Living with “A mere 30-second Detour” May 10, 2009 This is a log of incidents and events of experiences of residents of Hillcrest /Rosewood /Mt Vernon (HRMV) neighbourhood of Lachine since Montreal West (MW) erected a traffic barricade (also sometimes referred to here as a “barrier” and “roadblock”) on Broughton Street (BS) in June 2008. The residents compiled this log of events to respond to the frequently repeated false statement by Montreal West Mayor Campbell Stuart that: “And all this [opposition to the barricade is] so that some people don't have to take a 30-second detour to drive their cars into our town.” This quote is from The Monitor of February 6th 2008. A similar quote is in The Gazette of January 29 2008. But Stuart knows that the consequences of the barricade go far beyond a mere 30 second detour. Read on to find out more… 

Concerning the Broughton Street (BS) traffic barricade in Montreal West (MW) Background: The Hillcrest /Rosewood /Mt Vernon (HRMV) neighbourhood is so named because it is on the crest of a hill. This same area is also known as “Devil’s Hill community” in reference to the devilishly steep des Erables hill that used to cross the train tracks into Ville St. Pierre. This dangerous level train crossing was turned into a pedestrian tunnel in about 1970. 


The HRMV neighbourhood, which is surrounded on two sides by train tracks, was originally constructed as part of Montreal West early in the 20th century. Brick houses there date from as early as 1905 and, because motorized vehicles were very rare at that date and not very powerful, the bricks were probably hauled to the Hillcrest work site by horses or oxen. These animals could not have hauled the bricks up des Erables hill--one of the steepest roads on Montreal Island--and must have come in from Broughton Street in Montreal West. Broughton Street has thus been the main road access into the HRMV neighbourhood for over 100 years. 


Snow clearing equipment must also generally enter HRMV from Broughton. Montreal West ceded the neighbourhood to francophone Ville St. Pierre in about 1930. Despite this, the largely anglophone HRMV neighbourhood of about 300 residents remains culturally and economically linked to Montreal West. The HRMV neighbourhood is isolated; apart from Broughton Street, its only other road accesses to the rest of the world (via des Erables Street hill) are east along Milton Street to Avon/St. Jacques Street or west along Norman Drive to the junction of Highways 20 West and 13 North. Both of these routes are through unattractive industrial areas where heavy equipment is often in operation.


The des Erables hill is dangerous or impassable in bad weather. The tunnel underneath the Avon/St. Jacques Street Bridge is confusing and dangerous. Norman Drive can be used to access 32nd Ave. in western Lachine, but requires traversing an industrial park for about five-km before re-entering a residential area. Because of the geometry of the Norman Street on ramp/off ramp on Highway 20, it is impossible to exit Highway 20 eastbound to directly access Norman Drive. This route thus essentially represents only a one-way access to or from the highway. In other words, there is no “shortcut” from Higway 20 eastbound into MW. 


There have been attempts by MW for many years to erect a traffic barricade on Broughton. The most recent attempt goes back to March, 2007 but Lachine requested and obtained an injunction to have that barricade removed. While MW has claimed traffic concerns for its motivation in erecting such a barricade, critics counter that it is class elitism and anti-French sentiments (to separate MW from Ville St Pierre) which are the real motives. What often surprises outsiders is to realize to what extent MW and HRMV residents know each other and interact with each other. For instance, Mayor Campbell Stuart, now the leader of the pro-barricade forces, used to spend time with HRMV residents when Stuart’s former father-in-law lived on Hillcrest Ave. Stuart and his former wife, Elizabeth Ulin, then asked HRMV residents to watch out for the old man who was in frail health and asked Pat Schmidt in particular to be the contact person for CLSC workers. You wonder what kind of a person so easily forgets those who helped him in the past?

June 5, 2008 A traffic barricade consisting of two cement flower pots (each about three feet in diameter) was erected by Montreal West (MW) without warning on Broughton Street just east of where it becomes des Erables Street in HRMV in Lachine. The flowerpots are spaced about 12 feet apart, marking the barricade and allowing enough room for one car to pass (illegally). The signage (which has changed frequently since then) essentially stated “no exit.” No prior notice of MW’s intentions was given to either Lachine nor to the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) or the Commission Scolaire Marguerite Bourgeois (CSMB) which both operate school bus service in the HRMV neighbourhood. The EMSB and CSMB school bus drivers did not know what to do when returning from school that afternoon, caught between breaking the (BS Barricade) bylaw or going against school board directives to drop the kids off at specific locations. It is unclear what notice, if any, was given by MW to various emergency response crews (fire protection, ambulance, police, etc.) serving this area.


June 6, 2008 Rosewood resident John Symon telephoned Montreal West Mayor, Campbell Stuart and asked him about the BS Barricade. Stuart seemed eager to take the call until Symon identified himself as a HRMV resident and Stuart then seemed to want to quickly end the call. Symon accused Stuart of being afraid to talk about the barrer. Stuart assured Symon that emergency vehicles do not use Broughton to access the Hillcrest area, taking Milton Street instead. Stuart also insisted that emergency vehicles are able to pass the BS Barrier. Stuart said that he objected to use of the word “barrier,” referring to it instead as a “road closing.”


