I have terrific news for so many people who have expressed their dismay over the years about the noise pollution emanated by leaf blowers. A new bylaw will take effect  on April 28, 2023 prohibiting leaf blowers between June 1 and August 30. During the other months they will only be permitted between 8 am and 5 pm.

Thanks to our Public Works Department, which researched the situation and came to Council with this new proposal. We passed a notice of motion on June 13 for a draft bylaw.

I think this a good start for us. Many people work from home and keep their windows open during the summer. The noise from the leaf blowers is hardly welcoming.

The effects of noise on hearing vary among people. But any sound that is loud enough and lasts long enough can damage hearing and lead to hearing loss. A sound's loudness is measured in decibels (dB). Normal conversation is about 60 dB, a lawnmower is about 90 dB, and a loud rock concert is about 120 dB.

This new bylaw can also be a means for our community to bring down our carbon footprint, improve air quality by reducing harmful exposure to toxic emissions and reduce noise pollution.

You can see the discussion at the  1:24;45 mark  of our meeting video which you can access here.

Thanks to our Public Works Department, a problem with garbage collection at 6700 The Avenue has been resolved.

Buildings constructed in recent years only receive garbage collection once a week. The idea is for composting to take place  as well once a week. But since that is still not a reality I was able to arrange with Public Works to add a second day each week the pickup schedule in the interim.

6700 The Avenue has 90 units. Once a week pickup is not sufficient at the present time for a building this size. For starters they do not have enough bins for this to be done properly, emitting a foul smell outdoors and in the garage where the garbage had to be returned.

Thanks to Director Beatrice Newman and Environmental Technician Carly Steban for their assistance on this dossier as well as Emile Badea from 6700 The Avenue, which will have a  new commercial tenant by the spring on the ground floor.

The city is arranging this exceptionally until an official letter is sent to all new buldings with the three-way-shoots, detailing the next steps for compost implementation.

Garbage bins at 6700 The Avenue.

 From June to August 2021, more than 4,000 wheeled black bins will be distributed throughout Côte Saint-Luc to residents of single-family homes, duplexes, and some townhouses. These black bins will replace the existing mix of household waste bins.

“The collection is therefore faster and safer because the new black bin can be emptied into the garbage truck using a lift,” Mayor Mitchell Brownstein said. “The waste materials are in a closed container and out of sight. Also, the wheels will make it easier to place the black bin at the curb.”

The black bins will be delivered to the front of each home, along with a bag containing an information package. Please note the materials may arrive during the week or weekend between 7am and 8pm.

The City will provide homes with a 240L black bin, which is the same size as most of the blue bins currently in use in the city. If a resident prefers a smaller 120L black bin, they can complete a form online at cotesaintluc.org/blackbins. A 240L black bin can hold approximately five regular outdoor garbage bags. A 120L bin can hold approximately three regular outdoor garbage bags.

“The City intends to maintain the once-a-week schedule for waste collection for now,” said Councillor Sidney Benizri, who the council member responsible for Public Works. “If you’re not sure which size bin to get, choose the standard 240L black bin. This is also easier as you don’t need to inform us because the 240L is the default size.”

Once the new black bins go into service, residents will no longer be able to place garbage bags on the side of bins, as the City will not collect them. Estimates show that about 80 percent of household waste is either recyclable (blue bin) or compostable (brown bin). Only 20 percent is residual waste (black bin). Remember, if you need a larger blue bin or brown bin, the City will exchange it for free.

The City will be mailing information flyers to the single-family homes and duplexes affected by the change. Some—but not all—townhouses will also be affected.

For more information, visit cotesaintluc.org/blackbins.

Nouveaux bacs roulants noirs seront bientôt distribués

De juin à août 2021, plus de 4 000 bacs roulants noirs seront distribués sur tout le territoire de Côte Saint-Luc aux résidents des maisons unifamiliales et des duplex, en plus de certaines maisons en rangée. Ces bacs noirs remplaceront tous les bacs à ordures existants.

« La collecte va être plus rapide et sécuritaire parce que le nouveau bac noir peut être vidé dans le camion à ordures à l’aide d’un mécanisme de levage. Les déchets sont dans un contenant fermé et à l’abri des regards. Enfin, les roues facilitent le placement des bacs noirs en bordure de la rue, » explique le Maire Mitchell Brownstein.

