OQLF visits Côte St. Luc

The Suburban, By Joel Goldenberg, May 1st, 2013

An Office Québécois de la Langue Française inspector took her camera to Côte St. Luc last Thursday, probing Pharmaprix, IGA and the Cordonnerie Cavendish shoe repair store in Quartier Cavendish (Cavendish Mall) for potential language law offences.

According to interviews and discussions with each of the stores probed, a female inspector came in, took pictures and said each establishment would receive a letter in a month and a half with the results of the OQLF’s investigation if the law was seen to be violated.

The visit outraged many at the mall, including Gino Scandale, owner of Ralphs Mens Wear and president of the mall’s merchants association.

“This was very unexpected, especially to come into a [majority] anglophone community and start like that,” Scandale told The Suburban. “It’s sort of like coming into the West End, agitating people…. They saw English lettering; the law says French has to be three times bigger than the English. That’s the type of crap going on right now.

“It’s just ludicrous,” he added. “We’ve got to, at some point, start speaking out. From what I see now, we’re between the devil and the deep blue sea. Anyone who really speaks out, they get the tax department and [other repercussions]. That’s why, I feel, a lot of people are not speaking out.”

Pharmaprix manager Ian MacDonald said the inspector was checking if the signage in the store complied with the language law. No warnings were given on Thursday, MacDonald said.

“We’re in Côte St. Luc, I think they’re in the wrong neighbourhood,” MacDonald said. “They want to push an issue, and that’s it. It’s ridiculous, but what are you going to do? They want to pass Bill 14.”

IGA management had no comment.

Hovig Ourichian of Cordonnerie Cavendish confirmed that the OQLF visited the store.

“The inspector came to check and took some pictures from the outside, and told me they were checking the signage of whatever a customer sees from the outside in,” Ourichian told The Suburban. “She took some pictures, said she would send it to an inspector and if I was at fault, they would send me a letter.

“They seem to not have anything better to do,” he added. “Hospitals need money, they’re cutting everywhere and meanwhile these guys are going around taking pictures and wasting our money.”

Many stores in the mall avoid any language problems by having very few signs -one store primarily has just the store name and sales numbers, such as an item being 20 percent off, but very little wording. Some are also careful to greet customers with a “bonjour.”

Watch out for speeding wheelchairs

Click to enlarge

This memo, posted on the door of the Cavendish Mall (I can’t stand the name Quartier Cavendish) may be one of the funniest I’ve seen in a very, very long time.  I don’t know about you but I’ve been hanging around the “Shmall” since the day it opened and I’ve never come close to being run over by a speeding wheelchair.  Apparently, this has become a serious problem given the tone of the memo.

The instructions look like they’re borrowed from the Quebec Highway Code:

• Reduce your speed
• Stay to the right
• Signal your intention
• Keep a safe distance from pedestrians
• And don’t drive while intoxicated!

Please vote in the poll below and let’s see if this is really a public safety hazard:

Valet parking debuts at yes – the Quartier Cavendish (Mall)

A first in Cote Saint-Luc, as reported by Mike Cohen: MikeCohen.ca: Valet parking debuts at yes – the Quartier Cavendish (Mall).

More trees needed in parking lots

Map of Cote Saint-Luc Shopping Centre shows three tiny islands in green where the only trees cover the parking lot

At the last public Council meeting I voiced my opposition to a zoning amendment that would allow the Cote Saint-Luc Shopping Centre to open a restaurant in its parking lot (pictured above in pink).  Truth be told, I am actually in favour of allowing a restaurant to open there.  A restaurant would be a popular spot and conveniently located for Cote Saint-Lucers and NDGers alike.  It would provide jobs for locals as well.

What irks me is that this zoning amendment provides an opportunity to request, or demand, that the shopping centre provide more trees on its lot to create shade on what is one of the hottest spaces in the area.  The “heat map” of the West End shows that the shopping centre and Cavendish Mall are hot spots, that is, areas that are reflecting a lot of heat.  The City of Montreal and Montreal Public Health have published studies showing an increase in morbidity and mortality linked to higher temperatures.

Quebec’s National Institute of Public Health says: “In Montreal, heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense. The phenomenon of urban heat islands is exacerbating this trend to global warming and increasing public health problems associated with these high temperatures”.

This short film shows the phenomenon of Urban Heat Islands in Montreal:

These studies show a direct link between outdoor temperatures and the health of the community.  The more trees, the cooler the surrounding area. That’s why we should demand that parking lot owners plant trees to absorb the heat and cover as much asphalt as possible.  It’s in the public interest to plant more trees and to maintain and protect the tree canopy that we have in many areas of Cote Saint-Luc.  Our health depends on it.

