Opening Comments by Mayor Peter J. Malouf - Regular Meeting of Tuesday, March 21, 2023

"Good evening to all,

Thank you for joining us tonight.

Quartier Sportif & Communautaire (Qsc)

Since the last Council Meeting, Town Councillors and myself have continued to make progress on the QSC project. Now that the deadline for receiving your comments and completing the survey has passed, I would like to thank you for your active participation. There were about 600 English and French respondents.

All of your emails were read and will be analyzed later. The survey clearly showed that Townies want a new sports and community center. However, two important points stand out. The first one is the question of the time needed to complete the project and the second one is that the difference between the previous project and the current one proposed by the Council is not so clear. Obviously, these issues will be fully addressed.

A preliminary report prepared by the consulting firm has been delivered. We are now waiting for the final report which should be communicated to you at the April Council meeting. As for the members of Council, we are still reflecting on the various options and establishing the next steps to be taken in the realization of this long-awaited and unifying project, so that it may come to fruition.

We know that our residents want clearer communication about the progress of the QSC project and we are committed to doing so. To that end, we are planning video capsules, door-to-door explanatory leaflets and regular updates in the newsletter and also during Council Meetings.

Spring Is Arriving

It appears that Spring is just around the corner. As a result, our Public Works teams are going to be hard at work on Spring cleaning and pothole repairs. With the arrival of this long-awaited season, the children, some of them for the first time, will be playing outside and riding their bikes etc. I remind everyone to please be careful on our roads and especially around parks and schools.

Circulation and Traffic

On that note, I am pleased to inform you that we will be undertaking traffic studies in the surroundings of our schools in order to implement actions to improve and increase safety.

Council Meetings and Decorum

As you may have noticed, I listen carefully to everyone. When needed, I extend the question period, in the spirit of accommodating a long queue of residents who would like to ask their questions.

Unfortunately, some people have taken advantage of their time at the microphone and not respected the 90-second question period. Instead, they made the choice to make themselves known by making speeches and generally behaving in an aggressive and unacceptable manner, towards the Council and myself.

Question period is a time to ask questions. It is not an interrogation of the Mayor and Council. It is not an opportunity to give a speech or a grandstand. It is a period to hear out the questions of residents in a calm manner. And yes, it is important to stay calm so that everyone is heard, comfortable asking questions and not feeling intimidated by the actions of others.  Indeed, I have received several communiques from residents who feel intimidated and troubled by the outbursts and behavior of some residents attending the meeting. As a result, they feel reluctant to attend.

We will ensure that a proper decorum is maintained at all Council Meetings and in the interest of ALL residents of TMR, especially the silent majority.

The bylaws and rules are clear, and I will address and respond to questions that are clear and to the point.

I can only say that I look forward to questions from residents of our community who wish to respect the 90-second question time allocated to them for a preamble and a question, and I'll be more than pleased to respond to the best of my ability. Anything else not respecting the bylaws and rules will go unanswered.

In closing, I would like to extend my best wishes to the TMR Jewish Community for Pesach. Happy Easter to everyone celebrating!

Once again thank you for joining us."