The long awaited first Public Consultation meeting for the Côte Saint-Luc Master Plan took place on January 13 at City Hall. I voted against the first reading of this planning document, chiefly because a future Public Safety station was earmarked for District 2 greenspace at the corner of Park Place and The Avenue. Not only was I opposed to this location, but so were the neighbourhood residents.

Ralph Rimokh (at my right) was a leading voice against the project.

First off, that  space was always meant to remain green and be transformed into a park or parkette. While this had been discussed in caucus as one of the possible places for a Public Safety station, I made it clear that I was opposed . That is why I was infuriated to see it in the actual documentation.

Lisa Sabbag, who lives on Cavendish, made a compelling argument against the location.

Before the holidays, I went door to door in the area and held a meeting with neighbourhood residents to explain to them what a Public Safety station is and what the intent of the plan was. We also discussed the proposed redevelopment of Quartier Cavendish, with buildings ranging from two to 20 storeys.

Staff listened attentively.

Let me credit Mayor Mitchell Brownstein. He heard my concerns and those of my residents and at the beginning of the meeting he made it clear that he would oppose the Avenue/Park Place site for a Public Safety station. However, later in the meeting, our Associate City Manager Tanya Abramovitch inferred that it was not off the table. I approached the mayor out of concern and as the meeting concluded he spoke again. “It is not going there over my dead body,” he said. “First off, that land is designated as a park. Cities are being audited for converting parks to greenspace. So, it is off the table as far as I am concerned.”

There was a nice turnout.

The following evening council held a special caucus meeting and the mayor made it clear this was no longer a possible location. Everyone concurred.  

The mayor and council now appear to be in agreement that another place within the area of Quartier Cavendish will become the new designated spot. Options include the corner of Kellert and Kildare or on Cavendish closer to Mackle Road.

I want to thank the many residents of Park Place, Cavendish Blvd and The Avenue for attending the meeting and speaking out.

Mayor Brownstein helps me greet some of my student interns.

Also bravo to some of my Local Commerce interns from Bialik, Alexa Omer, Liana Lev-Ary, Jeremy Nashen, Avery Hannon, Noah Galambos and Noah Hoffman for stepping up and getting involved with me on this important dossier. Stay tuned to see the interesting projects they will be involved in related to the master plan in the weeks and months ahead.

Noah Hoffman has joined my student intern team.

Next on tap for the master plan is a public consultation meeting on plans for Quartier Cavendish on Monday night, February 3 (7 pm) at City Hall.

See my Instagram video with Alexa and Liana: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DE0yENRpCO3/?igsh=MzF5cGYwNnZuNzY1

Le poste de sécurité publique ne sera pas installé à l'angle de The Avenue et de Park Place.

La première réunion de consultation publique tant attendue du plan directeur de Côte Saint-Luc a eu lieu le 13 janvier à l'hôtel de ville. J'ai voté contre la première lecture de ce document de planification, principalement parce qu'un futur poste de sécurité publique était prévu dans l'espace vert du district 2, à l'angle de Park Place et de The Avenue. Non seulement j'étais opposée à cet emplacement, mais les habitants du quartier l'étaient également.

Tout d'abord, cet espace vert a toujours été destiné à rester vert et à être transformé en parc ou en promenade. Bien que cet endroit ait été discuté au sein du caucus comme l'un des emplacements possibles pour un poste de sécurité publique, j'ai clairement fait savoir que je m'y opposais. C'est pourquoi j'ai été furieux de le voir figurer dans la documentation.

Avant les vacances, j'ai fait du porte-à-porte dans le quartier et j'ai organisé une réunion avec les habitants du quartier pour leur expliquer ce qu'est un poste de sécurité publique et quelle était l'intention du plan. Nous avons également discuté du projet de réaménagement du Quartier Cavendish, avec des bâtiments de deux à vingt étages.

Marianne Constantine

Je tiens à féliciter le maire Mitchell Brownstein. Il a entendu mes préoccupations et celles de mes habitants et, au début de la réunion, il a clairement indiqué qu'il s'opposerait à l'implantation d'un poste de sécurité publique sur le site de l'avenue/Park Place. Toutefois, plus tard au cours de la réunion, notre directrice municipale adjointe, Tanya Abramovitch, a laissé entendre que la question n'était pas écartée. J'ai approché le maire pour lui faire part de mon inquiétude et, à la fin de la réunion, il a repris la parole. Il m'a dit : « Je n'irai pas là-bas sur mon cadavre ». « Tout d'abord, ce terrain est un parc. Les villes font l'objet d'un audit pour la conversion des parcs en espaces verts. En ce qui me concerne, c'est donc hors de question ».

Le maire et le conseil municipal semblent désormais d'accord pour qu'un autre endroit du Quartier Cavendish devienne le nouveau lieu désigné. Les options comprennent le coin de Kellert et Kildare ou sur Cavendish plus près de Mackle Road.

