The Labatt Brewery in LaSalle was one of six Montreal companies to\u00a0test their emergency sirens this afternoon. I’m too far away to hear them, but if anyone else did, I’d love to know what happened.<\/p>\n
The tests are designed to train people to protect themselves from explosions and possible toxic gas exposure. When emergency sirens go off, anyone who hears them should\u00a0take shelter in the closest building to their location and close all windows, doors and exterior ventilation systems.<\/p>\n
Also, a reader mentioned that I forgot to publish my report on the May borough council in LaSalle here. The following report appeared in the May 20th City edition of the Suburban on page 9. So, here it is. (Note\u00a0LaSalle’s borough meeting for\u00a0June did indeed take\u00a0place last\u00a0Monday. I’ll publish my report about that meeting next Monday.)<\/p>\n
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LaSalle borough councillors approved or changed four large residential development projects\u2014Wanklyn Island, Bois-des-Caryers, Bobois and Bouvier\/Schevchenko\u2014at their regular meeting Monday May 4. They also accepted payments to maintain parks from the developers of other large projects on Allion and LaSalle.<\/p>\n
Wanklyn was the most controversial topic of the evening, followed closely by the council\u2019s refusal to allow web diffusion of meetings. Residents also asked about a wall to protect them from noisy highway construction, late garbage pick-up and snow-clearing.<\/p>\n
Throughout the evening, several people raised their voices, interrupted each other and heckled as Mayor Manon Barbe received and answered questions.<\/p>\n
Wanklyn concerns a 47,139-square-metre triangular property between Cherry Lane, Jean-Milot, Wanklyn and Highway 138. The owner, The Fonds immobilier de solidarit\u00e9 FTQ,<\/em> proposes to build 786 units and a park on the site, including 119 units for people with low and moderate incomes, 230 units for first-time buyers who need government assistance to purchase a condo, and 437 rentals, condos and\/or seniors\u2019 units.<\/p>\n This is essentially the same project that was already rejected by local citizens in 2012. (See my previous stories:\u00a0referendum-or-revision-for-wanklyn-project<\/a>,\u00a0lasalle-borough-approves-wanklyn-vote<\/a>, \u00a0borough-sets-june-21-for-register-about-wanklyn-island-zone-changes<\/a>, and\u00a0merlin-immobilier-lowers-height-of-buildings-in-proposed-wanklyn-project<\/a>).<\/p>\n Citizens, notably Sonja Susnjar, are asking why a local referendum isn\u2019t being held now.<\/p>\n Instead, the borough of LaSalle has referred the development to City of Montreal councillors so that they can refer the project to the Office de consultation publique de Montreal<\/em> (OCPM).<\/p>\n The Wanklyn project concerns all LaSalle residents and all LaSalle residents should have a say about what will happen,\u201d said Mayor Manon Barbe in her remarks at the beginning of the meeting. \u201cIt will be better to have the consultation of residents conducted by an independent, credible organization specializing in urban planning and land-use planning\u2014an organization consisting of no elected representatives or municipal officers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Monique Vall\u00e9e asked the mayor to explain why the first page of the proposal outline referred to a larger vision of the entire Quartier de la Gare region.<\/p>\n What is this larger vision?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n There is no larger vision,\u201d said Barbe, raising her voice. \u201cThis is the entire project for the Ilot Wanklyn.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Sonja Susnjar, who led the citizens\u2019 campaign against the project in 2012, lost her composure as Mayor Barbe denied additional development near the train station. Susnjar and her neighbours already face traffic jams in their area, particularly on Friday nights. She worries that large-scale development in the region will make those challenges even worse. She also worries about parking, snow-clearing and noise.<\/p>\n You spoke about 2,000 units in the area with a La Press reporter in 2011,\u201d she said loudly. \u201cThere\u2019s a map showing that bigger plan on the wall. Or at least there used to be. Is it still there?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Barbe continued to express that the only development now under discussion is the Wanklyn project.<\/p>\n Francisco Moreno was supposed to be the final questioner of the evening. He had planned to ask about new construction, but instead kept criticizing the Mayor for refusing to accept web diffusion.<\/p>\n The Mayor ended the meeting instead of arguing with him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Labatt Brewery in LaSalle was one of six Montreal companies to\u00a0test their emergency sirens this afternoon. I’m too far away to hear them, but if anyone else did, I’d love to know what happened. The tests are designed to train people to protect themselves from explosions and possible toxic gas exposure. When emergency sirens […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,23],"tags":[245,725,724,722,723],"class_list":["post-16573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journalism","category-lasalleposts","tag-ftq","tag-manon-barbe","tag-merlin","tag-sirens","tag-wanklyn","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2buQs-4jj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16628,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/wanklyn-consultation-tuesday\/","url_meta":{"origin":16573,"position":0},"title":"Wanklyn consultation Tuesday","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"October 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"If you want to participate in the public consultations about the Wanklyn development next week, you must make an appointment with Gilles V\u00e9zina at (514) 872-8510 today or tomorrow. The hearings will be held next Tuesday night, October 13 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Sofia reception centre, 420 Avenue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LaSalle"","block_context":{"text":"LaSalle","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/lasalleposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Architectural view of Wanklyn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/WanklynOverview.