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Two Mountains mayor Marc Lauzon says he may seek to re-negotiate an agreement with Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac and other municipalities that make use of the Olympia and the arena, in view of the growing demand for their services being made by residents of the neighbouring cities.
The issue came up on April 9 during Two Mountains council's monthly public meeting, when representatives of the Association de hockey mineur du Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes told the mayor they were looking for "new ways" to finance their annual pee-wee hockey tournament.
Town finances local players
"The position of the town presently is that we have moneys that come from our residents, so we must spend that money for our residents," said Lauzon. "A hockey tournament like yours costs the town about $10,000 a year for ice time. The number of people (from Two Mountains) who belong to the Association de hockey mineur du Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes represents about 50 per cent, roughly. So the town intends to continue financing this expense up to the number of players."
However, noting that the town's taxpayers bear responsibility for operating costs at the Olympia and that Two Mountains can no longer count on additional revenue from new housing development, Lauzon said the town can't afford to provide even a few thousand dollars to an organization whose members are not all Two Mountains residents.
But 'no' for other cities
"We have in the past approached the other cities, and for reasons of their own, they decided not to invest public money," he said. "We have an obligation to ask whether we can take $5,000 of the money belonging to the residents of the Town of Two Mountains in order to finance the citizens of other cities, and the answer unfortunately is no. Each municipality has its reasons, each municipality has its city council, and each municipality has decisions it must make."
However, in view of the fact the other municipalities are using the Olympia's facilities, Lauzon said the time may have come for the town to re-open negotiations with them so that the costs might be shared more equitably. "It's the responsibility of each of the municipalities to participate in this," he said. "I think we are going to be able to come to an agreement with the council of the Town of Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac. They are very aware of the situation." Complaint about students smoking
During the same meeting, Gaston Labonté, a Two Mountains resident, complained to the council that an anti-smoking policy local school boards have implemented is sending students onto private property because they are no longer allowed to smoke on school grounds. "During all their breaks, in the morning, in the afternoon, groups of youths go and dirty up our property," he said, asking the mayor whether the town intends to enforce a bylaw which forbids loitering in public places.
Lauzon promised to look into the situation. "We will start investigating tomorrow and we will take action because we do have regulations," he said. "Yes, we do have a police force, but we have to understand that these are young people, although the school also has a responsibility with regards to them. The principle of not in my backyard, or not in my schoolyard, doesn't mean they should go elsewhere."
Tricentris emergency funding
Also during the meeting, council took measures to grant nearly $62,000 in additional funding to Tricentris, the recycling centre which serves several North Shore municipalities. As is the case with many other recycling facilities, Tricentris has been impacted by a serious downturn in demand for recycled materials, especially plastics, largely as a result of the global economic crisis. The emergency funding from the town will be paid in four instalments.
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