Martin C. Barry

Women and children living away from their usual homes this holiday season will have gifts to open on Christmas morning thanks to donations received during the 11^th annual Holiday Open House of Gift Giving for Women’s Shelters at Memorial Community Centre in Rosemère on Sunday Nov. 24.

The event is being held for the benefit of 11 women’s shelters in the Laval and North Shore regions, including La Citad’Elle de Lachute, La Traverse, Maison Le Mitan, L’Ombre-Elle, La Maison d’Ariane, Maison de Lina, Maison L’Esther, La Maison le Prélude, La Passe-R-Elle des Hautes Laurentides, Regard En Elle and Regroup’Elles.

Give generously

Directors of the shelters will be present to answer any questions as well as to share with visitors and donors how this event, over the years, has touched the lives of the many women and their children who go to the shelters. The organizers are asking once again for generous support to help make the event successful.

They are asking for gifts for the women and children, including monetary donations, raffle table articles and toys. All proceeds will be distributed among the shelters. Thanks to the donations, the women and children in the shelters will be able to enjoy the magic of the holiday season. The organizers look forward to seeing everyone, while also inviting supporters to share the invitation with friends and family.

Gift items needed

Throughout the day, friends and supporters from all over Montreal will be stopping by to drop off new gift items, including clothing, toys, books, care essentials, bath products makeup and giftcards, while chatting for a while with the staff and shelter directors.

Maria Larosa, a Rosemère resident, held the first few Holiday Open House of Gift Giving for Women’s Shelters events at her home before deciding two years ago to make it a larger event at the town’s community centre. The organizing committee is made up of women from Rosemère, Sainte-Thérèse, Laval and many other communities in the Montreal region.

Eleven shelters helped

The effort allows the women’s shelters to hold Christmastime events and to provide gifts to the families who happen to be there during the holidays. The assistance comes at a time when many families are feeling pressure more than at other times of the year.

This is the 11th year in a row that the Valora Association committee has hosted this much-anticipated community tradition, which continues to grow from year to year. In 2018, they collected over 1,100 gifts and $12,000 to help empower women to overcome domestic violence.

(NSN) In the year ahead, the Town of Rosemère plans to take measures to renaturalize the Les Roitelets woods located on its territory.

According to the town, all of the ash trees in the woodland on rue des Roitelets straddling Autoroute 640 have unfortunately died or have been severely weakened by the emerald ash borer.

‘Ecological crisis’

“The emerald ash borer represents a major ecological crisis for the Town of Rosemère and, indeed, the rest of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM),” town officials said in a statement issued last week.

Since severe tree damage causes a risk to public safety, they say they will have to cut down all the ash trees in the Les Roitelets woodland.

Renaturalizing the space

The area is currently composed almost exclusively of ash trees and buckthorn (an invasive exotic shrub that is threatening Rosemère’s natural ecosystems), which makes it a woodland of low ecological value, according to the town.

As a result, Rosemère says it is seizing the opportunity to renaturalize the space in a way that increases biodiversity. “Rosemère cares deeply for the natural environment, and trees and shrubs are a key part of that,” says the town.

‘All necessary measures’

The Town of Rosemère says that it will therefore take all necessary measures in 2020 to reforest and revitalize this green space.

To this end, Les Roitelets woodland will be replanted as a flowering meadow to encourage the presence of pollinators, such as bees and monarch butterflies.

Moreover, the town says planting of trees in the meadow will ensure a return to woodland status in the long term and maintain a high quality in the tree canopy.

Martin C. Barry

Officials with the Town of Rosemère are contemplating their next move following the closing over the past summer of the Tylee Marsh boardwalk, a popular nature attraction along the Rivière des Mille Îles waterfront which has been shut for safety reasons.

According to Rosemère mayor Eric Westram, areas of the boardwalk’s wooden platform have been initially assessed as unstable, although the town’s public works department hasn’t yet determined exactly what the problem is.

Unsure of problem

“We’re not sure whether it’s the structure itself,” he said in an interview with the North Shore News. “We’re having an engineer check it. It could be that we need to replace it totally. The whole structure is in bad shape.”

According to Westram, the boardwalk is slated to remain closed at least until next summer. He explained what the town plans to do until then. “We’re waiting for the engineer’s report,” he said.

Environment ministry

“If he tells us that it’s just a few things to repair here and there, then it will go quick. But if we need to replace it all then we’ll have to go back to the environment minister, because everything we do where there are ponds and marshes we have to have their authorization.”

The boardwalk through the Tylee Marsh was a project completed by the Town of Rosemère around 13 years ago. Located on Grande Côte Rd. behind the Memorial Community Centre, the boardwalk takes strollers out through the dense Tylee Marsh straddling the Mille Îles River.

