Members of council gather with Hydro officials.

The Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE)  launched its public information period on the project of upgrading the power transmission system between Saraguay and Rockfield substations on the island of Montreal by  Hydro-Québec and invited citizens to an information session on   February 17.

Councillors Steven Erdelyi, Dida Berku, Andee Shuster and I were in attendance at Le Rinque in Town of Mount Royal. It was the night of a big snowstorm, so there was not a large crowd. To the BAPE’s credit, they had the meeting live streamed. 

I have been part of a committee studying this project since 2018.  The plan is to convert  three 120-kV substations to 315 kV. This includes the construction of a new Hampstead substation  (to be renamed Côte Saint-Luc) behind Mount Sinai Hospital and rebuilding the 120-kV Aqueduc-Saraguay overhead transmission line at 315 kV over a span of 18 km between LaSalle and Saint-Laurent. The project will  involve replacing aging equipment, maintaining the system’s reliability, meeting future electricity needs and supporting economic development.  

The project in Côte Saint-Luc will occur  from 2026 to 2029. For starters, the best news is that the number of Hydro towers in our community will be reduced from 16 to nine.

One significant  large tower will be moved from the back of the Meadows condominium on Merrimac Road to the grounds of  JPPS-Bialik. The latter’s executive director Abraham Gusman was on hand. He expressed  some concerns about the project. Hydro officials regarding  the effects of electromagnetic fields, whether on the physical or mental health of parents and students. Hydro officials told me that they have produced a site-specific study and offered to meet with parents and students to discuss the issue with their medical specialists. They are continuing discussions with the school and are very hopeful of finding a satisfactory solution for all concerned. I will be part of a meeting with Hydro, JPPS-Bialik and the city next week.

You can watch the full presentation here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbFc5HEXLeU  

At the 47:54 mark I asked my questions.

https://www.hydroquebec.com/aqueduc-saraguay/en/

Le Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) a lancé sa période d'information publique sur le projet de modernisation du système de transport d'électricité entre les postes de Saraguay et de Rockfield sur l'île de Montréal par Hydro-Québec et a invité les citoyens à une séance d'information le 17 février.

Les conseillers Steven Erdelyi, Dida Berku, Andee Shuster et moi-même étions présents au centre Le Rinque à Ville de Mont-Royal. C'était la nuit d'une grosse tempête de neige, donc il n'y avait pas beaucoup de monde. À la décharge du BAPE, la réunion a été diffusée en direct.

Je fais partie d'un comité qui étudie ce projet depuis 2018. Le plan consiste à convertir trois postes électriques de 120 kV en postes de 315 kV. Cela comprend la construction d'un nouveau poste électrique à Hampstead (qui sera renommé Côte Saint-Luc) derrière l'hôpital Mount Sinai et la reconstruction de la ligne aérienne de transport de 120 kV Aqueduc-Saraguay à 315 kV sur une distance de 18 km entre LaSalle et Saint-Laurent. Le projet consistera à remplacer les équipements vieillissants, à maintenir la fiabilité du réseau, à répondre aux besoins futurs en électricité et à soutenir le développement économique.

Le projet à Côte Saint-Luc se déroulera de 2026 à 2029. Pour commencer, la meilleure nouvelle est que le nombre de pylônes d'Hydro dans notre communauté passera de 16 à 9.

Une grande tour importante sera déplacée de l'arrière du condominium Meadows sur Merrimac Road vers le terrain de JPPS-Bialik. Le directeur exécutif de ce dernier, Abraham Gusman, était présent. Il a exprimé quelques inquiétudes concernant le projet. Les responsables d'Hydro ont fait part de leurs préoccupations concernant les effets des champs électromagnétiques, que ce soit sur la santé physique ou mentale des parents et des élèves. Les représentants d'Hydro m'ont dit qu'ils avaient réalisé une étude spécifique au site et proposé de rencontrer les parents et les élèves pour discuter de la question avec leurs spécialistes médicaux. Ils poursuivent les discussions avec l'école et ont bon espoir de trouver une solution satisfaisante pour toutes les parties concernées. Je participerai à une réunion avec Hydro, JPPS-Bialik et la ville la semaine prochaine.

