Martin C. Barry

In spite of demands by some Deux-Montagnes residents impacted by the impending closure of Exo train service that the city should support a moratorium on further REM train development, Mayor Denis Martin says Deux-Montagnes will be asking instead for the pace of work to be accelerated.

The Réseau de transport métropolitain’s Exo commuter train service between Deux-Montagnes and Montreal is slated to be closed in two stages — from Central Station into Du Ruisseau station from 2020 to 2022, and from Bois Franc to Deux-Montagnes stations between 2022 and 2023.

Transit chaos anticipated

Although the Quebec government has announced a $192-million plan for shuttle buses that will take most of the affected riders from the Bois Franc train station to the Côte-Vertu Metro station, there is widespread concern there will be chaos beginning in the new year when the current train service ends.

“The position of the city regarding a moratorium – I spoke with the people and the organization behind this – we think that it’s not the best of ideas,” Mayor Martin said in a statement at the beginning of the Oct. 10 city council meeting. “What we would prefer is an acceleration of the work rather than a moratorium.”

‘No’ to REM moratorium

According to the mayor, he and city officials discussed various points the residents raised, which he said were “interesting all the same,” while adding that a petition demanding the moratorium was signed by at least 300 people.

He said the position of the City of Deux-Montagnes, along with the MRC de Deux-Montagnes, the MRC Thérèse-De Blainville and the City of Laval is that they should work together to convince CDPQ Infra to shorten the length of time it takes to complete the REM project. “We are working on that particular point and we are hoping that we will get results,” he said.

In an interview following the council meeting, the mayor said, “Some people are asking for a moratorium and we’re not really in agreement with that. We don’t want to give them (CDPQ Infra) a chance to delay the work.

‘Need to move ahead,’ says mayor

“The mitigations that were announced are still a work in progress: as we’re moving along we’re still at work and still applying pressure for them to improve those measures,” he continued. “I don’t think that a moratorium will help. We really need to move ahead on that project – that’s the city’s position.”

Regarding what is probably the second-most pressing current issue in Deux-Montagnes – construction of the new anti-flood dike along the waterfront – the City of Deux-Montagnes says on its web site that it has been removing the temporary dike since mid-August and has permission from Quebec to make adjustments to the original dike project.

The dike route that was first approved and presented to lakeshore residents goes from 9^th Avenue to 13^th Avenue then onto Lakebreeze St. Although the route remains unchanged, the height of the dike is being raised to 25.71 metres (the originally-proposed height was 25.42 metres).

Flood dike progress report

As well, interlocked sheet piling is being added to prevent quicksand from developing. According to the city, these panels, forming steel curtains sunk into the ground, will provide more strength and much greater resistance to leakage.

The city says that following the major spring floods along Lake of Two Mountains earlier this year – and particularly the devastating impact they had in neighbouring Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac – engineers responsible for Quebec government dikes and dams developed a series of recommendations. The adjustments to the Deux-Montagnes dike are based on these findings.

The City of Deux-Montagnes maintains that the new dike will be completed and operational by the end of 2019 as planned. However, some finishing touches for esthetic purposes will be completed later on, they add. Various forms of public access to the waterfront are being planned and will be developed beginning in the spring.

‘Dangerous’ sidewalk

During public question period, Keith Pattenden of 12^th Ave. complained to the mayor that a group of workers who altered a section of sidewalk on Du Lac Blvd. just west of 13^th Ave. more than a month ago made it dangerous in the process.

As he uses the sidewalk twice a day every day all year, Pattenden said he found the change dangerous. “I think you probably will have some lawsuits if people fall down in the winter,” he said, because the sidewalk will be difficult to clear of snow the way it is now.

Mayor Martin said that he and other city officials, including Councillor Manon Robitaille who is responsible for Pattenden’s district, would be going to take an up-close-look at the section of sidewalk and determine whether action will have to be taken.

Martin C. Barry

On Oct. 10, Rosemerite Audrey-Maude Bouffard was honoured by town officials for saving a man’s life this past summer while she and her family were on vacation in Ontario.

A ceremony, attended by more than 30 family members and guests, took place in the atrium of the Rosemère municipal library, with family and friends in attendance.

Courage in a crisis

During the summer on July 21, the 17-year-old was getting ready to leave the beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park in Ontario, where she was visiting with other members of her family.

That’s when they heard cries of distress coming from the lake. Without hesitating, Audrey-Maude sprinted toward the beach where, with the help of several other people, she pulled a man ashore and proceeded to administer CPR. After about three minutes, he started to breathe again.

Showed character, mayor said

During the ceremony, Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram expressed his unreserved admiration for the young woman’s heroic conduct. “Audrey-Maude Bouffard saved a man’s life,” he told the gathering.

“She showed tremendous character and courage in a situation that may have otherwise been fatal. We are fortunate to have someone like her living in Rosemère. Her courage and perseverance are an inspiration for us all. We congratulate her on this act of bravery, which is richly deserving of our praise.”

National Assembly Medal

The ceremony included a number of touching tributes as well as the presentation of an honorary plaque to Audrey-Maude. She also received the Medal of the National Assembly from Éric Girard, MNA for Groulx, in recognition of her heroism, which was presented by one of Girard’s constituency office attachés.

In addition, Audrey-Maude took part in a time-honoured tradition, signing Rosemère’s Golden Book to immortalize this extraordinary act in the annals of the town’s history.

Martin C. Barry

Canadian National engine No. 6710, one of the first and last “boxcab electric” locomotives to serve on the Montreal-Deux Montagnes commuter rail line from 1918 to 1995, will be moved by the end of this month to a new location on Oka Rd., after being on display for decades outside Deux Montagnes’s main commuter train station.

