Sustainable development and density are two ideas that can work in harmony with each other, but they are not the same thing.

In July 2023, there were 13 multi-dwelling residential developments in various stages of construction in Pointe-Claire, more than any other West Island municipality. Despite Pointe-Claire’s development freeze, at least one large multi-dwelling project has been approved and exempted from the freeze, on Labrosse Ave.

Pointe-Claire cannot solve Canada’s housing crisis on its own, and we have already ‘densified’ more than any West Island city. The question we now have to ask ourselves is whether this densification is enough and would more be sustainable? The answer to both is that we don’t actually know.

Pointe-Claire has no comprehensive study of our existing infrastructure, both hard (like buildings and roads) and soft (our administration and services we provide to citizens), and our administration has no accurate idea as to whether or not we can accommodate even those large multi-dwelling projects soon to be populated. We don’t have accurate projections for traffic, water consumption, or sewage capacity requirements.

The City of Montreal-led Agglomeration recognizes that Pointe-Claire’s ability to add more residential developments may be limited. The Agglo is also re-doing its Planning Program this year, and here’s part of what they wrote about us: (translated from French)

City of Pointe-Claire: The minimum gross residential density threshold imposed by the PPPMADR must be consistent with the integration into the environment and the latter’s real capacity to accommodate an increased number of residents (real capacity of municipal infrastructure and existing public transport networks). The request registered in the PPPMADR concerning the gradual renewal of the residential fabric in TOD Exo areas (100 dwellings/ha) seems difficult to implement given the existing residential fabric and the significant presence of green spaces or school buildings.

The existing PMAD (the island-wide Planning Program) sets a target of 60 dwellings per hectare for TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) zones, such as around REM stations. The Agglo was considering resetting this to a target of 100 dwellings per hectare, but realized this may be unrealistic. The project Cadillac Fairview presented to Pointe-Claire citizens has more than double the Agglo target density, and, due to its location hemmed in by already overburdened highways, is possibly unsustainable. 

As a result of developer-led ‘growth’, Pointe-Claire has become a city with a 35%+ senior demographic, as opposed to approximately 18% seniors in the Greater Montreal region. Even in 2011, as our first Planning Program was enacted, we knew this shift away from a ‘renewable’ population would increase unless we did something about zoning for affordable, appropriate housing. We did nothing.

While Pointe-Claire has met and even exceeded densification targets set by the Agglo, we have failed to meet those set for green space and tree canopy. We have failed to balance our demographics. We are also more than a year late in writing an updated Demolition By-Law section on buildings of heritage interest.

Pointe-Claire needs to create a Planning Program that is based on the needs of its citizens, not the profits of developers. We need sustainable development, both economic and environmental.