The West Island is home to some of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in Montreal, but that doesn’t mean suburban mayors are letting down their guards.
According to the latest numbers from Quebec Public Health, there are 2642 COVID-19 cases on the island of Montreal, and 134 of those are in the West Island — about five per cent.
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue has just five cases. The famous boardwalk there has been closed for over a week, and will be that way for the foreseeable future.
“We always have concerts on the boardwalk, it’s always so full of life — ice cream, walking, watching the boats go by. I don’t know what we’re going to do without any of that,” said Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue mayor Paola Hawa when confronted with the idea of the boardwalk staying closed for several months.
She said citizens in her area were breaking social distancing rules at first, but generally seem to be adhering to regulations now.
“From one perspective I’m relieved it’s five, but in the other sense ‘oh my goodness, five people,'” she said. In her mind, the boardwalk and all parks in the area had to close, lest they become a “magnet” for residents.
West Island mayors agree that one reason for lower numbers in the area is the lower population density.
“There is a natural distancing because of the large properties, and the fact they’re single-unit properties,” said Beaconsfield mayor Georges Bourelle.
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Beaconsfield sits at 10 cases. Parks there are closed, and though Bourelle thinks most people are respecting social distancing rules, he says some are still getting too close.
“We have had some issues on Lakeshore where people are not respecting the distancing that we’ve been asking for. We’re going to put more signs up, and ask police to monitor that area,” he said.
Bourelle added that his city has launched a special email address for seniors to reach out if they need help. Letters have also been sent out to every residence in Beaconsfield in the past week.
“We do have some volunteer groups that are willing to help the 70-plus crowd, so we’ve taken a lot of steps to try to protect the most vulnerable,” he told Global News.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux now has 28 cases of the coronavirus. Last week, mayor Alex Bottausci asked residents to let the city know if they see people congregating in local parks.
“We actually got quite a few calls,” he said.
Parks remain open in the area, though play structures are cordoned off. If people break social distancing rules, Bottausci says parks could be closed.
“We’re reflecting on this on a daily basis. We’re evaluating it as a team,” he said.
Bottausci explained the city has been increasing communication with people living in condos and apartments, as residents living closer together are more at risk.
The city has also been keeping an eye on grocery stores and pharmacies.
“Grocery stores, pharmacies — my municipal patrol has been visiting, keeping a vigilant eye on them.”
Pointe-Claire is now home to 14 cases. Mayor John Belvedere says things are going well, but anticipates more restrictions as cases rise.
“I expect the screws will get tighter. We’ll have to keep people home longer periods of time, only going out when necessary,” he said.
Parks remain open in Pointe Claire, but Belvedere said his city has not had issues with people flouting social distancing rules.
“We had one issue with a basketball court, but we went to take down the basketball nets and now there’s no more problems,” he said.
The area is home to multiple seniors homes, and Belvedere is working to coordinate between them and local grocery stores so stores don’t deliver to the same buildings multiple times a day.
“We’ll deliver to one seniors’ home in one lump, instead of having many deliveries,” he explained.
Pierrefonds-Roxboro has 39 cases and mayor Jim Beis told Global News that his borough is following all government directives, and keeping close contact with the police and health authorities.
The mayors said they have not been given specifics about any of the cases on their territories due to confidentiality. They anticipate numbers will rise, and are all closely watching local seniors homes and asking people to stay inside.
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