Photo of the Week #5: Big House on the Mall

For those, like me, who have lived or visited Cote Saint-Luc all their lives, or a good chunk of the last few decades, this photo is still somewhat disorienting.  We’re still used to seeing the brown bricks of the southern end of the Cavendish Mall with the signs from Eaton’s (apostrophe intentional), Pneus Experts and even the Gap.

For the over 50 crowd with really good memories you’ll recall a wide field well before the mall was built in the early 70s. Not to mention, for the over 70 crowd you may even recall what pre-Cavendish Blvd. was named?  Correct.  King George Boulevard.

The redevelopment is proceeding with the new streets named The Avenue, Jubilee Road and Park Place fully constructed and homes starting to go up.  This photo shows the first single family home in the development.  Just off to the left you’ll notice the townhouse development going up on the extension of Kellert Avenue.  Even more townhouses are soon to go up fronting on Cavendish and Kildare.

These are exciting times in Cote Saint-Luc with the latest census showing that younger families are moving in and the average age is going down.

CSL Corner by Ruth Kovac

Free Press, May, 23, 2012, Click to enlarge

CSL Golden Shuttle Bus Reminder

Around the Towns

The Suburban, March 21, 2012

 

CSL GOLD SHUTTLE BUS REMINDER

 

Côte St. Luc is reminding residents of the existence of the 262 – Navette Or Côte St. Luc, a “26 km minibus route which features 18 stops in each direction, serving seven residences for seniors in that area, as well as the main local points of interest to them.

In addition to the residences, the minibus route serves Carrefour Angrignon, Cavendish Mall, Maimonides Geriatric Centre, CLSC René- Cassin, the Eleanor London Côte St. Luc Public Library, the Côte Saint-Luc Shopping Centre, and the municipal swimming pool,” says a city advisory.

“The 262 shuttle bus operates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with four departures in each direction, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The route takes about 44 minutes to travel in each direction, from the Côte St. Luc municipal swimming pool (north terminus) to Carrefour Angrignon (south terminus). The bus route number appears on a gold-coloured background on designated bus stops.”

Toyotas stolen cars of choice in mall parking lot

Toyotas stolen cars of choice in mall parking lot
Station 9 Police Watch
NDG Free Press, Feburay 14, 2012

Police say it appears an order might have gone out to steal Toyotas, after two were stolen from the Cavendish Mall parking lot and one was taken in Hampstead. Both incidents in Côte St. Luc happened on February 1 in the mall’s parking lot at 5800 Cavendish Blvd.

A brown 2009 Toyota Venza belonging to a 43-year-old Laval woman was stolen some time between 8:25 am and 3:40 pm. Also taken, between noon and 12:35 pm, was a blue 2009 Toyota RAV 4, owned by a 59- year-old woman from DDO.

In both cases, the car doors were locked and there were no signs of forced entry, such as broken glass on the ground.

“We’re not sure if this is going to be a continuing pattern, but if you own a Toyota or, for that matter, any other car there are measures you can take to lessen the chances of having your vehicle stolen,” said Constable Vincent De Angelis. “Make sure your car doors are locked and your windows are rolled right up. Park in areas where there is a greater volume of people, rather than in an isolated area. And it’s always a good idea to have devices like a car alarm or an ignition kill switch.

JGH and CSSS Cavendish partner up to improve care to patients

Montreal, January 30, 2012 – Taking blood tests or other similar tests just got easier for patients who live around the Cavendish Mall. If they choose, the residents of Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, NDG, Snowdon-West and Montreal-West can now go to the CSSS Cavendish – CLSC René-Cassin Test Centre at the mall instead of making a longer trip and possibly spending more time waiting to be seen at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) Test Centre. Through an agreement by both healthcare institutions, the service offered by the CSSS Cavendish to the population shortens wait times and improves the quality of care.

To ensure continuity of care, the two test centres are electronically linked. Results from samples taken at Cavendish are transmitted directly to the JGH, where they are processed as usual. This guarantees that physicians receive accurate results quickly, so that patients do not have to worry about long waiting times for their results. A quick transfer of information is vital to the partnership, as the two institutions work together to provide rapid and efficient service.

“Giving patients the option of going to the Cavendish Mall for their tests is another example of the creative partnerships that the JGH is developing to make healthcare services more accessible and easier to use,” says Dr. Hartley Stern, JGH Executive Director. “This arrangement will also help to reduce patient volume at the JGH Test Centre, making the process faster and more convenient for those who continue to come to the hospital.”

