Councillors Vote Unanimously on Amendment of Interim Control By-Law

Pointe-Claire’s City Council meeting ended in discord on the vote to remove the Westwalk project on Labrosse from the interim control by-law (RCI), with the mayor and several councillors reading from prepared statements presenting their views on the amendment.

The project, situated on an L-shaped lot surrounding the site of the former Second Cup, is slated to become a mixed-use, multi-residential project comprised of two 13-storey buildings totalling 367 units. 

Partnering with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Devmont, the project guarantees to provide units deemed affordable for a minimum of 16 years, with rents being 10-20 per cent lower than the market rate, depending on unit size. 

In addition to the residential component, 1000 sq. ft. of the ground floor will be provided to a community organization at reduced rent for the same period, and an additional 500 sq. ft. will be made available at no charge for a food distribution program.

Mayor Tim Thomas, the lone dissenting vote in the adoption of the amendment, stated that he felt that Pointe-Claire’s “height levels are grossly larger than those of all the other West Island municipalities” and that he would have no objections to a five- or six-storey project. Describing Pointe-Claire’s past and current building projects as being “on steroids,” he asserted that “we are, and have done, much more than our share.”

Thomas also cited statistics stating that Pointe-Claire “ended 2023 with the biggest increase in advertised rents in the entire country at 25.6 per cent” and that the existing projects have not made housing any more affordable.

With the developer describing the project as “bold,” Councillor Bruno Tremblay of District 6 emphasized the need for this project, stating that Westwalk is “designed to set the standard for urban redevelopment in or in proximity to a transit-oriented development.”

Tremblay went on to praise Devmont’s commitment to sustainability and the environment, citing its use of “geothermal energy sourcing, its ecological building methods, rainwater management systems, and active mobility environment.” The project will also be comprised of a community garden in a public park, bicycle storage stations, and host bicycle repair workshops for the community.

Other councillors praised the project, with Councillor Brent Cowan of District 8 saying that he believed that Pointe-Claire might be the first city in Canada to have entered into such an agreement with a developer and the CMHC, “to provide guarantees, verifiable guarantees, of the continued status of affordability of housing, of this development.”

Councillor Kelly Thorstad-Cullen of District 3, also in favour of the project, gave an impassioned speech detailing the needs of residents, and stated the importance of moving ahead,  saying, “We must move forward because it’s much better to move forward than to sit doing nothing because it may not be perfect.” 

Councillor Eric Stork of District 7 promised to use his allotted time at the next public meeting to address the question of dwelling density and ended his comments by saying he proudly supported the project and this deal as “the best we’re going to get.”

Council Addresses Flooding From Hurricane Debby

Councillor Cowan gave the first comments of the council session, informing residents that the Emergency Planning Committee was waiting for all the data to be analyzed regarding the flooding in Pointe-Claire to see what plans can be implemented and to prepare citizens in the future.

Many of the councillors praised their residents for helping out their neighbours in need, telling residents to be patient with ongoing garbage collection operations.

Mayor Thomas addressed the issue, saying, “We are trying to analyze and understand what we can do, and it’s a real challenge because it defied logic. The existing network, our existing system, was simply overwhelmed. When your system is overwhelmed, you have to understand why and where you can improve it.”

He continued, “We can study and try to do everything we can to mitigate against similar problems [...] We’ve already invested in storm retention basins, and we’ll continue to reinvest in our infrastructure.”

Repair and Redevelopment of the Basement of Valois Library

With one resident voicing her concerns about the cost of correcting water infiltration issues affecting the basement of the Valois Library and its impact on the city’s budget, council unanimously approved a nearly $1.8 million contract that would partially redevelop the heritage building and continue to allow non-profit groups to use its downstairs facilities.

Park Named After Beloved Pizzeria

A park in a new development on Walton will be named Athens Park/Parc d’Athènes based on a request from resident Dimosthenis Papadimitrios. 

In 2019, Papadimitrios proposed naming the new park, currently situated in a small single-family housing development on the site of the former Walton strip mall, after Athens Restaurant, a pizzeria purchased by his father, George, in 1972. 

Council approved the naming of the park after the restaurant, with Councillor Stork joyfully exclaiming, “You finally got it, Dimi!”