July 13, 2021

Highlights – Town Council Meeting, July 13, 2021

(Held via webcast due to COVID-19 restrictions – Full recording and agenda of the Town Council meeting is available on the Town website.) 

Mayor Ektvedt opened the meeting at 7:31 pm

Question Period I

  • Question 1: Did Council consider installing public electric vehicles (EV) charging stations? – Councillor Lowensteyn: Yes, two stations are planned on the parking lot of the Whiteside Taylor, and another one at the Town Hall; Public Works has one station already but is reserved for staff.  Going forward, EV charging stations will be considered in future projects.
  • Question 2:  Does the Town have some concrete plans for temporary repairs this summer to ensure cyclists’ safety ?  Councillor Doherty:  pleased to announce that work will start within the next couple of weeks,  from Morgan to Magnolia.

Mayor’s Report

1) With respect to the Weekly Covid meetings with the (CIUSSS) de l’​Ouest-de-l’Île. Vaccination rates are at 69% first dose, compared to 72% in Montreal; second dose 42% versus 41% in Montreal. Vaccination centres are available and many have walk-in.  The 18 to 40 age required; Delta variant causes concern. Thanks to Councillor Ryan who organized volunteers to help the Proxim Pharmacy with its vaccination campaign (2) DG organized a successful online meeting regarding the acoustic screen, with good participation. (3) Two demolition meetings were held last month, and the third was rescheduled for a later date. (4) Congratulations to our Coast Guards for their 10th anniversary and thanks to the services they provide to our town and beyond. (5) Attended the virtual trilingual celebration of the 40th anniversary of the AVH German school; a showcase of former and current teachers, students and alumni, from Canada and abroad – a successful and well-organized event. (6) Attended the Baha’i virtual celebration which is held annually; kudos to Merrill Hammond for her organization skills (7) Greg Kelly visited Baie-D’Urfé to honor former Mayor Maria Tutino; a small and intimate ceremony at Town |Hall where she was presented with a National Assembly medal. (8) On  the 9th of July, a surprise concert by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra was held with good attendance and compliance with safety rules.

Councilors’ Reports

Councilor Lowensteyn: 1) Update on the pesticide bylaw: lots of questions and complaints about this bylaw but no fines have been issued; 2) The Covid Task Force wrapped its work following months of serving the community during the pandemic – thanks to all the volunteers that were part of this group.

Councilor Phelps: 1) Update and clarification regarding the work of the Traffic Committee : it addresses each concern raised by a resident regarding excess speed on a given street by installing  a speed monitor on that street to record the speed of the passing cars and provide ample statistics to the Committee who can then decide whether speed is an actual or perceived problem on that street. Analysis is in progress and so far, only Morgan Road proved to represent a problem; an external firm is mandated to help the Town address traffic safety issues on Morgan.  2) A more serious safety related incident took place recently when a young cyclist, without helmet, narrowly escaped being hit by a car as visibility was obstructed by the construction trucks. Caution from all is required and parents are reminded to insist that their children wear helmets when cycling around town.

Councilor Ryan: Clarification about the Demolition Committee, which consists of three members: Councillors Ryan, Phelps and Lowensteyn. The first and most important criterion used to make decisions, as per the Town Demolition bylaw, is the condition of the existing house; for that the Committee relies on the inspector’s report submitted by the owner, but, as per the recent change in the bylaw, it reserves the right to demand an independent inspection. The second criterion is the architectural deterioration of the neighborhood due to the exterior condition of the existing house (Committee does not consider the fit of the future house in its surrounding). The third criterion is the intended use of the vacated land which has to comply with the zoning bylaw;  the Committee cannot impose any further rules beyond those of the zoning bylaw. Three requests for demolition submitted this last month: 1) 8 Brittany approved but will be reviewed following three appeals. 2) 705 Westchester: rejected. 3) 10 Watterson: zoom hearing postponed to July 20th  .

Councilor Gilpin –  (1) Coast Guard : to date they responded to 22 emergency calls and brought back to safety 44 people and 15 boats to shore; the lake’s water level remains low and caution is required. (2) Rescue Squad recorded 171 volunteers/hours and are keeping busy with patrolling the streets and ensuring safety throughout the summer.

