Mayor's Column - Mid-Term Report: Malouf Administration

Dear Residents, 

Having recently passed the halfway mark of our mandate since the election in November 2021, I find it fitting to provide a review and assessment of the main achievements accomplished by your council and administration during that period. I will also take this opportunity to outline a few of our priorities for the next two years.

Despite slower progress on major projects, and challenges in achieving consensus within the caucus, we have moved forward on several files. Our new approach going forward will, I believe, allow us to make timelier and more decisive consensus-based decisions in the best interests of all residents, particularly those represented by the silent majority in our community.

The first two years presented us with many financial challenges to overcome, including enduring the unprecedented increase in our share of the Montreal Agglomeration expenses, combined with new higher property assessments and historic inflation.

Despite all these elements beyond our control, we have managed to improve services for residents, namely in communications and in the permit application process as well as in our sports offering; and this while maintaining rigorous financial management by developing budgets aligned with citizens' ability to pay.

Phase 1 of the Quartier Sportif et Communautaire (QSC) project involves constructing in a Design-Build mode, a new Sports and Community Center that will include an indoor pool and gymnasium and several other facilities to accommodate sports, arts and crafts and community-based services, while facilitating access through our indoor parking lot.

The QSC project is based on 6 Guiding Principles that include:

• No interruption of services to residents.
• No displacement of staff
• Architectural integration along Roosevelt Ave.
• Increased preservation of green space in Danyluk Park
• Better construction and operating cost efficiencies
• Offer installations for today and provide for lifestyles of the future.

We will also be meeting today’s sustainable development and environmental standards as well as including the installation of an energy loop to reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The administration has applied for a government grant for the development of the project and is targeting the fall of 2024 to issue a call for tenders.

From the beginning of our mandate, we have maintained that the Royalmount Commercial Project will not include a residential component. Our staff is working closely with the developer to ensure a quality project within the TMR by-laws and agreements put forth. That said, we wish the best of success for the commercial project and its planned opening in the summer of 2024.  

Although air travel remains an exclusivity of federal jurisdiction, we have made specific requests to Transport Canada about flight paths and patterns and have remained in contact with the Member of Parliament for Mount Royal on the matter.

The Town has taken several initiatives to improve road and pedestrian safety. Traffic calming measures put in place include the addition of several new permanent speed humps and raised slowdown pads on town streets, as well as modified road reconfiguration in some areas. We have also increased the presence and visibility of our public security force in the community and enhanced surveillance in school zones during drop off and pick up.

With the impending opening of the REM railway, we are extremely concerned about the impact that both visual and noise pollution will have on our residents along the railway line. We continue to vigorously put pressure on the CDPQ/Infra to conduct noise studies while insisting on providing mitigating measures against sound and visual pollution that would come from the frequency of the trains. We have also sent a resolution to CDPQ Infra insisting on obtaining the necessary noise and visual mitigation measures.

We have maintained an open mind with respect to proposals from various developers on new residential projects on our territory and continue to evaluate all such proposals bearing in mind the needs of our present and future residents. 

Parks and their added value to community life have continued to be an important aspect of our mandate. We have thus put effort into the completion of a new green space on Bates, began work on the new park over the tracks in the Town center and installed new playground equipment at Gundy Park.

Climate change has been a major factor in our everyday lives and we are aware of the impact on many of residents with recent floodings in homes. We take the situation seriously and will continue to work on our infrastructures and sustainable actions.

The next 2 year’s objectives will be:

• Rigorously managing public finances as we contend with high inflation.
• Keeping taxes at a low level,
• Building a new Sports and Community Centre,
• Building a new 10/20/40 Roosevelt building,
• Completing the update of the Town’s Urban Plan regulations
• Launching PPU’s for the Beaumont & Rockland areas
• Negotiating and signing a new Blue-Collar Agreement
• Reviewing the STM bus network
• Continuing to defend the interests of Mount Royal residents in the important REM, Cavendish and Rockland overpass projects.
• Putting in place actions to ensure pedestrian and cyclist safety on our roads
• Evaluating and studying our aging infrastructures to respond to climate change.

Peter J. Malouf