Je tiens à remercier les nombreux résidents de Park Place, du boulevard Cavendish et de The Avenue qui ont assisté à la réunion et se sont exprimés.

Bravo également à certains de mes stagiaires en commerce local de Bialik, Alexa Omer, Liana Lev-Ary, Jeremy Nashen, Avery Hannon, Noah Galambos et Noah Hoffman, qui se sont impliqués avec moi dans cet important dossier. Restez à l'écoute pour découvrir les projets intéressants auxquels ils participeront dans le cadre du plan directeur au cours des semaines et des mois à venir.

La prochaine étape du plan directeur est une réunion de consultation publique sur les plans pour le Quartier Cavendish, qui aura lieu le lundi 3 février (19 heures) à l'hôtel de ville.

For the first time in 20 years, the City of Côte Saint-Luc is completely revamping its Planning Program (also known as the Master Plan). We haven’t had a new one since the Montreal Borough era, and the city has come a long way since then. 

Almost 20 years after the adoption of our current Planning Program (Master Plan), the City of Côte Saint-Luc has determined that now is the time to establish new guidance for the development and enhancement of the city. This effort is more than timely, given that the current plan was adopted in 2004 while Côte Saint-Luc was still merged with the City of Montreal and was part of the Borough of Côte Saint-Luc—Hampstead—Montreal West. More recently, Côte Saint-Luc residents have expressed their desire for reimagined, connected, and better-developed living environments, notably through pre-consultation activities held in 2022–2023. These activities facilitated a dialogue with the community on various aspects such as land use planning, quality of life, and mobility. This has brought forth the desire for a city connected on multiple levels, which led to the emergence of the central theme of the initiative: Côte Saint-Luc, Connected.

Let me be clear that this document is a masterpiece. I do want to commend our staff team that worked so hard on this project for the past three years. You can read it all here

On Wednesday, November 20 we held a public council meeting to get the process going by giving notices of motion and adopting a series of bylaws.

I am in favor of the vast majority of the visionary statements in the document. However, during my 19 years on city council, I have always placed my constituents first.

We have known from the start that the three large shopping centres, including Quartier Cavendish, want to redevelop. Over two years ago they all presented a large show and tell. For the past year I have been asking our Master Plan team to put down in writing the parameters that Quartier Cavendish would likely have to follow. I walk my district multiple times a week, especially during the warmer months, and this is when I can speak to my constituents. I went door to door in September to homes and apartments near the Quartier Cavendish to let people know potential changes were coming. But I was still lacking the substance of what we’d be placing in the document. That information only came to me about two weeks ago. I simply do not feel that was enough time for me to properly consult. Nonetheless, I was open to the idea of voting in favor of the bylaws on Wednesday in order to let them go forward for public consultation. Then, on the weekend before the meeting, we received the final documentation and there it was in black and white: the city’s intention to build a new Public Safety station at the corner of Park Place and The Avenue. .

Go to the 1:37:37mark here  of the meeting video to hear my comments

Yes, this location has been discussed in caucus meetings. But I made it clear that if in fact the council’s desire was to move forward with the Park Place/The Avenue location then we must consult with the residents first. People on Park Place, The Avenue and part of Cavendish had always expected a park on this green space. The late City Councillor Ruth Kovac had even designated it as “Volunteers Park.” Several days before the November 20 meeting, I asked that the Public Safety station be removed from the document. Council refused.

There will be a public consultation on Monday night, January 13 in person and online. Stay tuned for precise details. In the meantime I will be communicating with residents who live near Quartier Cavendish and where the proposed Public Safety station would go. I am elected to advocate on their behalf so I will be eager to hear what they have to say. It should be noted that such a facility might not be built for another 10 years.

After my remarks on the video, Councillor Dida Berku stated that the Public Safety station is not in the document, yet she then proceeded to state why Park Place and the Avenue is the desired location. By the way it is very much so in the document. Go to page 117 to see for yourself.

What will happen with Quartier Cavendish? It will likely become a large mixed use development. I do hope we will hear more from Quartier Cavendish officials in the coming months. I am sure the vast majority of my constituents will approve of the master plan. But for those living right next to Quartier Cavendish and now a potential Public Safety station, their voices must be heard.

Some members of council were displeased that Councillor Oren Sebag voted against the master plan. There is nothing wrong with that. We do live in a democracy.