Les bacs noirs seront livrés devant chaque maison, avec un sac contenant une trousse d’information. La livraison se fera pendant la semaine ou le week-end, entre 7 h et 20 h.

La ville fournira aux foyers un bac noir de 240L, qui est de la même taille que la plupart des bacs bleues actuellement utilisées dans la ville. Si vous trouvez le bac de 240L trop grand, vous pouvez demander un bac noir de 120L à la place. Faites la demande à cotesaintluc.org/fr/bacsnoirs. Un bac noir de 240 litres peut contenir environ cinq sacs à ordures ordinaires. Une poubelle de 120 litres peut contenir environ trois sacs à ordures ordinaires.

« La ville a l'intention de maintenir l’horaire d’une fois par semaine.  Si vous n'êtes pas sûr quel bac à choisir, optez pour le bac noir de 240 litres. C'est également plus facile car c’est la taille par défaut » a déclaré le conseiller Sidney Benizri, membre du conseil responsable des travaux publics.

Une fois que les nouveaux bacs noirs seront en service, vous ne devez pas déposer de sacs à ordures à côté car la Ville ne les ramassera pas. On estime qu’environ 80 % des déchets ménagers sont soit recyclables (bac bleu), soit compostables (bac brun). Seuls 20 % sont des déchets résiduels (bac noir). N’oubliez pas que si vous avez besoin d’un bac bleu ou d’un bac brun plus grand, la Ville vous l’échangera gratuitement.

La Ville enverra des dépliants d'information aux maisons unifamiliales et aux duplex touchés par ce changement. Certaines maisons de ville—mais pas toutes—seront également concernées.

Pour en savoir plus, consultez cotesaintluc.org/fr/bacsnoirs.

Le bac noir doit être utilisé uniquement pour les déchets qui ne peuvent pas être réutilisés, recyclés, ou compostés. En général, il s’agit de déchets solides et non dangereux qui ne peuvent pas être recyclés ou compostés et qui ne sont pas acceptés par les organismes dont la mission est de donner une seconde vie à certains objets.

Like many places on the island of Montreal, many of the ash trees in Côte Saint-Luc have been infected by the Emerald Ash Borer and Dutch Elm disease, and have become sick or are dead.  The forested area behind the library known as the Ashkelon Woods was infected and sadly we had to take action last year. The trees were sick and could have potentially fallen down on their own or even catch on fire if we did not remove them. The existing maple trees remained  in place.

After the trees were felled, our Public Works Department  began the process of   removing the invasive plants. Once we are confident the area is ready, we will plant new trees and other species of vegetation.

Buckthorn plants like this are being removed.

Director of Public Works Beatrice Newman  notes that we  will be keeping the fence erected around the Ashkelon Woodlands until operations are completed. Currently, the shards of trunks and branches, stumps and buckthorn are a hazard and could possibly trip people causing sprains and other injuries. The buckthorn (22,000) plants will be removed in July. “These operations are very dangerous to the average person and only professional tree cutters and the like may be in the vicinity while these operations are taking place,” says Ms. Newman.

Once the buckthorn is removed, the same scenario as before  will play out with odd sticks and stuff shooting up from the grounds. The uneven grounds and no supervision of the woodlands may cause injury to children venturing through as well as adults who are not used to hiking and other activities similar to that. In the fall,  Ms. Newman reports that we will be planting. The saplings and young plants must be protected from being trampled on, so again certain areas are going to be cordoned off. What  Public Works is  focusing on now is designing permanent pathways through the area of the forest that is not considered a wetland.  

A sick tree thanks to Emerald Ash Borer.

After speaking to our non-profit contractor, he provided Ms. Newman with the updated figures of plans for replanting: 510 indigenous trees and 400 indigenous shrubs have already been planted. The bushes will achieve maturity within five years and the trees will take between 10 to 15 years. “Of course the maples and oaks grow slower but they will be there for the next generations,” says Ms.  Newman. “The small trees are perfect for what is necessary to be workable in this area and to increase the biodiversity of the region. We are creating a small woodland that will stay present, reduce our heat and provide attractiveness to City Hall among many other attributes. “

In the spring we will continue to remove the buckthorn .  That will give freedom to biodiversity and reduce the monocultures. Right now the plants have been just surviving, not thriving.  