Vous pouvez regarder la présentation complète ici : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbFc5HEXLeU

À 47:54, j'ai posé mes questions.

https://www.hydroquebec.com/aqueduc-saraguay/en/

Over the last few years I have shared important information to District 2 residents in Côte Saint-Luc about a major electrical system upgrade of the Hydro-Québec network. Work will begin in 2026 and impact homes on Merrimac Road, Marc Chagall Avenue as well as Bialik High School. However, following an endless array of meetings, we appear to have secured many concessions.

Hydro will be converting three 120-kV substations to 315 kV. This includes the Hampstead substation (in Côte Saint-Luc) and rebuilding the 120-kV Aqueduc-Saraguay overhead transmission line at 315 kV over a span of 18 km between LaSalle and Saint-Laurent. Known as the Aqueduc-Saraguay project, the cost is estimated at one billion dollars. The project involves replacing aging equipment, maintaining the system’s reliability, meeting future electricity needs and supporting economic development. In addition a new sub-station will be built behind Mount Sinai Hospital.

A look at where the Hydro work will take place.

On Monday, February 17 (7:30 pm) a public information session will take place at Le Rinque (8355 Montview Road) in Town of Mount Royal. I will be in attendance, but if you can’t do so it will be accessible to watch via Facebook and the BAPE website.

The meeting setup Feb. 17 will look like this.

While the high-voltage lines will remain above ground, improvements will include a new enclosed state of the art substation further away from the surrounding homes, fewer towers in Côte Saint-Luc (reduced from 16 to nine) with better placement to reduce visual impact, higher wires, and the pushing back of the lines away from the backyards of properties along Krieghoff Ave., Brandeis Ave. and Marc Chagall Ave. The tower on Merrimac, in the back of the Meadows condominium near the railway tracks, is expected to be removed completely and relocated to the premises of Bialik High School.

Here is a video message from our mayor about the project.

Check out this link for overview, map, timeline and design of new station. 

Hydro-Québec modernise le réseau électrique de notre région pour répondre aux besoins croissants en énergie. Ce projet permettra d’améliorer la fiabilité du réseau et de réduire les pannes. Les travaux devraient être terminés entre 2026 et 2029 à Côte Saint-Luc.

Bien que les lignes à haute tension resteront aériennes, les améliorations comprennent une nouvelle sous-station électrique fermée plus éloignée des maisons environnantes, moins de pylônes à Côte Saint-Luc (réduits de 16 à 9) avec un meilleur emplacement pour réduire l’impact visuel, des fils plus hauts et le recul des lignes loin des arrière-cours des propriétés le long de l’avenue Krieghoff, de l’avenue Brandeis et de l’avenue Marc Chagall.

La partie du projet prévue à Côte-Saint-Luc se déroulera au cours de la phase 1 et comprend le remplacement de la ligne de 120 kV par une ligne de 315 kV entre le poste de Saint-Laurent et celui de Côte-Saint-Luc, ainsi que la construction du poste de Côte-Saint-Luc de 315/25 kV (2026 à 2029).
Les résidents et les élus municipaux réclament la meilleure solution possible depuis 2018, et vous avez maintenant la possibilité de vous exprimer lors de la séance d’information du BAPE.

As part of its rehabilitation program for underground structures, Hydro-Québec has announced that they will carry out civil engineering work to repair an underground chamber on Rembrandt Avenue,  between  Kildare and Merrimac.

This will impact the street in a number of ways:  the removal of parking spaces in the area; access to west side of the park will be blocked; the pedestrian crossing  will be removed; noise from machinery during certain manoeuvres; the installation of a detour and appropriate signage; and the  presence of flagmen (as needed) to facilitate traffic flow around the worksite

It is important to note  that there will be no interruption of electricity service  as a result of this work. Work will begin in March 11 and continue until May 17 from 7 am to 7 pm,

Nature des travaux

Dans le cadre de son programme de réfection des ouvrages souterrains, Hydro-Québec doit réaliser des travaux de génie civil afin de procéder à la réfection d’une chambre souterraine.

