Draft By-law may Limit Water Consumption

A by-law introduced by Pointe-Claire City Council earlier this month could limit the amount of water residents could use for things like lawn sprinklers.

The bylaw was introduced by council at a regular meeting on May 7.

In a social media post following the meeting, Councillor Brent Cowan elaborated on the reasons for the by-law. “Council was not motivated to put forward this by-law at this time solely because of its beneficial impact on the environment,” he wrote. “We are eligible for significant monetary grants worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to help finance our water infrastructure capital projects only if we have this by-law, or a very similar one, in effect.”

A similar by-law has existed in the City of Montreal for more than a decade.

Council will vote on the by-law at the next regular meeting in June.

City districts may be redrawn

Also at the May 7 meeting, council introduced a draft by-law that would redraw the city’s districts to accommodate its growing population.

Pointe-Claire's population has been increasing steadily and continuously since the 1980s, including a jump of 6.7 per cent between 2016 and 2021. Since then, the city has had either eight or nine councillors, except during the merger period with Montreal. According to provincial law, the size of each district is determined by a formula that involves dividing the total number of electors in the city by the number of districts. Each district should have approximately the same number of potential voters, ensuring equitable representation for all electors. 

The final district boundaries will be subject to input from residents.

New money to renovate Aquatic Centre, Belmont Avenue, sidewalk construction

Of the nearly one dozen contracts awarded at this month's council meeting, two major contracts are for the Aquatic Centre and Belmont Avenue.

More than $766,500 was awarded for the renovation of the locker rooms and offices at the Aquatic Centre.

During question period, one resident asked Mayor Tim Thomas if the renovations would include repairs to the saunas.

“Yes, and I gotta tell you, since I've become mayor, that's probably one of the number one issues I've heard about,” he said.

Assistant City Manager Gilles Girouard confirmed the saunas would be part of the renovation. “Both projects are being merged into one, basically,” he said.

Other significant contracts awarded at this sitting include nearly $600,000 for resurfacing works and sidewalk construction on Belmont Avenue between Coolbreeze and Saddlewood and $688,700 for work on the roofs of the chalets at Cedar and Ovide parks.