Open letter to Mayor Trudel

As a 30 year resident of Nuns’ Island I have seen Nuns’ Island change for the better and most recently for the worse, particularly under your administration.

In last week’s Magazine Ile des Soeurs an article summarized your comments on your administration’s accomplishments.

Given your comments on your supposedly democratic credentials, I challenge you to show Nuns’ Islanders proof that we democratically pronounced ourselves on the Bell construction project; democratically voted for traffic lights( when roundabouts were supposed to be the solution to traffic congestion!); requested eye-sore landscaping project at the Island entrance( at what expense?).

I further question what thinking went on regarding the new garbage and recycling collection? What are the costs to citizens of having to buy the containers?

As one of the highest taxed boroughs in Canada, how can you as mayor claim you are serving Islanders when the nightmare list of poor services resembles that of a corrupt third-world nation:

-Bad management of the infrastructure project-delays, uneven and bad asphalting under the bridge.

-Unacceptable bus service during a time of high energy costs (are you not Mayor Trudel, in charge of the STCUM?)

- Charging Nuns’ Islanders for tennis services while reducing winter recreational services such as ice rinks. All the while there are funds for the city to renovate the park next to your house.

-$10.5 million annually spent on RECREATION and CULTUREL services (where can we get an expense list of where this money was spent over 365 days)???

-Traffic jams and disruptions on Nuns’ Island for no apparent reasons.

-Dump trucks speeding down Blvd. de la Foret despite numerous complaints made to the mayor’s office, including a demand for speed bumps before the spa and golf become fully operational, all to no effect.

-Snow removal service that takes days…

Given all of the above, I challenge you to pronounce yourself on what other surprises might be in store for Nuns’ Island (unbridled further expansion to come- new bridge; new commercial buildings on the industrial northern point??).

I fully support my fellow Islanders Jean Derome ,Claude Talbot, Marianne Diab and the issues they have raised.

Shame on you for suggesting you are serving our best interests and acting on our behalf! You most certainly won’t have my vote or many of my neighbors’ votes in 2009.