Martin C. Barry

The Feb. 10 sitting of Rosemère town council saw the return of two town residents who repeated some allegations they previously made about a wetland located in Blainville they claim is endangered.

Problem not in Rosemère

It was not first time Benoit Beauchamp and Anick Plouffe of Grande Côte Rd. appealed to Rosemère mayor Eric Westram to intervene, although the mayor reminded them, as he had previously, that the matter doesn’t concern Rosemère since the wetland in question is located in Blainville.
“There seem to be people who want to destroy that wetland,” said Beauchamp, noting that the wetland in question, which is located above a former dumping site, acts as a natural filter that benefits surrounding communities such as Rosemère, but that it is under threat because of landfilling he alleges is still taking place.

Federal and provincial

“The land you’re talking about is not on Rosemère’s territory,” said Westram, adding that he had previously counselled Beauchamp to get assistance on the matter from officials at higher levels of government such as the federal and provincial.
The mayor dismissed Beauchamp’s claims that the fate of the Blainville wetland could cause springtime flooding to be more extreme in Rosemère. The problem appears to be that as a former dump, the site’s eligibility for ecological protection isn’t clear under regulations of the Quebec Environment Ministry.

Has been to court

The status and use of the site, which is owned by a Blainville streetcleaning business, has also been the subject of court cases brought forward by Beauchamp and which got as far as the Supreme Court of Canada in recent years.
“I can take you on your word, but I cannot allow myself to say that my citizens could be in danger because of landfilling,” added the mayor.
During the regular business portion of the agenda, town council tabled a notice of motion of its intention to pass a $907,000 loan by-law probably next month to pay for the upgrade and repair of the bicycle path north of Autoroute 640, while also repairing part of the Bouthillier footbridge.

Recycling questions

Also during question period, longtime Rosemère resident Wendy Gurd questioned the mayor over the state of the town’s recycling services, given the negative news that has surfaced about the City of Montreal’s failing recycling system.
She wondered particularly about recyclables such as glass being broken in recycling bins and contaminating other recyclables. Mayor Westram pointed out that unlike many other recycling materials sorting centres, Rosemère and other members of the MRC do business with Tricentris which, he said, has specific contracts for recycled glass.

Under control, says mayor

“Unlike other triage centres, which unfortunately are undergoing certain difficulties, we are involved with a pilot project through which we will be able to maybe find solutions do deal with these types of problems,” he continued.
According to Councillor René Villeneuve, the provincial government’s new bottle and glass container policy should cover the situation in the next two years.
“In the meantime, they’re going to make a type of depot in different municipalities as pilot projects. For that matter, Rosemère will be offering to implement a small depot for deposit-refundable glass containers such as wine bottles.”

Martin C. Barry

A tree clearcutting op conducted in the City of Deux-Montagnes for the construction of an overpass along du Lac Boulevard by REM train line builder CDPQ Infra left Mayor Denis Martin with no choice but to explain during the February city council that Deux-Montagnes has no control over what the developer does here.

No permit needed

As the mayor explained during the sparsely-attended Feb. 13 meeting, Deux-Montagnes and other municipalities located along the REM line lost all rights to enforce local by-laws for offenses such as illegal tree cutting when the Quebec government passed a decree several years back granting CDPQ Infra legal immunity while it builds the REM.
“The City of Deux-Montagnes was informed of this cut,” said the mayor. “The REM has no need to ask permission nor any need for a permit from the City of Deux-Montagnes. Law 137 excuses them.” In all, a total of 78 trees were cut in the vicinity of the future Grand-Moulin REM station.

Trees ‘in conflict’ with REM

In a letter to the City of Deux-Montagnes, a representative of the REM developer said the trees to be cut “were in conflict” with future structures to be used in conjunction with the station and the REM train line.
“I would like to assure you that our team is careful to make clear to citizens that the REM is not subject to municipal regulations and that permits are deposited with cities for informational purposes only,” a REM official said in a statement read out by Mayor Martin.
“Perhaps this message is misunderstood by citizens who think that cities must authorize permits or can object. We wish to assure you that we are also clarifying things on this point.”

