by ·Comments Off on Municipal Council Meeting – Chateauguay – October 15th, 2018

Who needs the summer warmth, when you can sit in on some heated discussions at the local council meeting in Chateauguay. The main topic that is on everybody’s mind right now is the upcoming legalization of marijuana in Canada. The prime minister is leaving the details up to each province to decide how to proceed. Quebec is taking a firm stance and holding in the reigns, while the city of Montreal has decided to take a more liberal approach, whilst respecting the Quebec rules. The city of Chateauguay has proposed it’s own set of rules with a bylaw that would restrict where pot could be smoked. The proposed bylaw would have come into effect on the day of legalization, and included allowing the consummation of pot along the lengths of St-Jean-Baptiste and Boul. d’Anjou. However, a vote was called to remove St-Jean Baptiste and Boul. d’Anjou from the list of permissible locations. Doing so, along with Quebec’s own strict laws would mean that pot usage would be restricted to one’s own private residence. This doesn’t mean that smoking pot in Chateauguay will be illegal, it just means that it will go against the city bylaw, and therefore be susceptible to a ticket from police. (Much the same as drinking alcohol in public would be).

The council voted 7 in favour of striking those two permissible areas from the bylaw, and 1, plus the mayor, against removing those two streets from the allowable locations to smoke pot. Each Councillor was given a few minutes to give their opinion regarding this bylaw, and explain the reasoning behind their decision. District #1, Barry Doyle felt that if alcohol is not allowed to be consumed in public, then neither should pot. District #2, Michel Enault explained his concern for local businesses that would have to deal with the pot smoke lingering in the area. District 3 & 4 would like more information on what the impact would be if it were allowed. Marcel Deschamps in District #5 agreed to remove those two streets as well, without further comment. #6 Mike Gendron would like to wait a year to see what the impact is elsewhere. #7 agreed. District #8 François Le Borgne gave several examples of why we should have these two streets accessible to those who smoke pot. For safety reasons, it would be along regular police patrols, who can be there for assistance, if needed. These streets are well lit, not directly in front of businesses, or large amounts of people, and regular bus service is available on these two streets, since driving while high is never a good idea. The mayor agreed with this sentiment, and added that it would be good for the restaurants and bars to offer a place to smoke pot nearby. He also explained that this is no way like alcohol, you are not holding a bottle.

So it appears that as of Wednesday, October 17th, the new bylaw will go into effect, which will allow for smoking pot on your own property. It will not be permitted anywhere else, including parks, sporting events, pools, playgrounds, bus stops, cycle paths, commercial buildings, health institutions, schools, tents and other locations, according to the Quebec law that also goes into effect on the same day.

In other news, the city is looking to simplify the rules for those wishing to remove trees on their properties. The city plans on offering free permits, and giving the person 1 year to plant another tree, or face possible fines.

The “Welcome Tax” is going up for those who purchase a house valued at more than $500,000, which will now have to pay 3% of the value.

The city is requesting a loan of $1.3 million to replace the aging radio system used by the Chateauguay Police department. Currently they operate with an P16 radio system. The new radios will use a P25 ACPO system.

A zoning adjustment was requested for Zone (I-301) which is located on Industrial near Albert-Einstein. This will allow for businesses that deal with machine parts, paint, electronics and house building materials. A special meeting will be held on October 25th.

 

A zoning change on Haute-Riviere next to the Caisse Desjardins which will allow for a depanneur and gas station in Zone (C-732) to be built. Modifications to the street, adding an intersection on Rene-Levesque and preparing the surrounding land is also planned.

The Lang farm property, located behind the houses on St-Francis and Lang streets was initially approved for single family dwellings. The developer has requested a change of zoning to allow for multi-family attached houses. A meeting was held last week. We’ll learn more about what the next step is at the following council meeting.

