All of the candidates of mayor Eric Westram’s Innovaction plus team were elected
“I will be the mayor of ALL Rosemerites”
It was about 9pm on Sunday night that the results of the municipal elections started rolling in at the Rosemère curling club where incumbent mayor Eric Westram’s Innovaction plus team and supporters gathered to await them. Right from the beginning, as soon as the first polling station out of the 54 in Rosemère reported it was clear that Westram would hold a solid lead.
The final results came down to a win for Eric Westram who got a 54% of the vote compared to Pierre-André Geoffrion who got 44,6 %. All of the candidates of his team were also all elected, some with sizeable majorities like counselor Philip Panet-Raymond that won with a 655-vote difference.
Among the biggest priorities of his second term are the city budget and the distribution of portfolios to the different councilors according to Mr. Westram. “Our great advantage is our thirst for constant and effective communication with our citizens” emphasized the reelected mayor adding that nothing can move forward and get resolved without proper communication, adding that this is an area where his team has invested a lot and will continue to do so with even more vigor.
“Our councilors will be close to the people they represent, and all of them know their areas very well” added the mayor.
Philip Panet-Raymond joined the interview adding that the Golf course is also a very big priority for the team. Rosemère needs to take care of its aging population which hemorrhages to other cities. “As soon some of our residents grow older, they sell their houses and move out of town. We need to address this by developing a variety of solutions from halfway housing to full-fledged residences for the elderly and whenever the road opens, the golf course is a place where we can do that” said Pane-Raymond. At the same time Mayor Westram emphasized that a minimum of 50% of the golf course will stay green whenever the city acquires it.
Starting November 2, a new vaccination clinic will open in Saint-Eustache. The Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) des Laurentides is providing the population with an additional site where they can get vaccinated.
The new site will be located at 450, boulevard Arthur-Sauvé in Saint-Eustache.
“It was crucial for us to offer local service to the Deux-Montagnes MRC population. It will also be possible to get the flu vaccination, with an appointment, at the same location. Simply ask our vaccination teams,” said Ms. Rosemonde Landry, President and Executive Director of the CISSS des Laurentides. A shuttle service is available on demand for people with restricted mobility or without the means to reach our vaccination sites.
There are multiple ways to get vaccinated in the Laurentians, with or without an appointment in one of our vaccination sites, by using the NotifVax app, or in one of our mobile vaccination units. For more details, visit santelaurentides.gouv.qc.ca.
The flu vaccine
It is highly recommended that people most at risk of developing complications get vaccinated each year in order to protect themselves. For these people, vaccination is the best protection against the flu and its complications. Vaccination allows the body to make antibodies to fight the flu. However, studies have shown that the number of antibodies may decrease in the year after vaccination. This decrease particularly affects older adults and people with a weakened immune system. In addition, viruses that cause flu constantly change. The composition of flu vaccines is reviewed annually in order to include the virus strains most likely to be in circulation during the flu season. The Flu vaccine is safe and cannot transmit flu or other illnesses. In fact, it contains part of the viruses or viruses that are killed or too weak to reproduce and cause the flu. In Canada and at the World Health Organization (WHO), there are several vaccination surveillances programs. These programs ensure, among other things, the quality of vaccines offered. Among these is the Québec surveillance program, ‘Effets secondaires possiblement reliés à l’immunisation’ (ESPRI). This program was established in 1990 by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. The flu vaccine does not make COVID-19 symptoms worse if you get infected.
Effectiveness of the flu vaccine
The flu vaccine generally takes 2 weeks before being fully effective. It does not offer 100% protection against the flu. The vaccine prevents the flu in about 40 to 60% of healthy people when the strains of viruses it contains correspond to strains circulating. The protection offered by the vaccine may vary from person to person, but it lasts at least 6 months. The vaccine protects only against the strains of the flu virus it contains. It does not protect against other respiratory infections such as the cold or COVID-19. For people aged 75 and over and those with chronic illnesses, the vaccine especially helps reduce the risks of complications from the flu, hospitalisation and death.
