Lives & Legacy

JOSHUA ALLAN
 The 1019 Report After setting the issue aside last month amid pushback from residents, Ste. Justine de Newton town council last week adopted the updated MRC-wide nuisance bylaw, a move that comes after a month of voiceful opposition from many residents and a few councillors in the small village to a bylaw they claim does not reflect realities of a rural community. “I think the residents were afraid of not being free on their properties or in their homes, but that’s not the case,” Mayor Shawn Campbell said in an interview with The 1019 Report. Some residents in Ste. Justine have taken issue with several articles within the harmonized bylaw, which has been adopted by town councils across the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region over the past month. Their worries mainly centre on articles banning the display of “erotic” or “hateful” content “in or on any public or private area;” a requirement to “immediately” remove all animal excrement from their property; prohibiting residents from having one or more inoperable vehicles on their property; and the ability for a municipal inspector or SQ officer to “visit and examine” properties in order to ensure compliance with the bylaw. As a small farming town, some locals have expressed concern that this bylaw does not match their rural reality and could leave them vulnerable to fines. The law exempts agricultural workers from some of the nuisances, but this exemption is only applied “in the course of their agricultural activities.” The legislation sets a harmonized standard on what is considered a nuisance across the 23 municipalities in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, facilitating operations for SQ officers. The bylaw is drafted by a committee of clerks and other representatives from all towns in the region. Town councils are free to choose not to adopt the legislation, though most do. Campbell took a moment during the March 10 council meeting to attempt to allay the concerns of his residents. This bylaw, he pointed out, has been in place across the region since 2009, and has had minor updates made over the years. The latest version of this bylaw is nearly identical to its previous version, which had been adopted in 2019. Campbell also wanted to make it clear that fines for nuisances — which range from $200 to $1,000 for a first offence — are rarely issued by SQ officers upon an initial visit. “Every time that an inspector or a police officer intervenes concerning a nuisance, there’s always an educational component,” he explained. “For example, you’re having a party, the music is loud (and) there’s a resident who complains because the music is loud. When the Sûreté du Québec shows up at your house, there will be an educational component where the police will explain that the noise is excessive.” “It’s very rare that a police officer or an inspector will issue a fine on the first visit,” Campbell continued. “There is always the educational component first; explain what happened, explain why it’s a nuisance, and if it’s recurring, after four, five times, for example, there can be a fine.” What’s more, he pointed out that instances of fines for nuisances in Ste. Justine have been few and far between since 2019. Since that time, there had been 13 fines for nuisances issued in the town. These have included instances of animals roaming free, excessive noise and one instance of a dog biting someone. Councillor Stéphane Lapointe has been outspoken in his criticism of this bylaw. To him, the fact that there have not been fines issued for the articles in the bylaw that residents take issue with reinforces the question of why these items are included in the legislation at all. “If there are so few complaints, then why do we need these regulations?” he said. Lapointe added that just because there haven’t been fines issued for things like the display of erotic content, uncollected animal excrement or residents keeping inoperable vehicles, does not mean they couldn’t be issued in the future. “Depending on the police officer who comes when there’s a complaint, depending on the neighbours that we have, people will see it like a Sword of Damocles,” he said, referencing the ancient Greek metaphor for an ever-looming threat. Lapointe had proposed amendments to the bylaw at the March 10 meeting, which would either remove or change parts. These proposed amendments were voted down by the council. Only District 3 councillor Jean Giroux-Gagné voted in favour. The council then proceeded with a vote to adopt the bylaw as-is, with only Lapointe and Giroux-Gagné voting against.Campbell does not believe fines for nuisances will be issued carelessly, explaining residents can contest unfair treatment. “If, for example, there’s an inspector that abuses (their power), the residents always have the means to issue a complaint to the municipality,” Campbell said. Local Journalism Initiative You are unauthorized to view this page.

