Car shelter storm brewing

Roxboro residents will have the chance to voice their opinion at next Wednesday’s borough council meeting over the use of temporary car shelters.

Last January, controversy arose between Roxboro denizens and Pierrefonds/Roxboro borough council when a draft bylaw was introduced to harmonize policies between the two former separate municipalities.

The public consultation meeting will help city councillors take a stance on whether the unified borough should allow car shelters in Roxboro during the winter. Currently, Pierrefonds allows the use of shelters and Roxboro doesn’t. The existing bylaw in Roxboro, with approximately 7,000 citizens, bans temporary car shelters and sets fines from $50 to $100.

Longtime Roxboro resident Guy Billard is opposed to any modification the borough wishes to implement concerning car shelters. “It’s like having a tent in front of the house,” he said.

Billard plans on fighting council until the decision is finalized sometime in October. “Our voices (in Roxboro) are being smothered.” he said.

However, Pierrefonds/Roxboro mayor Monique Worth believes harmonizing bylaws is a natural progression. “Why not do it,” she said. “We are one borough now, and we try to make it the same way. It’s easier to administer and apply.”

Should the proposed change pass, Roxboro will be subject to the same specific conditions as Pierrefonds. All car shelters must be grey, beige, or white; must stand three metres from the street; and used for automobiles only.

The consultation meeting takes place next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at borough hall.