Municipal Elections in LaSalle : Candidates’ Answers to Citizen Questions

This English version of an article published on October 22 is an automated translation from French and has been published on November 1st.

As the municipal elections of November 2 approach, Nouvelles d’Ici surveyed its readership to gather questions they wanted to ask the candidates for mayor of the Lachine borough. Here are the questions followed by their answers, by last names alphabetical order.

Citizens’ Questions, Answers from LaSalle Mayoral Candidates

• What actions will you take with the provincial government to reactivate the Greater Southwest structuring public transit project?
  
• Traffic is very difficult in LaSalle: what do you plan to do to facilitate entry and exit from the borough?
  
• What measures do you propose to properly welcome newcomers to the country in LaSalle?
  
• What infrastructure do you plan to build to help prevent drainage system overflows during heavy rains?
  
• The central City is investing heavily in the new Lachine waterfront park project. Do you think it should also enhance the gem that is Rapids Park?
  
• The recent overhaul of the STM bus network has not solved all mobility problems in LaSalle: what will be your priority interventions with the STM on this matter?
  
• What role do you think local media can play in increasing citizen participation at the municipal level?

Candidates were required to provide answers of 100 words maximum. When the limit was exceeded, Nouvelles d’Ici edited the answers to respect this limit while keeping the essence of the provided response. The inclusive writing format used in their answers was chosen by each candidate and was not modified by Nouvelles d’Ici. It may therefore vary from one candidate to another.

LaSalle

What actions will you take with the provincial government to reactivate the Greater Southwest structuring public transit project?

Nancy
Blanchet

Équipe LaSalle Team

LaSalle reiterates the importance of a structuring public transit mode connecting LaSalle, Lachine, and Dorval to downtown Montreal. Our main objective is not only to reduce congestion, but above all to offer a real alternative to single-occupancy vehicles. We will continue to mobilize elected officials and local partners to maintain pressure on the provincial government to reactivate this essential project. This structuring transit is crucial to promote sustainable mobility and improve our community’s quality of life by offering an effective solution adapted to citizens’ real needs.

Matthew
MacDonald

Transition Montréal
Team Craig Sauvé

As a party present across the entire city, we are able to exert coordinated pressure on the Government of Quebec to assert LaSalle’s and Montreal’s needs. We will take advantage of the upcoming provincial elections to put forward our priorities and encourage provincial parties to make concrete commitments to meet citizens’ expectations.

Jean-Louis
Fozin

Projet Montréal
Team Luc Rabouin

Projet Montréal is committed to relaunching the fight for public transit at the City level. We believe that a modern and fast tramway line connecting Lachine and LaSalle to downtown would be the solution best suited to meet local needs. I will follow and support ARTM’s process for the Greater Southwest Structuring Project. And if I am elected borough mayor, I will join my voice with that of my municipal colleagues to demand action from the provincial government.

Francisco
Moreno

Action Montréal
Team Gilbert Thibodeau

First, maintain what we have considering the state of Quebec’s finances, and not commit to pie-in-the-sky promises as Projet Montréal was announcing… No matter how we change bus routes, we always end up robbing Peter to pay Paul, unless we add new routes. Given the vehicle fleet, carpooling should be considered as a direction by planning route corridors like at Angrignon metro or other destinations by developing programs combining public safety, auto insurance, SAAQ, pre-established routes, creating permits for carpooling like in the taxi world…

Traffic is very difficult in LaSalle: what do you plan to do to facilitate entry and exit from the borough?

Nancy
Blanchet

Équipe LaSalle Team

With a growing population and increasingly busy arteries, we are listening to citizens and continuing our efforts to improve flow. Road safety is a priority in all our initiatives, as is collaboration with the central City to better coordinate traffic flows. Our interventions aim for sustainable, safe mobility adapted to current and future needs of the territory.

Matthew
MacDonald

Transition Montréal
Team Craig Sauvé

Traffic in LaSalle is a major issue. We plan to review traffic light coordination to improve efficiency, particularly at Shevchenko Bridge. We will also propose creating a team dedicated to traffic management during construction, which will free up police officers and reduce costs related to overtime. Finally, we want the reserved lane on Newman to become exclusive only during rush hours to improve traffic flow.

Jean-Louis
Fozin

Projet Montréal
Team Luc Rabouin

I believe there are several factors that influence difficult traffic in LaSalle. By improving access to public transit and car sharing, it will be possible to reduce road traffic. However, many LaSalle residents still need to travel by car. The borough can take measures to better plan work that causes slowdowns and detours. I also want to assess the impact of transit traffic caused by motorists who cross LaSalle to avoid other busier or closed routes.