 

Finances & Contracts:

  • The city has awarded a contract to “Les equipements d’arpentage Cansel Inc.” for the amount of $40,758.64 to provide new robotic survey equipment. (only bidder)
  • The city has awarded a contract to “Trois Diamants Auto (1987) ltee” from Mascouche for a new Pickup truck with flashing arrow (Dodge Ram 1500) valued at $47,275.84.
  • The group “Hydro Meteo” was awarded a new contract for the next two years, and a possible third year extension up until 2021, at a total of $40,000 per year for weather reporting and river evaluations. Councillor Marcel Deschamps brought up that this same company has already been offering this service with the city in the past, and this latest contract is 35% higher than the previous one. He also questioned the necessity of such a service, since other, free, options are available. When the mayor explained that this was to give the 714 homes that live in an area prone to flooding some piece of mind that their land values would remain stable, and solid information to fight the government if the need arose. M. Deschamps then brought up that he spoke with other communities and professionals, and none felt that home values were linked to having this type of paid weather reporting service. The mayor disagreed, however said he will look into the 35% increase this year. A vote was requested, and the result was 7 to 1 in favour of this contract.
  • The group “Equipements Plannord ltee” was awarded a contract of $162,459.68 for a new “snowcat” sidewalk snow remover. (Next lowest offer was $170,000).
  • The group “ECO Technologies ltee” was awarded a contract of $109,628,66 to lease the ice breaking “frog” (grenouille) and employee for the next 2 years, with possible extension until 2021. Breakdown of each year: $51,200 year one / $55,000 year two / $66,000 year three. After reading this, the mayor then considered the possibility that our town could probably buy our own “grenouille” and lease it out to others when we’re not using it.
  • The group “Les Couvreurs Dubuc Inc.” was awarded a contract to repair/replace the roof on the “C” wing of the Manoir d’Youville for a total of $77,435.66. According to council, a very reasonable sum, considering the amount of work needed. Some rooms in this wing were closed off due to several leaks from the roof.
  • “Nortrax Quebec Inc.” was awarded a contract of $218,894.59 to provide the city with backhoe equipment. Also, the same firm was awarded $179,677.18 for a new tractor loader. The old one will be moved to ile-St-Bernard when the new one arrives.
  • Renewal of the group purchasing power for several Quebec communities to purchase fuel and oil in large quantities for the next 3 years at the cost of approximately $650,000/year.
  • City cheque payments and other expenses from August 25th until September 21st amounted to $7,183,904.12
  • Expenses for the new Sportsplex amount to approximately $700,000, and revenue is supposed to be around $900,000.
  • The city deficit this year is $850,000 to date, but is expected to balance after a revised budget.
  • The city is looking to build a new website and has hired two firms to design a new look. “Pivot numerique inc.” for the amount of $11,382.53 and “Net2 Evolution inc”, for the amount of $24,029.78. Note that this is not for the graphic design or content, that will be another call for offers in the future.

Administration and Human Resources: 

  • M. Michel Reid from the public works, parks and recreation division will be retiring.
  • Mme. Josee Preville, administrative officer from the public works has been with the city since 1986 and will be retiring.
  • Mme. Colombe Drouin has been with the public works department since 2002 and will be retiring.
  • M. Mathieu Thibeault has received permanent status as purchaser of supplies.
  • City employee #103, who works in customer service was given a 1 day suspension, without pay, for not acting very service-like.
  • M. Jean-Martin Cote was nominated to head the tourism division at the Manoir d’Youville.
  • M. Alain Cote is taking over from councillor Michel Enault as representative of the municipal habitation committee.

 

Construction & Permits: 

Minor Changes:

  • A wall sign and detached sign at 299C d’Anjou Blvd. (Energie Cardio) (Approved)
  • A detached sign at 165 Maple (30 Minute Hit) (Approved)
  • A wall sign at 89 Principale (Approved)

Construction:

  • Allowing the construction of 4 semi-detached houses at 21 Martin street (Approved)
  • Allowing the construction of a new house at 38 Bouthillier (Approved)

Modifications

  • The placement of two parking spaces at 19-21 Desrochers Est (Approved)
  • The number of parking spaces at 16 Desparois (Approved)

The city has acquired a warehouse space in the industrial park, at the cost of approximately $17,000 per year for the next two years, to house the donated goods for the local Food Bank and the Rencontre Chateaugoise.