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/WanklynOverview.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/WanklynOverview.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":573,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/lasalle-borough-approves-wanklyn-vote-hospital-expansion-public-consultation-and-building-modifications\/","url_meta":{"origin":16573,"position":1},"title":"LaSalle Borough Approves Wanklyn Vote, Hospital Expansion, Public Consultation and Building Modifications","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"June 7, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"If 65 people sign a register at City Hall between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 21, the Wanklyn project will face a referendum, a reinvention or it could be halted entirely.\u00a0 The rules for the register and referendum, if needed, are overseen by Quebec\u2019s Chief Electoral Officer\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LaSalle"","block_context":{"text":"LaSalle","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/lasalleposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/WanklynZonechange.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16599,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/wanklyn\/","url_meta":{"origin":16573,"position":2},"title":"Wanklyn consultation now underway","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"September 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This month, Montreal\u2019s public consultation office (Office de consultation publique de Montreal\u00a0 or OCPM) begins holding hearings into the residential project to be constructed on a 47,139-square-metre triangular property between Cherry Lane, Jean-Milot, Wanklyn and Highway 138 in LaSalle. The owner, The Fonds immobilier de solidarit\u00e9 FTQ, prop oses to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Island Report"","block_context":{"text":"Island Report","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/island-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"2015project","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015project.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17075,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/lasalle-withdraws-wanklyn-rail-line-projects\/","url_meta":{"origin":16573,"position":3},"title":"LaSalle withdraws Wanklyn and Rail line projects","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"April 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"During their recent meeting, the LaSalle borough council withdrew their support for a rail line zone change, a decision that acting mayor Nancy Blanchette said was made the same morning. Read the rest of the story in today's Suburban. It also appeared on page A6 of the City print edition.","rel":"","context":"In "LaSalle"","block_context":{"text":"LaSalle","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/lasalleposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":439,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/lasalle-borough-sets-june-21-for-register-about-wanklyn-island-zone-changes-if-needed\/","url_meta":{"origin":16573,"position":4},"title":"Lasalle Borough Sets June 21 for Register about Wanklyn Island Zone Changes, If Needed","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"May 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"During the question period at their borough meeting on May 7, LaSalle Borough officials said that the proposed bylaw for three lots won\u2019t change, despite Merlin Immobilier\u2019s decision to lower the height of their buildings in their two projects. \u201cWe aren\u2019t changing the bylaw, but we are changing the heights\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LaSalle"","block_context":{"text":"LaSalle","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/lasalleposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/WanklynZonechange.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16939,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/rail-line-zone-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":16573,"position":5},"title":"LaSalle to consult about rail line zone change","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"February 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The borough of LaSalle plans to hold a consultation about changing the zones of 29 current properties, including the old railway line between Angrignon Park and Highway 138 in part to \u201cauthorize a multimodal link for public and active transport.\u201d The meeting takes place in Borough Hall on Monday, February\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "LaSalle"","block_context":{"text":"LaSalle","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/canada\/lasalleposts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jan28Notice","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jan28Notice.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jan28Notice.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Jan28Notice.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16573"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16574,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16573\/revisions\/16574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}