiration for some of Paterson’s fiction, it wouldn’t be surprising since he did get around the town quite a bit. If anything, his parents demonstrated a great fondness for living in Rosemère.

“We lived in a lot of different houses in Rosemère to tell you the truth,” he said. “I think I lived across the street from a lot of people. I think we lived in six or seven different houses.”

Among the people he got to know when they were a lot younger was Rosemère town councillor Melissa Monk. “Melissa and I went to school together all our lives. We grew up together. We went to McCaig Elementary together and Rosemère High.”

Although Paterson insists that his book is mostly fiction, he acknowledged that at least the first chapter, about a teenager who walks the main street of Montclair while dressed in a gorilla suit, is very close to fact.

Mixing fact and fiction

“There’s a lot of autobiography in that first story with the gorilla costume,” he said. “You know, that’s something that I did do. And a lot of people when they saw the book and read that story, they said they remembered that gorilla costume.”

Still, many of the other stories betray the presence of a kind of dysfunction underlying life in the suburbs.

For example, the last piece concerns a teenage wino who has perfected an ability to con or steal bottles of his favourite alcoholic beverage from convenience stores.

It’s something that could be happening in any Canadian suburb. But in this case, the setting is the fictional Montclair, based on the non-fictional Rosemère.

Martin C. Barry

Grande-Côte Road is about to become the only street in Rosemère where motorists will be allowed to keep driving at 50 km/h for the time being – except in school zones – following speed limit changes approved last week by Rosemère town council.

40’s the new 50

According to an amendment to by-law 781 passed by the council members, the 50 km/h speed limit on Rosemère’s main arteries (Bouthillier Blvd., Montée Lesage, Grande Côte Rd., Montée Sanche and Roland Durand Blvd.) will be dropping to 40 km/h, except in school zones where it will be 30 km/h.

For now, Grande-Côte will be the exception. In addition to being one of Rosemère’s most travelled main streets, Quebec Route 344 passes along Grande-Côte Rd. As such, the town can’t change the speed limit without obtaining permission from the Quebec Ministry of Transport.

Following example

Until recently, Rosemère had only two speed limits: 30 km/h in school zones and on side streets, and 50 km/h on the main streets. The introduction of the new 40 km/h limit will bring Rosemère’s speed limits into conformity with those in surrounding municipalities.

“All the cities around us in the MRC changed their speed limits to 40 km/h a few years ago,” Mayor Eric Westram said in an interview last week with the North Shore News. “So we were asking ourselves why we’re still at 50?”

New speed warnings

For the streets where the speed limits can be changed immediately, implementation will still require the town to post signs indicating for the first 30 days that a new speed limit is being introduced.

Only after this will it officially take effect. “This would mean that basically the new speed limits will be enforced beginning in the first week of January,” Mayor Westram said.

In another change made by town council that could affect many residents of Rosemère, council amended by-law 801 in order to allow “Tempo” winter car shelters, as well as shelters covering private sidewalks, to be kept up for about a month longer at winter’s end.

‘Tempo’ shelter extension

Whereas a previous version of the by-law required property owners to take down the shelters by April 1, the amended by-law will now allow them to remain up until May 1. The earliest date each year when the shelters can be put up is Nov. 1.

“For the last four or five winters, winter has lasted a lot longer and people were not in a position to remove their shelters,” Mayor Westram explained. Although several times in recent years the town decreed one-week extensions to the normal deadline, the amended by-law formally puts into place a one-month extension to May 1.

More public consultations

During a portion of the meeting reserved for statements by town councillors, Councillor Philip Panet-Raymond said a question that has been asked constantly by many Rosemère residents since the 2017 election is: What will be happening to the Rosemère golf course?

With that in mind, the town has held several public consultations since the election to seek feedback from residents on the direction they feel Rosemère should be taking in terms of its long-term vision for urban planning.

Reconciling visions

As such, said Panet-Raymond, the town will be holding yet another consultation, with sessions taking place on Wednesday Feb. 19 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at the Externat Sacré Coeur, and on Saturday Feb. 22 from 9 am to noon in the same venue.

The focus will be on two fairly distinct axes: firstly Grande Côte Rd. in central Rosemère with its charming “village” atmosphere; and secondly the Place Rosemère commercial sector, Labelle Blvd. and the golf course area.

“The objective of these final public consultations is to reconcile the town’s vision with that of its citizens in order to finalize the urban development planned that will govern how we as a town address potential and pending changes,” he said.

Martin C. Barry

Although there was less anger in the voices of residents from Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac and other North Shore municipalities impacted by devastating floods last spring, lingering frustration was still heard during a public consultation on new flood zones held on Dec. 5 at Polyvalente Deux-Montagnes.

One flooded-out Sainte-Marthe home owner, Jean-Guy Leprohon, spoke for many when he rattled off a long list of complaints. “The banks won’t lend us money,” he said.

Deeper sense of loss

“We who have lost everything, we’ve lost not just material belongings. We have lost our homes and we aren’t receiving any assistance to be able to rebuild.”

Others at the meeting recounted how last spring’s ordeal led some flood-beleaguered home owners to commit suicide. “I have two neighbours who took their own lives,” said Alain Dominique also of Sainte-Marthe.

In the aftermath of last spring’s flooding – which was preceded by almost-equally devastating floods along the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles and Lake of Two Mountains in 2017 – the provincial  government drastically redrew the region’s maps for flood-zones.

Special Intervention Zone

As well, the provincial government imposed a temporary Special Intervention Zone (ZIS) in flooded areas, where property development is suspended in the aftermath of the floods.

As a result, many property owners are affected by restrictions in the special zone. These are stopping renovations and construction, while also impacting the insurability of buildings and insurance rates.

“What we want from all this is that the security of people and property is better protected in the future,” said Stéphane Bouchard, director general for urban planning, territorial management and housing with the Municipal Affairs Ministry, who was chairing the meeting.

Preventive measures

“It’s not normal that every year or in a regular manner there are hundreds of people finding themselves in situations which are difficult to deal with,” he continued. “We are trying to do things in a better way by using more preventive measures.”

While François Robillard, a municipal councillor from Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac got up to the microphone, the town’s mayor, Sonia Paulus, did not attend the meeting.

(The floods made their greatest impact in Sainte-Marthe, where a dike broke all at once and two-thirds of the town was submerged at one point.)

A time of uncertainty

“I would hope that you become aware of the uncertainty that the residents of Sainte-Marthe have been living in since the beginning of this drama,” Robillard said, noting there are several layers of flood zone regulations under several different jurisdictions, including the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

Benoit Ferland, city manager for the City of Deux-Montagnes, questioned what he said was the consultation committee’s tendency to refer to citizens and municipalities as though they are separate entities.

Unresolved issues

“It’s worth noting that municipalities have received good answers,” said Ferland. “But you cannot give answers to citizens if the answers are vague. I am very happy that you refer people to the cities and we are very happy to answer. But there are still uncertainties.”

Sonia Fontaine, mayor of Pointe-Calumet which also suffered from flood damage, agreed with Ferland that the level of post-flood communication between the provincial government, the municipalities and citizens isn’t good. “The truth is that people are confused,” she said. “They don’t know who to approach, they are mixed up, worried and insecure.”