Council honours Aquatic Centre staff who saved trainer

Five employees of the Pointe-Claire Aquatic Centre were recognized by council last week for coming to the rescue of a trainer who was suffering a heart attack.

In December, during a training session, the unnamed trainer suffered a heart attack and was rendered unconscious. Thanks to the quick intervention of Aquatic Centre staff, including the use of a defibrillator, the trainer’s life was saved.

“The employees’ quick response and proper administration of the defibrillator saved the coach's life,” said Mayor Tim Thomas.

Each of the five employees were awarded plaques of recognition: Rebecca Boriero, Artimes Fallah, Zoé Gonzalez, Bruce Malcolm (whose father Gary accepted the plaque on his behalf) and Etienne Paquet.

Mayor reiterates comments about council “planting” residents to disrupt meetings

Also on March 12, Mayor Thomas reiterated his claim from a January interview that certain residents are planted by council to disrupt council meetings.

In January, following a walkout by Council at the December meeting, Thomas told The Suburban “[Council] are deliberately trying to disrupt the process so that people will blame the mayor, even planting people in public meetings to cause disruptions.”

During question period, resident Susan Weaver asked Thomas about his comments in that interview and at the February council meeting.

“To answer what you're getting at,” said Thomas, “My number one example of that would be you.”

Initially, Thomas dismissed Weaver’s comments as a “mischaracterization” of what he had said. But he then singled out resident John Kilpatrick, who has also been a regular presence during question period.

“That was a plant,” said Thomas.

“Usually, when someone comes up with something that's been said in caucus, you would think that somehow there's been some stimulation there, Miss Weaver. And I would think you're probably the number one proponent.”

Weaver denied having been leaked information from caucus, saying she had used an access to information request.

Later in the meeting, Councillor Brent Cowan defended both Weaver and Kilpatrick, saying they were only trying to raise injustices they felt they were suffering at the hands of the City. “To suggest that a citizen who’s coming before council to present the case against an injustice he feels he’s suffering – to say that that individual is a plant is absurd.”

Kilpatrick declined to comment on the mayor's statements.

Pointe-Claire will not sign up for provincial program for fire victims

In response to a question from a resident, Councillor Tara Stainforth confirmed the City would not sign on to a provincial program that provides support to those made homeless by fire.

“It wasn't just receiving money from them: It was that Pointe-Claire had to pay the majority of it and then there would be some of it matched from the government. And with the time delay that we had, we weren't prepared to follow through with that until we had done more research into it and discussed it more.”

The program in question is provided by the Société d'habitation du Québec.