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This past summer, Pointe-Claire’s normally quiet streets became rivers. On Saint-Louis Avenue, water covered the street itself, and residents experienced basement flooding for the second year in a row—flooding that never occurred until the Delmar work was done in 2023—due to sewer and drainage backups, worsened in some areas by driveways sloping toward garages. The “Saint Louis Soaking,” a name given by yours truly, was caused by a 2023 infrastructure project in which the City of Montreal and the City of Pointe-Claire dug up Delmar from the Trans-Canada Service Road to Des Canots and installed massive new drainage pipes. Most of the flooding occurred when the existing downstream infrastructure, not designed to handle the new pipes, became overloaded, forcing water up through sewers and leaving streets and basements submerged. Residents were left scrambling to recover.

These issues surfaced during the municipal election on November 2, 2025. At its heart, this isn’t just about flooding—it’s about transparency, governance, and decisions being made without meaningful input from the people affected.

We voted, debated, and hoped for change. Yet the elephant in the room remains: residents are too often left out of decisions that shape their community. The “elephant in the room” refers to the obvious problem that everyone sees but few openly address—in this case, the lack of transparency and accountability in local decision-making.

During the last council term, I noticed decisions being made without councillors—or even the mayor—fully understanding the Provincial Municipal Code or the laws governing their authority. The city’s Code of Ethics often seemed treated as a formality: sign it, file it, forget it. Several ethics violations occurred, and few were ever discussed publicly. This isn’t a partisan critique; it’s a question of accountability.

One striking example is the industrial expansion near Avro Road, approved by the previous council. The plan includes a 131-space tractor-trailer parking area and expanded industrial buildings affecting surrounding streets. Public notice was legally required, but in practice, it was just a small English-only sign posted briefly. Few residents saw it, and even the district councillor—who issues quarterly updates—didn’t mention it.

As a result, almost no one realized they could request a referendum. The opportunity came and went unnoticed. It’s hard to imagine a clearer case of disengagement—not by voters, but by the very officials meant to represent them.

Meanwhile, flooding, growing congestion, and slow infrastructure upgrades highlight a bigger problem: decisions are made in small circles, disconnected from the public. When engagement is a box to check rather than a conversation, residents feel powerless, and trust in local government erodes.

Pointe-Claire has long balanced growth with heritage, business with green space. That balance only works when decisions are transparent, ethical, and inclusive. When it isn’t, we get outcomes like the Avro Road expansion: legal on paper but invisible to the people most affected.

The election may be over, but the work continues. Residents can’t treat governance as a spectator sport. The next four years will reveal whether Pointe-Claire maintains the status quo or builds a more accountable, inclusive city.

The elephant in the room isn’t election results—it’s how we, the residents, respond. Our voices matter, but only if we actually use them.

Carl Dourambeis is a pharmaceutical research chemist who builds IT systems for laboratories, from public health labs to private industry. He combines science and technology to help labs run efficiently and stay compliant.