“The service is convenient, since it is open 7 days a week in a very accessible location,” says Francine Dupuis, CSSS Cavendish Executive Director. The CSSS Cavendish Test Centre provides patients with flexible operating hours, as well as free on-site parking at 5800 Cavendish Blvd., in Côte Saint-Luc. It is also accessible by public transit on the 104, 138, 161, 162, and 262 (Golden Shuttle) bus lines throughout the day. Hours of operation are 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., Saturday and Sunday.

 

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L’HGJ et le CSSS Cavendish s’associent pour améliorer les soins aux patients

Il est maintenant plus facile pour les patients qui habitent près du Mail Cavendish d’avoir une prise de sang ou d’autres prélèvements semblables. S’ils le veulent, les résidants de Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, NDG, Snowdon-Ouest et Montréal-Ouest peuvent aller au centre de prélèvement du CSSS Cavendish – CLSC René-Cassin situé dans le mail, au lieu de se rendre plus loin et possiblement d’attendre plus longtemps pour être vus au centre de prélèvement de l’Hôpital général juif (JGH). Grâce à cette entente entre les deux établissements de santé, ce nouveau service offert à la population par le CSSS Cavendish permet de raccourcir le temps d’attente et d’améliorer la qualité des soins.

 

Afin de veiller à la continuité des soins, les deux centres de prélèvement sont reliés par voie électronique. Les résultats des échantillons prélevés à Cavendish sont transmis directement à l’HGJ, où ils sont traités de la façon habituelle. Les médecins reçoivent donc les résultats exacts et les patients n’ont pas à s’inquiéter d’une longue attente avant d’avoir leurs résultats. Ce partenariat exige le transfert rapide de l’information, puisque les deux établissements travaillent de pair pour offrir un service rapide et efficace.

 

« La possibilité maintenant offerte aux patients de faire faire leurs prélèvements au Mail Cavendish s’ils le désirent est un autre exemple des partenariats créatifs établis par l’HGJ pour rendre les services de santé plus accessibles et plus faciles à utiliser, explique le Dr Hartley Stern, directeur général de l’HGJ. Cet arrangement aidera également à réduire le volume de patients au Centre de prélèvement de l’HGJ, ce qui accélérera d’autant le processus et le rendra plus pratique pour ceux qui continuent de venir à l’hôpital. »

 

« Le service est pratique puisque le centre est ouvert 7 jours par semaine, dans un endroit facilement accessible », ajoute Francine Dupuis, directrice générale du CSSS Cavendish. Le centre de prélèvement du CSSS Cavendish offre aux patients des heures d’ouverture flexibles et un stationnement gratuit, au 5800 boulevard Cavendish à Côte Saint-Luc. Il est également accessible en transport en commun par les trajets 104, 138, 161, 162, et 262 (Navette Or) tout au long de la journée. Les heures d’ouverture sont de 7 h 30 à 9 h 30 du lundi au vendredi, et de 8 h à 10 h les samedis et dimanches.

 

Update: New stop sign, crosswalk coming to Mackle

View Larger Map

Updated: Jan. 20, 2012

Despite my usual opposition to more stop signs the City of Cote Saint-Luc will be adding a stop sign and crosswalk on Mackle Road today just meters away from the intersection of Centennial Avenue.

Residents of Les Habitations Mackle apartment at 6655 Mackle Road have ignored the repeated advice of police and district City Councillor, Ruth Kovac, and have been hit in increasing numbers by oncoming vehicles as they jaywalk in front of their building to get to the mall.

Despite having a crosswalk a few steps away at Centennial Ave, residents can regularly be seen crossing the road without a care despite the congestion from the mall entrance, turning vehicles, buses and traffic along Mackle Road.  Some residents can be seen jaywalking using canes and even walkers.

I am typically against the proliferation of stop signs.  They are environmentally unfriendly (since cars need to burn more fuel, noise from brakes, etc…) and frustrating to motorists.  They inherently give a false sense of security to pedestrians who assume that all cars will come to a stop.  However this is not always the case and pedestrians still have to be alert and mindful of oncoming traffic.

I suppose we have little choice at this spot and in the interest of public safety this crosswalk/stop sign is necessary as all other efforts by police and city hall have failed to prevent errant and very dangerous jaywalking.  Of course police could have issued tickets to the jaywalkers rather than penalizing the motorists but I suspect this would have had a temporary effect.

We’ll see how this all works out.  Once the mall is redesigned, and once Cavendish is extended (yes, it will happen) we will have to take another look at the surrounding area for traffic flow and safety issues.  Meanwhile, look both ways before you cross the street!

Related articles

• CSL looking into Mackle speed limit (gjnashen.wordpress.com)

Quartier Cavendish? Je ne Pense pas.