The Chateauguay Skating Club will receive a total of $1563.86 due to a clerical error and/or miscommunication. The city forgot to mention the 4% billing fees to this organization, so the city will cover those costs this year.

The RTM (exo) will be studying uses for the land adjacent to the public transportation parking lot.  Plans will include a customer service centre, offices, and 11 bus bays. The city is giving exo 1 year to complete this study.

The two first dog parks (Oliver Park and Alfred Dorais) will open officially to the public on October 27th, 2018. This coincides with the new city bylaw which allows dogs, that are on a leash, access to public parks in Chateauguay. (G-027-18).

Citizen Concerns:

Citizens had their chance to voice their concerns in regards to issues they’re experiencing in our city. One citizen requested that the city ban all outdoor fireplaces in the summer due to the smoke becoming a nuisance. The mayor said he would look into holding a meeting next spring to address these concerns. Another citizen reported that our city does not offer enough cultural events. This citizen also noted that our local monthly guide is lacking the proper information needed to contact her councillors.

That’s about it for the mayor topics discussed at this month’s town council meeting. I will continue to add more details and other topics discussed as more information becomes available. Thank you for visiting and I hope you found this information useful and informative.

Until next time!

 

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Several hot button topics were on the agenda this month at the local council meeting.

I’m going to start with the one that everyone I know has been talking about, and that’s the proposed land development in the Lang Farm orchard between St-Francis and Lang streets (Zones: H-627 and H-606). The owner of the land, and project developer, Mr. Leblanc had been permitted to build up to 12 single story single family houses, since the land was already zoned for such. However, new plans were drawn up, which would double the density up to 2 stories, and double the amount of houses up to 24. The first phase was supposed to be adopted tonight however it was postponed until the next meeting in October so that more residents in the area could be informed and have their opinions heard.

A new residential development project near the corner of Pascal and Industrial Blvd was presented to us. The zoning in this area would need to be changed due to the amount of houses requested, and the size and proportions of the land available. One such modification would be to have two parking spots side-by-side in the front of the house, since access to the rear would be too narrow for vehicles to pass. The minimum 40% green space and required tree planting would still be there, however the driveway would be located at the front steps of the house.

The proposed project is currently in a much larger zone (H-304) that includes parts of Albert-Einstein all the way up to Nobel. As not to change the zoning for the entire district, the city has proposed creating a new zone for this one project (H-341). This way homeowners in the current sector would not be able to automatically change their properties to build several houses on their same lot, or build closer to the edge of the property lines than previously permitted. Residents will have the opportunity to sign a registry if they do not agree with this project, and a referendum will be held if there is sufficient opposition.

The mayor has proposed to the council and residents, the idea to purchase and renovate the old Caisse Populaire building on Principale street. The current building was left abandoned when the previous owners moved to their new Siege Social building near the hospital. The building is up for sale for $550,000 and the mayor proposed that this would be a great place for a courthouse, council chambers, permits office, 311 information call centre and city projects office. The 3 steps required to complete this transaction would involve the approval (by majority) of the councillors, a building inspection within 30 days, and municipal affairs approval of the loan to purchase the building. A vote was held during the meeting and the proposal was turned down 7 councillors to 1. Somehow I don’t believe this is the last we’ve heard about this project, and perhaps it will be proposed again at a later date. Personally though, it doesn’t seem like that bad of an idea, in principle. The mayor explained that the current chambers located on d’Anjou Blvd cost the city over $100,000 per year in rent, within just a few years the new building would pay for itself. (Plus it would mean they won’t be tearing down yet another building in our town). We don’t know all of the details, so there could very well be other reasons why the proposal was turned down.