June 7, 2008 Campbell Stuart was quoted in The Gazette as saying: "We are trying to do this [closing Broughton Street] in the least confrontational way possible." The article also says that residents of Montreal West have suggested drivers dangerously speed down the hill as a shortcut to Highway 20. The same article quotes Montreal West resident Pierre Shousha, who lives beside the barricade, as saying he and his neighbours had to protect themselves from the traffic. "The most important thing is what we've gained now is the safety of our streets."


June 9, 2008 HRMV residents held a protest rally against BS Barricade and eventually gathered on a crosswalk on Ainslie Avenue in MW, blocking traffic from passing through. Two motorists drove through the crowd of protestors under the eyes of MW public security officers (PSOs). Some protestors jumped onto car hood to prevent from getting run over and one motorist drove quickly about 150 ft with two protestors on the hood of his car. The PSO motioned to motorist to stop and then indicated that this motorist should leave scene of incident before arrival of police. The PSO then later suggested to the police that the protestors were to blame, jumping onto the vehicles without provocation. HRMV residents later asked MW for an explanation of PSO actions, but this has not been forthcoming. Police from station 9 seemed to display a very pro MW bias in their investigation and remarks. Three protestors, a 43-year-old man; a 16-year-old youth; and a 13-year-old youth were injured by the two motorists. The 16-year old protestor went to hospital for x-rays (back, hip and knees) and his parents researched legal actions against the driver. As the 43-year-old put it: “I felt that I was FORCED to jump to the hood of the car rather than to the side where I would most likely be hit and then be run over. When [the PSO] told the driver to stop, he jammed on his brakes and caused the 16 year old to literally fly off the car. I was holding on for my life after hearing the driver floor his vehicle after he saw both of us on his hood. I was sure I was going to fly off [when the driver braked], way off, because it took him a good 10 feet to stop (he left a lot of rubber on the road) It's very sad that there were three victims of road rage that day and yet we were treated as if we were the criminals!” Mayor Stuart, despite his supposed great concern for public safety, did not condemn the drivers nor make any public comment on this incident. A similar incident with a MW motorist driving through a crowd of HRMV protestors happened in March 2007 where Broughton Street turns into des Erables Street. Luckily, nobody was hurt in that incident, however. That same motorist is a strong barricade supporter and is quoted elsewhere in this document. 


June, July, 2008 The configuration of BS Barricade and signage was changed several times by MW Public Works crews. Cylindrical flower pots were eventually bolted onto the pavement after fears were expressed of them toppling over and rolling down des Erables hill as lethal projectiles. After the BS Barricade was erected, HRMV traffic was obligated to access and exit the neighbourhood via Milton Dr and Avon/St. Jacques Street. The road surface on Milton (used extensively by heavy vehicle operators) was perhaps the worst in Montreal West. Jason Hennessy of Rosewood Ave was a new father of a three-month old baby and reports that his aunt, who suffers from cancer, essentially stopped visiting him after the BS Barricade was erected. It was painful for the aunt to drive on Milton and too strenuous for her to walk half a kilometre on Hillcrest. The aunt did not want to drive through the BS Barricade and risk a ticket. HRMV Christine Simard reports hearing school children on EMSB busses taunting HRMV children as “living in the ghetto.” Maureen Marovitch’s parents (Issie and Esther Marovitch, both in their 70s) decided to now park their car on Easton and walk over to Hillcrest Street when visiting their grandchildren as they find it too confusing to find their way through the BS Barricade.


June 23, 2008 A contingent of HRMV residents turned up at MW Town Hall meeting. Mayor Stuart, upon seeing them, announced that only one spokesperson could speak for this group and that they were limited to only two questions. In answer to a question from HRMV resident, Pat Schmidt, Stuart assured audience that CIMA traffic study recommended such a barricade being erected but was unable to cite any page numbers. Stuart also promised to meet privately with Schmidt to discuss the barricade, but never followed up on his promise.


June, 2008 HRMV residents request and receive a copy of the CIMA study on Cut-Through Traffic on Ainslie Drive and Easton Ave (2002) and found that this document does not say what Stuart claims it does. Specifically, this study finds traffic volumes [on Broughton] to be “somewhat low” (p. 28) although conceding that there may be an issue with traffic cutting through to Highway 20 via Norman Drive. The study makes eight formal recommendations (most of which involve multiple actions), including a ONE-WAY BARRICADE and not the TWO-WAY BARRICADE that MW erected. The study also recommended that these eight recommendations be implemented “as a whole, not as isolated actions,” (p. 28) and be monitored. Despite this, most of the recommendations remain unimplemented seven years after the study was realized while a full traffic barricade (not recommended by the study) has been erected on Broughton as an isolated measure. Nor is there any evidence of the BS Barricade situation being monitored. This study also clearly defines what MW has erected as a “barricade” (p. 26) despite Stuart’s repeated assertions that it is “not a barricade.” Stuart was quoted in The Gazette of March 15, 2007 as saying: “A report commissioned by the city of Montreal in 2002 found that non-resident motorists seeking a short cut to the West Island posed a danger, and recommended a barricade.” In reality, the report (CIMA study) does not mention traffic on Broughton as “posing a danger” and gives four arguments against a two-way barricade being put there versus only one in favour (p 24). Has Stuart actually read the study he so often cites? Or is he misquoting the traffic study to camouflage his real intentions?


