Mayor, councillor disagree over windmill communication

Pointe-Claire’s mayor and one of its councillors are at odds over who is supposed to communicate with the Archdiocese of Montreal about the restoration of the iconic windmill.

At the April 9th City Council meeting, Councillor Claude Cousineau asked Mayor Tim Thomas if there were any updates from the archdiocese about the long-awaited restoration of the windmill.

“From what I know, I don’t think so, but I’m somewhat disturbed by the question because you are part of the committee that is responsible for that response,” said Thomas.

“The diocese won’t report to me,” said Cousineau. He further affirmed that the mandate of the committee handling the file had expired in December.

A copy of the resolution that created the committee in August was provided to The Pointe-Claire Record by the City of Pointe-Claire. The document mandates the city manager to negotiate with the archdiocese on the windmill file. It also established an expiry date for the committee’s mandate, namely December 2023, and directed that the committee disband at that time even if a deal had not yet been reached with the archdiocese.

A spokesperson for the city said that the finances have since been secured for the restoration and that they are awaiting an application from the archdiocese.

Construction coming to Northview, Lakeside Heights

At the beginning of the meeting, Councillor Cynthia Homan announced that, thanks in part to a subsidy from the provincial government, repairs will be done to the intersection of Millhaven and Monterrey. Homan said a residents’ meeting will be organized closer to the commencement of  the project to discuss its impact.

Council also approved major new construction on Winthrop. In addition to maintenance on the road between Hymus Boulevard and Jubilee Square Avenue, a bike path will be added to the area. At the meeting, council awarded a contract to this effect for nearly $3 million.

New vehicle charging stations to be added

Council approved more than $800,000 across two contracts to install new vehicle charging stations. Of this amount, $416,000 will be paid for through government subsidies.

According to Assistant City Clerk Danielle Gutierrez, the new stations will be located at 94 Douglas Shand, City Hall, the Aquatic Centre, Public Works, Edgewater Park, the Central Library, and the Olive-Urquhart Sports Centre. The new stations will be installed this year.

E-mails cast doubt on mayor’s “plant” allegations

In speaking to The Suburban in January, Mayor Thomas alleged that certain residents were provided with internal city communications by council, with the goal of disrupting meetings. Thomas later identified one of those residents as John Kilpatrick, a resident who has repeatedly questioned the mayor over the past year about the condition of a tree on his property.

But emails between the city and Kilpatrick obtained by The Pointe-Claire Record cast doubt on the mayor’s version of events: The emails in question span a period of ten months between April 2023 and January 2024. Only a single email in the exchange is internal to the City of Pointe-Claire and was not sent directly to Kilpatrick; that email was written by the mayor’s assistant and forwarded to Kilpatrick by Councillor Brent Cowan. The email contains little information, only summarizing Kilpatrick’s case and concluding that “no further action is required from the city.”

It remains unclear if this was the email Thomas was referring to when alleging Kilpatrick had access to inside information. The Pointe-Claire Record reached out to Mayor Thomas but was told through a spokesperson that he declined to comment.