Boisé-Roger-Lemoine

As a consequence of all this, CDPQ Infra has agreed to hold a meeting with residents on Feb. 24, where the company pledges to improve communications. In the meantime, according to the mayor, some major work on REM development in Deux-Montagnes will only be taking place around the main Deux-Montagnes REM station on Deux-Montagnes Blvd. in 2021 at the earliest.
All the same, the mayor said the city remains particularly concerned about the work to be done there, as it will take place near the Réserve naturelle du Boisé-Roger-Lemoine.

‘Few if any powers’

“We are little bit skeptical as to how they are going to be able to work around that area,” said the mayor, adding that the city will be seeking explanations to this during the Feb. 24 meeting. “And again, we may have few if any powers, but we have to speak with them so that they come to understand our territory.”
In other developments during the meeting, a notice of motion was tabled indicating that council intends to modify the by-law governing remuneration of the elected officials so that the mayor’s salary increases to $83,000 per year (from the current $74,000 that he’s paid).

New hire at Public Works

With the workload apparently increasing at the city’s public works director, council formalized the hiring of a new associate-director at public works to assist current director Jean. B. Fayomi.
The new hire’s name is Gabriel Persechino. As per the standard municipal hiring practices, he is on probation for the next six months until council confirms the hiring as permanent.
During question period, Troy Ewenson, formerly of the Deux-Montagnes Softball Association, got up to the microphone to challenge the city’s decision to implement steep increases to user fees for softball players who are non-residents. Under the new structure, $100 is added to the $50 fee for non-residents for the 2020 softball season.

Non-resident ball fees rise

The mayor explained that some neighbouring municipalities such as Saint-Eustache have been charging at least $125 fee to Deux-Montagnes residents to play in Saint-Eustache. As well, he said Saint-Eustache levies many other fees to non-residents for use of their facilities. He said a similar system is in place in the municipalities of Pointe-Calumet, Saint-Joseph and others.
Ewenson replied, “You’re asking a kid that was paying $50 to play $150 to play softball? And they’re not playing $150 to play softball, they’re paying $50 and then going to hand over a cheque to the city for $50. That doesn’t make any sense at all, sir. This is not reasonable.”

(NSN) Get ready for the 10^th edition of the Winter Carnival organized by the Deux-Montagnes Lions Club, a much anticipated event for young and old alike.

What better time to move around and gather together with neighbours or family to enjoy winter activities? This event will take place on January 25^th from 11 am to 4 pm at Olympia Park, located at 1005 Guy Street in Deux-Montagnes.

Come for the fun

Young and old will not want to miss this outdoor event. All activities are free and there will be horse and buggy rides, skating, toboggan slides and children’s games with prizes.

The Lions volunteers will serve free hot beverages, tasty soup, hot dogs and their famous chilli that will keep you warm during these winter activities. Maple taffy on snow will also be available for all to enjoy. Appreciate a beautiful day outdoors in Deux-Montagnes.

A family tradition

The City of Deux-Montagnes is very pleased to partner with the Lions, by promoting this event which has become over the years a traditional winter activity for the families of Deux-Montagnes.

The organizing committee and the president of the Deux-Montagnes Lions Club, Florindo Stabile, said they would like to thank the administration of the City of Deux-Montagnes for their support of this event.

So the invitation is made: Come play outside. They are waiting for you to show up in large numbers on Jan. 25 at Olympia Park.

(NSN) Mayor Eric Westram has announced that Rosemère’s Winter Carnival will be held on Saturday, February 8 from 10 am – 3 p.m. at Charbonneau Park.

This traditional family event that everyone looks forward to each year is the ideal place to get together and make the most of the joys of winter with family and friends.

