Détails

Par Mme Maryam Kamali Nezhad

READER'S OPINION

Publication : 19 Octobre 2022

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici!

Le Journal Station Mont-Royal vous encourage à nous communiquer vos lettres d'opinion. La rédaction se réserve le droit d'éditer les textes qui lui sont soumis pour en faciliter la lecture et la compréhension. Ne seront retenus que les textes sur des sujets pertinents, utilisant un langage non-discriminatoire, non-injurieux et écrit dans un français correct. Le Journal Station Mont-Royal se dégage totalement des propos publiés et n'assume aucune responsabilité quant à leur contenu. Vous pouvez nous communiquer votre missive par courriel en y indiquant votre nom et votre adresse, même si celle-ci ne sera pas publiée à info@stationmontroyal.com Les lecteurs pourront réagir à un propos en cliquant sur Ajouter un commentaire.

"In response to the publication in the Journal de Ville de Mont-Royal of October 5th, 2022 – “What the Town of Mount Royal expects from the CAQ government”

Being a mayor or a councillor comes with responsibilities and rules to respect. Consulting the council and asking for its opinion through voting is a part of these rules! Mayor Peter Malouf seems to forget his duties and obligations in this regard! He is making decisions without the consultation, the advice, or the vote of the council!

Law and responsibility :
- According to Law 40 (Education Act, Chapter I-13.3, Section 272.10), it is the primary responsibility of the City to publicly advertise a site for school construction.

Summary of the situation:
- At the September 20th council meeting:
  o Mayor Malouf announced that Mr. Dominic Bertrand would not be coming to meet with Montérégie residents in October (as announced at the August 23rd council meeting). The file would be returned to the Ministry of Education for further study.
  o Mayor Malouf presented a last-minute resolution to put pressure on the CSSMB while the Town has not yet laid the first stone which is the choice of a site.
- Since April 7th, the council has been aware of the "school committee" document and the 5 proposed sites. It is therefore fully aware of all the ins and outs of each site.
- On the 5th of October, the mayor announced in the Journal de Ville de Mont-Royal that "he would like Quebec to take a greater interest in the issue of a new French-language primary school, which is at an impasse because of the choice of site".

No. The choice of a site is not yet at an impasse! Mayor Malouf cannot abdicate his responsibility to choose a site for a new French school and turn it over to the Government, the Ministry or the CSSMB without a council’s resolution and its agreement.

Nor can the board abdicate this responsibility without consulting all citizens.

This critical issue must be discussed, analyzed and decided through the votes of the council’s members, according to the established rules.

In order to move on with the French school project in VMR, I am proposing a resolution supported by petition. With the tabling of this resolution, supported by the residents who signed it, I will ask the council members for a vote.

I invite you to read, sign it and share the petition below with your network so that we can preserve our parks and have a suitable site for the school at "1000 Lucerne Road "*.

* 1000 Lucerne Road (former Beth-El Synagogue) and St. Peter's Church are two abandoned historic sites zoned for institutional use. These sites have been purchased by the multinational SAJO, in 2019, in the hope of a zoning change with the objective of building residential condos.

School Petition
https://www.change.org/VMRecoleFR

Maryam Kamali Nezhad, ing.,Ph.D
Conseillère municipale / Municipal Councillor - District 2
Mont-Royal / Town of Mount Royal
514 222-9281
http://maryam-kamalinezhad.com
maryam.kamalinezhad@ville.mont-royal.qc.ca

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Détails

Par Mrs. Barbara Lapointe

READER'S OPINION

Publication : 4 Octobre 2022

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici!

Le Journal Station Mont-Royal vous encourage à nous communiquer vos lettres d'opinion. La rédaction se réserve le droit d'éditer les textes qui lui sont soumis pour en faciliter la lecture et la compréhension. Ne seront retenus que les textes sur des sujets pertinents, utilisant un langage non-discriminatoire, non-injurieux et écrit dans un français correct. Le Journal Station Mont-Royal se dégage totalement des propos publiés et n'assume aucune responsabilité quant à leur contenu. Vous pouvez nous communiquer votre missive par courriel en y indiquant votre nom et votre adresse, même si celle-ci ne sera pas publiée à info@stationmontroyal.com Les lecteurs pourront réagir à un propos en cliquant sur Ajouter un commentaire.

I strongly support Councillor Maryam Kamali Nezhad's resolution to reject the condominium project at 1000 Lucerne Road (previously Beth-El synagogue) and to instead build a new French elementary school there. The Town and the Centre de services scolaires Marguerite-Bourgeoys (CSSMB) must refrain from choosing the Jubien Park site, Dunrae Gardens site or any other parks or green spaces in TMR, for the construction of this new school.