Secteur

• Avenue Rembrandt, entre les chemins Kildare et Merrimac

Impacts

• Entrave partielle de l’avenue Rembrandt, entre les chemins Kildare et Merrimac
• Retrait de places de stationnement dans le secteur
• Accès au parc côté ouest condamné
• Traverse piétonnière enlevée
• Bruit de machinerie lors de certaines manœuvres

Mesures d’atténuation

• Mise en place d’un détour et d’une signalisation appropriée
• Maintien de l’accès aux résidences en tout temps
• Présence de signaleurs (au besoin) pour faciliter la circulation autour du chantier
• Sécurisation du chantier pour la sécurité du public et des travailleurs et travailleuses

À noter qu’aucune interruption du service d’électricité n’est prévue dans le cadre de ces travaux.

Exemple de réfection d’une chambre souterraine

Calendrier de réalisation

• Du 11 mars au 17 mai 2024
• e 7 h à 19 h

District 2 in Côte Saint-Luc will be part a major electrical system upgrade of the Hydro-Québec network. Work  was originally scheduled to occur between 2023 and 2026,   impacting homes on Merrimac Road, Marc Chagall Avenue as well as Bialik High School. The installation of towers will take place no earlier than 2027. Other work, however, will likely commence sooner

A look at where some of the work  on Merrimac will take place.

Hydro will be converting three 120-kV substations to 315 kV. This includes the Hampstead substation (in Côte Saint-Luc) and rebuilding the 120-kV Aqueduc-Saraguay  overhead transmission line at 315 kV over a span of 18 km between LaSalle and Saint-Laurent. Known as the Aqueduc-Saraguay project, the cost is estimated at over $500 million. The project involves replacing aging equipment, maintaining the system’s reliability, meeting future electricity needs and supporting economic development.

Geotechnical surveys will be taking place over the next few months in the Hydro-Québec transmission line easement. These surveys are in preparation for the project, and are intended to complete the data required for the project's engineering study. This work will only last a day or two.   It will  involves taking soil samples with a drill.

Le district 2 de Côte Saint-Luc fera l'objet d'une importante mise à niveau du système électrique du réseau d'Hydro-Québec. Les travaux devaient initialement avoir lieu entre 2023 et 2026 et concerner les maisons du chemin Merrimac, de l'avenue Marc Chagall et de l'école secondaire Bialik. Ils ont maintenant été retardés et ne commenceront pas avant 2027.

Hydro convertira trois sous-stations de 120 kV en 315 kV. Cela comprend le poste de Hampstead (à Côte Saint-Luc) et la reconstruction de la ligne de transport aérienne à 120 kV Aqueduc-Saraguay à 315 kV sur une distance de 18 km entre LaSalle et Saint-Laurent. Connu sous le nom de projet Aqueduc-Saraguay, le coût est estimé à plus de 500 millions de dollars. Le projet prévoit le remplacement d'équipements vieillissants, le maintien de la fiabilité du réseau, la satisfaction des besoins futurs en électricité et le soutien au développement économique.

Des études géotechniques seront réalisées au cours des prochains mois dans la servitude de la ligne de transport d'Hydro-Québec. Ces sondages sont préparatoires au projet et visent à compléter les données nécessaires à l'étude d'ingénierie du projet. Ces travaux ne dureront qu'une journée ou deux. Ils consistent à prélever des échantillons de sol à l'aide d'une foreuse.

Councillor Erdelyi shares some information with residents.

Hydro-Québec hosted an information session and open house on Monday, June 5.  Councillor Steven Erdelyi, our point man on the planned large-scale Hydro project, was our spokesperson. The meeting was conducted bilingually.

To watch video from the presentation, visit: https://youtu.be/Ug_UVBveZY4 

Pour visionner la vidéo de la présentation, visitez le site : https://youtu.be/Ug_UVBveZY4

That is me (masked) talking to some residents.

This entire project will take over a decade to complete.

This is what is proposed for the new power station in CSL as you will see from Baily across the tracks.