10,000 signatures to demand from the Quebec Ministry of Transport the redevelopment of the intersection of Autoroute 640 and 25e Avenue in Saint-Eustache
10,000 signatures to demand from the Quebec Ministry of Transport the redevelopment of the intersection of Autoroute 640 and 25e Avenue in Saint-Eustache
The City of Saint-Eustache released the results of a petition demanding from the Quebec Ministry of Transport (MTQ) the redevelopment of the crossroads of highway 640 and 25th Avenue in Saint-Eustache.
This petition, launched by the City of Saint-Eustache last September, thus gathered the signatures of nearly 10,000 road users frequenting this busy sector, who thus informed the MTQ of their exasperation at the endemic congestion that is rampant in this strategic crossroads. Citizens who wished could also dial 511 and assert their demands in the face of the crossroads redevelopment file, which has dragged on for more than a decade.
“It seems that citizen pressure is already bearing some fruit, since after months of silence, the City has finally received a summons from the MTQ to a meeting, in order to discuss the elements likely to unblock this file, which is moreover entirely under provincial jurisdiction, I would like to point out. I congratulate the citizens who took the trouble to join their efforts with ours,” recalled the mayor of Saint-Eustache, Mr. Pierre Charron. The topics addressed at this meeting, the results of a traffic study by the MTQ, the results should be known in June, the installation of a traffic light at the intersection of 25th Avenue and rue Dubois, immediately upstream of the problematic crossroads, in anticipation of which the City of Saint-Eustache has already carried out the preparatory work.
But the heart of the discussion will focus on the need to review the complete configuration of the intersection, taking into account that it constitutes a route widely used by motorists coming from or heading to neighboring cities in full expansion. “As Highway 13 ends near Saint-Eustache and Boisbriand, motorists wanting to head towards certain sectors of Mirabel, which, it should be noted, have experienced a demographic explosion over the past decade, have no choice but to pass through the A-640/25th junction Avenue. This intolerably congests the sector, causes delays and pollution, harms the competitiveness of the region, not to mention the impacts on the quality of life “, said Pierre Charron, who added: ” Any temporary solution, synchronization of lights, development of a ramp, will undoubtedly alleviate the problem of congestion somewhat in the short term. But we must see further. Short term, these mitigation measures cannot be anything other than a bandage on an open wound, given the urban development which is increasing in the region more quickly than anywhere else in Quebec. The redevelopment of the 25th Avenue intersection and the extension of Autoroute 13 are required. The productivity of the whole region depends on it ”.
from left to right :
Erik Johnson, City Councillor, district du Lac
Michel Mendes, City Councillor, district du Coteau
Dave Byers, Treasurer of the Lion’s Club of Deux-Montagnes
Florindo Stabile, President of the Lion’s Club of Deux-Montagnes,
Denis Martin, Mayor of Deux-Montagnes
Micheline Groulx Stabile, City Councillor, district of Olympia,
Pascale Dupuis, Director of the Culture and Library
On October 27th, the Library of Deux-Montagnes has received a grant of $ 1500 offered by the Lion’s Club of Deux-Montagnes to expand its collection of large print books and audio-books.
Since 1980, the Lion’s Club contributes to these collections in French and English mainly for people with visual handicap. Through this annual financial aid, the library members have a good variety of books of all kinds. These collections are available to the subscribers during the opening hours of the Library.
The Lion’s club also recently held the first weekend of October its book fair which was very successful, even though theywe were operating under Covid restrictions. The Club was only allowed 50 people at the hall at one time, which sum included the workers, when in the past they were running the book fair with up to 15 volunteers and Lions club members.
According to the club, the community was very appreciative of their efforts, and even though they only collected books for 3 months, the donations were coming in at a great rate, which allowed the club to end up with over 15000 books.
The club had many requests to have the bookfair on a semi-annual basis, and currently they are looking into the possibility of having a pre-summer edition in May.
