Joseph-Allard Park and Saint-Bernard Island
Châteauguay, Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Sylvie Castonguay lives in the Joseph Allard Park area of Châteauguay, a few meters from Lake Saint-Louis and a few steps from Saint-Bernard Island. She is a candidate for the position of city councillor and the instigator of the petition process that led to the formation of the group of citizens who decided to propose solutions to put an end to the problems of security, overflow and invasion of private property by some users of the Park.
"The problems we are experiencing are multiples, from the almost complete obstruction of the street, the loud music and BBQs in front of our residences, but especially the frequent use of the park and our grounds as a public toilet. In the summer, it's a real ordeal," says Sylvie Castonguay. "The solutions are simple and well described in the committee's report. What is the mayor waiting for to get things moving?"
Nothing seems to have changed since last August, despite the recommendations of the citizens' committee created at the request of the mayor himself. The measures to be put in place are quite simple, including posting the current regulations, clear delineation between the park and private property, better traffic and parking management and an increased presence of the police.
For his part, Eric Allard, candidate for mayor, fully supports his team's candidate.
"I've seen what happens there and how much residents lives are turned upside down when visitors arrive! The current city councillors of the council have welcomed all the solutions put forward by the committee. But it seems that it's still stuck on someone's desk at City Hall! One measure that could be put in place very quickly would be to control access to this area from the Notre-Dame and St. Bernard intersection. If there are no more parking spaces, visitors would be informed, which would limit unnecessary traffic on the streets before accessing St-Bernard Island and control the number of people in Joseph-Allard Park area. A security guard could easily take care of this task", adds Eric Allard.
Councillor Eric Corbeil calls on the City to act now
At the April 19 public meeting, Eric Corbeil argued that the TVA report illustrating the problematic situation caused by park users on the lakefront was more than predictable. According to him, the situation is getting worse every year in the Saint-Bernard Island and Joseph-Allard Park area.
"The solutions are written in black and white. Yet, when I look at the City's adopted budget for 2020, I don't see any cuts in any department of the City. The resources are there. I don't throw rocks at anyone and take a slice of the blame to this day. But right now, I'm relying on the City administration, the ball is in their court and they have to deliver! The mayor has to make sure, that's his role too", explains the city councillor.
About Éric Allard's team
Éric Allard's team is in the process of obtaining its official status as a municipal party for the November 2021 elections.The team has an equal number of men and women. The team consists of current Councillor Lucie Laberge and Councillors Barry Doyle, Eric Corbeil and Mike Gendron. Recent additions include Marie-Louise Kerneis, Arlene Bryant, Sylvie Castonguay and Luc Daoust.
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