Voici la proposition pour le nouveau poste à CSL

These are the phases of the project as you can see CSL substation is in Phase 1

Voici les étapes du projet

Hydro is proposing installing pylons that will be twice as high as the existing ones but with a smaller footprint ¸

Des pylônes de nouvelle génération qui occupent moins d’espace au sol, mais qui sont plus haut que celles existantes

Also there will be a presentation of Green Corridor which is meant to compensate for the impact and inconvenience caused by the project

Création d’un corridor vert dans certaines sections des emprises 

On Jan. 4, 1998, southern Quebec and eastern Ontario were pelted with as much as 100 millimetres of freezing rain and ice pellets — an ice storm that lasted five days.At its peak, 3.5 million Quebecers — roughly half of our province’s population — and more than a million Ontarians, as well as thousands in New Brunswick, were left in the dark, many for several weeks.

I remember the entire ordeal only too well. My daughter was barely three months old. The same home where we will still reside in Côte Saint-Luc District 2 did maintain power. As a result, family members from all sides arrived to camp out on our floors and sofas.

It was something the likes of which I never thought I’d experience again. Well, I was wrong. On  April 5, 2023 the unthinkable happened. More than a million households – half on the island of Montreal - lost power after freezing rain tore through the province, blacking out neighbourhoods and downing trees. In Côte Saint-Luc, 40 percent of homes have no power. As of this writing my home has Hydro service, which is very ironic given the fact we have been plagued by outages for years due to outdated equipment.

A typical scene you will see on many CSL streets.

Last night as our family was preparing for the Passover Seder, I heard a huge cracking noise. I looked outside and my neighbour’s tree had fallen on the street. As I surveyed my own district this morning, some of the streets looked like warzones with so many other downed trees.

Our Public Works and Public Safety Departments have been hard at work from the get go.

Here is what our senior staff are telling us.  The temperature is going to warm up significantly today. This means two things: the first is that much of this ice will melt by the end of the day, particularly on the trees. The biggest issue the island is having is downed trees and branches and the ripple effects of that. There are no high winds, which is extremely fortunate. Second, we are expecting a tiny bit of rain this morning, but it is supposed to be clear the rest of the day, a very big boon to Hydro crews working to re-establish power. We are told to expect that most power will be re-established on the island of Montreal within 24 hours.

In an ideal world, our Aquatic and Community Centre and gym would have served as an emergency refuge centre. However, it has no power either. We do have  a generator, but it gives power only to priority sources, the lights and the heat, but not the pool. The gym lights are on at 50 percent. The generator has four days  worth of power. There are no phones working because of our particular system in place, nor WiFi,  so we can’t make or answer phone calls in the Parks and Recreation Department. People enrolled in programs are being called to tell them they are cancelled, only because an employee is able to do this from home. Not all ACC plugs are working to charge devices.

The ACC is  open to resident walk ins to use the facility washrooms and lobby or gym to recharge any electric devices.  The holiday hours will be respected until 8 pm tonight. No programs are being offered and the pool is closed.  Registration began earlier this week and will be postponed for the time being. Our Information Technology team is on scene to work on restoring internet and phone services.

The library will be open as usual today with regular hours until 10 pm, so residents looking for a warm place to access and charge their devices and can go there. The holiday hours only start on Friday (Noon to 5 pm) , and we are optimistic that power will be re-established by then.   I would also recommend you consider our three local shopping centres -Quartier Cavendish, Côte St. Luc and Décor Decarie (no power I just learned)-  if they maintain or have power, as well as restaurants and cafés in the immediate area. As for food keep in mind that a full freezer will keep food frozen for about 48 hours. A freezer that is half full will keep food frozen for about 24 hours. An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. I feel horrible for anyone impacted by this natural disaster. So many Passover Seders have been placed in jeopardy or already been spoiled. How many people cooked for weeks to prepare for this holiday?

Last night there were hundreds of issues from fallen trees, wires, power outages and live wires creating numerous hazardous areas. Public Works prioritized its tasks by clearing emergencies like trees where they could safely, away from live wires and off the streets, install cones to create safe passageways for cars and assisting where accidents of fallen trees occurred on private vehicles and properties. Staff  remained on the clock late into the night with our emergency teams and until our foremen felt the streets were safe. They   worked exceedingly hard in this freezing rain and cold weather. These individuals are proud to do the work they were trained for.

The owner of this car avoided getting crushed by this tree.

Here is the latest press release from Hydro.

More than a million customers were down this morning at 7:30 a.m. for a total of 2,000 outages. Our teams must therefore intervene in more than 2,000 locations, which represents a colossal work. 