FREDERIC SERRE The 1019 Report A LaSalle man has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars for sexually abusing six children, ages 5 to 11 in various regions of the province, including St. Polycarpe, St. Clet and Île Perrot. Forty-two-year-old Michael Michaud was also sentenced for being in possession of more than 45,000 photos and 11,000 videos of boys between the ages of 2 months and 8 years old being sexually assaulted — many of them by Michaud. With time already served in pre-trial detention, Michaud will be a free man in nine and a half years. A Quebec Court judge rendered his decision last Friday at the Montreal courthouse as the parents of two of the victims looked on, and after the Crown outlined the grisly details of Michaud’s crimes. Michaud appeared by videoconferencing from prison, where he has been held since his arrest in July 2024. Almost exactly a year ago, Michaud pleaded guilty to sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, voyeurism and producing and distributing child pornography. Michaud’s crimes occurred between 2011 and 2024 in various municipalities in the Greater Montreal area, after he befriended families with young children, offering them babysitting or mentoring services. It was when he was alone with the children that he sexually assaulted them and filmed his attacks. Michaud confessed to police last year to having sexually assaulted a 7-year-old boy. Police found videos of the sexual acts on Michaud’s phone. “My son is also serving a sentence: one of fear and memories he never deserved,” the victim’s mother told the court last Friday. The child was “more withdrawn and less cheerful” after the day of the crime, his father told authorities. Even today, he “is suffering terribly,” according to his mother, who added that she finds it “unbearable to know that this is not an isolated case.”Michaud admitted to engaging in sexual contact with four other children between 2011 and 2023 and to voyeurism involving a fifth. Details of how exactly Michaud came into contact with his victims, including those who lived in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges area, were not released to protect the identity of the minors involved. The accused, who is HIV-positive, gained the parents’ trust to spend time alone with the boys. He slept with them or even took baths with them. “My son was stolen from me,” the mother of another victim told the court. “He’s distrustful, sometimes lost in his thoughts. He’s not the same child any more.” In addition, police found more than 46,000 photos and 11,600 videos of child pornography on the accused’s devices.According to a report presented to the court by the Crown, Michaud poses an above-average risk to society. The accused has “intellectual limitations” and “neurodevelopmental issues,” the report states.“He still has a lot of work to do to understand the harm he has caused,” said Crown prosecutor Karine Lagacé-Paquette. Michaud addressed the court by videoconferencing, saying he feels a great deal of “sadness and regret” over his crimes. “I never want to destroy anyone else’s life again.” That is why both parties recommended Michaud serve 12 years in prison. This is a “significant sentence that reflects the extreme objective gravity” of the crimes, said his attorney, Diane Chartier. For two decades, he will be prohibited from communicating with children, visiting parks or schools, or holding a job involving minors under the age of 16. He will also be required to refrain from using social media. Local Journalism Initiative You are unauthorized to view this page.

FREDERIC SERRE The 1019 Report The driver of a car that rolled over several times after veering off westbound Highway 40 on March 10 in Vaudreuil-Dorion managed to crawl out of the wreckage with only a few scratches, according to the Sûreté du Québec – something that surprised responding officers and firefighters when they reached the scene. The accident happened around noon when, for an unknown reason, the driver lost control of his Toyota Yaris, which then drove into the centre median and rolled several times before landing on its roof. The investigation into the cause of the accident is under way, but according to the SQ, the pavement was dry and it was a sunny day, which rules out risky driving conditions. The crash occurred at the same spot – kilometre 29 – where, on Aug. 30, 2024, a westbound truck carrying thousands of chickens lost control, crashed into the centre median and overturned, resulting in scores of chickens scattered all over the highway. The accident caused the closure of the highway as work crews cleaned up the mess. Rig hits ditch in Pointe Fortune In another crash reported last week, the driver of a transport truck travelling along on eastbound Highway 40 lost control, jackknifed the rig, sending the vehicle into the ditch in Pointe Fortune. The accident happened on March 11and ended up in the ditch. The driver was not injured. Police blocked off one lane to traffic to allow the truck to be towed away. You are unauthorized to view this page.

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 You are unauthorized to view this page.

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 You are unauthorized to view this page.

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 You are unauthorized to view this page.