July 14, 2008 HRMV delegation meets with Lachine police (station 8) chief, Dominic Harvey. Harvey spoke about how criminals generally avoid areas of good traffic circulation, inferring how there may be an increase in criminal activity in HRMV resulting from the erection of the BS Barricade. Harvey agrees to increase the number of police patrols through HRMV and things are put into action for local citizens to start working more closely with police Police from stations 8 (Lachine) & 9 (Cote St Luc/Hampstead/MW) begin jointly enforcing BS Barricade bylaw. However, it is primarily police from station 9 who ticket motorists going through the BS Barricade. The tickets cost offenders $154, but no demerit points. HRMV resident Christine Simard is apparently the first person to be ticketed. In the meantime, two rings of juvenile prostitution have taken hold on the Mount Vernon and Hillcrest respectively. Is this a direct result of the BS Barricade being erected?


July 19, 2008 HRMV resident Maureen Marovitch delivered a letter to more than half of MW’s Westminster Street merchants explaining why she will no longer shop on in their stores. She also emails copies to the MW town council and mayor. As she personally delivered the letter, many business owners expressed sympathy and outrage that they are losing clients due to the barricade and at least two say they would like to formally or informally let Town Hall representatives know their views. Several others expressed sympathy but felt they couldn’t afford to speak out for risk of offending some MW clientele, even as they lose HRMV clientele...


Late July, 2008 An HRMV resident notices evidence of drug dealers on Milton Street with the back door of an apartment building there being permanently open and suspicious looking characters coming in and out at all times of the day and night, then disappearing into the pedestrian tunnel under the train tracks into Ville St Pierre. This information is passed onto officials at Mayor Dauphin’s office and the door is eventually closed.


August 6, 2008 A weekly newspaper, The Monitor, runs an editorial on the Broughton street BS Barricade entitled: “MW Devil’s Hill Conflict a case of Déjà vu” and suggesting that Stuart may have deliberately created the conflict and that HRMV residents had become “convenient scapegoats” to distract MW residents from what the real problems (principally high debt load) in that community.


August, 2008 HRMV residents Judy and Graeme Tennant were savagely attacked by unknown assailant coming out of pedestrian tunnel on Milton Street. Judy is attended to by paramedics. Events like this were previously unheard of in the neighbourhood. Residents also notice criminal behaviour and truancy in Rosewood Park, something previously unknown there. The barricade and the threat of $154 tickets discourages about 300 HRMV residents from shopping on Westminster Street ---representing about five percent of the client base of many stores. HRMV residents poll MW’s Westminster Street merchants and find them largely opposed to the BS Barricade. Some of the merchants were sceptical that Town Hall would listen to them, however. Many of them expressed other concerns where they claimed the Stuart administration was ignoring them. Surprisingly, only one of the merchants said that he was in any kind of regular communication with Mayor Stuart. That was Eddy at the Bistro and he claims to have frequently told Stuart to seek a compromise solution regarding the barricade. Stuart, however, has so far declined to pursue this option. Jack, the co-owner of Westminster Service garage predicts that it is MW which will eventually lose the most from the consequences of the barricade. “Stores will open up down in Ville St Pierre and take customers away from Westminster Street.” HRMV residents Judy and Graeme Tennant decided to drop hit and run charges against the MW driver who hit their son, Brandon, during June 9 protest. The police suggested that there were two sides to the story and the case could be turned against Brandon, making it difficult for him to go to the USA and compromising his university plans. MW permits and encourages support vehicles for Breast Cancer walkathon to go through the BS Barricade. While this is a worthy cause, it did not constitute an emergency.


