JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

A Quebec government proposal for more equitable decision-making power between the City of Montreal and neighbouring municipalities at the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) level is being praised by groups and municipal leaders as a step toward better representation for these smaller cities and towns.

Following such a proposal, first announced last week, some West Island residents may ponder: could the same be done to the Montreal agglomeration to give the demerged municipalities a stronger voice at the table?

“I doubt it,” said Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle in an interview, adding that the issue has been his “pet peeve” over his 12 years as mayor. He explained that the Quebec Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) has indicated in the past that it has no intention to involve itself in the agglomeration’s affairs. MAMH officials did not respond to a request for comment from The 1510 West.

He applauded, however, the MAMH’s proposed changes to the CMM council structure. The governing body represents 82 municipalities on and around the Island of Montreal and makes decisions on regional planning and economic development. The council currently has 28 seats, 14 of which are chaired by representatives from the Montreal agglomeration, which includes West Island Mayors Alex Bottausci of Dollard des Ormeaux and Michel Gibson of Kirkland. In the case of a tie, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante holds the deciding vote.

Under the proposed changes, the total number of council seats would be reduced to 26, with Montreal holding onto 12. The Montreal mayor would retain the deciding vote in the event of a tie.

In a statement released Thursday, the Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM) voiced its support for the proposed changes. Bottausci, who sits as co-president of the ASM, called the bill “a milestone for municipal democracy in Greater Montreal.”

The ASM continued by calling on the Quebec government to enact similar measures at the agglomeration level. “The 15 towns representing 250,000 non-Montreal citizens similarly have no real decision-making rights, nor any real capacity to influence the agglomeration’s orientations and, more importantly, its spending, which is entirely under the sole control of the City of Montreal,” the statement reads.

Bourelle shared in the sentiment.

“The City of Montreal decides on the budget,” Bourelle said. “It decides on the agenda at agglomeration council meetings. They have 87 per cent of the vote, so they can vote on anything that they want at the meetings. (Demerged municipalities) have absolutely no say.”

The agglomeration council is responsible for managing shared services across the Island of Montreal, including public transit, social housing, water management and emergency services. However, West Island cities regularly see up to half of their annual budgets going to the agglomeration’s coffers. Bourelle claimed that Beaconsfield residents “pay 60 per cent more for the same services as residents of the City of Montreal.”

The City of Beaconsfield has an ongoing $20-million lawsuit against the City of Montreal for what it argues have been years of over-inflated payments to the agglomeration. A decision by the Quebec Superior Court in April has allowed the city to call for testimony from current and former municipal and provincial officials, including current Quebec Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest. No timetable has yet been set for these testimonies to take place.