Jubien Park in the Town of Mount Royal

I remember that the Roy administration, in the last years of its reign, had expropriated a building in the Bates/Ekers sector in order to create a park instead. And now the Malouf administration wants to demolish a park in order to build a building? Not to mention the numerous mature trees that will have to be cut down, trees that are "a key part of our garden city’s unique cachet, [and] also contribute to our collective well-being." Yet, during its election campaign, the Malouf team shouted loud and clear to "preserve our valuable and irreplaceable green space in Danyluk Park" for the construction of the Sports Center. What happened to our City's mandate to preserve our green heritage?

More than 700 Townies support Councillor Kamali Nezhad's resolution. Please share this news with your family members, neighbors and friends in TMR so that more support the resolution by signing on www.change.org/vmrecolefr

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Détails

Par Michel Faure

READER'S OPINION

Publication : 18 Octobre 2021

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici!

Le Journal Station Mont-Royal vous encourage à nous communiquer vos lettres d'opinion. La rédaction se réserve le droit d'éditer les textes qui lui sont soumis pour en faciliter la lecture et la compréhension. Ne seront retenus que les textes sur des sujets pertinents, utilisant un langage non-discriminatoire, non-injurieux et écrit dans un français correct. Le Journal Station Mont-Royal se dégage totalement des propos publiés et n'assume aucune responsabilité quant à leur contenu. Vous pouvez nous communiquer votre missive par courriel en y indiquant votre nom et votre adresse, même si celle-ci ne sera pas publiée à info@stationmontroyal.com Les lecteurs pourront réagir à un propos en cliquant sur Ajouter un commentaire.

A troubling question has not been much considered in the TMR election campaign: would Councillor Michelle Setlakwe be in a conflict of interest if she were elected mayor?

The biggest immediate decision facing the next Town Council is whether the Royalmount project should include a large residential component. The giant construction firm Pomerleau is the builder at Royalmount, and presumably would benefit significantly from a decision to build housing there. Ms Setlakwe’s husband is chairman of the board of Pomerleau.

Ms Setlakwe’s electoral platform includes a promise to hold a referendum on whether to allow Royalmount to include residences. But even if the Town’s people voted Yes, the Council would still have to make important choices. No referendum can answer all the detailed questions that such a major change would involve on everything from zoning to traffic planning and municipal services. These are issues that citizens elect a Council and above all a mayor to handle.

How could Ms Setlakwe, as mayor, recuse herself from all those discussions and decisions which would shape so much of TMR’s future? Yet if she did recuse herself, recognizing the apparent conflict of interest, how could she claim to be doing her job as mayor?

It is a real and worrisome problem.

Michel Faure
TMR resident

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Détails

Par Joan Fraser

READER'S OPINION

Publication : 7 Septembre 2021

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici!

Le Journal Station Mont-Royal vous encourage à nous communiquer vos lettres d'opinion. La rédaction se réserve le droit d'éditer les textes qui lui sont soumis pour en faciliter la lecture et la compréhension. Ne seront retenus que les textes sur des sujets pertinents, utilisant un langage non-discriminatoire, non-injurieux et écrit dans un français correct. Le Journal Station Mont-Royal se dégage totalement des propos publiés et n'assume aucune responsabilité quant à leur contenu. Vous pouvez nous communiquer votre missive par courriel en y indiquant votre nom et votre adresse, même si celle-ci ne sera pas publiée à info@stationmontroyal.com Les lecteurs pourront réagir à un propos en cliquant sur Ajouter un commentaire.

At the August meeting of the TMR Council, Mayor Philippe Roy said that Peter Malouf was to blame for the fiasco of the proposed new sports centre.

This is a complete distortion of the truth. Peter Malouf was in no way involved in the concept or management of that project. It was wholly under the control of the Town Council, and its lead champion was Councillor Michelle Setlakwe.

Peter Malouf was neither the chair nor a member of the No committee in the referendum on the loan to finance the sports centre. He did publicly support the No vote. Like most of those who voted No, he thought that the plans for a palatial sports centre were extravagant and that costs would rise even beyond the $48 million then proposed. Being experienced in sports-centre management, he offered suggestions for a more realistic plan. The Yes committee, headed by Ms. Setlakwe, scoffed at the prediction of higher costs and at Mr. Malouf personally. But the pessimists were right. The two bids to build the centre came in at $88 million and $94 million, nearly double the original estimate. As Mr. Roy admitted at the August meeting, even a slimmed-down version of the plan still would cost more than TMR can afford. Peter Malouf had nothing to do with this disaster.

In an astonishing display of vulgarity, Mr. Roy said that Peter Malouf’s team “vomits” on his administration. I would argue that, on the contrary, Mr. Malouf has shown a keen sense of realism and a focus on Town priorities.

Joan Fraser
TMR resident

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