 

 

And speaking of tearing down buildings. The Albini project has been given the green light, so the historic 150 year old house and associated land is making way for 16 new houses. Another historic building is going away as well, 10 Omer-Loiselle. This time so they can add 13 new parking spaces for the community centre across the street. Contract was awarded to “Univert Paysagement Inc.” for the amount of $128,513.31 to clear the land and pave it over.

While I’m on the topic of parking. The CHSLD Trefle d’or (long care facility) has requested the use of a nearby city owned parking lot at Parc Chevrefils. One concerned citizen mentioned that normally a health care facility has to charge for parking, and would this also mean that this parking lot would also become a pay lot as well, and the mayor confirmed this as a possibility.

EXO, the organization responsible for public transportation in the Montreal Area, is in discussions with the city to build their new offices at our Autoparc, as well as to modify the bus entrance and exit and add 11 bus bays. Currently there are 650 parking spots, but the proposed construction would cut this number down. The mayor has proposed to EXO that they build a 3 story parking structure which would accommodate many more cars. Negotiations are still underway, however, at the present time, the answer is no. The city hopes to pressure the government to force EXO to build this parking structure, whether it be above ground or underground. Councillor Leborgne suggested that if they build it, they can add green vines and plants on the side of the structure to make it more appealing.

The city will no longer need to rent out gym space, and will now use the Sportsplex for the various activities. This will save approximately $50/hr of time used, which will go towards covering part of the fees associated with the new building.

Rules for cannabis consumption and usage, for the public and for the city employees, will be finalized on October 15th. 3 days before the new Canadian law comes into affect, legalizing its use. The city will make adjustments to it’s alcohol, drug and medication policies for its city employees.

The city is still looking to find a new place for the municipal snow dump. The amount of available undeveloped land is running out and the city would like to make the snow dump, along Albert Einstein, available for developers. The deal involving 3 promoters, “Placements Raymar Inc.” , “Azimut Promoteur Immobilier Inc.” and “Gestion Leblanc Borduas Inc.” would require them first to build the streets and connect to the city services, at which point they would return the infrastructure back to the city.

The foundation “Gisele Faubert Inc.” is looking to build a new home for a palliative care institution in our town. In the meantime the city has provided them with office space at the public library in the currently unused “Café”, for a period of two years at $1 per year. A side note, councillor Michel Eneault is the president of the Gisele Faubert foundation, and based on information obtained at the meeting, he has not held any position in this foundation beforehand.

Finances & Contracts:

  • The city has awarded a contract to “Groupe ABS Inc.” for the amount of $78,757.88 to test municipal buildings for asbestos.
  • Emergency work needed to install heating cables along the rails at the water treatment plant. A contract for $40,000 is expected. However, Councillor M.Deschamps asked the mayor about a previous contract for $16,500 that was awarded earlier this year for the same request. The mayor responded that the previous contract was not possible and they returned to the call for tenders.
  • Cheques and other various authorized spending expenses for the total of $6,926,565.76 were made between July 28th and August 24th, 2018
  • Contract awarded to  “Hydraunav Inc.” for a dry primed diesel powered water pump with solid capacity for a total of $69,365.41 .
  • Bell Canada was awarded a contract for $44,617.27 in working capital to continue upgrading to a CITRIX system. (New phone technology).
  • Rogers communications has signed a 5 year lease extension for it’s two communications towers located on city property. 45 Maple, and 500 Ch. St-Bernard.
  • The city has agreed to a 20 year agreement with the possibility for two 5-year extensions with Rogers Communications for use of microcell devices on city owned structures and buildings.
  • The firm “Tetra Tech QI Inc.” was hired to inspect the stretch of Industrial Blvd. where future construction is expected to begin. The current two-lane Blvd will be expanded to 4 lanes, with bike paths. The environment minister requires this inspection to make sure the environmental impact will be minimal.
  • An additional $7,660.85 was awarded to “W. Coté & Fils Ltee” for a snow removal attachment on one truck.