NSN reached out to Mayor Westram to comment on the Rosemère Vert’s press release and the Government’s response
The citizen group Rosemère Green, a group of volunteer citizens who are involved in ensuring the preservation of green spaces in urban areas, and the Coalition of Golf Courses in Transition (CTGT) welcomed the unfavorable notice of the Government of Quebec towards the request of the City of Rosemère to change the use of the site of the old golf course in a press release sent to local media on October 21st 2021. More specifically, the notice blocks the modification of the Land Use Planning and Development Plan (Schéma d’aménagement et de développement/SAD) referred to in draft by-law (PR) 21-02[1] of the MRC de Thérèse-De Blainville.
In the press release Rosemère Vert announced that it obtained the preliminary notice of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) following an access to information request and decided to make it public. “If this by-law had been adopted before the elections, it would have modified the MRC’s SAD and would have changed the land use of the site of the former Rosemère golf course so that it transitioned into a “Residential in a landscaped environment”. This change was requested by the City of Rosemère in order to open the door to a residential development on the site of the old golf course. The process of modifying the SAD was therefore interrupted and no modification of the latter will take place before the elections.” says Rosemère Vert
In its notice sent to the MRC on the draft Regulation, the Government of Quebec concludes that the MRC’s request to modify the SAD does not comply with government guidelines for land use planning (OGAT). Twelve departments and bodies concerned with land use planning, the Quebec Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks have conveyed their concerns regarding the draft Regulation.
According to Lucie Tremblay of Rosemère Vert, “the government’s conclusions are in line with what we have been reiterating for several months and that the elected officials of Rosemère and the MRC have always refused to hear. The needs as well as the impacts of the development of the site of the old golf course have not been assessed. The unfavorable opinion of the Government of Quebec shows that they did not do their homework and acted quickly to change the use of the site of the old golf course, just before the elections”.
Following this unfavorable opinion, Rosemère Vert and the CTGT ask the government of Quebec to immediately decree a moratorium on changes in the use of golf courses, to make legislative changes to the Expropriation Act and to put sums available to cities to facilitate the purchase of old golf courses to ensure the protection of these green spaces.
NSN reached out to Mayor Westram to comment on the Rosemère Vert’s press release and the Government’s response.
According to the mayor, from the outset, it is important to stress that the comments of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) in its letter of September 16 concern the draft by-law as a whole and this includes in particular Place Rosemère as well as the file of the old golf course. Thus, the comments are not specifically aimed at the golf course.
He also noted that his administration has been developing the urban vision since 2018 with and for the citizens. This vision identified major challenges, including those of commercial vitality on boulevard Labelle – the regional hub of Place Rosemère – the mobility of people on the 117 and on Grande-Cote and the planning of the land use in the old golf course area. This urban vision developed with citizens requires approvals from supra-local MRC, CMM and MAMH authorities. This is a normal and regular process when a municipality revises its urban plan.
Thus, in January 2021, the City made representations to the MRC and the CMM in order to assert the will of the Rosemère people regarding a mix of uses at Place Rosemère and in terms of the protection of a minimum of 50% of the old golf course. The Rosemère community wishes to maintain a density comparable to neighboring areas, which goes against the standards set by the CMM. The Mayor also said that already a 12% of the course has already been developed by the previous administration in 2016.
It is also at the regional hub of Place Rosemère that a higher density is planned. By the same token, this is where the majority of travel would be generated. The MRC and the CMM have given their agreement in principle to the request for a change of assignment and the government of Quebec made its comments in its letter of September 16, which mainly concerns the mobility of people.
“There are no surprises in the opinion of the MAMH. Our preliminary urban plan also identifies the issue of the mobility of people as a priority. We are going to work with the Government of Quebec in order to assert the will of the citizens in this normal and regular process. In short, as I have always said, my commitment is that citizens have the last word.” concluded Mayor Westram.
Sainte-Thérèse awards nine scholarships to support young emerging athletes
As part of the Athlete Support Policy, the City of Sainte-Thérèse is awarding $ 2,400 in scholarships to nine Therese women and Emerging Teresians. Through their resilience and perseverance, these young people have stood out and made their city and their sport shine.
Here are the nine athletes who received a support grant: Alexis Cousineau (tennis), Léa Cousineau (tennis), Matilde Desharnais-Guenole (athletics), Arielle Garant (athletics), Cédrik Laberge (hockey), Laurent Plamondon (judo), Jules Rolland (diving), Colin Saint ‑ Pierre ‑ Ménard (fencing), May-Anne Seney (softball).