Although the efforts made are important, the weather event is not over and new outages are still occurring.

This morning, Hydro-Québec can count on a great strike force. In total, 1,000workers are mobilized on the ground to restore power. Over the past night, field teams have been busy dealing withthe most urgent cases.

Due to the high number of outages and affected customers, it is too early to determine the average time to restore service by sector. We are focusing our efforts on restoring the highest priority cases (emergency). Recovery for all commercial and residential customers could take several days.

Recovery times indicated on Outages or through our mobile application are removed for the time being. The expected recovery time for an outage will be recorded when a team is on site. If your outage is not on the fault map, report it online or by phone at 1-800-790-2424.

Understand priorities and steps for restoring service:http://pannes.hydroquebec.com/pannes/comprendre-et-prevenir/ 

We remind you that a reserved number is available for municipal emergency measures coordinators. It allows you to reach a member of the Community Relations team, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 1 844 289-5005, choose option 1, then option 1.  

Also, to facilitate the work of our fitters, we ask you to clear the roads of broken branches.

Thank you for your patience. 

Bonjour,

Plus d’un million de clients étaient en panne ce matin à 7 h 30 pour un total de 2 000 pannes. Nos équipes doivent donc intervenir à plus de 2 000 endroits, ce qui représente un travail colossal.
Bien que les efforts déployés sont importants, l’événement météo n’est pas terminé et de nouvelles pannes se déclenchent encore. 

Ce matin, Hydro-Québec peut compter sur une grande force de frappe. Au total, 1 000 travailleurs sont mobilisés au terrain afin de rétablir le courant. Au cours de la nuit dernière, les équipes au terrain se sont affairées à traiter les cas les plus urgents. 

En raison du nombre élevé de pannes et de clients touchés, il est trop tôt pour établir le délai moyen de rétablissement du service par secteur. Nous concentrons nos efforts à rétablir les cas les plus prioritaires (urgence). Le rétablissement de l’ensemble des clients commerciaux et résidentiels pourrait nécessiter plusieurs jours.

Les délais de rétablissement indiqués sur Info-pannes ou au moyen de notre application mobile sont retirés pour l’instant. L’heure prévue de rétablissement pour une panne sera inscrite lorsqu’une équipe sera sur les lieux. Si votre panne ne figure pas sur la carte des pannes, signalez‑la en ligne ou par téléphone au 1 800 790‑2424. 

Comprendre les priorités et les étapes du rétablissement du service : http://pannes.hydroquebec.com/pannes/comprendre-et-prevenir/ 

Nous vous rappelons qu’un numéro réservé est disponible pour les coordonnateurs des mesures d’urgence des municipalités. Il vous permet de joindre un membre de l’équipe Relations avec le milieu, 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7 : 1 844 289-5005, choisir l’option 1, puis l’option 1. 

Également, pour faciliter le travail de nos monteurs, nous vous demandons de dégager les routes des branches cassées.

Hydro-Québec outages are not fun. My town house condo complex has incurred many of these over the years, not to mention forced shutdowns for maintenance work. At times like these you truly realize how much we appreciate having power in our homes.

One of two generators currently powering Parkside 21.

For the past two weeks  the residents of  Parkside 21 town house condos, located in District 2 on both Kildare Road and  Rembrandt, have experienced some very difficult times.

Power went out in their complex on January 11 and it did not return for two days. Hydro installed two generators, but even with those machines running there additional outages. I communicated with my regular Hydro contacts, who are responsible for our area, and  as always I thank them for their accessibility. Crews did repeatedly come on site, but appears as if this problem was not an easy one to solve.

Finally, last weekend a temporary solution was found.    This week Hydro  will run a cable from an operational underground transformer, which is located behind #6586 Kildare Road, to the faulty transformer located on the #6590 lot. This cable will be run on the surface. For safety reasons, Hydro will have to install some barriers running on each side of it. Due to the pedestrian access between the two lots (across from Sir-Walter-Scott), a small portion of the cable will have to be buried underground.  

One this is done, the generators will be removed. I am being told that a final fix to this problem might not occur until the end of the year until then the residents of Parkside 21 will be able to resume a normal life.