Some residents  have asked for the fence to be removed. “The fence should stay since the project hasn't finished,” maintains Ms. Newman. “We can't afford to risk the accumulation of garbage in the area. The cleanup was costly and we are looking to reduce the costs of maintenance. Also, we don't want to take the risk of damages to a project that isn't finished. People tend not to pay attention to signs.”

In January, the contractor will request a federal government grant for the removal of buckthorn. This would mean that several students would be hired to do the work by the grant, immensely reducing the costs of the project. If granted, the students will come in June for 10 weeks to single-handedly pull weeds. 

I want to once again thank Beatrice Newman for her leadership!

On August 23, 2016, the city of Montreal adopted By-law 16-051,  prohibiting the distribution of certain types of shopping bags in retail stores.  

The ban for merchants offering light plastic bags to consumers took effect on January 1, 2018. It applies to all establishments whose main activity is the sale of merchandise at the retail level. A grace period for compliance will be granted through June 5, 2018. Banned are: conventional plastic shopping bags (a thickness of less than 50 microns) and Oxo-degradable, oxo-fragmentable, biodegradable shopping bags, whatever their thickness.

Now let me advise you that this ban does not apply in Côte Saint-Luc. While I always have reusable bags in my trunk, be it for the grocery store or the pharmacy, I do not believe we should adopt a similar by-law.  Is it fair for someone who makes an unplanned trip to a store or for a senior or an individual using public transit who does not have any reusable bags handy? Yes, I suppose you can buy a new reusable bag at a number of stores. But should we force that on anybody?

I will be the first person to urge people to bring their own bag. I have more than a dozen in my trunk and the collection keeps growing. When I went on holiday to Tampa, I made sure to pack a few reusable bags and I used them for all of my grocery store visits.

Just understand your geography. In Montreal,  not covered by the by-law  are plastic bags used exclusively to transport foodstuffs to the cash counter of a retail store or to protect them, for hygiene purposes, from direct contact with other items (fruits, vegetables, nuts, bulk confectionery, prepared foods, meat, fish, bread, dairy products, etc.).

Côte Saint-Luc City Council will be addressing this with some kind of policy in the not too distant future.

Chalk up another impressive initiative for our city and  the Eleanor London Côte Saint-Luc Public Library.

On Sunday, June 8 we inaugurated the CSL Library Demonstration Garden and at the same time held our Second Annual Great Tomato Plant Giveaway. The newly constructed demonstration garden is  located behind the library. Mayor Anthony Housefather and members of council were  on hand for the official ribbon cutting ceremony. A representative from the  TD Friends of the Environment Foundation was on hand to present a $2,250 grant for the project to our amazing librarian and new grandmother Janine West.

Receiving a cheque from the TD Bank.

“This garden is an important component of the city-wide urban agriculture initiative launched last year and it is a perfect fit with the library’s mission of discovery and exploration”, says Mayor Housefather. “This vegetable garden is a space where people can learn a variety of gardening techniques through hands on experience.”

Young Matthew Erdelyi helps with the ribbon cutting.

As the councillor responsible for the library,  I am  very proud of this initiative.

Plants were distributed to the first 400 residents to visit the Demonstration Garden (one plant per household and proof of CSL residency required). Residents were able to sign up for gardening classes offered at the library, a space at the community gardens, learn about the seed library and take a tour of the demonstration garden. Kid-friendly activities were also planned.

Lining up for free plants.

“After the difficult winter we have just endured, urban agriculture is a wonderful excuse to spend more time outdoors”, said Councillor Allan J. Levine, who is the councillor responsible for urban agriculture. “We are hoping that all residents participate in this activity, in whatever manner suits them. And if someone isn’t sure that urban agriculture is for them, they can start by volunteering to help maintain the demonstration garden. They   they can start by volunteering to help maintain the demonstration garden. They will learn all the essentials while helping out their community.”

