6 – WESTMOUNT INDEPENDENT – <strong>November</strong> <strong>13</strong>, 2012Letters to the EditorWay to combat speeding isconsistent enforcementPlease explain how it is possible on p. 1(“On the menu: photo radar, diagonalcrossings, parking, bike lanes,” October30) to quote assistant Public Security directorGreg McBain’s summary of theworkshop on speeding that “every groupwanted photo radar” and yet nowheremention this proven deterrent among the“potential measures” in the summary onp. 7.Perhaps someone could explain whatevidence was used to conclude that “enforcementand calming devices (humps)are last resorts.” <strong>Westmount</strong> may wellhave decided to make enforcement a lastresort, but I assure readers that there areabundant data in the traffic safety literaturethat both can be highly effective, especiallyif enforcement is consistent andincludes sufficiently strong penalties.It is ironic that the same issue describesthe injuries experienced by a womanwhose car was rear-ended by a vehicle travellingat a speed of 5 to 10 km/h (p. 17).Imagine what those injuries would havebeen if the car has been travelling at a farmore typical <strong>Westmount</strong> speed, generallywell in excess of 50 km/h?Barry Pless, Lansdowne Ave.Presstime: Monday at 10:30 amPublisher & editor-in-chief: David Priceeditor: Kristin McNeillChief reporter: Laureen SweeneyWESTMOUNTINDEPENDENTLetters & Comments:We welcome your letters but reserve the right tochoose and edit them. Please limit to 300words and submit before Friday 10 am to beconsidered for publication the following week.Please check your letter carefully as we may beunable to make subsequently submittedchanges. Email any letter or comments toindie@westmountindependent.com.@<strong>Westmount</strong>Indie<strong>Westmount</strong> <strong>Independent</strong>We are <strong>Westmount</strong>.Reducing Sherbrooke toone lane ludicrousDaniel Lambert is once again pushinghis agenda to reduce or eliminate all carsfrom <strong>Westmount</strong> (“Make Vic village moreappealing by reducing cars,” <strong>November</strong> 6.p. 7).He points out that nearly 20 percent of<strong>Westmount</strong>ers cycle regularly and 28 percentof residents don’t own a car. If welook at what these numbers actually say,over 80 percent of <strong>Westmount</strong>ers do notcycle regularly, no doubt due mostly to thedemographic profile of residents, and that72 percent of households own at least oneautomobile, for which they pay varioustaxes and fees that go towards buildingand maintaining the roads and sidewalksthat pedestrians and cyclists enjoy.Mr. Lambert proposes eliminating onelane of traffic in each direction on Sherbrookewithout a care of the chaos thiswould cause, solely to benefit the 50 or socyclists who would actually use this pathduring the winter months.Figures show about 25,000 cars per daytravel on Sherbrooke. Where does Mr.Lambert think the displaced traffic wouldgo?I am all for an active lifestyle and agreethat people should bike and walk whenthey can. However, this ludicrous idea ofreducing Sherbrooke traffic to one lane inHow Can We Help You?Stories and lettersKristin McNeill: 514.223.3578indie@westmountindependent.comAdvertising SalesArleen Candiotti: 514.223.3567advertising@westmountindependent.comWe also publish the Free Pressnewspaper in Hampstead,Côte St. Luc and NDG.Accounting & Classified adsBeth Hudson: 514.223.6<strong>13</strong>8office@westmountindependent.comAudited by16,250 copiesOwned and published by:Sherbrooke-Valois Inc., 310 Victoria Ave., #105, <strong>Westmount</strong>, QC H3Z 2M9Fax: 514.935.9241each direction is certainly not the way togo. Thankfully, I am quite sure his ideawill be given all the attention it merits.Steve Myro, <strong>Westmount</strong> SquareHistorical group is notsuggesting train stationshould be theirsRegarding publisher David Price’sopinion piece in the <strong>November</strong> 6 issue ofthe <strong>Independent</strong> (“Let’s train ourselves toavoid boondoggles,” p. 6), the directors ofthe <strong>Westmount</strong> Historical Association(WHA) wish to clarify their position regardingany proposed future uses of theVictoria Ave. train station.The possibility has often been examined,but the WHA has never in recentyears advocated renovating the station toserve exclusively as our office andarchives.In terms of our association’s immediateneeds, the station’s location and surroundingconditions are not ideal, and thecosts of such a renovation could prove unfeasibleunless a suitable shared-use scenariocould be devised by the city.We are deeply concerned that this importantelement of our local history be preserved,celebrated and used to the benefitof the community. We will continue tosupport the city’s quest to design a developmentplan for the Victoria/Sherbrookearea that honours our heritage and is inthe best interests of residents. We encourageother citizens to bring forward innovativesuggestions of their own.Jane Martin, director,<strong>Westmount</strong> Historical AssociationNot likely super-hospitalwon’t impact parkingfor localsOn what basis did Genivar concludethat the MUHC “should have little impact”on parking through the city? (“On themenu: photo radar, diagonal crossings,parking, bike lanes,” October 30, p. 1). Iguess that none of the Genivar consultantshad ever tried street parking around theJewish General Hospital or around othermajor hospitals. It is virtually impossibleto find open spots.Granted the super-hospital will haveparking as well as excellent access to variousforms of public transportation. Howevermany visitors, especially familiesvisiting