16 ? THE SUBURBAN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2008 By Dan Delmar The Suburban Kathleen Weil is making her first foray into politics as a candidate, but is no stranger to the workings of government. She was a staffer and legal counsel with the now-defunct anglo rights group Alliance Quebec ? an element of her Curriculum Vitae the Liberal party left out of her candidate biography ? and more recently was the head of the Greater Montreal Foundation, which administers an endowment fund supporting local healthcare, social service, educational and cultural organizations. Notre Dame de Grâce?s new Liberal candidate admits her entry into provincial politics is happening swiftly, having been asked to run by Premier Jean Charest under a month ago, and she is still getting to know the riding she will likely represent. When asked why she is running now, she told The Suburban that ?it?s not the first time I was asked. Before, the (four) kids were too young and I wasn?t ready. I had a great job and it wasn?t an easy decision,? but she said she is ready to pick up where former NDG MNA Russell Copeman left off. Weil, a lawyer by training, is proud of building up the GMF from scratch since 1999, is perfectly bilingual and also has experience in healthcare administration, having served on the boards of the Montreal Children?s Hospital and Montreal?s health agency, the Régie régionale des services de santé et services sociaux. A resident of lower Westmount, Weil is splitting her time between campaigning in NDG and being n

NEWS & ANALYSIS

Weil focusing on priorities

?briefed,? as she put it; getting a crash course on community organizations, development projects and other issues in the riding. ?It?s a bit premature for me,? to point out any causes or projects in particular that she will champion at the National Assembly. She did say, however, that seniors? issues will be of particular importance. ?We have to be attentive to seniors and make sure they have a good quality of life,? Weil said. ?That has been and will always be a priority for me.? She also cited an increase in the number of young families in the riding as an important trend to watch, along with issues of sustainable development and street gang activity. ?I?ll have big shoes to fill,? she said, referring to Copeman. ?He had a lot of credibility and good will.? On the legacy Copeman left behind in NDG, Weil said ?he was always the one to be concerned about the little guy.? Copeman won the 2007 election by a margin of 62 percent of votes to the 16 percent earned by the Green Party?s Peter McQueen. McQueen will challenge Liberals once again, but Weil will have one less opponent than expected on Dec. 8, with the withdrawal of anglo rights activist Allen Nutik, who tried and failed to raise enough money to run under his Affiliation Quebec banner. ?They enrich the public debate,? Weil said. ?I won?t shy away from discussion. They can make you a stronger voice for the community.? There is little chance Weil will win the riding by anything less than a blow-out. She said being handed an election win on a silver platter and not getting the experience of fighting to the bitter end will not make her a complacent MNA who takes her electors for granted. ?It doesn?t bother me to not have that experience,? she said. ?I?m fortunate in that respect. People will feel comfortable knowing they have someone with a lot of experience.? n

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF BUILDINGS OF 8 OR FEWER DWELLINGS IN SAINT-LAURENT

ECYCLING

OLLECTION

In an environmental perspective, Saint-Laurent will implement recycling of unsorted materials using wheeled bins in

spring 2009

in buildings of 8 or fewer dwellings. The participation of all residents is important to prevent a considerable amount of waste from being sent to landfills. Furthermore, it will be easier for residents to recycle because they will not have to sort through and separate thei r recyclable materials before depositing them in the covered, wheeled recycling bins. Three wheeled bin sizes are available: 120 L, 240 L, 360 L. Residents must indicate their selection of wheeled bin size by contacting the Citizens? Office in on e of three ways: ? In person, at 777, boulevard Marcel-Laurin; ? By phone, by calling 311; ? Online at the following address: ville.montreal.qc.ca/saint-laurent.

The sign-up period is from Monday, November 17, 2008, to Friday, January 16, 2009.

Important: Please note that 240 L bins will be delivered by default, where possible, if you do not i ndicate your choice of bin during the sign-up period. However, 120 L bins will be delivered by default to buildin gs in higher-density areas. The bins will be distributed free of charge in

spring 2009

Information: ville.montreal.qc.ca/saint-laurent 311

You need to upgrade your Flash Player

You need to upgrade the version of your Flash Player to version 9 minimum.

Click here

Adobe Flash Player Download Center