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Two Mountains mayor Marc Lauzon is following through with a campaign pledge he made leading up to the recent municipal election. Just a few weeks into his new mandate, Lauzon is moving ahead with a $550,000 plan to breathe new life into the Two Mountains commercial sector by converting the auditorium at Polyvalente Deux-Montagnes into a theatre where major concerts and productions would be staged. If all goes well, the venue would attract theatre-goers not only from Two Mountains but from all over the region. Local businesses would benefit from an increased clientele.
Stimulating business
The idea fits in with a long-term plan the Lauzon administration has to rejuvenate Two Mountains’ commercial sector in areas such as Chemin d’Oka, by encouraging the presence of businesses. If completed, the Polyvalente theatre would be the second venue for entertainment in Two Mountains, after the Olympia, where concert events now take place throughout the year. Although it does not yet operate at a sizeable profit, Lauzon said the Olympia has so far proven itself to be a good venue for comedy acts and rock concerts, but for more sophisticated types of entertainment, like theatre, it is not appropriate.
During city council’s Dec. 10 meeting, the administration served notice it will be passing a loan bylaw for the Polyvalente Deux-Montagnes project some time in the new year. While the item seemed not to get much attention from the three opposition councillors who sit on the new council, during question period a resident asked Lauzon for more details about the project. Lauzon told him it would be a “first rate” entertainment venue and Two Mountains would be able to use it about 100 days a year based on an agreement the city would sign with the Seigneurie-des-Mille-Îles school commission.
A second showbiz venue
“The city would be able to stage shows there, in addition to those that already take place at the Olympia,” he said. “The goal to be able to attract to Two Mountains artists who will attract at least 500 persons, since it is a room for 500 people. It will be easier to set up a building like that than it is at the Olympia. Another thing with this partnership, we know that the Polyvalente is paying for electricity and for maintenance costs in general, so the city would relieve some of those expenses.”
Lauzon said the fact the Polyvalente theatre would be operating year around would allow it to compete with entertainment venues some other municipalities like Laval and Terrebone have set up in their communities. Because of the involvement of the school commission, he said the city could become eligible to receive subsidies from higher levels of government. “We believe that with this agreement with the school commission we will be able to make a profit that will be advantageous to the citizens, in addition to offering them the opportunity to see some talented performers.”
Police at council meetings
During the same meeting, Jean-Samuel Plante, a resident of Chemin du Grand-Moulin, questioned the mayor about the necessity of having a police officer present at the back of city hall during the monthly council meetings. Plante is the 20-year-old son of Stéphane Plante, the city’s former director-general who made an unsuccessful run for mayor against Lauzon four years ago. The younger Plante’s mother is France Roy, who lost her bid for a city council seat in the Nov. 1 municipal election.
“I understand perhaps the need for there to be a police officer present,” Plante said, adding, however, that previously police attending meetings were not dressed in uniform. “But a policeman in uniform and armed in the council chamber I have a problem with that,” he added, noting that it was unlikely armed officers are stationed on the floor of the Quebec National Assembly or in the House of Commons in Ottawa. Lauzon insisted there is nothing unusual in the fact a municipality chooses to assign a police officer to monitor council meetings, in the event it becomes necessary to restore order. He said it is a standard practice in many other towns and cities and that Two Mountains is abiding by a widely accepted protocol.
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