Francisco
Moreno

Action Montréal
Team Gilbert Thibodeau

How can we change the configuration of a territory enclosed by the river, the Lachine Canal, Angrignon Park with the only exit routes being LaSalle Boulevard, Champlain Boulevard, La Vérendrye Boulevard, Musée/St-Patrick Road, Angrignon Boulevard, St-Patrick, Newman Boulevard, Clément toward Highway 20 and/or Mercier Bridge, Airlie, with a growing population (densification)? Mr. Richard Deschamps had submitted a brief during the Turcot Interchange renovation denouncing LaSalle’s isolation—has anything changed?

What measures do you propose to properly welcome newcomers to the country in LaSalle?

Nancy
Blanchet

Équipe LaSalle Team

LaSalle has implemented several initiatives promoting newcomer integration, including welcome programs and adapted services. We will continue these efforts to ensure harmonious and lasting inclusion. The role of the community sector is crucial, and we actively support several organizations working toward this goal.

Matthew
MacDonald

Transition Montréal
Team Craig Sauvé

To help them strengthen their autonomy and ability to thrive, we will work with community organizations and invest to meet a variety of needs. We will make documentation available on how the STM works, French courses, and essential resources, and use the Octagon as a center to obtain this information. We will also create a new community center, in collaboration with organizations, offering French courses, food assistance, and employment support in partnership with Destination Travail, as well as a safe space for youth, seniors, and isolated residents.

Jean-Louis
Fozin

Projet Montréal
Team Luc Rabouin

We want to create a newcomer’s guide in several languages in both paper and electronic versions. We also want to improve support and funding for community organizations that help them settle in. Almost each of us arrived here as immigrants in the last 30 years. We are intimately aware of the challenges these newcomers face. By entering municipal politics, I want to help build a welcoming, affordable, and equitable city and borough where the entire population can thrive regardless of their status.

Francisco
Moreno

Action Montréal
Team Gilbert Thibodeau

LaSalle is a multicultural borough where several organizations already provide assistance to newcomers. We must also consider reception capacity—think about housing, can we host a reception for 100 people in a 4½? Moreover, the decision to open the door to immigration or not is at the provincial and federal level, so it would be important to establish coordination between the three levels of government to avoid people arriving in an environment where resources are overwhelmed, while still finding ways to optimize cultural activities of different communities to guide newcomers toward an existing diaspora.

What infrastructure do you plan to build to help prevent drainage system overflows during heavy rains?

Nancy
Blanchet

Équipe LaSalle Team

Several infrastructures are being implemented. Resilient spaces will be developed in certain parks, including one at Ouellette Park. Draining curb extensions have been built, particularly at the intersection of Oblats Street and LaSalle Boulevard. Serre Street has been narrowed and greened between Jean-Brillon and Robert to promote water infiltration. Finally, private projects now incorporate the stormwater management bylaw, such as the Total company’s parking lot layout. These measures aim to reduce pressure on the existing network.

Matthew
MacDonald

Transition Montréal
Team Craig Sauvé

To prevent drainage system overflows during heavy rains, we will modernize and maintain existing stormwater sewer networks and pumping stations. We will push different levels of government to fund these essential infrastructures, as intense rain events will become more frequent with climate change. We will promote the expansion of green infrastructure, such as rain gardens and permeable pavements. Finally, we will support and encourage the City of Montreal to offer subsidies to citizens to install sump pumps and backflow valves, while regularly assessing the network to correct vulnerabilities.

Jean-Louis
Fozin

Projet Montréal
Team Luc Rabouin

First, I want to invest in sponge developments that retain rainwater. Projet Montréal also announced a Montreal Water Strategy by sustaining investments dedicated to maintaining and modernizing our sewers. We will have to deal with more and more heavy rain episodes and we must also support homeowners who want to do work to upgrade their residences. We thus plan to offer financial and technical support to help owners adapt their buildings to flood risks.

Francisco
Moreno

Action Montréal
Team Gilbert Thibodeau

Strengthening education is a simple way to relieve storm sewers by avoiding rainwater runoff from roofs to the street, no longer allowing in certain areas housing with basements that can become bowls during heavy rains, is densification an issue in the capacity of existing sewers in LaSalle, promoting distribution of containers that can store rainwater like green recycling bins.

The central City is investing heavily in the new Lachine waterfront park project. Do you think it should also enhance the gem that is Rapids Park?

Nancy
Blanchet

Équipe LaSalle Team

LaSalle has created 16 visual openings along LaSalle Boulevard to offer river views and promote biodiversity. These initiatives enhance Rapids Park, making it an accessible, appreciated, and preserved place. The central City should continue its efforts to support this exceptional natural gem.

