April 9th, 2024

Highlights of the Baie-D’Urfé Council Meeting of April 9 2024

These notes are an overview. The meeting and agenda, in its entirety, can be found on the Town website.

 

Notes on the Council Meeting held April 9th, 2024 – The meeting was called to order at 19h35.

 

The agenda was adopted as presented.

 

Questions from the public (for issues not on the agenda)

  1. Pierre Côté, 675 Westchester Drive – thanks to Mayor Ekvedt and Councillors Brown and Thompson for their co-operation with the Westchester Drive traffic project.
  2. Shaun Dupont, 7 Apple Hill Road – the path to the waterfront is closed due to fallen trees; when will it be cleared. DG Bouchard responded that a contract for the work has been awarded to Services d’arbres Primeau but the ground is still too wet so the work will probably be done in May.
  3. Cheryl Vijh, 53 Gray – can designated pickleball courts be set up, perhaps in lieu of basketball? Mayor Ekvedt responded that, while such decisions cannot be made “on the fly”, Council will take it under consideration.  In the meantime, please contact Antonella Di Marino if additional space is needed.
  4. Eric Winn, 680 Victoria Drive – it is difficult to find information on septic tanks on the website; it should be included in the Environment section. Mayor Ekvedt replied that some changes will be made to the website but, in the meantime, you can enter “septic” in the search bar and get results.
  5. Ralph Allison, 704 Devon Place – regarding the urban planning bylaw revisions, when will the next World Café and the next public consultation be held? Mayor Ekvedt replied that it is very difficult to book Alexander von Humboldt’s facility in June and early July, but the World Café on Architectural Integration will be scheduled as soon as possible. The public consultation will be scheduled for the fall of 2024.

 

SPVM Report – Commandant Sauvé

There will be four bike officers and four cadets patrolling our residential sector this summer.  In addition, the nautical patrol will patrol the shores to watch for offences.  There will be operations throughout the summer targeting cyclist and pedestrian traffic.  There has been no abnormal increase in car thefts in the PDQ1 territory; in Baie-D’Urfé, two vehicles were stolen and there were two attempts at vehicle theft.  In the period of January 16th through April 9th, 2024, speed-control operations were carried out in the industrial park and through the Fritz/Whiteside Taylor/Red Barn corridor resulting more than 130 tickets being issued.  Officers were present at Winterfest and the Wednesday café.  For any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact PDQ1 at 514 280 0101 or pdq1@spvm.qc.ca.  A citizen asked for suggestions of keeping younger children safe riding along the main roads – will they be ticketed if they ride on the sidewalks?  The commandant responded that it will be a judgment call but, generally, the sidewalks are reserved for pedestrians, and he feels that it is the parents’ responsibility to keep the children off the busier roads.  Councillor Chartrand asked if there was any increase in nighttime patrols to prevent vehicle theft.  Commandant Sauvé replied that the SPVM had participated with several police forces in the recent arrests of suspected vehicle thieves and the recovery of many stolen vehicles.

 

Mayor’s Report

There will be an art exhibition at Fritz on April 13th and 14th as a fund-raiser for NOVA Health West Island. Thanks to Antonella Di Marino and Megan Smith for the Spring Hop activity at the Red Barn on March 30th and to Oana Silaghi and Karine Poulin for the Hop & Craft activity at the library with the cooperation of librarian Chris Marsh on the same date.

 

Councillors’ Reports

Cllr Brown presented a report on Rescue Squad activities (530 hours in March).  The squad’s longest-service member, Andy Csisztu, celebrated his 90th birthday on March 5th and was celebrated on March 22nd.  Andy served on the Baie-D’Urfé Volunteer Fire Department for many years and was the Rescue Squad’s first training officer.  The squad responded to a flood call on March 5th and, over the course of two weekends, 6 members completed the 40-hour Red Cross Emergency First Responder course. The Squad also attended the Montreal St. Patrick’s Day parade and the Ste-Anne de Bellevue Bed Race as first-aid support.

Cllr Gruber presented a report for the VCOPs activity – 136 hours of patrol time in March, parking control at the Spring Hop event and upon request at Dorset School. Several new members are in training.  The Coast Guard Auxiliary unit has been requested to launch their vessel one month earlier than previous years due to the unseasonably mild conditions.  They also have five new members in training.

Cllr Lowensteyn The Junior Council will hold their monthly meeting on April 11th and their Games Night on April 26th.  There will be Earth Day events at Whiteside Taylor on April 20th including the Buy Nothing group and a community repair workshop as noticed in the April 2024 News & Views.  There will be a spring walk with Susan Hawker and Richard Gregson in the Morgan Arboretum on May 4th.  Reservations are required.

Cllr Bissada The Luch and Learn program will not be meeting in April; the next date is May 15th and the subject is Hydration.  Maxwell Residence will be catering the Seniors’ Rendezvous get-together on April 11th.  Dr. Christopher Labos will be at our library on May 11th at 13h30 to discuss his book “Does Coffee Cause Cancer?”.

DG Bouchard reported that the interior of the Town Hall project will be completed by June and the exterior will be completed prior to the July construction holidays.  The Town Hall staff will move in during the month of August and the first council meeting in the new premises will be held before the end of 2024.

 

Correspondence

  1. A brief was received from a group of citizens regarding drainage issues, i.e. deep basements sump pumps, etc. The information will be shared with APUR for the bylaw revision process.
  2. Correspondence was received concerning the intersection of Westchester Drive and Stafford Road. The mayor and two council members met with the residents on site and agreed to some additional mitigation measures.
  3. Ross Cattrell, on behalf of himself and several other residents, sent a request for a separate area for smaller dogs to run. The council will not pursue this at this time as the cost vs. need factor does not justify it. If the subject has been brought up at the time of the Canine Recreation Area consultations, accommodation could have been made.  Residents are advised to contact Urban Planning if aggression is a problem.
  4. Julie Chiasson sent a request concerning the environment and the future for our children. She suggested that the Town could encourage “No Mow May” and have a contest as well as supply pollinating plants to the residents. Last February, the Town attended Québec Vert’s very educational forum about biodiversity.  The Town has sent a detailed response to Mme Chiasson.
  5. Ken Forse sent a request that the Town allow the passage of the “Spinning Wheels Relay to End Parkinsons” tour on September 7th – https://spinningwheelstour.ca/.

 

Parks, Recreation and Environment

A 3-year contract by tender was awarded to Service d’arbres Primeau for tree maintenance work in the amount of approximately $300,000, taxes included.

 

Public Works and Town Infrastructure

A contract in the amount of approximately $71,000, taxes included, was awarded to Inspec Vision 3D Inc for the camera inspection of sewer pipes in the industrial sector.

A contract in the amount of approximately $60,000, taxes included, was awarded to Cormier, Lefebvre Architects for a preliminary analysis of the needs for the municipal Public Works building.

A contract for the fabrication and installation of a council table in Town Hall was given to Atelier C.U.B (https://www.ateliercub.com) in the amount of $27,000, taxes included.

 

Town Planning

Three recommendations of the Town Planning Advisory Committee were accepted.

 

Citizen Services and Community Affairs

A total of $1,600 was awarded to three young residents of the Town for their participation in tennis, badminton, and curling competitions during the months of January and February 2024.

A contract in the amount of $14,070 was awarded to Keith Fyckes for the 2024 Summer Concerts season.

The annual grant for the Baie-D’Urfé Aquatic Club in the amount of $12,500 was approved.

 

Question Period (for items on the agenda)

 

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 21h10.