Opening Comments by Mayor Peter J. Malouf - Special and Regular Meetings of Tuesday, November 21, 2023

" Good evening to all, thank you for your interest in our community affairs and your presence tonight, be it in person or virtually.

Firstly, I would like to share some good news for a few businesses in our industrial sector. We don’t often speak of our corporate residents and, for most of you, our industrial sector is not in your thoughts. On October 19, the Alpha Gala of the Saint-Laurent/Mount-Royal Chamber of Commerce took place.

Four companies from TMR were in the competition, and two of them, Dura Undercushion and Garderie Kids Première, were winners. I extend heartfelt congratulations to all 4 companies on behalf of TMR council, particularly to our 2 winners.

I would also like to mention how fortunate we are to have an industrial sector as part of our municipality. For those who may not be aware, our industrial sector is a major contributor to our tax base from which our residential sector benefits so greatly.

As promised, I am providing you with a brief update on the next steps achieved for our sports and community centre.

Another milestone in moving forward with the sports and community centre will be reached this evening as we hire the project director for this important 1^st phase of our Town’s facilities infrastructure.

Art and Dunrae School

Public art continues to flourish in the Town. Dunrae School has added a mural to the south facade of their building. I invite all residents to pass by and see the mural by artist Adam Viera. It is another addition of excellent mural public art for residents to enjoy.

Report on the Past 2 Years in Office

As we are at the halfway mark of our mandate, I will take a few minutes to give a summary of our past 2 years and our priorities for the next 2 years to come.

I will begin by expressing my gratitude to my fellow council members and the entire Town staff for their exceptional dedication and desire to enhance the quality of life for the residents of Mount Royal.

On a professional and personal note, and having participated in several staff celebrations, I can proudly say that our Town’s administration is a tight knit group with a great team spirit. They are dedicated to doing their best for our municipality. They take ownership and pride in their work, and I have seen them put in the time, working many late hours and working on weekends. They have all been present during many climactic events that have shut down Montreal, always in the service of our community.

I am proud to say that we are in excellent hands, reflecting the outstanding leadership of our Town Director, Ava Couch, as well as the caliber and professionalism of all our department heads.

Despite challenges, we have learned to work together, find consensus and move files forward. I must add, that on a personal level I do feel that all files have not moved forward as fast as I would have wanted, but nonetheless, we have as a group made inroads.

Budgets and Finances

Financially speaking, we have worked hard to maintain a balanced budget, enabling us to provide exemplary services to residents while keeping a reasonable tax rate. We have continued our discussions and pressure on the Montreal Agglomeration to find solutions to achieve a more equitable cost sharing scenario. This is an on-going file and requires the cooperation and collaboration of the city of Montreal. The association of Demerged municipalities is pursuing this objective vigorously.

We have continued our investments in our infrastructure and will continue to do so; be it our roads and sidewalks, watermains and sewers and green spaces (new park on Bates, new park in the center of Town, new playground equipment at Gundy Park).

Community and Sports Centre

We cannot overlook our progress in the sports and community centre project. After extensive discussions, we approved the project's initiation and implemented the various steps that will lead to its realization. Our grant application to the provincial government will be submitted in the coming days, and we hope for a favorable reception.

Sustainable Development and Environment

As for the environment and sustainable development, a concern shared by our residents, we are working to expand food waste collection to include 6-unit residences and above. We plan to acquire electric and/or hybrid vehicles for certain supervisors and have added new Bixi stations. We intend to explore possibilities for enhancing the Town's cycling network to provide connections with neighboring districts. Additionally, within the framework of the sports and community centre project, we are exploring the possibility of installing an energy loop to not only reduce our energy consumption but also decrease our greenhouse gas emissions.

Communications

We have worked on improving our communications with residents and have implemented the BCiti+ platform. We are also in the process of changing our website, with the new site expected to be on-line by the end of the year. Our new website will be more welcoming, user-friendly, and will allow us to expand our online service offerings.

Public Security & Road Safety

Security remains a concern for both residents and council members. In this regard, several measures have been taken, including the addition of several extended speed humps, raised intersections, road reconfiguration around Dakin Park, the installation of speed display signs, the transformation of all extended speed humps into permanent ones and the addition and modification of certain pedestrian traffic lights.

We are also continuing our efforts with the SPVM to ensure a constant presence on our territory for road safety as well as general safety.

Urban Planning

With respect to urban planning and inspection services, I am happy to say that we have added personnel and have reviewed some of our ways of functioning. The backlog has been cleared; permit issuance is progressing in a timely fashion. The CCU continues its rigorous work to preserve the quality of the Town’s environment. A video capsule explaining the permit application process, the reasons behind it, and the existence of a CCU has been prepared; it will be broadcast soon.

Sports and Recreation

On the community and cultural activities level, we have made a strong comeback following the pandemic years. The new skatepark was inaugurated much to the delight of its many users. We have made arrangements to better promote the growing sport of pickleball and now offer indoor pickleball on weekends at Pierre-Laporte school. We have also improved our tennis reservation system. Activities for all ages have been re-evaluated to better meet expectations, and we eagerly anticipate our new centre to enhance the range of activities available to residents. The reconstruction of the synthetic soccer field is scheduled for next year. Concerts in the park have come back and have been hugely popular, as have the food trucks and farmer’s market.

And once again, we are proud to announce that our library has, for the second consecutive year, achieved a score of 100% in BiblioQUALITÉ.

A Look Towards the Next 2 Years

Looking ahead to the next two years, our highest priority is the realization of the sports and community centre project. Rockland Centre, which was an important destination for many shoppers, is in dire need to be refreshed and renewed. The same can also be said for the Beaumont Centre. What has become clear is that the increase in traffic along Rockland Road is the result of intermunicipal traffic and more people using our arteries to go to and from their homes and places of work. We know that it is not the residents of our community who contribute to the traffic. To mitigate this problem, we are working with the city of Montreal, neighboring municipalities and the ministry of transport.

The Town is a special place, and we will continue to defend the interests of all residents on various large infrastructure projects as well as redevelopment projects.

In Closing

It is an honor to be your Mayor & council and rest assured that our goal is to ensure quality services meeting the needs of residents while keeping taxes at a reasonable level.

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