Lives & Legacy

JOSHUA ALLAN
 The 1019 Report As communities along the proposed corridor for the planned high-speed train between Quebec City and Toronto grapple with what it will mean for them, residents in this region are invited to participate in virtual information sessions hosted by the crown corporation responsible for planning and operating this service. The meeting may be of special interest to residents of Rigaud and Pointe Fortune, as these towns have been included in the path of one of the options for the potential route of the train line. An interactive map published by crown corporation Alto illustrates a potential route cutting through part of Pointe Fortune and the rural western section of Rigaud. The map itself is not a precise plan, as it sketches a corridor that is much wider than what is required. It is an area that stretches from Rigaud and about 20 kilometres across to Hawkesbury and the southern portion of Lachute. This means that the future rail line could be located anywhere within this swath. No other area of the 1019 region falls within Alto’s route projection map. TRAIN: Info meeting planned Earlier this month, residents of Chute à Blondeau, next to Rigaud, just across the Ontario border, held a protest to voice their opposition to the proposed route that would cut through their town. They were the latest community to stage a demonstration to voice their concerns The plan to build a 1,000-kilometre high-speed rail between Quebec City and Toronto was announced in 2025 by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The first segment of the line, connecting Ottawa with Laval and Montreal, is expected to break ground in 2029. The proposed project is predicted to cost between $60 billion and $90 billion, would see the train reaching speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour on mainly electrified tracks. Alto predicts that the line would get passengers between Ottawa and Montreal in one hour, and between Quebec City and Toronto in three hours. Canada is currently the only G7 country that does not have a high-speed rail line. The English-language virtual session takes place on Monday, March 23, starting at 7 p.m. This is followed by a French-language session on Thursday, March 26, also starting at 7 p.m. Those interested in attending must register at https://www.altotrain.ca/en/public-consultation/virtual-session

BRENDA O’FARRELLThe 1019 Report A demand issued last month by local political and business leaders to Santé Québec to outline its recruitment strategy to staff the new Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital has so far been met with silence, says the president of the region’s economic development agency. “It’s essential to get an answer from Santé Québec,” said Danie Deschênes, president of DEV Vaudreuil-Soulanges in an interview with The 1019 Report last week. “We still want to see the plan,” Deschênes continued, adding: “Is there a plan?” That question sums up the ever-growing worry the new hospital will fall short of its stated goal of filling 3,500 jobs and recruiting 200 doctors between now and when the facility opens in the spring of 2028. Deschênes, who is also the mayor of Notre Dame de l’Île Perrot, said she did not expect health officials to jump when DEV formally — and very publicly — issued the request to be brought into the loop on the hiring plan on Feb. 11, explaining regional stakeholders are willing to be patient. But they are not going to wait indefinitely, she said. A meeting with DEV officials and local members of the National Assembly —Soulanges CAQ MNA Marilyne Picard and Vaudreuil Liberal MNA Marie-Claude Nicholls — is set for this week, Deschênes said. But no details of a hiring strategy is expected to be shared. And so far there has been no word from Santé Québec officials or representatives of the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest, the regional health authority overseeing the hiring for the new hospital. STAFFING: Regional officials
warn of workforce crisis The request for more information from provincial health officials was one of five demands the region’s economic development board made last month as it issued an unprecedented and urgent call for a territorial exemption from both the provincial and federal governments for changes to immigration policies to ensure against the loss of temporary foreign workers employed in the region. Sounding the warning of a pending workforce crisis, DEV officials were joined by a number of employers in the region last month to showcase just how dire the potential loss of foreign workers is being felt. The changes to the programs that affect foreign workers, including those who had been recruited to this region through the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) that provided selected and qualified workers with a path to residency status, is real, and threatens the area’s economic growth, the business leaders said. The Vaudreuil-Soulanges area is in a unique position, Joanne Brunet, the director-general of DEV, said last month, as she pointed to the what was described as a perfect storm that is threatening businesses in the region. Brunet said the region’s proximity to Ontario, which is prepared to welcome temporary foreign workers currently employed in this region who now face an uncertain future as they grapple with the prospect of not being allowed to renew their work permits in this province; the approximately 1,000 job vacancies that currently exist here; and the hospital’s hiring needs is putting “significant pressure” on a labour market already struggling to keep up with demand. Last week, the CISSS Montérégie-Ouest released a video that featured an animated 3D simulation of what the main entrance of the hospital will look like. The online presentation included a link to the agency’s hiring portal. A request to the CISSS for comment from The 1019 Report has gone unanswered. Since construction of the hospital began in 2022, Quebec has twice pushed back the opening of the hospital. Originally planned to welcome its first patient in December 2026, health officials last January pushed back the opening of the facility to the summer of 2027. Then, last July, officials revised the date again, setting the opening now for spring 2028. The delays, in part, have been attributed to difficulties in filling the more than 3,500 new positions the new facility will require. Local Journalism Initiative

JOSHUA ALLAN
 The 1019 Report The start of spring is a time when many animals begin giving birth to offspring, but what should you do if one of these critters has chosen to create a den or burrow on your property to care for its newborns? The answer is simple, according to a wildlife rescuer who works in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region: “Just leave them alone.”“That’s the key thing for all wildlife. Just leave them alone,” said Rob Boisvert, co-founder of the 269 Animal Rescue group which operates throughout the 1019 region and eastern Ontario. Trying to remove these animals now would likely spell death for their young, he said. Around this time of year, it’s not uncommon for animals, including foxes, opossums and raccoons to create their dens and burrows on and around rural residential properties in order to birth and care for their young. These dens might be located behind a shed, under a porch, near a chopped wood pile, or in any other small, secluded space ideal for rearing their pups, joeys and kits. While mother opossums and raccoons raise their young independently, both fox parents are involved in caring for their pups. If you spot a foxes this month trotting along with freshly caught prey in its jaws, it is most likely a male en route to deliver the food to his mate, who is in the den producing milk for their litter of between four to six newborn pups. This will continue for the next two months before these pups are able to leave the den. Though it’s early in the birthing season, Boisvert said he is already receiving calls from residents requesting that foxes, raccoons and other critters be removed from yards.“I try and tell people (during birthing season), ‘Can’t you just leave the animals alone? They’ll be done in a couple of months.’” This approach is recommended by multiple Canadian wildlife agencies and organizations, who advise property owners be patient during this important time for these animals. Attempting to relocate the animals at such an early stage in their lives, or separating the parents from the offspring, would likely result in the death of the litter. Organizations like the Toronto Wildlife Centre say the primary method when it comes to animals rearing their offspring on residents’ properties is to wait, as the young animals will likely set out on their own during the summer, and the den will be abandoned. “If you can wait until the babies are grown and/or have left, you can then close off the access point to prevent other animals from using the den in the future,” the centre recommends on its website. While some might see these animals as pests on their properties, Boisvert said it could be a unique opportunity, especially for those with children.“Teach your kids about nature,” including how to respect the animals by giving them space, he said. Boisvert also suggested installing a temporary fence “just to mark off the area so your kids know don’t go in there.” Fencing off the area, while maintaining a lane for these animals to come and go, would also help to keep pet dogs out of the animals’ way, he added. “We live among these animals because they have nowhere else to go,” Boisvert said. “So we have to give and take.” Local Journalism Initiative Cutline:
Last May, this mother fox was spotted with her pups romping around a front lawn on Mount Pleasant Street in Hudson, enjoying a sunny day. They were spotted several times by residents of the neighbourhood.Credit:
The 1019 Report file photo