After 38 years of having the Cavendish Mall in my backyard I kind of got used to calling it by several nicknames, from “The Shmall” to “The Cavenyiddish Mall.”  Most often it’s been referred to as, well, “The Mall.”

But Quartier Cavendish? That’s what the Cavendish Mall is being renamed according to the property manager.

Cote Saint-Luc is home to a large and predominately English-speaking population. In fact, about 80% of Côte Saint-Lucers use English as their preferred language according to the last census.  That’s not to say that a significant majority of English-speaking residents are not bilingual to varying degrees.  Happily, we are a very accommodating, tolerant and bilingual (if not multi-lingual) community.

So why change the name of Le Mail Cavendish Mall?  Why the need to suddenly francize?  The fact is, the City of Cote Saint-Luc goes to great length to advise its commercial proprietors that English is indeed permitted under the dreaded language law and bilingual signage is greatly appreciated.

Ultimately it’s the consumers choice to shop where they feel comfortable and respected and to spend their dollars wherever they wish.

This name change won’t keep me away from the Mall, because I’ll continue to call it the Mall, no matter what they change their name to anyhow.

Read more:

Suburban Newspaper, Nov. 30, 2011

Mike Cohen’s blog

 

Cavendish lane closures

Cavendish lane closures during non-rush hour period
Cavendish Blvd. will be temporarily narrowed to two lanes (one in each direction) during the non-rush hour period (9:30 am to 4 pm) between Kildare Rd. and Mackle Rd. from Tuesday, November 1 to Tuesday, November 8, 2011 so that construction crews preparing the infrastructure at the new residential development can excavate electrical trenches. All lanes will be open during the rush hour period and on weekends.

The lane closures are, unfortunately, necessary.  Please give yourself extra time to get to your destination if using Cavendish Blvd. We would encourage you to consider alternate routes to avoid that stretch of road. 

The new residential development on the southern part of the Cavendish Mall site will be a beautiful area for residents to walk, jog, or bicycle through when the major sections are completed in 2012. In the mean time, there will be some inconveniences. 

>> http://www.cotesaintluc.org/en/announcement20111031b 

Fermeture de voies sur le boulevard Cavendish en dehors de heures de pointe
Le boulevard Cavendish, entre les chemins Kildare et Mackle, sera temporairement réduit à deux voies (une dans chaque direction) en dehors de heures de pointe (9 h 30 à  16 h)  à partir du mardi 1er novembre jusqu’au mardi 8 novembre 2011. Ceci est nécessaire afin de permettre aux équipes de construction qui préparent l’infrastructure du nouveau développement résidentiel d’effectuer les raccords pour l’alimentation d’électricité.  Toutes les voies seront ouvertes durant les heures de pointe et la fin de semaine.

Malheureusement, la fermeture de ces voies est nécessaire. Prévoyez donc quelques minutes supplémentaires vous si comptez emprunter le boulevard Cavendish. Nous vous encourageons aussi à considérer d’autres chemins pour vos déplacements. 

Le nouveau quartier résidentiel situé dans le quadrant sud du site du Mail Cavendish sera un lieu  magnifique pour nos résidants, ils pourront y marcher, faire du jogging ou du vélo lorsque les travaux seront complétés, pour la majeure part, en 2012.

>> http://www.cotesaintluc.org/fr/nouvelle20111031b 

Partial lane closures on Westbound Kildare Road

There will be partial Westbound lane closures on Kildare Road (the side closest to the Cavendish Mall) between Cavendish Blvd. and Kellert Ave. from approximately Monday, September 12 to Friday, September 16, 2011.

 

One lane in each direction will remain open on Kildare Road, therefore it will take longer to get to your destination.

 

Please give yourself extra travel time. We encourage you to consider alternate routes to avoid that stretch of road.

 

The lane closures are necessary so that construction crews preparing the infrastructure at the new residential development can connect sewer lines and electrical power cables.

 

The City will do everything possible to ease the flow of traffic while the lane closures are in effect. Public Security agents and volunteer Citizens on Patrol (vCOP) will be deployed along with Police officers to help traffic flow and ensure the safety of pedestrians.

 

The new residential development on the southern part of the Cavendish Mall site will be a beautiful area for residents to walk, jog, or bicycle through when the major sections are completed in 2012. In the mean time, there will be some inconveniences. The City will be monitoring the situation to ensure that these inconveniences are minimized to the greatest degree possible.

Avis de fermeture de rue Mackle Road closure advisory

Please take note that Mackle Road, at the corner of Stephen Leacock Avenue in Côte Saint-Luc will be closed from July 4 to 7 (inclusively) for construction work. 