Matthew
MacDonald

Transition Montréal
Team Craig Sauvé

Rapids Park is a true gem of LaSalle and deserves to be enhanced. It is already very beautiful, but certain improvements are possible: strengthening safety around roads, adding more trash bins, offering more activities for children combining play and nature discovery, and developing water activities while respecting the bird sanctuary. We also want to work with community organizations, such as Héritage Laurentien, to plant and maintain non-invasive native plants to preserve the park’s natural balance and protect biodiversity.

Jean-Louis
Fozin

Projet Montréal
Team Luc Rabouin

Absolutely! It’s already planned in our platform. Projet Montréal wants to give Montrealers access to the river. We live on an island and people should be able to enjoy it. Consequently, several enhancement projects have been identified to achieve this. Rapids Park is one of them. If I am elected borough mayor, I will cooperate with the central City and LaSalle residents to make it a haven of peace worthy of the name.

Francisco
Moreno

Action Montréal
Team Gilbert Thibodeau

Isn’t Rapids Park a wildlife reserve that contains extraordinary biodiversity? Any intervention could harm the balance; nature should be admired in its natural state. There are already trails with various amenities, and major work has already been done, such as in the Guy wave sector for surfing. Is the area able to accommodate more people around it, parking, public transit with surfboards?

The recent overhaul of the STM bus network has not solved all mobility problems in LaSalle: what will be your priority interventions with the STM on this matter?

Nancy
Blanchet

Équipe LaSalle Team

Considering that the STM is an autonomous paramunicipal organization, we will continue to actively carry LaSalle residents’ voice to its bodies, while remaining very attentive to needs expressed by the population. During the recent network overhaul, we demonstrated our commitment by gathering and transmitting citizen concerns to improve service, particularly by adapting schedules and routes to local realities.

Matthew
MacDonald

Transition Montréal
Team Craig Sauvé

The recent overhaul of the STM bus network has not solved all mobility problems in LaSalle. We want to restore reliable services, essential for parents whose children are often late to school, as well as for seniors who depend on public transit. We will continue to push the City and provincial government to consider extending the green metro line to LaSalle and Lachine.

Jean-Louis
Fozin

Projet Montréal
Team Luc Rabouin

Projet Montréal is committed to extending the Express Bus Network by creating a bus line isolated from automobile traffic on Dollard Avenue and Newman Boulevard, operational even at night. I am aware that this will not be sufficient to meet the needs of such a large territory. Therefore, I want to work with the STM to develop more bus lines to serve the borough more equitably. We could then assess the impact of the overhaul and request corrections where necessary.

Francisco
Moreno

Action Montréal
Team Gilbert Thibodeau

Can we imagine public transit that serves the entire population like a private taxi service, because people don’t like the “tourist” circuit detours of bus routes, which result in buses too often being empty? If we change routes, the result ends up robbing Peter to pay Paul. It would be preferable to consider urbanism, ensure all LaSalle areas are zoned for mixed use, several large dormitory neighborhoods that deprive many people of nearby services/businesses when city governance focuses on proximity services.

What role do you think local media can play in increasing citizen participation at the municipal level?

Nancy
Blanchet

Équipe LaSalle Team

Local media play an essential role in informing, raising awareness, and mobilizing citizens. We will encourage their collaboration to disseminate transparent information and support citizen participation. Their involvement helps bring municipal institutions closer to the population and strengthen local democracy.

Matthew
MacDonald

Transition Montréal
Team Craig Sauvé

Local media play an essential role in strengthening citizen participation. They must inform residents about each party’s local platforms, remind them of important polling dates, and indicate where to find their polling place. By making information clear and accessible, they encourage more citizens to get involved. In the future, they could also organize a debate between LaSalle candidates to allow voters to better compare visions and make an informed choice.

Jean-Louis
Fozin

Projet Montréal
Team Luc Rabouin

At the municipal level, the work of local media is essential because they allow citizens to stay informed about what’s happening on their street or in their neighborhood. During my door-to-door campaign, many told me they turn to media to learn about municipal elections. With the Canada Post strike, people will turn to you to find out when to vote, for example. Others will read this article to decide who to vote for because we won’t have time to knock on every door!

Francisco
Moreno

Action Montréal
Team Gilbert Thibodeau

To report what is happening at the municipal level as it is done at the provincial and federal levels, not just serve as an opportunity to give visibility to the sitting council, to attend borough bodies, councils, public consultations, to follow up on hot issues, aware that media have financial limitations to achieve these goals, especially since the arrival of web giants. To establish in electronic media like Nouvelles d’Ici a section for readers’ letters, specifying that it’s the reader’s opinion and in no way engages the media.

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^{The cover photo is a Canva montage.}

^{All photos of candidates on this page were taken by their respective parties who hold the photo credit.}