Pourquoi j'ai voté contre le plan d'urbanisme

Pour la première fois en vingt ans, la Ville de Côte Saint-Luc procède à une refonte complète de son plan d'urbanisme (aussi appelé plan directeur). Nous n'avons pas eu de nouveau plan depuis l'époque de l'arrondissement de Montréal, et la ville a fait beaucoup de chemin depuis. Près de 20 ans après l'adoption de son plan d'urbanisme actuel, la Ville de Côte Saint-Luc a décidé qu'il était temps d'établir de nouvelles orientations pour le développement et l'amélioration de la ville. Cet effort est d'autant plus opportun que le plan actuel a été adopté en 2004 alors que Côte Saint-Luc était encore fusionnée à la Ville de Montréal et faisait partie de l'arrondissement de Côte Saint-Luc-Hampstead-Montréal-Ouest. Plus récemment, les résidents de Côte Saint-Luc ont exprimé leur désir d'avoir des milieux de vie repensés, connectés et mieux aménagés, notamment lors des activités de préconsultation tenues en 2022-2023. Ces activités ont permis d'engager un dialogue avec la communauté sur divers aspects tels que l'aménagement du territoire, la qualité de vie et la mobilité. Il en est ressorti le désir d'une ville connectée à plusieurs niveaux, ce qui a mené à l'émergence du thème central de l'initiative : Côte Saint-Luc, connectée

Je tiens à préciser que ce document est un chef-d'œuvre. Je tiens à féliciter l'équipe qui a travaillé d'arrache-pied sur ce projet au cours des trois dernières années.

Le mercredi 20 novembre, nous avons tenu une réunion publique du conseil pour lancer le processus en donnant un avis de motion et en adoptant une série de règlements.

Je suis favorable à la grande majorité des déclarations visionnaires contenues dans le document. Cependant, au cours de mes 19 années au conseil municipal, j'ai toujours placé mes électeurs au premier plan. Nous savons depuis le début que les trois grands centres commerciaux, dont le Quartier Cavendish, veulent se réaménager. Il y a plus de deux ans, ils ont tous présenté une grande exposition. Depuis un an, je demande à notre équipe chargée du plan directeur de mettre par écrit les paramètres que le Quartier Cavendish devrait probablement respecter. J'arpente mon quartier plusieurs fois par semaine, surtout pendant les mois les plus chauds, et c'est à ce moment-là que je peux parler à mes électeurs. En septembre, j'ai fait du porte-à-porte dans les maisons et les appartements situés à proximité du Quartier Cavendish pour informer les gens de l'imminence de changements potentiels. Mais il me manquait encore la substance de ce que nous allions mettre dans le document. Ces informations ne m'ont été communiquées qu'il y a environ deux semaines. J'estime que je n'ai pas eu assez de temps pour procéder à une consultation adéquate. Néanmoins, j'étais ouvert à l'idée de voter en faveur des statuts mercredi afin de les soumettre à une consultation publique. Puis, le week-end précédant la réunion, nous avons reçu la documentation finale et elle était écrite noir sur blanc : l'intention de la ville de construire un nouveau poste de sécurité publique à l'angle de Park Place et de The Avenue. .

Allez à 1:37:37 de la vidéo de la réunion pour entendre mes commentaires

Oui, cet emplacement a été discuté lors des réunions du caucus. Mais j'ai clairement indiqué que si le conseil souhaitait aller de l'avant avec l'emplacement Park Place/The Avenue, nous devions d'abord consulter les résidents. Les habitants de Park Place, de The Avenue et d'une partie de Cavendish ont toujours attendu un parc sur cet espace vert. La défunte conseillère municipale Ruth Kovac l'avait même désigné comme « Parc des Bénévoles .» Plusieurs jours avant la réunion du 20 novembre, j'ai demandé que le poste de sécurité publique soit retiré du document. Le conseil a refusé.
Une consultation publique aura lieu le lundi 13 janvier en personne et en ligne. Restez à l'écoute pour connaître les détails précis. Entre-temps, je communiquerai avec les résidents qui habitent près du Quartier Cavendish et de l'endroit où le poste de sécurité publique proposé serait installé. J'ai été élu pour défendre leurs intérêts et je serai donc impatient d'entendre ce qu'ils ont à dire. Il convient de noter qu'une telle installation ne sera peut-être pas construite avant dix ans.

Après mes remarques sur la vidéo, la conseillère Dida Berku a déclaré que le poste de sécurité publique ne figurait pas dans le document, mais elle a ensuite expliqué pourquoi Park Place et l'avenue étaient l'emplacement souhaité. Or, c'est bien le cas dans le document. Allez à la page 117 pour vous en convaincre.

Qu'adviendra-t-il du Quartier Cavendish ? Il est probable qu'il devienne un grand ensemble à usage mixte. J'espère que les responsables du Quartier Cavendish nous en diront plus dans les mois à venir. Je suis certain que la grande majorité de mes électeurs approuveront le plan directeur. Mais ceux qui vivent juste à côté du Quartier Cavendish et d'un éventuel poste de sécurité publique doivent faire entendre leur voix.

Certains membres du conseil n'ont pas apprécié que le conseiller Oren Sebag ait voté contre le plan directeur. Il n'y a rien de mal à cela. Nous vivons dans une démocratie.

