New pedestrian crossings, street signs in Inuktitut to secure area around Ullivik residence in Dorval
Posted October 27, 2023 1:32 pm.
Last Updated October 27, 2023 1:34 pm.
The City of Dorval unveiled Friday morning new measures to secure the transit corridor of the Ullivik residence users towards transport and commercial hubs.
In Aug. 2022, two Inuit women, Jane Tulugak and Nellie Niviaxie, died as they were walking from the Ullivik residence to Dorval’s commercial and transport hubs. At that time, Dorval officials said they would make the necessary changes to avoid another tragedy.
New pedestrian crossings have been installed along an transit corridor that was defined in cooperation with the different implicated partners, and new directional signs were introduced with indications in three languages: French, English, and Inuktitut.
“In Aug. 2022, I made a commitment with our Director General to find a way to provide a safe and secure environment for those staying at the Ullivik residence to move back and forth between Ullivik, the Dorval EXO-STM terminal, and the commercial hub on Dorval Avenue,” said Dorval Mayor Marc Doret. “We decided that solutions needed to be found, not just discussed, and we acted without waiting for higher levels of government or ministries. We did this at the local level to ensure the safety that all members of our community and to prevent any more fatal accidents like the ones that took the lives of Mary-Jane and Nellie.”
“For us, it was paramount that, as an administration and based on the wishes of the municipal council, we take the necessary actions to make sure that such tragedies do not happen again. I am proud of the various City of Dorval teams that worked closely alongside our community partners to put in place measures that could potentially save some lives,” added Marc Rouleau, Director General of the City of Dorval.
Elected officials like MNA Enrico Ciccone were on hand, including representatives from the local police station and community groups.
The Director of the Action Jeunesse de l’Ouest de l’île (AJOI) organization, Tania Charron, also presented the reflecting backpack project. It’s another safety measure that allows pedestrians wearing these bags and walking along the new secured pathway, between the Ullivik residence and Dorval’s transport and commercial hubs, to be more visible.
The backpacks will be distributed over the next few weeks by the organization.
