Committee members chosen

A press release to local newspapers revealed the names of the selected members who will participate in this committee. They are: Mayor Claude Trudel, Councillors Paul Beaupré and Marc Touchette, d'André Desmarais, president of la Promenade Wellington and resident of the Wellington-de-L’Église district, Jacques Larose, communications specialist and resident of the L’Île-des-Soeurs, Luc Maurice, president of Groupe Maurice, Claude Ravary, Great Verdunite and former Councillor of the city of Verdun, Hellen Dionne, representantive of the Association des propriétaires et résidants de L’Île-des-Sœurs (APRIDS) and Gilles Baril, Borough Director. Mr. Baril will act as secretary of the committee.

The new bridge linking L’Île-des-Sœurs to the Verdun mainland is a subject that has provoked much discussion for several years. To-date, the plan being envisaged is the possibility of a “service bridge” for emergency vehicles and public transport to which a bike and pedestrian path will be attached. Other people see it as the essential solution to road congestion which increasingly is affecting other bridges that presently serve the island. On the other hand, some residents of L’Île-des-Sœurs consider that such a bridge would diminish the unique character of their neighbourhood. It is evident that evaluating the cost of such a project and where financing will come are important factors to take into account…

As he declared in his February 5 official declaration, Mayor Trudel is counting on the committee to study the relevance or feasibility of building this new bridge. His wish is that this analysis be done “independent of any sentiment or ambition, and that it serve only the interests of the men and women of Verdun Borough.”