Back in June 2022, the City of  Côte Saint-Luc began gathering feedback from the public to revise the municipal Planning Program and Zoning By-law documents.

The Planning Program is the municipality’s most important official long-term planning document. This fundamental tool enables the municipal council to draw up a current portrait of the territory, identify issues and then guide decision-making on planning and development solutions and actions for the next 15 to 20 years.

Going door to door with Bialik student interns Noah Galambos, Avery Hannon, Jeremy Nashen, Liana Levary and Alexa Omer.

You are invited to attend an information session on Monday, Sept. 16 at 7 pm at City Hall to find out about the vision and orientations of the Planning Program, the process and next steps, and how you can participate.

For residents of my District 2, the big question has been what will be the Planning Program’s impact on the future of Quartier Cavendish?
The special planning program (SPP) is a detailed component of a municipality’s broader planning program that focuses on areas needing special consideration.

The SPP presents a distinctive vision; guidelines and strategies for the SPP for the Town Centre of Côte Saint-Luc. Its aim is to create an attractive and cohesive town centre that encompasses the Quartier Cavendish property, the City Hall and Library complex, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park. The SPP for the Town Centre of Côte Saint-Luc is a key component of the city’s overall planning program. Its implementation will significantly contribute to the broader planning vision for the city.

The Quartier Cavendish is located at the center of the SPP. It was built in the early 1970s, a time when malls served as downtown areas and community gathering spaces. Its architecture and layout are typical of regional shopping centres from that era. It is set back from the streets and surrounded by a vast open-air parking lot. Upon its opening, Quartier Cavendish stood out as one of the city’s few shopping destinations accessible on foot, a characteristic that, to some degree, remains true even today. It remains a popular meeting place, especially among older adults who commonly use the food court as space to gather. Originally, the land occupied by the shopping centre was nearly twice its current size. In 2010, about 40 percent of the original building was demolished to make way for a residential area, mainly consisting of townhouses, single-family homes and an apartment building.

What is next? The Quartier Cavendish officials wish to implement a total facelift and for that new zoning will be required.

Unfortunately, we will still have no firm details available on Sept, 16 regarding the Quartier Cavendish. All I can tell you is that our planners are projecting zoning for new buildings that could very well range from two to 20 storeys. Mandevco, the owners of Quartier Cavendish, do not have a formal plan ready for council to consider at this point.

More news may only come to Council at the Oct, 21 meeting, with a legal public consultation to follow on Nov. 20. Soon after, the entire city will be able to vote for the municipal Planning Program and Zoning By-law documents. That means that even if residents of District 2 near the Quartier Cavendish oppose the project, they won’t be able to vote it down.

As my colleague, Councillor Dida Berku repeats, the revitalization of the three large shopping centres (Quartier Cavendish, Decarie Square and Côte St. Luc Shopping Centre) is vital to the future financial prosperity of our city. I lament the fact that at this hour we not have all of the necessary information for them to review.

Last week, with five of my Bialik High School student interns, I knocked on doors of people on Park Place, Jubilee, The Avenue and Cavendish Blvd. They live closes to Quartier Cavendish so we wanted to give them a heads up on the Sept. 16 meeting where city officials will be on hand and residents can ask important questions. 

Following many months of turmoil since   five residential apartment buildings on Kildare Road and Sir Walter Scott were sold by Group CLV  to a company represented by real estate broker Terry Geramanis, another transaction has now taken place.  David Gans and  Robbie Peck, two residents of Montreal who own other properties, are officially the new owners of  6565 and 6575 Kildare and  5775, 5755 and 5765 Sir Walter Scott.

Some of the buildings now under new ownership.

Since last winter tenants have lived in fear of renoviction, complained about a lack of communications with the owners and dealt with neglect of the premises.

I spoke to Gans, who insisted that is all a thing of the past. He and Peck have already hired a full-time individual to manage the five buildings. Dedicated phone lines will be set up for tenants to call for assistance daytime and after hours. They have already started to clean the carpets in the corridors of each buildings. In cases where any stains were not removed, they will hire a professional company to complete the job. A long series of repairs and renovations are on their “to do” list.

There is  presently a truck in one of the parking lots. That will be removed from the premises as soon as possible. A landscaper has been hired to beautify the grounds.

“We are very excited to be the new owners,” said Gans. “Good things are going to happen.”

I must say that as the city councillor for the district I am very relieved with this news. These past few months have not been easy on anyone, including our staff at City Hall who maintained a very close eye on the properties. I’d like to thank almost all of the tenants for their patience and the professional manner in which  they communicated with me.

More news to come on this dossier.

The state-of-the-art Clinique Médicale Step is now fully operational at the building at the corner of Cavendish and Kildare, servicing primary children. After touring the premises and speaking to property owner Aaron Bitton I have a great deal more news to share on what is about to occur.