“We are proud to continue to support and encourage Teresian youth, especially when we think about the challenges of the past few months. These young athletes are models of surpassing oneself. The next generation deserves not only our support, but also our admiration. Our congratulations to the recipients! », said Sylvie Surprenant, mayor of Sainte-Thérèse.
Citizens are invited by the city to like the achievements of the recipients by going to the Town of Sainte-Thérèse’s Facebook page, where a photo album has been created in their honor.
Starting November 2 in Boisbriand, ASTERIA will travel from one week to the next in each of the towns of the MRC, and will end on December 19 in Rosemère.
The MRC de Thérèse-De Blainville and the Table Action Culture are launching ASTERIA
The MRC de Thérèse-De Blainville In close collaboration with its partner and regional broadcaster Odyscène and following the recommendation of the Table Action Culture (TAC), has launched a new cultural project: ASTERIA.
ASTERIA is an immersive musical journey in virtual reality that plunges the viewer into the world of several singer-songwriters from the Quebec scene, namely Vincent Vallières, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Daniel Bélanger, Alexandra Strélinski and Fouki.
“It is an experience which allows the VR voyager to discover the musical works of the artists in an unprecedented way, by a spatialized surround sound environment which envelops a dynamic and modern visual which mix turning in 360 degrees and creation of universe in 3D animation”, declared the prefect of the MRC de Thérèse-De Blainville, Mr. Richard Perreault.
For its part, Odyscène, in collaboration with the MRC de Thérèse-De Blainville, once again offers a cultural experience open to the community by promoting accessibility to the performing arts. “ASTERIA is an innovative way of presenting song and music, paired for the occasion with technology. I invite the public to take part in this extraordinary musical virtual reality experience,” mentioned Odyscène President Mélissa Poirier.
Genesis of the project
Odyscene presented the ASTERIA project to the TAC in the fall of 2020. It immediately aroused great interest from each of the seven towns of the MRC who wished to participate. However, due to the context of the pandemic, the TAC deemed it more appropriate to postpone the activity until the fall of 2021 and mandated Odyscène to carry out the project. The MRC is proud to invest to allow citizens to enjoy this activity free of charge.
ASTERIA is part of the guidelines of the 2nd generation cultural policy of the MRC adopted in 2021. In this regard, ASTERIA is banking on the strong potential of new technologies to improve citizens’ access to culture, creativity and innovation to increase and diversify the local and regional cultural offer. In addition, ASTERIA is a relevant project to promote citizens’ access to culture in the context of a pandemic.
Programming
Starting November 2 in Boisbriand, ASTERIA will travel from one week to the next in each of the towns of the MRC, and will end on December 19 in Rosemère.
The current issue of The North Shore News volume 17-45 published November 5th, 2021. Covering North Shore local news, politics, sports and other newsworthy events. (Click HERE to read the paper.)
Front page of The North Shore News, November 5th, 2021 issue.
Operation Santa Claus Helps Wrap Up the Holidays for Deployed Members of the Canadian Armed Forces
Operation Santa Claus Helps Wrap Up the Holidays for Deployed Members of the Canadian Armed Forces
The Tigre Géant stores of Sainte-Thérèse and Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac as well as the brand new store in Saint-Eustache are joining their sister stores all over Canada in supporting Operation Santa Claus in partnership with the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) to help deliver care packages to over 2,500 members of the Canadian Armed Forces deployed in Canada and across the world who are unable to be with their families for the holiday season.
Giant Tiger Stores across Canada are running a national fundraising campaign to assist with the purchase of the care package items. Beginning October 25th until Thursday, Nov. 11, customers can donate to Operation Santa Claus at their local Giant Tiger store by rounding up their purchase or donating $2 at checkout.
“Giant Tiger has proudly supported Operation Santa Claus since 2014, and we are thrilled to be a part of this important program again this year,” said Cindy-Lynn Steele, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Marketing, Giant Tiger Stores Limited. “Operation Santa Claus helps to bring a little bit of home to those who can’t be with their families this holiday season. We are honoured to help our communities come together to bring these special gifts to the deployed members of the Canadian Forces.”