Administration and Human Resources: 

  • Mme. Nadia Raymond will now be the Mayor’s personal secretary.
  • M. André Delorme, a retired police officer, has been awarded a 3 year contract as advisor for the Chateauguay police department.
  • Mme. Jessica Bénard received permanent status as director of Human Resources.
  • M. Daniel Paquette received permanent status as director of the environmental health division within the public works and engineering.
  • Mme. Nicole Cyr, an office worker in the “Vie Citoyenne” division is taking her retirement after working 15 years with the city.

Construction & Permits: 

Minor Changes:

  • A detached sign at 190-200 Industrial Blvd. (Approved)
  • A fence along the back of a property at 108 Salaberry South. (Approved)
  • A car cover at 313 Dupuis. (Size approved, roof design needs revising)
  • 101 St-Jean Baptiste requesting an identification sign on the 2nd floor (Approved)
  • A modification of lateral sizes and total lateral margins at 45 Lajoie (Approved)
  • Property owners of 138 St-Jean Baptiste would like to modify their outdoor layout and parking lot. (Approved)

The property cleaning division has been making several inroads, and has sent notice to one resident on Seigniory who was brought up last month regarding chicken carcasses, feminine products and diapers scattered in the front lawn. Cleaning has also taken place  at 154 Oliver West, where city workers noticed very tall weeds and a filthy swimming pool. And a registry has been created to record the significant deterioration of the property on 382 Colville.

The city will be submitting it’s request for the finals of the “Jeux du Quebec” in 2022.

During the question period several questions to the city were brought up including the ongoing issue with excessive smoke produced by some backyard campfires. Parking issues along the river on Salaberry near the boat launch. Three large piles of dirt have been sitting on Gilmour the last few days. The resident says it was from a nearby construction project, and the dirt is polluted and why the city doesn’t do something about it. Another citizen was upset that he was forced to pay $312 at the new speed bumps on Salaberry near the Old Orchard. When asked what the two had to do with each other, he explained that he drove around the speed bump, and the police stopped him for crossing a solid yellow line. The city promised to look into a more permanent solution, and they agree that the speed bump is quite high, but it will be removed shortly for the winter and a new solution will be found next year. This corner has always been quite dangerous, but has gotten worse since the new traffic light was installed that permitted traffic to continue at speed instead of a stop sign that was there previously. Also in this location a few citizens were upset about a recent change in parking policies at one lot. “Someone sitting on a lawn chair collecting $10s from everyone who wants to park there”. The city says there is nothing wrong with this, and it’s not against any rules, since it’s their own private property to do with what they wish. However, it doesn’t help the lack of parking in the area that already exists. The city said they will assist in trying to find a solution, since it was a city modification that allowed 3 restaurants to operate with limited parking availability in the first place. New options could be extra parking at the church across the bridge, or the community centre when it’s not being used. Discussions will continue next month about this.

The Beau Chateau committee will be meeting on Thursday at 1:30pm, and a concerned citizen is invited to request an explanation for the $160 fee that the Sportsplex will be charging for every player from out of town that participates on a local team. Also, fees will be explained where every house, condo and apartment in Chateauguay will be charged a fee of $50 for the new Sportsplex.

Finally, a topic that has been in the local news these past few years. Councillor Mike Gendron has finally had his name cleared of all wrongdoing. This was a municipal matter, and the city will be covering the costs of $70,000 for his legal fees. Mike Gendron was represented by the now mayor Mr. Routhier, who transferred his file to an associate when he was elected, to avoid any conflict of interest.

That’s about it for this month. As usual I hope you found this recap interesting and informative. Let me know if you would like to hear anything else about the meeting that I haven’t mentioned, and I’ll do my best to get an answer for you.

Until next time!