August 25, 2008 John Symon attended the MW Town Hall meeting and Mayor Stuart tried to prevent him from speaking on the grounds that Symon does not reside in MW. Symon then asked Stuart where he was living since separating from his wife (MW councillor Elizabeth Ulin) and pointed out that Stuart has been listing the Town Hall address as his residence on some legal documents. Symon also wrote a letter of complaint to Municipal Affairs Minister Nathalie Normandeau over the actions of MW regarding the BS Barricade and arbitrary imposition of rules preventing Lachine residents from speaking at a public meeting. Subsequent to this, Stuart no longer explicitly prevents Lachine residents from asking questions. A Montreal West resident, Ed Suliteanu speaking against the BS Barricade at the MW Town Hall meeting was told by Stuart that the barricade cost the town, “about $10,000, which was offset by a $5,000 grant.” This estimate is apparently based on a legal bill of $11,000 from the previous November and does not include subsequent legal charges for one court appearance, one in chambers meeting with a judge, research, etc. Stuart also neglected to calculate Public Works labour or equipment costs in his cost estimate, neglected to calculate the cost of materials used for the BS Barricade (the CIMA study estimates up to $10,000 for erecting such a barricade and this cost is presumably to be multiplied by each time MW erects it or takes it down, according to the season), the time that Town Council spent on the barricade, or PSO costs. Complaints made by HRMV residents to the Office de la Langue francaise about BS Barricade signage led to a legal case against MW and this should probably also be added to the barricade cost. Stationing police at the BS Barricade also incurs costs, although MW shares these costs with Cote St Luc and Hampstead. A more reasonable cost estimate for the BS Barricade would be $50,000 to $100,000 since 2007 or up to almost $200 per capita in MW. Stuart had apparently previously maintained that no public monies were being used on the legal case until HRMV residents attending the November 2007 MW Town Hall meeting recognized the name of the legal firm on a bill mentioned by Council and asked if it were for the BS Barricade. Stuart was forced to admit that this was the case (some of the legal bills preceded MW’s erection of the BS Barricade in June 2008). HRMV resident Jenn Walker commented on living with the barricade, saying that: “I am a realtor too and I know it will be harder to sell around here. Also as a landlord, I'm finding it harder to rent. I also have visitors who get completely lost and remark that it looks like the slums around here.” 


September, 2008 A house goes up for sale on Mt Vernon with a listing through Proprio Direct. Traditionally houses in the HRMV neighbourhood have sold within a week, but this house remains unsold seven months later.


September 28, 2008 Realtor Fiona Wilde held an open house to showcase a house for sale at 129 Hillcrest. To help prospective buyers find the address, she requested and obtained permission from a resident on Broughton Street in MW to post a sign on the resident’s private property. Wilde explains that this was necessary because GPS navigation systems (Google, MapQuest, etc) direct motorists to the BS Barricade. Wilde posted other signs at strategic locations to direct buyers to the open house. A MW PSO removed the signs almost immediately after Wilde had erected them and kept them without attempting to contact Wilde (whose telephone number was clearly indicated on signs) or the Broughton resident. Aren’t MW PSOs supposed to respect the law rather than act as vigilantes?


October 5, 2008 Wilde repeats the open house at 129 Hillcrest. John Symon was eventually able to recuperate the signs from the PSO, but he never apologized for his actions. No visitors came to the open house from outside of the HRMV neighbourhood—in sharp contrast with the pattern before the BS Barricade was erected--and the house has still not sold six months later. Although house sales had slowed down through much of Montreal, nearby open houses in other districts were still attracting many visitors.


October, 2008 MW councillor Beny Masella and MW Public Security Director Pat Mann agree on signage directing traffic to HRMV from Broughton around via Easton, Avon, Milton, etc. One sign is erected near the BS Barricade on Broughton and another on Avon at the Milton turnoff. But several strategic signs are apparently missing; one on Easton at the left turn onto Ainslie, another on Westminster at Ainslie, and another on Avon at Westminster. Visitors to HRMV continue to complain of confusing directions and of getting lost while trying to navigate around via Avon and Milton. Norman Drive is closed for two months (through early December), preventing anyone from using Broughton/des Erables as a “shortcut” to Highway 20. MW kept the barricade up, regardless. Mayor Stuart fined by Quebec Electoral officer for using MW letterhead paper to promote activities of Action democratique (ADQ). Stuart is quoted in the media as being astonished that electoral law is so petty. HRMV residents noted that BS Barricade bylaw exemption for bicyclists is not compliant with provincial laws (bicyclists are expected to obey all traffic signs that apply to motorists). A family with two adults and three kids on a Sunday outing cycling through the barricade are risking a $770 fine. The BS Barricade is thus much more draconian than MW council claims. A nurse from the NDG CLSC tried to visit a bed-ridden patient at 161 Hillcrest but was unable to navigate to the street via Milton Street. The nurse went back to the CLSC without seeing her patient. Fiona Wilde reports getting a bogus parking ticket from MW PSO a week or so after her verbal altercation with PSO removing open house sign on Broughton.


October 22, 2008 A fire truck from Cote St Luc responds to a 911 fire call at 161 Hillcrest (at the house of the same bed-ridden lady) and traveled along Broughton Street (the shortest route) to access the fire. Fire fighters were visibly surprised and shocked to find the BS Barricade and cursed it loudly as the truck was reduced to moving at a snail’s pace while responding to the fire. Thick, black smoke was visible from the house on fire during this time. HRMV resident Chris Sirros says that, ‘it looked like there were only inches of clearance against the two flowerpots on either side of the fire truck.’ Stuart was previously quoted in The Monitor on February 6, 2008 as saying: “We are certainly going to be putting up a closure. The closure will be, as we have said, and as ordinary people would expect, something that, in an emergency, vehicles could get across. It's certainly not our intention to do otherwise. We've made that very plain."


November, 2008 A major fire on St Jacques Street in Ville St Pierre forced the closing of Avon Street below Westminster for many hours. HRMV resident, Christine Simard, was unable to return from work to her home where her handicapped child was waiting. The child was alone at this time because Simard was very late getting back home and the babysitter had to leave. The security of this child was jeopardized for lack of access to Hillcrest Street. Some HRMV residents were forced to go through the BS Barricade to get to their homes, again risking $154 tickets. 