With Drs. Rothstein, Lessard and Administrative Director Melissa Patterson at the clinic.

Located on the third floor of the building, the sprawling 9,000 square foot Clinique Médicale Step is headed by Dr. David Rothstein and Dr. Alicia Lessard. It features 11 doctor offices, 28 examination rooms (one nurse station, onsite full time), and four allied-health rooms. There are currently 13 doctors as part of the team with more joining over the next few months. Administrative Director Melissa Patterson took me through the facility and I must say I was beyond impressed by what I saw. To be seen there, you still must register on the waiting list by using the Québec Family Doctor Finder (GAMF).

The busy front desk.

“We will have more new doctors joining us in September, so when new spots open up the system will direct families to our clinic,” said Dr. Rothstein. “Through our website patients can book appointments. Those who are registered patients with a family doctor working at the clinic can book appointments with their doctor. In addition, through the website, parents of sick kids can book urgent care appointments, and those needing to see a specialist can submit an appointment request (referrals required). The website also includes a wealth of information on each service offered, and other topics including how to get on the waiting list for a family doctor.”

On the ground floor, a new blood test centre via the Biron Group is open for business. This is a private clinic like CDL at Decarie Square, but especially convenient for individuals who want to beat the often extensive wait times via the Clic Santé system and those who have private insurance coverage.

One of the examing rooms.

In September, Forcemedic  will open at the facility to service adults headed by family doctors Béatrice Grunbaum and Lynn Cohen. Initially, they will see patients out of Clinique Médicale Step until their new premises in the building are ready.

One of the long and winding hallways.

Bitton also formed me that Anne Benguira will relocate her Uniprix pharmacy to the building in December. This will be a small pharmacy primarily for presriptions and some small items like Tylenol.

Finally, Bitton said he hopes to have news soon about the arrival of a radiology clinic where people can get x-rays, uktrasounds and possibly MRIs and CT scans.

More About Clinique Médicale Step

Clinique Médicale Stephas a lot to offer:

• Wellcare: wellness check-ups, preventive care, coordination of vaccines, resources support and more
• Urgent Care: services address fever, ear pain, sore throat, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, urinary symptoms, rash, minor injuries, etc.
• Specialty care: pediatrics, pediatric allergist and immunology, ENT, pediatric dentistry pre-screening appointments,
• Allied care

Allison Gardos is the director of the clinic’s Allied Health Department and owner of Physio Step by Step. The services include. Allied Health Services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietician / nutrition , child behaviour therapy, lactionation consultation and psychology .

Through the clinic’s website, www.cliniquestep.ca, patients can book appointments. Those who are registered patients with a family doctor working at the clinic can book appointments with their doctor. In addition, through the website, parents of sick kids can book urgent care appointments, and those needing to see a specialist can submit an appointment request (referrals required). The website also includes a wealth of information on each service offered, and other topics including how to get on the waiting list for a family doctor.

At Clinique Médicale Step, accessibility to healthcare is paramount. “That’s why we’ve dedicated ourselves to crafting a seamless online booking system, updated in real-time, ensuring that scheduling appointments is easy and convenient for all. Your well-being is our priority, every step of the way,” their brochure states.

As for their mission, they state: “Welcome to a place where families come first. Where every child is treated like our own. And where a diverse team of dedicated and dynamic medical professionals work together to provide top-tier healthcare with kindness, compassion and comfort.
Welcome to a place we can all feel better about.”

Log on to their website and follow them on Instagram: @clinique.step and Facebook @Clinique Medicale Step. The address is 5757 boul. Cavendish, Suite 300 and you can call 514-307-5757, or e-mail [email protected]

In Côte Saint-Luc we take pride of the beauty of our surroundings. As the co-chair of our annual Maison Fleuries competition, I recently took part in the judging of properties and I was delighted to see the care in which the owners showed for their land. Sadly, in my District 2, this is hardly the case for two vacant land spots: one on Sir Walter Scott and the other on Park Place.

Our Building Inspection Department is now prepared to act with the necessary fines and removal of junk from their pieces of land. The neglect by the owners is absolutely unacceptable.

The vacant land on Sir Walter Scott.

On Sir Walter Scott, a large slice of vacant land was purchased by a developer a few years ago and his plan were to construct semi-detached dwellings to match those next door and on Ilan Ramon Crescent. While a whole lot of back and forth went on with our Urban Planning personnel, the owner decided to use this land as a junkyard by dumping equipment and building materials. In addition, he has not followed our by-law by cutting the grass.  He now has placed the land up for sale. Meanwhile, as people drive by an attractive neighborhood they have to stare at this travesty. I was at City Hall and spoke to our building inspector. We may have no choice but to  clean the area ourselves and send him the bill.

The vacant land on Park Place.