Please take note so that you can plan an alternate route. The use of Kildare Road is recommended for access to the west.

Detour signs have been posted.  This work will connect Stephen Leacock Avenue to Kellert Avenue as part of the redevelopment of the Cavendish Mall.

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Veuillez prendre note que la rue Mackle, au coin de l’avenue Stephen-Leacock à Côte Saint-Luc, sera fermé du 4 au 7 juillet (inclusivement) pour des travaux de construction.

SVP planifier une route alternative.

L’utilisation de la rue Kildare est favorisée pour un accès à l’ouest.

CSL’s Cavendish-Kildare dangerous to cross: resident

CSL’s Cavendish-Kildare dangerous to cross: resident

By Joel Goldenberg

The Suburban, June 15, 2011

Côte St. Luc resident Shirley Rosen and others expressed worry last week about the busy intersection of Cavendish Blvd. and Kildare Road.

That intersection has been a concern for many years.

Rosen told councillor Mike Cohen’s recent district council meeting that she has sent e-mails to the city regarding the traffic light and the issue of crossing Kildare on the south side of Cavendish. “You cannot get across the street in the length of time they give you because the cars are turning from every which side, and I’m fast,” she said. “The reply was that they’ll look into it, and it could take up to three years and, in the meantime, cross on the north side of Cavendish. This should be corrected now.

“What is going to be done, and how soon? Because something is going to happen.”

Cohen said he discussed ideas with Senekal and engineering division project manager Mohammed Ali. The councillor emphasized that none of the ideas have been discussed at the council level.

“The one issue I’ve heard more than anything else from constituents in the last five years is Kildare and Cavendish,” Cohen added. “Sometimes we please the pedestrian and they have a little more time [to cross], and the motorist is upset. Sometimes the motorist is pleased, and the pedestrians say it takes too long [to cross]. We all know the rush hours are no picnic.

“It’s a very difficult corner.”

Senekal says plans — just being discussed at the moment — call for a two-phase reconfiguration, first involving — this year — Cavendish and what will be called The Avenue, the street that will run east-west between Kildare and Mackle into the planned Cavendish Mall development.

“Due to the development, we’ll have a potential increase in traffic out of that exit, even though they’ll have a choice of three entry and exit points,” Senekal explained. “We’re trying to make it safer for the pedestrians to cross, and easier for people to get in and out of the development without waiting too long at the traffic light.”

Senekal said the second phase would involve Cavendish and Kildare.

“I’m well aware of the issues on the south side [of Cavendish], especially crossing Kildare east to west,” he acknowledged. “We have a concept in mind in which we’ll try our best to eradicate all these conflict points.

“We’re looking at unrestricted left and right turns — no traffic lights, for example, for that traffic — and at the same time, creating many little islands where pedestrians only have to cross one instead of two to three lanes of traffic. Where possible, we’re shortening the walking distances.

We want to create pedestrian refuges in the middle so if you can’t make it, you have a safe place to wait. “By adjusting a lot of these different lanes, we have a little bit more freedom to actually program the [traffic light] controllers so that we could give you more time. Right now, we’re at our maximum, we cannot change anything more [in the time given to cross Cavendish].”

Senekal said he hopes, by this time next year, there will be “something on paper to be presented to council.” This prompted a negative reaction from the audience, in terms of the time it would take to make actual changes.

“You have to understand that these things aren’t done overnight,” Cohen said. The councillor added that he and Senekal discussed an “extraordinary plan,” of which he could not share the details.

“It’s an idea that will be brought to council, and if council buys into it, any type of fix that we come up at Cavendish and Kildare is not going to be cheap,” Cohen warned. “But we realize that it is vitally important we come up with something. I wish there was a quick fix.”

Councillor Steven Erdelyi said the problems stem from most of the cars at Kildare and Cavendish turning left or right, as opposed to going straight.

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In my opinion: The traffic lights and pedestrian crossing signals at this intersection have been tweaked as much as possible as Councillor Cohen mentioned.  Any adjustment to one has a negative impact upon the other. 

I have advocated for pedestrian refuges (simply put, a place to stand in the middle of the street when you cannot cross on a single light) for many years.  As chairman of the City’s Public Safety and Transportation committees I have studied this intersection repeatedly with our experts and am convinced that a complete reconfiguration with islands to allow for pedestrians to cross one lane, or two lanes maximum, is the safest way to go. 

This project will cost quite a bit (I’m guessing over one million dollars) and will only be completed either in conjunction with the redevelopment of the Cavendish Mall in another year or two or with the Cavendish Extension in another six or seven years (fingers crossed!).