Restaurant Ganges (6079 Sherbrooke St. West) told HRMV resident Maureen Marovitch that she would have to come and pick-up her phone-in delivery order, although previously the restaurant delivered to her house many times. The restaurant owner apologized but says it is too confusing for his driver to make his way to her address since the erection of the BS Barricade. 


MW bureaucrats meet with those from Lachine to discuss snow removal in the HRMV neighbourhood during the 2008-2009 winter. Lachine officials explain that snow removal is impossible with the BS Barricade flowerpots in place and request that the flowerpots be removed, at least for the winter. MW bureaucrats explain that they must take the request back to their politicians for a decision. Lachine Public Works director, Jocylene Dragon, asks that MW keep her informed of whatever action is to be taken. MW then removes the flowerpots without notifying Lachine. The new (winter) configuration of the BS Barricade consists of two signs and no flowerpots and is slightly to the east of MW resident Pierre Shousha’s driveway on Broughton (his street address is 74 Easton). For some reason, he seems to be given a special exemption to drive through the “Emergency Exit Only” signs on a daily basis but HRMV residents face a $154 ticket for doing the same thing. By coincidence, Shousha is also a supporter of Mayor Stuart.


HRMV resident and leading anti-barricade activist Pat Schmidt has bottles thrown at her car while it is parked in her driveway. She later found similar empty beer bottles outside the house of a MW resident who is prominently pro-barricade. Police apparently take no action on this information.


November 25, 2008 HRMV residents John Symon and Maureen Marovitch attended MW Town Hall meeting. Marovitch described how unsafe she feels driving down des Erables hill with kids in her car and on the blind corner where des Erables curves up into Hillcrest, adding that she feels much safer driving from Hillcrest to Broughton. Symon asked Mayor Stuart what “Emergency Exit Only/Sortie d’Urgence seulement” means. Symon cited the recent fire on St. Jacques in Ville St Pierre (that led to much of Avon/St. Jacques Street being closed for many hours) and the possibility of snowstorms, asking if these constitute emergencies. Symon also asks about couples rushing to the hospital to deliver babies. Stuart refused to specify what the BS signage means nor indicate what constitutes an emergency  


November 26, 2008 During the 2008 Quebec provincial elections, Liberal candidate Kathleen Weil, Green candidate Peter McQueen, and Action Democratique (ADQ) candidate Matthew Conway all took turns denouncing the BS barricade at the all candidates’ debate in NDG. “It’s unbelievable,” said Weil about the barricade. She went on to say how she regularly travels all over Montreal Island and does not like barricades. Due to the format of the question period, HRMV residents were unable to also ask the same question of Parti Quebecois (PQ) candidate Fabrice Martel. But given the PQ’s longstanding commitment to social justice, he likely would have agreed with the other candidates, if not gone beyond what they said. Weil won the NDG riding and now sits as the area’s MNA.


December, 2008 HRMV resident Tom Krejcik reports nearly losing control of his vehicle in snowstorm going around tight loop to access tunnel underneath Avon/St. Jacques Bridge. “It was lucky that nobody was coming in the other direction because I would have nailed them.” And Krejcik is an experienced winter driver.


December 16, 2008 HRMV resident John Symon attended the MW Town Hall meeting and questioned Mayor Stuart about his remarks that, “the only inconvenience suffered by HRMV residents as a result of this BS Barricade was a 30-second detour.” Symon pointed out that in reality HRMV residents were now forced to drive up and down a dangerous hill, face compromised emergency vehicle access, are having great difficulties selling their homes, have their school bus service jeopardized, and suffer from social isolation as a result of the BS Barricade. Symon asked Stuart to correct his previous statement. Stuart responded by answering how the 30-second detour was calculated, completely avoiding the point of Symon’s question.


January 6, 2009 HRMV residents Peter Fedun and Michel Forest have near miss with heavy equipment vehicle in tunnel underneath Avon/St. Jacques Street viaduct. “I narrowly avoided a head-on collision," as Fedun (the driver) describes it.


Mid January, 2009 Mrs. Sarah Shea and son David Hammett, friends of HRMV resident Maureen Marovitch and David Finch, report driving in circles through Montreal West for over half an hour while trying to follow the MW signage redirecting traffic to Hillcrest, but being unable trying to figure out how to do this. Knowing they were already 35 minutes late for their meeting and unable to find an alternate route, they finally decide to drive through the BS Barricade. This sort of confusion is often reported by delivery people, visitors, out of town guests, those using GPS systems, etc. HRMV resident Maureen Marovitch invites friends from Ville St. Laurent (Ms. Deborah Jaschik and Mr. Tony Loge) to her home on Hillcrest. They become confused with directions from the BS Barricade and, after driving up and down Easton for a while, drive back to Ville St Laurent again A major traffic accident occurred in the tunnel underneath the Avon/St. Jacques viaduct. As HRMV resident Marylene Audet described seeing: “firemen, emergency medical personnel, and polices [were on the scene] and the cars/truck were not towed yet” In the meantime, Christine Simard was receiving parents at a party for her daughter. “They were coming from all over Montreal. “Most of them were blocked from getting to Hillcrest because of the accident under the overpass. They all passed through the BS Barricade to get access to the house, risking a $154 ticket. Most of them could not even come close to believing what we have to live with.”