Meanwhile, Park Place  has such beautiful homes. Yet the owner of a vacant lot has never built anything on it, also dropping equipment there and not maintaining the property in any way. There is barely any grass, so the dirt flies into the backyards and windows of those living in the Kildare Road town houses. Again, this is entirely unacceptable.

I have asked our building inspector to show zero tolerance with both landowners.

A Côte Saint-Luc, nous sommes fiers de la beauté de notre environnement. En tant que coprésidente de notre concours annuel de la Maison Fleuries, j'ai récemment participé à l'évaluation des propriétés et j'ai été ravie de constater le soin que les propriétaires apportaient à leur terrain. Malheureusement, dans mon district 2, ce n'est pas le cas de deux terrains vacants : l'un sur Sir Walter Scott et l'autre sur Park Place.

Notre service d'inspection des bâtiments est désormais prêt à agir en infligeant les amendes nécessaires et en procédant à l'enlèvement de la ferraille sur ces terrains. La négligence des propriétaires est absolument inacceptable.

Sur Sir Walter Scott, une grande parcelle de terrain vacant a été achetée par un promoteur il y a quelques années et son projet était de construire des habitations jumelées pour correspondre à celles qui se trouvent à côté et sur Ilan Ramon Crescent. Après de nombreuses discussions avec notre personnel chargé de l'urbanisme, le propriétaire a décidé d'utiliser ce terrain comme une décharge en y jetant des équipements et des matériaux de construction. De plus, il n'a pas respecté notre règlement en coupant l'herbe. Il a maintenant mis le terrain en vente. Pendant ce temps, les gens qui passent devant un quartier attrayant sont obligés de regarder cette parodie. Je me suis rendu à l'hôtel de ville et j'ai parlé à notre inspecteur des bâtiments. Nous n'aurons peut-être pas d'autre choix que de nettoyer la zone nous-mêmes et de lui envoyer la facture.

En attendant, Park Place possède de si belles maisons. Pourtant, le propriétaire d'un terrain vague n'y a jamais rien construit, y dépose du matériel et n'entretient pas sa propriété. Il n'y a pratiquement pas d'herbe, de sorte que la saleté vole dans les arrière-cours et les fenêtres des habitants des maisons de ville de Kildare Road. Là encore, c'est tout à fait inacceptable.

J'ai demandé à notre inspecteur des bâtiments de faire preuve d'une tolérance zéro à l'égard des deux propriétaires.

The new ownership of  five residential apartment buildings on Kildare Road and Sir Walter Scott continues  to result in complaints being filed to myself and the city.

But here is some breaking news. I have learned that the buildings may sold again in the coming months, this time to a professional operator.

Group CLV sold the buildings to a group, represented by real estate broker Terry Geramanis, amid fears of possible renoviction.  The tenants were organized, hiring a lawyer and establishing a tenants association. In recent weeks I have received a number of calls by residents, notably complaining about a lack of communication.

To his credit, Geramanis has responded to all of my inquiries. 

Terry Geramanis

There have been elevator issues in some of the buildings and Geramanis’ team has rectified those issues.

The problem now is that tenants say they can only e-mail their complaints to an address which is very short on responses.

Trevor and Adele.

Geramanis says that  although an email has been provided to the tenants to ask questions and make requests, a direct phone line was also shared with them, indicating their representatives’ phone numbers. To this day,  he says, they keep receiving and answering calls coming directly from tenants in the building.  

David : (438) 816-4243 

Avi : (438) 299-9934

In the lobby of one of the buildings I visited, though, only the e-mail address appears on a notice.

“I need to make it clear that there is undeniable willingness on my part and such of my team to ensure viable tenancy and maintain the property in a state that allows the current tenants to live peacefully in their unit,” Geramanis stated. “Furthermore, my team and I are committed to addressing any concerns the tenants may have and maintaining open lines of communications. We understand the importance of being accessible and responsive."

As for the building caretakers,  originally employees of CLV,  tenants say they lack the proper equipment to do their job and are not as visible as before.

“In regards to custodians on site, following the sale, we had made the decision to maintain their contracts in place,” Geramanis responded. “To this date, they are still present on site and answer when tasked. They also keep us updated relating to any problems the building or the tenants encounter.”

As for the  lack of on-site employee’s working tools, Geramanis  says he wishes to clarify that this was caused by CLV repossessing most of the equipment and material that was used for building maintenance and thus following the sale the maintenance room was for the most part emptied. “However, my team and I are in communications with our on-site caretakers and should a work equipment be needed to efficiently perform a job or to complete a maintenance requisition, it will be provided,” he said. “On that note, tenants should not be worried of any service disruption in the building."