CDPQ Infra to pay

According to Deux-Montagnes mayor Denis Martin, an agreement between the city and CDPQ Infra when the company expropriated the Deux-Montagnes train station to build the new REM train terminal stipulated that the historic CN engine would be moved to a new location at CDPQ Infra’s expense.

“Because it’s part of our history, a decision was taken to bring it to a good spot at the entrance to the city,” said the mayor, noting the location just on the edge of the Mille-Îles River is more picturesque and more people will see the engine.

A permanent spot for the unit with a section of closed railway track has already been set up in a green space with a parking area on the south side of Oka Rd. across from the public library. “I don’t exactly know what date, but we should have it moved there by the end of the month,” said Mayor Martin.

City to pay for painting

While CDPQ Infra is paying for the relocation as well as for installing the trackage to place the engine on, the City of Deux-Montagnes will be footing the bill to repaint and refurbish the outer appearance of the electric locomotive, he added.

As well, according to the mayor, the city plans to put up a sign or plaque of some sort with information on the history of the engine and its significance in Deux-Montagnes. He said the city plans to obtain a tourism promotion subsidy from the MRC Deux-Montagnes to pay for the refurbishment and paint job.

“The painting will probably be done only in the early spring,” he continued. “We’re not going to do it at this time of year. There’s a lot of traffic on Oka Rd., so a lot of people will see it at the entrance to Deux-Montagnes.

‘Preserve history,’ says mayor

“And the way we’ve been looking at it, it does not block anybody’s view so it’s a good spot and we’re happy to keep it,” he added. “If we weren’t doing this, we wouldn’t know what to do with it. We think it’s important to preserve history like this. There’s even parking there, so it was the perfect spot.”

According to an online encyclopaedia source, CN engine No. 6710 is one of six “boxcab electric” locomotive units that were built by General Electric for the now defunct Canadian Northern Railway in 1917.

CNoR built the Mount Royal Tunnel, carrying rail traffic up the line to Deux-Montagnes. When the Canadian Northern Railway went out of business, it was merged in 1923 into the Canadian National Railway.

The first and the last

According to the online source, engine No. 6710 was the first of the series of locomotives to inaugurate the Mount Royal Tunnel in 1918, and was the last of its kind to arrive at Central Station in Montreal on June 2, 1995 when it was retired from service.

Of the four remaining boxcab electric units, one (No. 6711, which is said to have pulled the last train along with No. 6710) is preserved at Exporail in Delson, Quebec). Another (No. 6714) is preserved at the Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor, Connecticut U.S.A. No. 6715 is preserved at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. And, of course, No. 6710 is in Deux-Montagnes where it is the property of the city.

(NSN) Town of Rosemère officials say they would like to thank the 147 donors who took part in the Rosemère town council’s blood drive on Sept. 27 at Place Rosemère.

At that time, a total of 120 bags of blood were collected during the course of the day. Once the various components are separated in the lab, that will mean over 480 units that will be sent to Quebec’s public hospitals to save as many lives.

“My councillors and I were thrilled by these amazing results, especially when we realized how many products will be made from the donated blood,” said Rosemère Mayor Eric Westram.

All the donors thanked

“This act of kindness by 147 donors will help save many lives, and I thank them for it. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Héma-Québec’s staff and volunteers who were on site, as well as Place Rosemère, which year after year makes space available at the mall for us to hold the event.”

According to Héma-Québec, it takes 1,000 blood donations every day to keep Quebec’s blood supply at optimal levels. One donation can save as many as four lives. Donors can give blood as frequently as every 56 days, or six times a year. To learn more: www.hema-quebec.qc.ca.

Martin C. Barry

Persons in need of wheelchairs and walkers, eyeglasses as well as large-print books will be well served in the North Shore region in the coming year thanks to thousands of dollars in sales last weekend at the Deux-Montagnes Lions Club’s annual Giant Book Fair.

Books for everyone

Held at Veterans Hall in Deux-Montagnes on Oct. 4, Oct. 5 and Oct. 6, the popular fundraising event proved to be as successful as ever. Hundreds of book lovers explored tables heavily loaded with an amazingly diverse assortment of volumes for everyone’s reading delight.

“It’s gone very well this year,” said fair co-organizer Nancy Rupnik, noting that the event was scheduled three weeks earlier than usual because of the coming federal election.

“But I think we’re going to probably keep it like this,” she added, “because the weather is nicer and it doesn’t conflict with the pre-Christmas bazaars taking place this time of year.”

Books for a long winter

Autumn is a time when everyone seems to want to get out before winter sets in and makes it more difficult to get around. It’s also a period when a lot of people buy books for the months ahead when they’re at home during the winter feeling a need for comfort and warmth.

As such, it was an opportunity for anyone with an interest in books to stock up on their favorite reads.

The book sale usually raises $10,000 to $15,000 for the Lions’ local philanthropic activities, which include support for the Deux-Montagnes Canada Day celebrations as well as service projects that involve the visually-impaired.

Helping North Shore causes

The money is usually 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.

In all, there were more than 30,000 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 reading.

Among the many volunteers helping were a group of students from Lake of Two Mountains High School taking part in a leadership development program. LTMHS grade seven student Jaida Wilkins was one of them.

LTMHS volunteers helped

While the others had put in their time and seemed to have left when the North Shore News dropped by on Saturday, Wilkins saw fit to stay behind. “I just wanted to help out and I like doing things like this,” she said.

Rhonda Gibson, a teacher at LTMHS who helps oversee the student leadership program, said this wasn’t the first year they helped out at the Deux-Montagnes Lions Book Fair. “We do this every year as part of the student leader program,” she said. “It’s part of getting the teens to become involved in their communities.”

(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.