Thursday May 19, 2016 marked a very exciting day in Côte Saint-Luc as the much anticipated Shell Gas Station, complete with a Boni Soir convenience store and a car wash, finally opened for business. 

I am proud to be the city councillor for the Quartier Cavendish (former Cavendish Mall) where this new facility sits. If there is one question that has followed me up and down the grocery aisle more than others in the past year it has been "So when is that Shell going to open?"  There were a variety of delays for good reasons, lastly some necessary Hydro-Québec connections. But it was certainly worth the wait.

Councillors Kovac and Nashen, Jacynthe Poulin, Mayor Brownstein, myself, Miriam and Alaedine Gouader.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and Councillors Glenn J. Nashen and Ruth Kovac joined me on opening day. The entire facility is under the umbrella of Sobeys, the company which owns IGA. Territory manager Jacynthe Poulin and franchise operator Alaedine Gouader, accompanied by his wife Miriam. We were very impressed with the operation, as were the endless array of excited clients.

Inside the Boni Soir.

First and foremost, it is great news to have a self-serve gas station open  5 am to 11 pm seven days a week in our community. Of course  Raffi Abikian at his Shell station on Westminster also sells gas, but the main focus there is mechanics. 

That`s Steve Naymark`s vehicle going through the car wash.

The Boni Soir has freshly baked muffins and danishes prepared on the premises each day and they are kosher. A 12 ounce cup of coffee will be available free for the first two weeks. I had some decaf and it was very good. There were is a full array of snacks and dairy products. We were told that the shelves will become more plentiful in the coming days. In addition they will get their alcohol permit soon. Parents and their little ones were already crowding around the slush and candy machines. This is a nice-sized building. There a few tables and chairs in the back for customers to sit down on. A large bathroom, complete with a changing table, is also available to the public. You  can buy lotto tickets and use the BMO ATM machine as well.

One of my constituents, Steve Naymark,  was the first person I saw come use the car wash. He gave it a big thumbs up. Poulin says it is touchless, meaning the machinery does not physically touch your car.

When was the last time Côte Saint-Luc had a car wash? Come back with me to the old BP on CSL Road, which turned into a Petro Canada and then closed about two decades ago. As a young child I used to love it when my dad brought me for a drive through the car wash.

A fellow by the name of Islem Amar Khodja set up a small kiosk in the Boni Soir to provide samples of his company`s delicious  gluten free nuts. The brand is call Royal Nuts  and he has a number of packages on the shelf to choose from.

Welcome to Côte Saint-Luc and District 2!