On Monday, tenants Adele and Trevor asked  if I’d come meet them at their building on Kildare Road. Adele said the physical look of the grounds is already deteriorating under the new owners; no flowers or greenery has been planted in front nor has been the grass been cut. There is a large pothole at the entrance of the lot (I’m not sure if this a joint issue with the neighbouring Westwood building) and a few others in the parking lot.

“Concerning landscaping, the only thing I can mention at the moment is that we are having discussions with various companies to find the best fit,” said Geramanis.

Adele showed me the water leaks she has in her apartment bathroom resulting in mould. One of our building inspectors visited the premises. As of this writing he has not heard back from the landlords and plans to begin issuing tickets.

“We are aware of the situation and are in communication with our team to ensure that the issues encountered in their unit are fixed,” said Geramanis. “We have one and the same goal: to ensure the safety and smooth operation of our properties, creating a comfortable living environment for all tenants. It is not our intention, nor is it in our interest to create a toxic environment where our liability and reputation would be on the line. Any dialogue we engage in is purely amicable, without any fear or threat and we are here to listen and work together to find reasonable solutions that benefit everyone involved."

Adele and Trevor also told me they have seen large rats in the garage.

I will continue to advocate for the tenants and keep my eyes and ears open re a possible sale. At one point Geramanis referred to me as a journalist. That is one of my professions, but this blog is reserved strictly for my role as a city councillor to keep my constituents in the loop on important issues.

The concern expressed by the residents of five buildings on Kildare Road and Sir Walter Scott over the presence of new owners and a fear of renoviction has resulted in the formation of a tenants association, the engagement of a lawyer and clear line drawn in the sand.

The audience at Monday's meeting.

When Groupe CLV sold the five buildings in February to a group Gestion Galleon, residents sounded the alarm over suspicious evening visits from company representatives offering some tenants cash incentives to leave. This triggered worries about potential renovictions. The latter occurs when landlords use non-urgent renovations as a pretext to force tenants to vacate.  Landlords may harass tenants to force them out, and some send illegal lease non-renewal notices.

Councillor Dida Berku (a tenants rights lawyer for 40 years ) and myself have been very active on the file since day one. Mayor Mitchell Brownstein has been following the situation closely. Now our Urban Planning Department has stepped in. This type of action is fairly unprecedented. I have been on council for 18 years and in my District there are 16 rental buildings (and eight high rise condos). Tenant-landlord disputes occur in all of these buildings and I hear about them. We always have to draw a fine line between by-law infractions which we can intervene on or a dispute between a tenant and landlord which precludes us from intervening. That being said, our involvement in working with tenants to help stave off any serious problems is not something we have done in my time in office.

Catherine Plawutsky

On March  25, our library helped organize a special information meeting for tenants of the five building with  LogisAction,  which provides assistance to tenants in NDG and finds solutions to problems related to their rental situation. It was good to see some of the leaders of the tenants association. We provided the use of our auditorium for free. Attendees signed in when they arrived. Councillor Berku, myself and Mayor Brownstein made opening remarks. Lawyer Justin Demers was on hand and Catherine Plawutsky from Logis Action gave a very informative presentation. 

Earlier in the day, our Associate City Manager Tanya Abramovitch held a meeting with the Urban Planning Department.  It is very important to emphasize that the e-mail to address any infractions is  [email protected] 

According to Tanya, the great majority of complaints the department has received, through in person appearances, phone calls, and emails, have related to threats, the rent cheques, and things that are not ones the city can do anything about. Those are complaints for the Régie du logement or even the police, and we have told them that.

There are certain things that are in the purview of the city, and certain things that are not. Elevators, electricity, plumbing, and ventilation of buildings this size are under the purview of the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ).  Things like emergency lights, blocked exits, sprinklers, fire alarms, imminent walls of bricks falling, and defective generators are under the responsibility of the SIM. It is always better for the tenants to call directly, since they see things at all hours and live the reality. The RBQ says they will respond within 30 days but it is never that long.  We can make a complaint (and did for the elevator), but us calling versus residents does not move things along faster. The elevator complaint has been deposited at the RBQ, and the property owners have been informed that it has

In our by-laws, permits are required for most work, including the replacement of floors, cabinets, opening a wall, things that touch Gyproc. This is different than in Montreal, where for minor interior work you do not need a permit. Tanya points out that this is fortunate, because it forces the property owners to apply for permits for even small work on one unit.  Our Urban Planning Department also proactively contacted the property owners and let them know that they need a permit to do basically anything, and that they can’t even change the sign outside without going through the city. As of today, not a single permit request exists for any of these buildings. The department will not issue any if one is requested until our director of Urban Planning returns anyway. Our renoviction bylaw, adopted last fall,  only applies in the context of a permit, not before.  Urban Planning will flag Tanya immediately  if any permit request comes in for any of these buildings.

