Some residents in Nuns’ Island say lights coming from a local golf driving range are driving them up the wall.
John St-Louis said his apartment is fully illuminated by a row of high powered lights.
“It’s driving us berserk,” he said, adding that he can’t sit in his living room or balcony without having to face away from any windows. “I could turn off all my lights in this condo and it looks like all my lights are on high.”
The lights at Golf Executif Montreal switch on at sundown and stay on until about 11:30 P.M. everyday. St-Louis has lived in his apartment for two-and-a-half years and said the issues started last summer.
A group of residents have complained to the course directly and have gone to three Verdun borough council meetings to share their frustrations. They said Mayor Jean-Francois Parenteau has promised to address the issue, but has yet to come up with a plan to do so. A petition was also submitted to the borough.
The nine-hole golf course is also at the center of a legal dispute with the borough. It’s built on municipally owned land, and Verdun claims it has a contract that stipulated it must be open to borough residents. When CTV called the course, it was told the restaraunt and driving range are open to the public, but the course is for members only.
Borough officials declined to comment, citing the ongoing legal issues, but at a heated June council meeting a number of residents questions were about the course’s lights. “It is unbelievably unacceptable what you're going through and what you're living,” said councillor Sterling Downey, “the problem is if the owner contests this infraction it freezes it court proceedings.”
“The residents are upset, the mayor is upset. For me, enough is enough,” said Parenteau in May.
Residents say the issue of the lights should be dealt with separately. They’ve also filed a complaint with Montreal’s ombudsman.
