PRESS RELEASE: Ward 12 candidate Ron Goswell says the battle to protect the Montrose neighbourhood is not over
Updated: Oct 25
'Montrose will not become a speedway under my continued watch,' Ward 12 candidate Ron Goswell said
One of the most concerning and controversial situations in Ward 12 is the proposed large Dalron subdivision that is planned for the northern end of Montrose Avenue and adjacent to the existing Maley Drive Northern Bypass route.
Goswell pledges to carry forward the work of former counselor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, CARB and Montrose neighbourhood residents.
Council passed 2 formal motions. The next Ward 12 councillor must make certain those efforts count when decisions move from Council chambers to the Official Plan, road designs and final new subdivision construction.
Ward 12 candidate Ron Goswell says that is the unfinished business behind the longstanding debate over extending Montrose Avenue to Maley Drive.
“Residents should not have to fight the same battle every time a new drawing appears,” Goswell said. “Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, Denis de Laplante and CARB have put years into protecting this neighbourhood’s Quality of Life. I am prepared to pick up that responsibility and help carry it forward.”
Goswell has lived on Cardinal Court for approximately 45 years and uses Montrose Avenue almost every day.
“These decisions affect the streets we travel, the homes we live in and the neighbourhood we expect to enjoy. I understand why residents have been so persistent.”
“Montrose will not become a SPEEDWAY under my continued watch”
The history matters
In 2015, Council directed a meandering Montrose connection. In December 2016, Council required a traffic impact study and residential street protections. In September 2022, Landry-Altmann brought forward a further motion seeking more pronounced bends after concerns that proposed “slight bends” would not fulfil the earlier direction.
Those measures addressed the character and design of a future connection. They did not prohibit the connection outright.
“The responsibility now is to make those safeguards meaningful,” Goswell said. “A line on a planning document is only useful if it produces the protection residents were promised.”
If elected, Goswell will seek a public accounting of how any proposed Montrose extension satisfies Council’s directions.
He will press for current traffic evidence, a clear explanation of the proposed alignment, and an assessment of measures to discourage shortcutting and inappropriate truck traffic.
He will consult Denis de Laplante, President of CARB and affected residents before supporting a detailed design.
“The question is not simply whether somebody can draw a road between two points. It is what that road will do to the people already living there.”
Goswell supports responsible housing development, but says the City must address its consequences for established streets.
Campaign Commitments
“New housing and neighbourhood protection both deserve serious planning. Residents should be able to see the evidence, understand the proposed safeguards and know who is accountable for delivering them.”
Where adequate protections cannot be demonstrated, Goswell says alternatives, including leaving the connection unbuilt, must remain open for consideration.
He credits Landry-Altmann for repeatedly bringing residents’ concerns before Council, and de Laplante and CARB for maintaining the community’s involvement.
“They have prepared the ground through years of work. My commitment is to stay with the issue through the decisions still ahead.”
“Montrose is a neighbourhood. Its future deserves more than another promise.”
Ron Goswell is seeking election in Ward 12 during the Oct. 26 civic election.
