Opening Comments by Mayor Peter J. Malouf - Regular Meeting of Tuesday, April 16, 2024

" Good evening to all and thank you for joining us and following community matters.

As has become customary, I will provide you with an overview of current issues and those that have occupied us over the past month. Several key issues have been examined.

Sports and community centre

I am happy to announce that on Thursday, April 25, we will hold a public information meeting at 19:00 here in Schofield hall to give an updated progress report of the project and explain the next steps. This meeting will also be webcasted live for those unable to attend.

I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Meeting at the Assemblée Nationale du Québec

On April 9th, our Mount Royal-Outremont MP, Michelle Setlakwe, and myself met with Quebec's Minister for Sport, Recreation, and Outdoor Leisure, Isabelle Charest, at the Quebec National Assembly.

This meeting was made possible following discussions between myself and Ms. Setlakwe, who then initiated the meeting with Minister Charest to present her with this issue and inform her about the long-awaited construction of the new sports and community centre.

During the discussion, which lasted nearly an hour, I explained the long-awaited benefits of the sports and community centre and shared the vision of the Sports and Community District (“QSC”), which Minister Charest found fascinating and innovative. I also explained the inclusive nature of the project which will not only benefit the TMR community for generations to come, but also the adjacent communities along with supporting sports and recreational activities for our local elementary and High Schools.

This initiative supports the Town's application for a Sports and Recreation Infrastructure Grant submitted in December 2023 to the Ministry of Sport, Recreation and Outdoors to support a portion of the project's funding. A decision on the application is expected around June 2024.

Athlone zoning change request

After reviewing the file, council members have decided to not continue with the zoning change request put forth for the property at the corner Athlone/Glengarry. The zoning change request is therefore being abandoned.

PPU Beaumont Consultation

As previously mentioned, we have started work on the preparation of a PPU for the Beaumont sector. We have met with businesses, large property owners and developers of the Beaumont area to hear their concerns, challenges, and vision for the future of the area. We are now at the next step, which is hearing from residents. To this end, residents are invited to a public meeting which will be set up as a workshop to exchange with our professionals and put forth their ideas for a vision of the sector. The meeting is set for Tuesday, May 7, at 19 :00.

Road Traffic

Both volume and speed of traffic continue to be a concern for council members as well as residents. This year, we will once again continue to add permanent speed humps on our streets, as well as modify some intersections permanently and others on a trial basis to increase safety and reduce thru traffic. We have also purchased a backpack speed radar which we will deploy near schools in a joint project with the local police.

Jeux du Québec

Several of our young residents to took part in the Jeux du Québec this past march. I wish to congratulate all who took part, but particularly our winners:

• Marcus Yu,
• Lucia Chen,
• Elin Wilson,
• Marie Cabaret,
• Yaena Nam
• et Youssef Kefi.

I can only imagine how state-of-the-art facilities in the form of a new sports centre could help our youth to attain even more success at such competition. I hope it becomes a reality soon.

Montreal Trudeau Airport

During a meeting last week with representatives from Trudeau airport, we were advised that an open house would be held on May 9th as well as an online consultation on proposed modifications being considered for air traffic and airport operations.

Cavendish

We held a meeting here at Town Hall recently with property owners and business partners of our industrial sector to put forth a plan to move the Cavendish connection file forward. The meeting was extremely well attended and very much appreciated and we hope it will help Montreal to reprioritize this important file necessary for the well-being of the sector.

REM

As you are aware a petition was deposited in the national assembly concerning noise mitigation for the REM. To date, 472 signatures have been collected. The deadline for signing is May 20; the link is placed on our website.

Thank you for your patience and for listening. I wish you all a pleasant evening and a pleasant spring."

Visit the Mayor's Messages and Columns page for more information.