Fun for the family

“Our Winter Carnival is a must for all Rosemerites,” Westram said. “With its festive, family atmosphere, this event is sure to please the whole family. Our team has worked hard to offer you a variety of activities. On February 8, come celebrate winter at Charbonneau Park. I hope to see a large turnout.”

As every year, there will be a full range of activities: sleigh rides, inflatable games, snow sculptures and more. Come enjoy the famous taffy on snow and keep toasty with warm-up exercises to music offered by Cardio Plein Air at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Skating and sledding

Residents are also invited to bring their sleds and skates to take advantage of the giant slide and outdoor rink on site. As well, the 49^th Lorraine-Rosemère scout troop will be on hand to offer participants a few inexpensive refreshments.

It should be noted that the event will take place rain or shine, with the exception of heavy rain. In there is any doubt, residents will be able to listen to the Recreation Department’s voice message the same day, at 450 621-3500, extension 7380, or by consulting the town’s website and Facebook page.

Martin C. Barry

The City of Deux-Montagnes is undertaking perhaps the largest reorganization its fire department has ever undergone with an announcement that the city’s staff of part-time firefighters is about to be replaced by a smaller staff of full-timers.

Risk coverage

The news was officially revealed by Mayor Denis Martin at the Jan. 16 city council meeting. According to a resolution read out by Councillor Micheline Groulx-Stabile, the fire department, which also serves Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, is obliged to conform to a provincial law which establishes norms for fire prevention and risk coverage.

According to the resolution, the Ministry of Public Security has indicated by decree to the city that the Deux-Montagnes/Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac Fire Department is not respecting its governance obligations related to emergency interventions.

Labour negotiations

As well, a collective agreement with the department’s current staff of firefighters expired on Dec. 31 2018, and the City of Deux-Montagnes made provisions in its 2020 budget measures to deal with the situation.

As such, a plan by the city, tentatively coming into effect next Sept. 14, will create 16 full-time firefighter positions and six part-time positions to replace the 40 part-time firefighters currently staffing the department, the whole to be negotiated with firefighters’ union representatives.

Change of structure

“This is an important change of structure we are undertaking to meet the norms we are being asked to conform to by the government,” the mayor said during the meeting, providing some background for the decision.

According to the mayor, bringing the fire department up to the standards demanded by the Public Security Ministry will end up costing Deux-Montagnes $300,000 more annually. But at the same time, he admitted that running the fire department as it is now had become increasingly hard.

Accepting recommendations

“Having those 40 part-time positions is difficult when they’re on call,” he said. “It’s harder than ever to get personnel and to have them available when needed. So in order to assure the security of our residents, we decided to move forward with what was being proposed by the government and we will carry out the negotiations keeping this in mind.”

On the brighter side, the city’s chief legal clerk, Jacques Robichaud, noted that conforming to the provincial norms will have the advantage of reducing the City of Deux-Montagnes’ liability should it ever be sued for negligence following a fire that was responded to by the Deux-Montagnes/Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac Fire Dept.

Trois-Rivière was sued

“Just as an example, the City of Trois-Rivières, over the course of the year 2019, was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages as a result of having neglected to respect the number of firefighters who were required to respond to a fire,” said Robichaud. “So it is not a trivial thing when it comes to the consequences of not respecting the fire risk requirements.”

In an interview following the council meeting, the mayor told North Shore News the proposed structural change will mean four firefighters will be on duty at all times seven days a week.

Keeping costs down

“It was causing problems in terms of the firefighters’ availability,” he said regarding the part-time system, although he acknowledged the low cost meant Deux-Montagnes had until now been operating one of the most cost-efficient fire departments in the region.

However, he noted that cooperative agreements between North Shore municipalities for sharing fire services will also be instrumental to help keep costs down. But in order to comply with those agreements, the Deux-Montagnes/Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac Fire Dept. will need to respect the provincial fire risk norms.

(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.”