Has been getting worse

It is a highly unique attraction that draws not only local residents, but also people from all over the Montreal region eager to experience a river marsh up close. “Was it built wrongly?” Westram asked. “We don’t know at this point. Was there something wrong with the pylons? All we know for sure is that it’s been in bad shape for years.”

Although the boardwalk is officially closed off, some people have been spotted jumping over the barrier and going out over the marsh on the structure anyway. Westram pointed out that the Quebec environment ministry’s mandate to protect wetlands and marshes (with rules that have become stricter in recent years) could make efforts to restore the boardwalk more complex.

Safety warnings posted

While the mayor said he was unaware of any incidents, he noted that an initial inspection revealed that parts of the structure have come loose and are moving and that the conclusion was that part or all of the structure might not be stable.

“That’s why we put signs to tell people that it’s dangerous, but some people are still using it,” he added. All the same, Westram said the town is committed to restoring the Tylee Marsh boardwalk no matter what. “We will fix it or rebuild it – that’s for sure,” said Westram. “We’re still waiting to see what needs to be done.”

(NSN) On October 19, the traditional annual Volunteers’ Gala was held in Rosemère to pay tribute to the commitment and dedication of the many Rosemère volunteers.

More than 320 people attended the evening event, which took place at the Externat Sacré-Cœur school. This year’s theme was ‘Once upon a time.’

Storybook time

For the occasion, the guests dressed up as storybook characters, in beautiful costumes. There were many different characters and plenty of originality.

“If Rosemère is such an attractive and welcoming town with such a vibrant community life, it is thanks to the involvement and devotion of outstanding people — our volunteers,” said Mayor Eric Westram.

They were rewarded

“Whether it is in the field of sports, culture, crafts or community life, these people make the dreams of many youngsters and adults come true. They well deserve a special tribute for their commitment.”

The town has more than 500 volunteers working with approximately 45 organizations. Town officials took the opportunity to present a simulated cheque made out for the symbolic amount of $500,000. The amount represents the town’s involvement with its community organizations.

(NSN) Rosemerites came out on Oct. 18 to march for healthy lifestyle habits at Rosemère’s first annual ‘La Grande Marche’ event, supported by the Grand défi Pierre Lavoie.

Colourful clothing

More than 350 people attended the community event, which followed the same path as Rosemère en santé. Walkers wore their most colourful clothing and fluorescent glasses to brighten up the festivities.

Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram said he was delighted by the tremendous public response to this first event. “I’m thrilled to see how excited residents are to be part of La Grande Marche,” he said.

Fitness popular

“The great turnout shows how interested you are in the activities put on by the town and how important you feel it is to promote a healthy lifestyle and make Rosemère an active community.”

Over the course of the same weekend, more than 100 other towns and cities across Quebec held their own versions of La Grande Marche. The total number of participants province-wide was close to 75,000.

Martin C. Barry

More than 50 members and supporters of Rosemère Volunteer Services along with their guests gathered at Memorial Community Centre on Grande Côte Road in Rosemère around noon on Oct. 25 to celebrate a noteworthy milestone.

Marking a half-century

It was the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the RVS Gift Shop, which helps raise funds for worthy causes in Rosemère. The shop, which is located at Memorial Community Centre, was founded on Oct. 28, 1969.

The shop was originally the initiative of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Victorian Order of Nurses (V.O.N.) Mille-Îles branch, which had been established during the 1950s.

When the V.O.N. disbanded in Quebec in 1973, the women involved at the time decided to continue their efforts and form a new group which they named Rosemère Volunteer Services.

Many volunteers over time

In 1975, Rosemère Volunteer Services was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization. They have had numerous volunteers over the years and many different types of services have been offered during that time.

However, today many of those services are no longer needed as they are fulfilled by government agencies. But the RVS Gift Shop remains and its mission is also the same: funds raised are donated to local charities and two scholarships are provided to high school students to help them further their education.

RVS archives donated

Befitting an occasion marking a half-century of service to the public, the RVS board decided that as a commemorative gesture they would donate the RVS archives to the Société d’histoire et de généalogie des Mille-Îles.

The archives illustrate all the hard work done by the many RVS volunteers over the last five decades. “The donation is sure to ensure their preservation for future generations,” said Rosemère Volunteer Services president Gloria Kuhr. Gilles Charron and Kathy Nolan, president and vice-president respectively of the Société d’histoire et de généalogie des Mille-Îles, accepted a file box representing the contents of the RVS archives.

History booklet planned

“As we prepared our archives for this donation, it came to our attention that we were fortunate to have on hand most of the documents dating back to 1969,” said Kuhr. “This being the case, it was suggested that a complete history of the Rosemère Volunteer Services could be documented in the form of a short booklet.”

Although the RVS’s main archives documents are available, Kuhr said they felt certain that there might be more out there in members’ personal archives, such as photos, newspaper clippings, notes, etc. For example, a scrapbook of newspaper clippings was given to RVS recently by Alice Wallace, for which Kuhr expressed thanks.