The grid in this area is old and I worry about other outages like this occurring. Hydro has been in talks with some condos to upgrade the system. This would involve some exchanges of servitudes. I hope that any preventive measures that can be taken will be on the agenda in 2023.

You can always report an outage by calling  1 800 790-2424 or go to   : https://pannes.hydroquebec.com/poweroutages/

Hydro-Québec is planning a scheduled service interruption on Thursday,  January 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Merrimac, Kildare and Marc Chagall sectors. If you did not receive a robocall, you are not affected.

"This work, which we regrettably cancelled in December, is critical and complex'" Hydro officials shared with me. "While many options were considered to minimize the impact of the interruption while the pandemic is ongoing, the only solution was really to carry out the work during the day maximizing the effectiveness of the manpower available. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this will cause."

I spent the better part of the week, backed by city officials, trying to get this job moved to overnight. Our local Hydro contact did her best on the file, but it was just not possible. Coming at a time when we are in a pandemic, with people working from home and students attending class online, this is beyond a major inconvenience. I recommend everyone charge their devices and chargers and download what you can to your devices.

Below are the addresses affected:

Hydro officials emphasize that this work needs to be done as soon as possible to ensure the quality and stability of the power supply:

· It will require more than 20 people from Hydro-Québec, as well as workers from external firms.

· Three electric transformers need to be changed with interrupters, pumps, etc., requiring the usage of a crane and bucket trucks.

· More importantly, it will prevent outages in the future that could last 24 hours like the one in November and affect many more customers without notice.

Hydro is working in collaboration with the city to mitigate the impact of this service interruption and accelerate the work as much as possible. Also note that should an unforeseen event prevent the work to be done on January 13, the job will be postponed to January 18. Hydro will notify users as soon as possible if a postponement needs to occur.

For information  log on to: https://poweroutages.hydroquebec.com/poweroutages

Customer service: 514 385-7252

The 450 or so Hydro-Québec customers in District 2 (Merrimac, Sir Walter Scott and parts of Rembrandt and Marc Chagall)  who expected the lights to go out at 11 pm on December 21 played an endless waiting game.

While the trucks arrived, nothing happened. Constituents had their flashlights out, closed up their homes for the nigh and  turned off electronic devices. Some tossed food, fearing that nine hours without power would not be a good thing for the fridge. There were condos that left their garage doors opening, letting cold air in (and raising their Hydro rates), so that vehicles could come and go.

At 1230 am the trucks departed and the major work planned was cancelled.

Hydro officials apologized, noting the job had to be cancelled at the last minute due to an unforeseen shortage of workers related to COVID-19 restrictions. While the job will need to be rescheduled in order to prevent a future failure, rest assured that it will not be done before January 10.

So stay tuned for a new date.

This is a joint operation at multiple locations to change transformers and breakers . The work has to be done to prevent a risk of failure that can cause an outage similar to the one we had in November. 

On November 1, a significant section of District 2 experienced a power outage.

The power was restored within 24 hours. A few weeks later a planned outage was necessary to do what we thought were final repairs.

Regrettably, that was not the case and on Tuesday, December 21 (11 pm) the power will be shut for at least nine hours. Over 450 users on  Merrimac, Kildare, Rembrandt, Marc Chagall, Sir Walter  Scott and  Ilan-Ramon will be affected. This will likely throw out the lights at Cavendish/Kildare as well. If you did not get a Hydro robo-call then you will not be impacted.

Hydro officials told me today that workers will do a joint operation at multiple locations to change transformers and breakers t. This work has to be done to prevent a risk of failure that can cause an outage similar to the one we had in November. "We don’t want that to happen in the winter months to come," a Hydro spokesman told me. "Although there is never a good time for a planned outage, the good news is that they are able to do the work at night, which is not always the case! Our crews will do their best to finish the job before 8 am."

The Hydro spokesman said he understand that residents will be without heat during the night.  He would suggest increasing the temperature a little during the day before, so it takes a longer for the residences to cool down.   For more information, please refer to the measures described in this link.

Overnight parking will be tolerated, so if you park indoors and need to get in or out at a certain time you might want to take advantage of this option. Also keep in mind that your freezer is fine for 24 hours, but the fridge being off for nine hours  might spoil some food.