Operation Santa Claus began in 1992 when a group of Montreal women sent holiday packages to their spouses serving on peacekeeping missions. The packages consisted of cards and greetings from family and friends from all across Canada. In addition, donated items from local businesses were obtained and included with the gifts. Within a short time, the program had expanded across Canada. To date, Operation Santa Claus has sent over 50,000 care packages worldwide, which has been made possible by the generosity of Canadians. Each box is carefully packaged with the comforts of home such as cozy basics, delicious treats, and self-care products, among other items to help spread holiday cheer.
“Despite the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, Giant Tiger has been a steadfast supporter of our military community. Giant Tiger continues to champion the well-being of our women and men in uniform, and their families, in a myriad of ways by supporting initiatives across Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS). It is in great thanks to this partnership that we can continue to deliver necessary support for our troops,” said Commodore (Retired) Sean Cantelon, CEO, CFMWS.
Since 2014, Giant Tiger has played an integral role in the success of Operation Santa Claus, contributing over $550,000 in product to help fill the packages to over 19,500 members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Operation Santa Claus is available at all Giant Tiger locations across Canada and online.
About Giant Tiger:
Giant Tiger, the leading Canadian-owned family discount store, is on a mission to make every dollar matter and is committed to providing on-trend family fashion, groceries, and everyday household needs. The privately held company has over 260 locations across Canada and proudly employs over 10,000 members of Team Tiger. All Giant Tiger locations are locally owned or operated by a team member who knows the community.
Two citizens appointed to the Order of Saint-Eustache
As part of the twelfth edition of the Order of Saint-Eustache, on October 20, the City of Saint-Eustache paid tribute to two deserving citizens at the Center d’art La petite Église. Thus, Mrs. Ginette Dépatie and Mr. André Roy received the highest honorary distinction awarded by the City to its citizens. The event took place in the presence of the mayor, city councilor Nicole Carignan-Lefebvre, members of the jury and recipients who were accompanied, for the occasion, by their respective guests.
The mayor, Mr. Pierre Charron, addressed the audience: “We have the honor to highlight the commitment of an exceptional woman and man, whose actions, gestures and the achievements reflect on our entire community. What makes the beauty, the richness and the strength of a community is being able to count such inspiring people in its ranks. Ms. Dépatie and Mr. Roy, each in their own way, are among our best ambassadors and we can easily recognize them as visionaries, leaders, but also people deeply rooted in their community ”.
In fact, Ms. Dépatie has been involved with young mothers who have been in a vulnerable situation for 40 years now, through the Center Marie Eve. In addition to her role as a facilitator, she sees to the recruitment and training of volunteers, while sitting on consultation tables in the community. In addition, she participates in the establishment of branches of the Center Marie Eve in other cities of the Lower Laurentians.
Mr. Roy, meanwhile, helped promote the athletes of Saint-Eustache and the region for half a century as director of sports pages, then director of public relations for the weeklies L’Éveil and La Concorde. He was interested in both amateur and professional athletes, wielding the pen as well as the camera. Over the years, he has also involved himself in many charitable causes close to his heart.
For these nominations, a jury made up of former recipients and honorary members from different backgrounds was responsible for analyzing all the nominations received within the framework of the Order of Saint-Eustache, according to the established criteria. The 2021 jury was made up of Ms. Marion H. Gérard, President, Ms. Hélène Levasseur-Trudelle and Carole Héroux as well as MM. Antonio Lavigne and Michel Rousseau. The judges were accompanied by Ms. Nicole Carignan-Lefebvre, President of the Communications and Citizen Relations Commission.
“It was in 2006 that the members of the municipal council decided to establish this recognition, so that it could be registered over time. Since then, twelve editions of the Order of Saint-Eustache have been held, in the framework of which thirty-five people have been named Grandes Citoyennes ou Grands Citoyens de Saint-Eustache. We are really happy to have been able to pay a lasting tribute to these distinguished citizens, ”recalled Ms. Carignan-Lefebvre.