January 28, 2009 HRMV resident Marylene Audet reports being unable to stop her car in a snowstorm while driving down Mount Vernon Street and nearly hitting a pedestrian who fell down on the street in front of her car. The pedestrian had been forced into the street because sidewalks were icy. The geometry of these sidewalks makes them difficult for public works crews to clear them of snow and ice. School children are regularly among the pedestrians walking up this street. 


An 18-wheel truck becomes jammed on the loop heading from Milton Street to the Avon/St. Jacques viaduct in the early afternoon, forcing motorists to find alternate routes. This kind of event happens regularly at this spot. HRMV resident, Christine Simard, returns around 9 p.m. from working in Ottawa that day and is forced to take a 10km detour to reach her home and see her young daughter. Then Simard finds des Erables hill impassable and is forced to detour again around by Broughton Street in MW, risking a $154 ticket. She asks, “Why does MW ask us to risk our lives in simply trying to come or leave from our homes?” Marylene Audet is forced to drive the wrong way around the blocked truck with her four children in the car during this same snowstorm. This was the only way she could get to her destination without driving through the traffic barricade.


February 11, 2009 John Symon meets with Lachine police Chief Dominic Harvey and Mayor Dauphin’s attachee, Veronique Desilets, to discuss changes in crime patterns since the barricade was erected.


February 24, 2009 John Symon attends MW Town Hall meeting and tries to correct Stuart on his assertion made the in June 2008 that the CIMA study supports building such a barricade. Stuart shouts down Symon, saying that he “doesn’t want to play that game [of citing page numbers in the study]’” Symon gets up to deliver a copy of the study recommendations to Stuart, but is intercepted by a MW PSO and prevented from doing so. Symon hands the CIMA recommendations instead to Suburban reporter Joel Goldenberg. The PSO then twice tells Symon that, “maybe you are not welcome here,” at the public meeting. Symon requests an explanation and apology from MW councillor responsible, Beny Masella, and receives an apology verbally a few weeks later.


March 16, 2009 HRMV resident Megan Schmidt is a passenger in a car driven by a MW resident. The car is stopped by police after going through the BS Barricade, but the driver explains to police that the bylaw is not supposed to apply to MW residents. Police let the driver go without ticketing him.


March 19, 2009 Around noon HRMV resident Fiona Wilde witnesses a Montreal West service truck (Licence plate number: FEK1960, white pick-up with Montreal West logo on the doors.) driving up Des Érables and crossing the barricade. “I asked the police if they [MW employees] had permission [to cross the BS Barricade as emergency vehicles], and was told that they do not. This is the second time that I have seen MW vehicles crossing the BS Barricade.”


March 23, 2009 HRMV resident John Symon meets with branch manager, Leon Oubadashian, of the MW Bank of Montreal (101 Westminster) to explain how he is risking a $154 ticket just coming in to do banking. Oubadashian says that other HRMV residents have spoken to him about the same concern and the bank is trying to respond by offering expanded online and telephone banking services for affected customers.


March 26, 2009 The City of Lachine announces that the Norman Drive tunnel will be completely closed to automobile traffic from early April until mid July, 2009. Once again, it will be impossible for motorists to take a “shortcut” to Highway 20 via Broughton and des Erables. To date, MW has shown no signs of taking down the BS Barricade for this period. And without any justification of preventing cut-through traffic, what motivation for the barricade remains apart from elitism? 


April 1, 2009 HRMV resident Pat Schmidt regularly looks after an 11 year old autistic child at her home on Hillcrest. She reported: The autistic child I tutor every other week, who is brought to my home by a Lester B. Pearson minivan, was late arriving today, causing him to be somewhat out of sorts, because his substitute driver was led to the barricade by MapQuest & could not figure out what to do. Eventually, he crossed the barricade. While driving this particular child home & my son, William, to his piano lesson, we were nearly involved in a head-on accident as an SUV falsely navigated the unlined section of Ronald drive around the curve under the St. Jacques St. overpass, believing that it was a one-way. All of us were unnerved! This is the 3rd time I have experienced a near accident in this location.   


April 21, 2009 MW re-installed the cement flowerpots of the barricade this morning without warning or notification to Lachine. The new flowerpots used have squared-off sides about one meter in each direction and are placed 4 metres apart. Lachine learns of this development when a private citizen, John Symon, telephoned City Hall with the news that the flowerpots were back.


April 22, 2009 John Symon saw a backhoe on des Enables pushing one of the 2 cement flowerpots about 2 metres east (into MW). As a result, the gap between the 2 flowerpots has increased from 4 metres to over 5 metres. Signage remains the same with an "Emergency Exit Only / Sortie d'Urgence Seulement" sign facing in each direction. It is unclear whether MW did this to facilitate emergency vehicle traffic (doubful) or to make it easier for Mayor Stuart's friend, Pierre Shousha, to get in and out of his driveway (more likely). The backhoe, which is not an emergency vehicle, drove back into MW but there were no police present to ticket the driver.