At the information session I informed  tenants that it would be helpful if they can tell us if they hear any sounds of construction (sawing, hammering, etc). If they dothey should contact Urban Planning  by email and let them know right away. We   will then send an inspector to check it out. If it’s on a weekend, we will pick it up on Monday and do what  is needed.

In the past, when these buildings were CLV-owned, there were certain complaints that occurred.  CLV took care of them right away. Our Urban Planning team is concerned that new owners may let this slip. If, for instance, there is any vermin,   contact Urban Planning directly. The department is keeping a log of complaints about these addresses for things that pertain to us. If there is anything to note, it will be flagged.

We do not have the resources to go and visit these buildings on a daily basis if there is no cause to do so. As soon as there is cause, we will log it and go. Having a lawyer on their team compiling a list of complaints would be helpful.

The owners are very aware that we are watching them closely. If there is movement, we will be ready,

The city cannot intervene on everything that is going on. Tenants need to exercise their rights, organize and help each other.  

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Five residential apartment buildings in District 2 have been sold for more than $40 million.

The buildings implicated are 5755, 5765 and 5775 Sir Walter Scott and 6565 and 6575 Kildare Road. They were previously owned by the CLV Group.

For Côte Saint-Luc, the good news is that at a time when our finances have been adversely affected by a lack of home sales due to high interest rates, inflation, city of Montreal transfers and more, we will net $1.2 million in welcome taxes. However, tenants of the five buildings have sounded the alarm due to the mysterious nature of the new owners. The company listed is Immeubles Galleons S.E.C. It is unclear who actually heads this enterprise. One name kept coming up; a developer I have worked with in my day job. When I reached him he insisted that he was originally a prospective buyer. “I flipped the offer to another investor prior to closing,” he stated.

Some of the buildings on Sir Walter Scott Avenue.

A letter advising tenants of the change was not printed on any kind of letterhead and rather than being delivered to each door, it was merely posted on some of the walls in high traffic areas.

Two property managers, Mr. David and Mr. Avi, are listed. They actually work for the person who denies he is the real owner. “They are helping the new owners with his renovations after hours,” he told me.

I was able to connect with Avi, who is a constituent of mine. I recommended that letters be delivered to each door with clear instructions of how to pay the rent. They cannot assume everyone will respond to a flyer posted on wall minus any stationary.

Tenants fear that the new company will proceed with renovictions - the eviction of all of a building's tenants on the grounds that a large-scale renovation is planned. Having represented District 2 for 18 years now, I know for a fact that in each building there are tenants who called these places home for many years. So I was not surprised to start hearing from some of them soon after the posting of the new ownership occurred. They immediately fired out letters to City Hall, getting the attention of the mayor, council as well as our legal and building inspection departments. Deputy Mayor and Councillor Dida Berku was a tenants rights lawyer for 40 years and last fall she was instrumental in drafting our first ever renoviction bylaw. It emphasizes that prior to the issuance of a permit for major works that require evacuation, written documentation must be provided demonstrating that affected tenants have agreed, in writing, to either temporarily relocate or voluntarily vacate their dwellings during the work. Tenants who have agreed to temporarily relocate must have been presented with a clear expected timeline for their return. The contact information of each affected tenant must be provided.

Councillor Berku and I met with tenants last Thursday night. There were representatives from each building. They are being proactive, having already engaged a lawyer.

One tenant told me the new owners state no dogs are allowed in the building. As the councillor responsible for Animal Protection, I have been told of such edicts before. A dog (or cat) is truly a member of one’s family. Such a clause by a landlord can only be used for new tenants.

Clearly this is a developing story which we will continue to follow.

A new daycare centre is poised to take up occupancy at the building at the corner of Cavendish and Kildare. City Council has adopted a notice of motion and first reading, with a public consultation likely to take place on Monday evening, February 12 prior to our regular 8 pm meeting.

With Aaron Bitton at the building last summer.

Holand Leasing owns the building and over the past year Aaron Bitton and his team have been hard at work to give it a facelift.  The RBC branch remains an anchor tenant. On the way is some form of a medical clinic, a pharmacy and a café. News to come on all of that.  Now the Children’s Corner, an established daycare that has been operating at the Kildare Medical Centre for 45  years, is waiting for the necessary approvals to move in. Their current lease ends on June 30 and they are in negotiations with Holand.

We already had a dry run for another daycare that used the facility last spring and summer due to a problem at their regular venue and everything went very smoothly. In fact I visited the space with Mr. Bitton. In the warmer months they can walk the kids over to Rembrandt Park to enjoy the facility, notably the waterplay area. Drop off is scattered over a 90 minute period. Parents can park in the back lot, where there is another entrance or on Cavendish Blvd. We are also looking at some other new traffic measures to ensure  cars do not cause a backup if they attempt to enter the lot coming from Cavendish.

Staff will have indoor parking privileges. It is expected that about 80 children will be enrolled.

I am in favor of the continued revitalization  of this building.