Mayor Alex Bottausci

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM) is taking legal action against Montreal over a contentious $20 million borrowing bylaw earmarked for the Hippodrome and Cavendish projects, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute over fiscal transparency. It has filed complaints with the provincial Municipal Commission (CMQ) and taken an action in the Superior Court of Quebec. The legal action aims to address what suburban mayors view as a pattern of poor accounting practices affecting not just their taxpayers, but all Montreal residents.

In an exclusive interview, Dollard-des-Ormeaux (DDO) Mayor Alex Bottausci told The Suburban that Montreal has failed to provide essential details about how the borrowed funds would be allocated. “We asked for proper accounting, and all they told us was that they’re borrowing $20 million with a 3.5% interest rate to buy land and conduct feasibility studies,” Bottausci said.

The controversy deepened when DDO officials pressed Montreal for specific plans regarding the borrowed funds. “We need to know why the city is borrowing this money and what the plans are,” Bottausci explained. “Montreal’s response? They don’t know yet.”

This lack of clarity prompted the demerged cities to vote against the borrowing bylaw resolution. “They expect us to write a blank cheque?” Bottausci questioned, highlighting two major concerns: “First, there’s a complete lack of transparency — no breakdown of how the money will be spent. Second, this doesn’t follow basic accounting principles — there’s no fiscal responsibility whatsoever.”

Julie Brisebois, Mayor of Senneville and co-chair of the ASM, said to The Suburban that the situation is deeply troubling. “We want to make an enlightened decision when it comes to public funds,” she emphasized. “The follow-up and answers we’ve received are not sufficient.”

The ASM, which was established after the demerger to represent suburban municipalities, regularly convenes before agglomeration council meetings to review agenda items. Their director general examines all documentation and provides crucial feedback on upcoming votes.

“We’re different in our makeup, but we all pay our share,” Brisebois explained. “What’s particularly troubling is that either they don’t know what they want to do with the money, or they know and are withholding that information.”

For demerged cities, the stakes are high as they must determine how these expenditures align with their own share of taxes they must pay. “How can we determine if we should be charged when (additionally) we take on some of our own contracts in our demerged cities?” Brisebois questioned.

The ASM’s legal action represents a last resort after repeated attempts to obtain detailed financial information, of which all efforts proved to be unsuccessful. “We need better accountability for where the funds are to be allocated,” Brisebois stated firmly.

For now, the $20 million borrowing bylaw remains in limbo as this latest chapter in the complex relationship between Montreal and its demerged cities unfolds, with significant implications for regional governance vis-a-vis fiscal accountability. n