"The timing is perfect to do so because this past week was Canadian Environment Week, a time for grassroots action to help preserve, protect and restore our environment," said Carmela Lo Dico, the branch manager at the Quartier Cavendish TD Bank. "It is important to remember that every effort counts, big or small. And getting involved is the first step towards preserving our environment. The Côte Saint-Luc demonstration garden proposes ideas and activities that we can do that will make a difference.``

The fall season is now upon us and sadly that means we must say goodbye to the beautiful greenery within our midst.

Longtime Côte Saint-Luc resident Steve Coplan  (left), a prominent chartered accountant and partner with the West End firm of Levy Pilotte, also has some hidden talents in photography. He provides us with these beautiful pictures which will be nice to look at as we prepare for another wicked winter of snow and slush.

A new City of Côte Saint-Luc by-law (2302) obliges apartment owners to offer recycling services to residents and consolidates rules about recycling, hazardous waste, organic waste and other types into one simplified by-law.

“There have been many positive changes in the last few years, such as the voluntary expansion of recycling to apartments and the launch of organic waste collection in single-family homes and duplexes,” Mayor Anthony Housefather said. “This new by-law is an indication of the city council’s desire to manage waste materials generated on our territory in an environmentally respectful manner.”

The collection days are not changing. However, the new collection times for garbage collection, recycling collection and organic waste collection is 7am to 7pm. If waste is placed in a rigid, tightly-covered receptacle (brown bin, blue bin or covered garbage can—not plastic bags) then residents can put it on the curb starting at 10pm the night before.

“Residents who previously were forced to wake up early to put their garbage on the curb now have the ability to seal it in a proper container and put it out the evening before,” said Councillor Mitchell Brownstein, the council member responsible for public works. “We think this is a reasonable given the fact that the collection begins at 7am.”

The by-law includes provisions to fine, however the city wants to first educate and encourage residents to sort their waste.

“Our goal as a city isn’t to fine residents or look through people’s garbage,” said Councillor Dida Berku, the council member responsible for environmental issues. “We want people to do their best and make an effort to divert more of their household to their blue bins and brown bins. The city is providing a way for residents to properly dispose of all the different kinds of waste. It is up to residents to take advantage of this service and do the right thing.”

Highlights for residents of single-family homes and duplexes

• Residents must place their recyclables into the covered blue bins being delivered this spring.
• Leaves and other garden waste must be placed in brown bins, paper bags or certified compostable bags. The organic-waste-collection trucks will not collect organic waste in plastic bags and the garbage trucks will not collect garden waste.
• Household hazardous waste and household appliances—such as paint cans, batteries, televisions and so on—will not be collected and must be dropped off at the Public Works yard depot.
• Bulky waste (such as couches and mattresses) and construction waste will not be collected in the regular garbage collection, however residents can call the city to arrange a collection for a fee or use of the private bulk waste collection companies.
• The city has the authority to reduce or suspend collection of garbage, recycling or organic waste if the resident—after repeated warnings—does not sort items correctly.

Highlights for residents of apartments and condominiums

• Apartment/condominium owners are obliged to offer recycling collection services to its residents.

Highlights for commercial establishments and institutions

• Commercial establishments and institutions must begin recycling by March 2010.

The by-law to regulate the collection and disposal of waste materials (By-law 2302) was passed unanimously by the city council at the March 16, 2009 meeting. A copy of the by-law is available at the Archives counter of city hall (5801 Cavendish Blvd.) or at www.CoteSaintLuc.org/en/Bylaws.

While there is no sign of any plans to build homes on Meadowbrook Golf Course, greenspace activists in Côte Saint-Luc and Montreal West continually keep everyone aware of the fact that one day the owners of the land could try to close the links in favor of development. On August 23 they held an event at Richard Schwartz Park they called Meadow Fest. There was live music, information kiosks, some vendor tables and lots of community spirit. I must say that I was disappointed with the turnout. It was a gorgeous day and there was plenty of publicity, yet the gathering was sparse. I really do no think that the future of Meadowbrook is truly on the radar screen of most residents. In the photo Councillor Dida Berku and I shared a moment with some of the event organizers, with Dida holding up a map of the golf course.