Georges Bourelle

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Georges Bourelle, who has served as Beaconsfield’s mayor since 2013, announced that he will retire from public office this November, choosing not to seek a fourth term.

Bourelle shared the news at Tuesday night’s council meeting, later explaining that after discussions with his family and careful reflection on his personal priorities, he felt the time was right to step aside. “It’s been three terms, 12 years, and I think it’s time for me to pass it on to the next generation,” Bourelle told The Suburban.

Bourelle’s three-term tenure saw Beaconsfield take on a series of environmental, infrastructure, and fiscal initiatives. His administration prioritized stable finances, pointing to a 13.5% reduction in the real local tax burden compared to inflation, even as the city’s regional contribution to the Montreal agglomeration increased by more than 58% over the past twelve years.

One of the defining issues of Bourelle’s leadership was Beaconsfield’s legal dispute with Montreal over cost-sharing for regional services such as police, fire, water, and public transit. In 2020, Beaconsfield became the only demerged municipality on the island to pursue court action, arguing that the cost-sharing structure created inequities between Montreal and the suburban cities.

In February, Beaconsfield increased its claim against Montreal to $20 million. Bourelle has repeatedly voiced frustration that the city is “simply contributing as a cash cow to the agglomeration, to the City of Montreal, to help balance their budgets.” He also criticized the provincial government for not stepping in to address the funding imbalance. Beaconsfield recently joined 14 other reconstituted municipalities in a coordinated legal strategy over a new cost-sharing decision.

Environmental protection was another priority for Bourelle. He delivered on a long-standing commitment to protect Angell Woods, resulting in the preservation of one of Montreal’s largest public natural areas. In 2016, Beaconsfield introduced incentive-based waste collection, which has since halved the city’s landfill tonnage.

During his time in office, infrastructure was upgraded throughout the city, including the expansion and renovation of the Recreation Centre, the reconstruction of the arena, improvements to park facilities, and maintenance of core systems like water and sewer pipes.

Bourelle also cited the “Imagine Centennial” project—a major redevelopment of Beaconsfield’s waterfront and Centennial Park—as a legacy initiative. The project’s planned multipurpose cultural centre, designed by Lemay, was recently awarded gold at the 2024 World Architecture News Awards in the “Future Projects” category.

Bourelle was vocal about the importance of respectful civic debate, noting in his farewell speech that restoring order to council meetings had been a key focus after a previous period of tension.

Before entering municipal politics, Bourelle worked in the business sector. His extensive experience helped him manage Beaconsfield’s services, budgets, and human resources. “Municipal politics is really about managing services. It’s managing a budget. It’s managing human resources. That’s something my background prepared me well for,” he said.

Bourelle said he expects to miss public service, though the reality may not set in until after November. “When I retired from business, I joined boards, I ran development programs, and then I became mayor. So I have not had a real period of asking myself, ‘What do I do today?’ That will happen at the end of this year.” He thanked his council colleagues, city staff, volunteers, and especially his family for their support throughout his time in office.

Bourelle will remain mayor until Beaconsfield holds municipal elections in November. n