Mergers and De-Mergers: Implications for Environmental Planning and Management in Montreal by David Brown

Summary This article examines the effect of the recent forced municipal mergers on environmental planning and management in the Montreal region. Following an overview of the mergers, consideration is given to the need for a balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches to environmental planning, the relative advantages of the pre- and post-merged states and, finally, the prospects for the future. Two questions underlie the discussion: (I) Has the merger made it easier to apply an ecosystem approach to environmental planning and management? (2) To what extent is it possible for residents in the new city of Montreal to maintain a sense of belonging and stewardship with respect to their local environment? Sommaire Cet article se penche sur /'incidence des recents regroupements forces de municipalites dans la region de Montreal, dans l'optique de la planification et de la gestion environnementale.Apres un survol des amalgamations, ii est question du besoin d'equilibrer les approches ascendantes et descendantes en planification environnementale, des avantages re/atifs avant et apres /es amalgamations et, pour terminer, des perspectives d'avenir. Deux questions sous-tendent cet expose : I) L'amalgamation a-t-elle facilite /'application d'une approche axee sur /es ecosystemes en ce qui a trait a la planification et a la gestion environnementale? 2) Dans quelle mesure les habitants de la nouvelle ville de Montreal peuvent-ils perpetuer leur sentiment d'appartenance et d'intendance a l'egard de l'environnement local?

or the past few years, politics and facilities and services; adequate infra­ Fplanning have been a potent mix as structure; and improved competitiveness the Quebec government forced many of Quebec's cities within the global municipalities in urban agglomerations marketplace. Fiscal equity, regional throughout the province to merge, a transportation planning, and environmental move that dramatically restructured planning and management were among political and administrative structures in the specific issues that the mergers Montreal, Quebec, Sherbrooke and were intended to resolve. Gatineau (formerly Hull). In the Montreal On the island of Montreal, the reaction In the Montreal region, region, the number of municipalities has of residents outside of the old city of been reduced from 136 to 63 and on the number of municipalities Montreal was emphatic. With·the cry, the island of Montreal, from 28 to one. has been reduced from "Keep your hands off my city", they took This restructuring has affected virtually to the streets, organized referendums 136 to 63 and all aspects of planning and governance in and fought court battles in an effort to the region. on the island of Montreal, get the provincial government to back from 28 to one. Mergers and De-Mergers down. The primary concern of many The primary rationale of the Parti suburban residents was that they would Quebecois government for the forced lose control of their local municipal mergers was that larger municipalities council, the political institution that made were needed to ensure effective and development decisions that most directly efficient planning and administration; affected the quality of their daily life. equable access for all citizens to the full Yet government action was swift. Following range of community services; a fair initial tabling of a white paper in March distribution of the cost of metropolitan 2000, the Government enacted legislation

Plan Autumn/ Automne 2003 and created a transition committee that functions, such as libraries and recreation began work in January 200 I . New mayors facilities, than was the case in larger and council members for the new cities. Furthermore, the relatively small municipalities were elected in November number of public employees increased 200 I , and the new cities were officially the likelihood that professional architects, constituted on January 1,.2002. planners, social workers and engineers would work in close physical proximity In Montreal, however, the election did and approach urban problems in an not proceed as the Government had interdisciplinary, intersectoral way. anticipated; a new party, in large measure Solutions could be carefully targeted to a coalition of former suburban mayors, the particularities of local problems, and took control of the new city. While a collaborative approach to environmental Gerald Tremblay, the new mayor, was planning and management that included keen on making the city work, he had professionals and residents within the to ensure that residents of formerly decision-making process was possible, independent municipalities continued even if rarely achieved. to feel that they had sufficient local autonomy.This was done by decentralizing A review of the most recent municipal many planning and development control plans for former cities in the West Island functions and the management of area (see West Island land use and aerial municipal services to the 27 boroughs maps), however, indicates that these that comprise the new city. Eighteen of advantages were offset by a number of these boroughs were created from the issues that contributed to the relatively former suburbs on the island, and nine weak framework for environmental were carved out of the former city of planning and management in the Montreal. While the City was successful premerger period. While noise, parks in maintaining or augmenting the level and public access to the shore were of services in most boroughs, and few among the issues considered in the residents noticed much difference, many plans, the primary focus was on of the former suburban mayors who are residential, commercial and industrial now municipal councillors with the development with little consideration of ruling party continued to press for their negative impact on the natural West Island land use and aerial maps further decentralization. environment. Only two municipalities, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Senneville, The provincial election in April 2003 seriously considered their natural purposes. lntermunicipal rivalry and effectively put "the cat among the environment; only the latter prepared conflicting visions, however, made it pigeons". The Liberals took control of detailed policies to preserve natural difficult to plan for ecological zones that the government with a platform that areas. In most other cases, wooded straddled municipal boundaries. promised to introduce a process to areas were slated for development, After the Mergers enable municipalities to "de-merge" unless the Montreal Urban Community In addition to merging 27 island munici­ from the new cities if their residents so intervened and purchased the land. palities into the new city of Montreal and wished. Legislation to enable this process While several municipalities introduced seven South Shore municipalities into was tabled in June 2003. The process pesticide legislation and developed the new city of Longueuil, the Provincial provides time for the merged cities to recycling programs, environmental Government created the Communaute propose decentralization policies that standards and by-laws in neighbouring Metropolitaine de Montreal (CMM), a may deflect interest in de-merging, fiscal municipalities were inconsistent. impact studies, registries that indicate regional planning and administrative sufficient interest in de-merger in each On the island of Montreal, some of body for the entire metropolitan area municipality and, finally, referendums. these problems fell within the purview (see CMM map).The CMM effectively of the Montreal Urban Community took over the functions of the Montreal The Premerger Era (MUC), established by the Province to Urban Community and is preparing to In suburban municipalities prior to the deal with public security, transportation, apply these to the entire urbanized area. mergers, residents enjoyed a heightened land use and environmental issues for While the City of Montreal is currently sense of belonging in their social and the entire island. Its success, however, maintaining the MUC's functions for its environmental context, if only because often depended on the extent to which territory, these will be transferred to the they grew up in, or chose, their locale. it was able to negotiate "win-win" CMM, which assumes responsibilities for In many cases, the sense of belonging situations between neighbouring regional land use planning, economic was accompanied by a greater feeling of municipalities. To its credit, it was able development, social housing, regional responsibility and personal efficacy, to establish a number of significant infrastructure, public transit, air and which was manifest in higher levels of parks on the island and to promote water quality monitoring and waste volunteerism in maintaining public the reclamation of shorelines for public management. An agreement has also