Late April, 2009 Lachine councillor Elizabeth Verge discovered that one of the flowerpots was on Lachine’s territory and requested that it be pushed back into MW. This was done with the flowerpot ending up partially in Pierre Shousha’s driveway.


May 2, 2009 at 13:10, An HRMV resident saw a car parked in front of Pierre Shousha’s driveway where Broughton/ turns into Des Érables Street. She called 911 because between the flowerpots and a parked car, there was no way a fire truck could turn onto Hillcrest. The police called back 2 hours later, telling her they did not see the car, and that it must have moved. She gave the plate number and said it probably was Shousha’s, and if they looked up the licence plate number, they will see he lives right there and know that the fire truck much not be impeded. Then she said that as a citizen, she had the right to declare misconduct such as this and to demand that a ticket be emitted. The agent said “you are right and we will send him a ticket”. The called ended there, but nevertheless, once again, our security was at stake and jeopardized for a few hours.


May 9, 2009 at 19h27 An HRMV resident noticed a car (red Camaro, license 749 WNG) parked on Broughton near Des Érables on the north side, right before the barricade if coming from Montreal west. She called 911 to make sure they had a ticket because the car blocked the way for any fire trucks en route to Hillcrest Avenue. It is unclear if the car owner received a ticket... 


 How steep is des Erables hills? The best answer to that has come from M. Epps, HRMV resident. “I had to deal with the barricade some 35 years ago of Brock South leading from Highway 20 then some 20 years ago with the barricade of Broughton from Westminster. Now I am dealing with the newest of MW's ignorance in the dreaded Hillcrest affair. When is this going to stop? Remember in December/07 I witnessed a salt truck slide almost sideways down the hill from Mt Vernon. If the truck couldn't make the climb, how in God’s name are we supposed to? Also there is going to be a serious accident entering Hillcrest Ave from des Erables because you can't tell if anyone is exiting at the same time. And finally I ask the question (AGAIN) if a loaded salt truck didn't make the climb, how will an ambulance or fire truck?!” 


Major gas leak snarls traffic in Lachine The GazetteMay 28, 2009 MONTREAL- Motorists planning to make their home through the Ville St. Pierre neighbourhood of Lachine this afternoon should re-think their plans after a major gas leak occurred at about 3:30 p.m. at the corner of Des Erables St. and Emile-Pomminville Ave. Fire department spokesperson Josée Gosselin said concerned residents began calling her department to ask about a high pitch shriek they were hearing as the gas escaped from a rupture in an eight-inch pipe. The area has been blocked off while workers from Gaz Métropolitain head to the intersection to close the leak. The cause of the break was not immediately available.


Residents Report their experience of the Emergency I happened to be home at that time and was brought out of my house at 3:30 PM by what sounded like Niagara Falls. After wandering around our back-yard for a few minutes trying to locate the source I determined that it was coming from the bottom of des Erables. As I approached the intersection of Hillcrest and des Erables a Fire Truck from Montreal West passed through the Emergency Vehicle Only Barricade. Fortunately there were no illegally parked cars on the Montreal West side of the barricade and the Fire Dept. passed though unimpeded by anything other that the concrete flower-pot / garbage bins. When I reached the top of des Erables the intersection of Milton, des Erable and Emile Pominville was closed off by at least 4 other Fire Trucks and a couple of Police Officers who were already taping off the area. A group of area residents was forming at the corner Mount Vernon and des Erables, so I joined them to see if they had any information. I spoke to one resident who told me that he was cycling past the Back-hoe working on the on the corner on Emile Pominville and des Erable installing the new sewage pipes for the Domaine Pominville Condo Project when he heard the back-hoe operator hit a pipe three times before finally breaking though. He also told me that all the construction workers on-site "ran like cockroaches" when the leak erupted. This incident occurred at a time when School Children, their Parents and other Residents of HRMV are returning to their community. With our only access closed off residents naturally began using the "Emergency Vehicle Only"/ Barricade access through Montreal West. By 4:30 PM, a Police Vehicle from Station 9 (CSL, Hampstead, Montreal West) arrived and parked between the concrete flower-pot / garbage bins thus blocking HRMV residents from passing through the barricade into our Community. This, despite an agreement between MoWest Mayor Campbell Stuart and Lachine Mayor Claude Dauphin that in the event of an emergency HRMV/Lachine residents would have access to their homes via the barricade. Only after, residents began berating the Police Officer for this foolishness did they reposition themselves at the corner of Mount Vernon and des Erables, mid-point between the barricade and the Emergency. 
 P A Fedun Hillcrest Ave. 