patients in the evening, will be arrivingin cars from a huge catchment area.We don’t know what the MUHC willcharge for parking. Still, the first choice ofmany, if not most, will be to find parkingin the neighbouring streets in NDG andVictoria village. It will be a mess as carscircle around looking for parking. Parkingfor residents will be very difficult if currentregulations are maintained.Denis Biro, Burton Ave.Sweeney on the ballAn article written by Laureen Sweeneyin the October 30 edition of the <strong>Independent</strong>(“<strong>Westmount</strong>, others drawn into resultsof inflated contracts,” p. 1) made forfascinating reading.In it, Councillor Patrick Martin observedthat during the Charbonneau commissionhearings, the public “actuallyheard that one of the first rigged contracts[arranged by Montreal] involved a sewerproject in <strong>Westmount</strong>.” *This reporting recalled an earlier insightfulpiece of reporting by LaureenSweeney published in the issue of December21, 2011 when she described thewinning offer of sole bidder PomerleauInc. to build the arena project (“Pomerleaubids $36.4 million with taxes, a ‘historicmoment’,” p. 1). Sweeney described howfour firms in 2011, “all well-known” – Decarel,Giffels, Magil, and Opron – had “lostout based on the city’s stringent designevaluation.”That evaluating committee, one remembers,consisted of a handful of people,all of whose names are confidential.According to Sweeney, only SNC-Lavalin and Pomerleau made it throughthis selection a year ago, and SNC withdrewits bid on <strong>November</strong> 28, 2011 for“business reasons,” in the words of MayorPeter Trent, leaving Pomerleau as the solesurviving competitor.Sweeney added a paragraph of insiderinformation in the December 21, 2011 article(p. 8): “One well-placed industrysource, who asked not to be named, toldthe <strong>Independent</strong> a week earlier that it was“no secret” that Pomerleau would bid andprobably be the only one. Also reportedwas that “some of the firms that did notqualify were ‘upset and disappointed, butnot surprised,’ given ‘the way the industryworks’ and that the Pomerleau team includesCIMA engineers already familiarwith the project.”Patrick Barnard, Melville Ave.* Editor’s note: For clarity, the contract inquestion was for sewer work in <strong>Westmount</strong>but awarded by the city of Montreal, whichwas the practice at the time (the 1980s andpre-merger/demerger generally).– KM
Priory conducts specialRemembrance Day ceremonyWESTMOUNT INDEPENDENT – <strong>November</strong> <strong>13</strong>, 2012 – 7Selwyn brings in Old Boy tospeak at ceremonyHeba Aldahham, in grade 2 at The Priory, presented “a bouquet of messages of peace” to Francis Badley,chair for the poppy distribution of Branch #127 of the Royal Canadian Legion, while to his right WorldWar II veteran Phil Scott and other special guests look on. According to the school’s Anita DiStefano,a special Remembrance Day ceremony took place at the school on <strong>November</strong> 6, which included pipers,a prayer by principal Tim Peters, the students’ recital of “In Flanders Fields” and a reading from Proudas a Peacock, Brave as a Lion, a story about a young boy who learns from his grandfather about hiswar-time experiences.Photo courtesy of The PrioryWINTER 20<strong>13</strong>SUBSIDIZEDCOURSES!by Emploi Québec: $2/hrFor more details please call or visit our website.Eligible working participants can receivesubsidized training for:•AutoCad–Level2•HTML5•Illustrator– Advanced (Level 3)•Oracle•Simply Accounting – Level 2•SolidWorks–Level2• SQL Advanced – (PL/SQL)Languages:French; English40 hours: $255<strong>November</strong> 19 to December <strong>13</strong>, 2012Mondays to Thursdays6:00 pm – 8:30 pmIntensive courses, EveningsAtwaterDirect Access4001 de Maisonneuve Blvd WestSuite 2G.1, Montreal QC H3Z 3G4Office hours: Mondays to Fridays8:30 am to 4:30 pm514 933-0047www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/ctdLieutenant Chris Robinson (class of 2000) recounted some of his experiences as a member of theCanadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan and Haiti to students at Selwyn House School, where aRemembrance Day ceremony was held on <strong>November</strong> 9. A Selwyn House Old Boy, Robinson told howmilitary service in Afghanistan was often dull until all hell suddenly broke loose during an encounterwith insurgents.Photo: Martin C. BarryNDG remembers <strong>Westmount</strong>Adorned by poppies in thefront window of NDG’s CartesEtc. on Sherbrooke St. W. sits aletter from 1919 written by the<strong>Westmount</strong> mayor’s officethanking the Allied forces and1,571 <strong>Westmount</strong> soldiers whofought in World War I.The letter, written twomonths after the signing of thearmistice that ended the warwith Germany, was sent to everyenlisted soldier in <strong>Westmount</strong>and the relatives of those whonever returned back home. It isdifficult to decipher the name inthe signature, but it is possibleit is John McKergow, who wasmayor from 19<strong>13</strong> to 1919.“I look out the window at the18-, 19- and 20-year-olds passingby the shop, and I think to myself,‘It would’ve been them inthe trenches,’” said shop ownerArlyle Waring.Her copy of the letter, addressedto Lt. John Whyte Mc-Cammon, was donated to thestore by a local artist who displayswork in the shop. Waringis hoping to find a permanenthome for the letter with the cityof <strong>Westmount</strong>.1919 letter from <strong>Westmount</strong> mayor sits in window of NDG’sCartes Etc.Photo: Michael Moore
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