RVS history docs needed

She said that if anyone else has any documents or photos pertaining to RVS history that they would like to donate, to please let the RVS board know. “This will greatly help should we decide to go ahead with the short history booklet project,” Kuhr added.

Among the guests at the 50^th anniversary luncheon was Rosemère mayor Eric Westram, town councillor Philip Panet-Raymond, Fondation Rosemère president Andrée Guilbeault and Jessy Turcot of Turcot Olivier Optometrists who is vice-president of the foundation.

Mayor Westram speaks

“In Rosemère volunteers are the heart of the community’s life,” Mayor Westram said in an address. “The Rosemère Volunteer Services Gift Shop is truly a valuable asset for our community.

“Every year the RVS Shop donates part of the proceeds from the sale of its gift items to Entraide de Rosemère and the Fondation Rosemère organizations which are here with us today,” the mayor continued. “Entraide de Rosemère helps the needy and the Fondation de Rosemère comes to the aid of the elderly.”

Martin C. Barry

After commissioning a consultant’s report last June on the state of Rosemère’s three anti-flood dikes along the Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, Rosemère town council reported during the Oct. 15 council meeting that a final report will be tabled in February.

Three flood dikes

The dikes are located along Belleville St. in eastern Rosemère, around the centre of the town on Skelton St. and in the west near the Exo commuter railway line.

“The mandate was granted with the goal of evaluating the security of the dikes and to furnish us with recommendations and possibly with stabilization work to be done if necessary,” said Councillor René Villeneuve who is responsible for the dossier.

While suggesting that council has been receiving initial information from the consultant in bits and pieces, Villeneuve said they would be providing residents with more conclusive information as soon as it becomes available.

Flood protections sought

On the other hand, regarding another mandate that was granted to analyze sectors of the town not protected against spring flooding from the Rivière des Mille Îles, Villeneuve said experts will be guiding town officials as they seek ways to protect built-up and natural areas vulnerable to flooding.

“This analysis will allow the town to put into place an intervention and management scenario,” he said. “As well, protective measures will be suggested taking into account legal considerations and environmental impacts.” He said the above actions should take around four months to complete and the town should have a final report at the end of February 2020.

Permits needed from Ministry

“Once we have received the first orientation of that mandate, we will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to obtain the authorizations necessary in order to revise the protection measures because we must ask permission from the Ministry of the Environment.”

In closing, Villeneuve said he wanted to point out that the Town of Rosemère was able to obtain a subsidy from the federal government’s Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund covering 80 per cent of the future work likely to be recommended for the town’s current dike network.

Report on public security

Reporting on the state of public security in Rosemère, Councillor Philip Panet-Raymond said a public security plan has been updated to take into account natural disasters which could happen in the future. The plan was modeled on an example provided by the Quebec Public Security Ministry, he added.

“This plan allows us to respect regulations for procedures to follow for security alerts and mobilization and the means to take to protect security of people and property in case of disasters, while encouraging reflection on the risks of disaster on the territory of our municipality in order to take into account concerns in the context of preparation for disasters,” he said.

High mark from Ministry

Panet-Raymond said the town’s civil security plan aims for continuing improvement, as well as the development of a civil security framework centred on the well-being of the municipality. He noted that following the plan’s update by town personnel, the Quebec Ministry of Public Security gave the new plan a 92 per cent grading.

“This should be reassuring to us all,” he said. “The town is giving to itself the mission of maintaining up to date its plan to keep abreast with new regulations regarding civil security, to work in concert with its front-line operational partners, that is the firefighters and the police, and to maintain a constant contact with the Ministry of Public Security.”

(NSN) On October 8, the Town of Rosemère and students from Externat Sacré-Cœur, in collaboration with biologists Michel Leboeuf and Réjean Dumas, the Société d’horticulture et d’écologie de Rosemère (SHER) and a number of adult volunteers, planted over 300 trees and shrubs to finalize the revitalization of a Town-owned portion of the woods surrounding Sacré-Cœur Externat.

Fighting global warming

“As climate and environmental change are fundamental issues, we are proud to promote initiatives to fight global warming, while involving our community and our youth,” said Mayor Eric Westram.

“In planting these trees today, we adults are starting to bring an air of change to our environmental habits; however, it is the young people who are taking over and are the important players in this process.

An educational activity

“In addition to being positive for the environment, this planting project is an educational activity that will give Secondary 1 and 2 students the opportunity to improve their knowledge of horticulture,” he added.

On June 8, the first part of the project was carried out: 285 trees and shrubs were planted at that time. The Town of Rosemère announced that a total of 625 trees and shrubs will be planted by next spring to revitalize the Sacré-Cœur woods. They are expected to increase in size by 50% in this way so as to improve local biodiversity.