LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Comparing kids to eggs

The Grilli Group wants to build 251 residential units in the Rapides-du-cheval-blanc ecoterritory, located between Rivière des prairies and the railroad tracks in Pierrefonds, north of Sources Blvd. The engineering firm CIMA was hired to study the impact of this new development on the existing traffic within the immediate area.

The only way out from this small peninsula is through Riverdale Street that runs along both the traffic circle and the railroad crossing onto Sources Boulevard.

Incredibly, CIMA partly focused its traffic study on the impact of upcoming cars on Pavillon Street. In CIMA’s report, one can read that the railroad parallels Pavillon Street, while there is no mention of Riverdale that also parallels that same railway. Furthermore, new residents will not be able to exit through Pavillon Street since the plan shows no access to it.

Why would CIMA not consider the impact of adding 400-plus vehicles to the 1,000-plus cars already going through Riverdale, the most important area to be affected by this project?

At the April 2 public consultation meeting, I commented that the project shows only a very small green patch called a ‘park’ for children no older than six. This patch is located in Phase One, far from Riviera Street.

I also remarked that the children living in the area will lose their playground at the end of Riverdale. Pierre Rochon, an urban planner for Pierrefonds, explained that a park is planned close to Riverdale. The plan does show a green spot intersected by a decorative wall, equal to 17 metres by 17 metres at the entrance of the project. How can anyone seriously designate such a minuscule area a ‘park’?

In the name of the children, I implore the city to provide an actual neighbourhood park for all children aged 12 and less in the area and for the children of the upcoming development. All that has to be done is to subtract a couple of housing units for some grass.

I asked borough mayor Monique Worth how will the children be protected from construction trucks and the hundreds of vehicles that will be traveling on Riverdale. She replied, “One cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs.” Worth, are you comparing the children to eggs?

Is it really possible that our elected officials lack so much humanity that they don’t seem to care about the children’s welfare?

Carmen Laroche Vrana

Pierrefonds/Roxboro

Anglo rights

What is an Anglo? This is actually quite funny. After bankrupting Alliance Quebec because they were “uncomfortable” with its policies and turning their back on anyone dedicated to helping anglophones, the very groups who did the hatchet job with the help of the sovereignists working within Heritage Canada are now “concerned.”

Well, they should be. The public infighting has not gone unnoticed and successive Quebec governments have gleefully taken advantage of it (Bill 104 springs to mind here).

Instead of cashing in a federal grant to look at their own navel, perhaps these “dedicated Anglos” (from the Quebec Community Groups Network) could do something useful? Like defending the rights of anglophones in this province?

Andre Bordeleau

Pointe Claire

Financing woes

for Rex

It would be nice to follow Tim Lysyshyn’s advice (Letters to the editor, The Chronicle, April 18) and divert the revenues from the parking experiment into the Rex Theatre renovation, but our priority has to be to help fund the $3 million we have to invest in re-doing Ste. Anne Street’s road and sidewalks and slipways to the water. In the post-de-merger world it’s a major headache financing large infrastructure projects and I can assure everyone who contributes through parking fees that this revenue will end up as part of our village landscape. For the Rex we will have to be more inventive!

Mayor Bill Tierney

Ste. Anne de Bellevue