Director General’s Report

 Busy month of June 1)  A Zoom public consultation on acoustic screen ; questions were answered. The documents are posted on the website. 50% of the financing will come from the MTQ, 25% from the Town and the remaining 25% from the sector/zone.   The project is on hold pending the report on drainage and on slope erosion.  2) Also in June: the paving of the Fritz Parking lot started and almost over and went very well. Work started on the 40-service road and on Lakeshore road. The water valves turned out to require more work than expected resulting in more street closings and water shutdowns, unfortunately sometime without advanced notice to affected residents.  (3) Notaries and financial institutions and realtors have now access to property assessments online providing updated information at any given time.

Correspondence

  • Letter regarding the use of a Town land which constitutes a path to the lake, adjacent to a private property– Councilor Lowensteyn: the land is for public use and very conveniently located to allow access to the lake for water activities, but too close to a residence; installation of signage and/or fence to ensure the privacy of the residency is preserved.
  • Letter regarding the use of residential fireworks following an incident on June 24th – Councilor Ryan: the use of fireworks by individuals is regulated and governed by Service de Sécurité et Incendie de Montréal, with clear criteria to ensure it is used safely. In case of dangerous use of residential fireworks, it is recommended to call the police. Baie-D’Urfé will introduce soon a new bylaw to impose further safety restrictions on residential fireworks.
  • Letter addressing: 1) installation of more trash bins and public washrooms near the waterfront: Councillor Doherty: Public Works will empty the bins more frequently and the public washroom will be somewhere near Townhall 2) drainage issue: Councillor Doherty: addressing drainage issues is another reason for the digging around the parking lot of the Whiteside Taylor. 3) the max. limit of 30km/hour is not respected between Whiteside Taylor and the waterfront – Councillor Phelps will get in touch directly with the resident and will investigate.

Administration

  • Contract granted to the Union des Municipalités du Québec for the $13,048.51 to evaluate and maintain pay equity for white collars and blue collars municipal employees as well as for management.
  • Appointments: of Ms. Sarah Liam, for an Urban Planning student, a temporary unionized position, from June to September 2021; of Mr. Darian Chevrier, for Intern-student at Public Works, a temporary unionized position, blue collar, from August to September 2021.
  • Adoption of a by-law – By-law no. 1068-1 amending By-law no. 1068 on Contract Management of the Town of Baie-D’Urfé in order to promote Québec goods and services.

Finance

  1. Approval of the list of expenses for the month of June 2021 ($1,168.605.4) reflecting the big projects currently going on.

Public works and infrastructures

  • Authorization of an additional expenditure in the amount of $59,615.29 to J.P. Roy Inc. for additional work for the rehabilitation of the electrical network of lamp post lights and the sprinkler system of the Fritz Community Centre (TP-2021-03)
  • Given some staffing changes by the contractor, authorization for the contractor’s two new employees  to sign the requests and permits required by the MELCC for the reconstruction of a parking lot and related works for Whiteside Taylor CPE and the municipal library.

Town Planning

  • Appointment of the urban planning student, Ms. Sarah Liam to the position of Municipal Building Inspector with all the authority attached to that position.
  • Renewal of the mandate of the Demolition Committee members: Councillor Janet Ryan as President, Councillors Phelps and Lowensteyn as members, and Councillor Gilpin as substitute member., from November 2020 to October 2021.
  • Approval of a Site Planning Architectural Integration Program – 20679 Lakeshore allowing for the extension and repair of its solarium.

Citizen Services and Community Affairs

  • Application to the Directeur de l’État civil for the designation of two officiants of a marriage or civil union: Heidi Ektvedt, Mayor, Andrea Gilpin, Councillor
  • Proclamation of the Town of Baie-D’Urfé as an allied municipality against domestic violence

New Business

Approval of the remuneration rate for election officers for the November 7, 2021, general municipal election

Question Period II

  • Question regarding the repairs needed required for the shore near the Townhall – topic was not part of this meeting’s agenda and hence will be addressed at the next meeting..

 

Meeting closed at 8:43 pm.

 Nadia Bissada, reporting for the News & Views