Dear residents,
At the opening of the meeting, I invited those who have not yet done so to create an account on the Espace citoyen NDIP Portal. I would like to remind you that this online tool, officially launched last September, is your preferred access point for municipal services. It is a secure, intuitive and accessible digital platform available at all times, either online or through the mobile app. The portal is also designed to support emergency communications and will gradually replace ComAlerte. The ComAlerte database has in fact been transferred to the portal. If you were registered with the ComAlerte service, you will receive emergency alerts through the portal’s emergency messaging module. However, your account has not been activated, meaning that you cannot access the portal’s other services. It only takes a few minutes to create or activate your account. For more information, visit the Espace citoyen NDIP page on the City's website.
We recently began considering the acquisition of Pointe-du-Moulin. SODEC, which owns the property, would like to divest itself of it and approached the City to determine whether we would be interested in acquiring the site. Before moving forward with this serious consideration, the members of Council and I commissioned an asset maintenance audit to assess the condition of the buildings on the property and determine the maintenance and construction work that may be required. This audit will provide us with accurate, carefully quantified tools to guide our discussions and establish the basis for negotiations with SODEC. Once we have all the necessary information, we will hold public consultations to hear your views on the matter. If an agreement is reached with SODEC, the conservation mission of this park would be preserved so that we can all continue to enjoy this gem in NDIP.
We also received good news in recent days: the demands made by the CMM’s rural municipalities, including NDIP, have borne fruit. At its August meeting, Council supported a request from the City of Richelieu to the CMM concerning the end of the compensation program for rural municipalities that protect agricultural land. This program was established to compensate rural municipalities whose development potential is severely limited by the protection of agricultural land. For NDIP, the end of this program would have resulted in the loss of an annual grant of more than $280,000. We are therefore very pleased that the CMM has agreed to provide the funding allocated for 2025, and we hope that in-depth discussions will take place with the rural municipalities to make this essential support for the protection of agricultural land permanent.
Halloween decorations are gradually appearing in the streets of our neighbourhoods. I encourage all property owners to decorate their yards and hand out treats on Halloween, to the delight of our children and the “grown-up children” who enjoy this wonderfully spooky celebration.
Have a wonderful month of October, and Happy Halloween to everyone!