It was after work, around 6pm, I went to the depanneur on Westminster and then drove back home using the detour down the hill. I ended up being the 2nd of 3 cars stop by a policeman standing out of his car blocking Avon at the bottom. One by one (because we were all going home) he told us about the ''major'' gas leak and the evacuation of residents. It was impossible for us to go through. We had to drive back around . I told him: ''In that case, since Hillcrest is not evacuated, I certainly want to be home in case something else happens. So are you telling me to do an infraction by driving through the barricade?'' he said: ''No I'm not, because you can also decide to simply park in MoWest and walk home.'' I replied: ''With all that (I had a lot of stuff in the car) I don't think so... I am not going to walk home because I will need my car in case the situation worsens." There was a line up of cars at the barricade and we all passed through to get to our homes and to figure out what was really happening. Michel Forest Hillcrest Avenue 

An email sent to Lachine Mayor, Claude Dauphin's Political Attaché on Aug. 27, 2009 Bonjour madame Desilets, Après avoir su, de source absolument sûre, que la Ville de Montréal Ouest prévoit mettre un trottoir pour empêcher totalement l'accès à leurs rues advenant qu'ils gagnent en appel, ce qui serait épouvantable pour notre sécurité (voir tout ce qui est arrivé depuis la barricade, les bretelles duviaduc, appartenant à Montréal Ouest, bloquées, les accidents sous le viaduc, la glace qui nous empêche de monter la côte Des Érables, les tête à queue dans la côte, l'évacuation pour une fuite de gaz, enfin de très très nombreux événements qui nous empêchent soit d'accéder à nos domiciles et aux services d'urgence,soit d'en sortir,etc,etc) Après avoir lu tous les mail envoyés par John Symon au sujet de la barricade sur Des Érables entre nous et Montréal Ouest, après avoir appelé plusieurs fois le 911 car le passage était bloqué par des véhicules, après avoir su que les services d'urgence étaient arrivés 1/2 heure après l'appel au 911 pour un enfant sur la rue Hillcrest il y a quelques mois de cela, je crois,tous comme mes voisins, qu'il est primordial que la Ville de Lachine assure la sécurité des citoyens de ce quartier et intervienne auprès de Montréal Ouest de façon prompte et diligente à cet égard, que ce soit pour des évacuations, les premiers soins, les autobus qui ne peuvent pas monter la côte, etc. Je crois que nous avons été laissés pour compte trop souvent de fois. Ce problème se perpétuera éternellement surtout si nous perdons en appel, donc svp habituez-vous et montez un dossier pour amener au ministre, car la situation est intenable. Ce mail est en support à John et à tous mes voisins, Christine Simard   


Another Gas Leak Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 There was another major gas leak in the Hillcrest, Rosewood, Mount Vernon (HRMV) area on the border with Montreal West. Workers replacing the sewer pipes on Broughton, near Easton, hit a gas line sometime around 10 am. By 10:32 am, Hydro Quebec cut electricity to a wide area, including parts of Ville St-Pierre across the CN tracks. Ten fire trucks quickly responded to the situation, apparently with units coming from Montreal West, Lachine, and LaSalle. Three of the trucks were parked near the top of des Erables hill with the rest in Montreal West. There were also numerous police cars and Montreal West Public Security on the scene. Until about 2 pm, there was no electricity, no gas, and little water in HRMV. It was also impossible to enter or exit the neighbourhood until a Rosewood resident convinced a police officer into moving his squad car stationed on des Erables to just above Mt. Vernon Street, which provided access to the area a block away from the Emergency. The low water pressure, which was not directly linked to the gas leak, persists after all other services have been restored. A witness reports that: "There was some confusion around the hole where workers hit the gas pipe. Firefighters gave inconsistent instructions over whether pedestrians could pass by or not. A friend passed by from Hillcrest onto Easton a minute before me, but I was then told not to pass in the other direction. When I explained repeatedly to the fireman that there was not another street nearby giving access onto Hillcrest, he reluctantly let me through. Other neighbours gave similar stories of confused directives around the site. There were many firemen and workers there, but few of them around the perimeter of the taped off area." 


In Praise of the Fire Department The Fire Department has a job to do: protect us from harm. Statistically, they respond to one gas leak per day. Their job is to make sure the situation is contained, they identify the “hot zones”, evacuate if necessary and they ensure the Gas Metro workers can approach and fix the leak safely. Open air leaks are of no danger to the areas beyond the red zone: it would make a terrific shooting flame. It is amazing that they got 10 trucks to respond within 15 minutes, that police were present, that information between the city office and Hydro Quebec was immediately relayed. Power was cut off within 15 minutes of the leak. Police was present on either side of the emergency zone. Personally I am relieved by the timely response we got: I feel my family is safe. I have a hard time believing anyone tried to get through an emergency zone and gave them a hard time about it: that’s irresponsible. The firemen are responsible for our safety, nothing else. All that is missing now is our community emergency list and some way for us to coordinate ourselves for school children getting home. This is a huge improvement from the previous gas leak we experienced and authorities have my thanks. The Fire Department (as part of the 1st responder system, the section chief coordinates many fire stations) have made the extra steps to inform us that they verified they can service us in a timely fashion. This line of communication is new and was never there before. They have my thanks. 


Log compiled by JS and PAF