It happened in…

January

Cotler supports Reform Act
Liberal MP Irwin Cotler supported Conservative MP Michael Chong’s private member’s bill to give more power to ordinary members of Parliament. NDP leader Thomas Mulcair also backed the bill. Its goal is to empower MPs, giving them control over the expulsion and readmission of caucus members, the election and removal of a caucus chair and leadership reviews.

Coronation to welcome alternative school
After public hearings and meetings, the EMSB decided that the Coronation Elementary School building on Van Horne will share its space with the alternative high school and its Programme Mile End. Enrolment has been down across the board in the EMSB and Coronation’s 212 students occupy only 29% of the building.

Road repairs get green light
A total of 25 repair projects, or two years worth of projects, are to be carried out on 22 roads in the borough’s five districts. Last year’s works were delayed because of a new law requiring approval from the Autorité des marchés financiers, a body responsible for reviewing large contracts awarded to the private sector.

February

Carifiesta costumes need home
The Roots Cultural Association is desperately seeking storage space for the costumes used in the annual Carifiesta parade. All occupants of the Snowdon Theatre were asked to vacate the aging building after flooding triggered an electrical problem. The association has no budget for storage, provided by the borough at no charge for the past 16 years.

Food security forum
The NDG Food Security Coalition is implementing a food security initiative in NDG to increase the accessibility of fruits and vegetables for district residents living in areas identified as food deserts. The public is invited to a symposium in an effort to find solutions and develop a sustainable project for the community.

Skateboard park
The Montreal Association of Skateboarders is asking the borough for an investment of at least $300,000 for a major upgrade to the Benny skateboard park. The youths also want $600,000 for a state-of-the-art central skateboard park and other indoor and outdoor skateboard facilities around the borough.

March

Library hours chopped by budget cuts
NDG residents ask borough council to reconsider cuts that close libraries one day a week, alternatively on Sundays and Mondays. The new Benny Library won’t be open for another 16 months. Borough Mayor Russell Copeman said council would look at the situation closely in the next budgetary cycle.

Elections debate: MUHC a hot topic
The NDG Community Council held its traditional electoral debate with the Quebec elections looming in April. The issue of access to the MUHC hospital, scheduled to open in the summer of 2015, was a hot topic, as there is still no funding in place for a second entrance and universal accessibility to the hospital from the Vendome metro station.

April

NDG merchants worried
Some local merchants along Sherbrooke St. W. in NDG want to start a business association. Years of major construction around the MUHC hospital, the reserved bus lane to be opened in May, and the reduction of parking spaces are having a toll on the ability of their businesses to survive on this part of NDG’s busiest street.

Irwin Cotler lauded as “human rights hero”
Mount Royal MP Irwin Cotler was lauded as a human rights hero on the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. He received the Romeo Dallaire Human Rights Leadership Award from Concordia University’s Montreal Institute on Genocide Studies (MIGS).

May

A tough time for pedestrians and cyclists
In the week that followed the death of a cyclist under the CP underpass on St. Denis, the CDN-NDG borough announced six new measures aimed at improving cyclists’ safety. Cyclists are allowed to ride on the sidewalks alongside pedestrians under the 7 railroad overpasses in the borough.

Borough grants huge contracts for roadwork repairs
The CDN-NDG borough granted three major sidewalk and curb repair contracts totalling more than $6M to three construction companies. The 2013 and 2014 roadwork programs will be carried out simultaneously. The total value of work approved amounts to $10M, making it the busiest roadwork construction year ever in the borough.

June

Searle to stand up for the rights of the disabled
Jeremy Searle said he would not be stepping down as Loyola district councillor and issued a warning to the public and fellow politicians, saying that anyone who harasses him because of an addiction to alcohol is just asking for a lawsuit. Quebec’s Commission des droits de la personne has a list of designated disabilities protected under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, including alcohol abuse.

 

Compiled by Marie Cicchini