Pla'I Autumn/Automne 2003 been signed between the CMM and the To the extent that the boroughs are That some formerly independent Ministry of the Environment that provides able to exercise sufficient autonomy to municipalities will regain their status the CMM with the authority and means ensure that their residents can influence under the legislation introduced by the to deal with both "green" and "blue" local decisions and play an active role as new Liberal government is certainly regional environmental issues. stewards of their environment, the new possible. However, judging from arrangement offers several distinct comments by government representatives, The larger regional extent of the CMM advantages. These include improved it is unlikely that the legislation will means that river systems can now be access to expertise and resources for permit a return to the same level of fiscal dealt with more effectively as ecological environmental planning and management; inequity and pose the same obstacles to entities rather than boundaries-one of a reduction in inequalities in access to the preparation of effective transportation, the most promising aspects of the new environmental amenities among land use and environmental plans at the administrative structure for environmental municipalities; an improved capacity to regional level. planning and management in the region. plan on the basis of ecological rather Although it is too early to assess the The municipal mergers were a direct than political territories; improved data success of the CMM, it is encouraging challenge to local democracy, as they consistency, documentation and sharing; to note that it has prepared an interim were rammed through by a determined and, generally, a greater possibility that control by-law that protects a number of provincial government despite vigorous a region-wide sustainable development significant natural areas from development and near unanimous resistance in plan with regular monitoring of environ­ while new municipal plans are under suburban municipalities. However, having mental indicators will be implemented. preparation. Its success will ultimately lost the subsequent election in large depend on the degree of consensus The CMM is currently preparing a regional measure owing to dissatisfaction with among the 63 constituent municipalities plan, and Montreal and Longueuil are the merger process, the Parti Quebecois represented on a proportional basis preparing municipal plans. In the case of has paid the price, and a new balance relative to their population on the the city of Montreal, the document will between top-down and bottom-up CMM's 27-member council. consist of a general plan that sets the planning is in the making. The result may context for the entire island, and well be beneficial for environmental At the other end of the scale, the separate chapters, written by local planning and management in the region. • prospects for local democracy and planning staff, for each of the boroughs. environmental activism have increased In addition, a strategic plan for sustainable Acknowledgements for residents of the old city of Montreal, This article is based on research completed for a project development is being prepared. The which was carved into nine boroughs entitled "Collaborative Conservation Planning" funded by planning processes in both instances are the Woodcock Foundation. The Foundation's support and that assume greater responsibility for much more inclusive than has been the that of research assistants Jean-Fran~ois Morin and Daniel local issues. In contrast, residents of Casey is gratefully acknowledged. tradition in Montreal. De-Merger Prospects and Conclusions David Brown, PhD, MCIP, is Director, School of While the legislation that forced Urban Planning, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. municipalities on the island of Montreal to merge prescribed an administrative framework that included the establishment of boroughs with specific responsibilities, these were expressed in sufficiently vague terms to allow some latitude in practice. However, with the election of Gerald Tremblay in November 200 I as leader of a coalition that included many antimerger representatives of residents Communaute Metropolitaine de Montreal map in former suburban municipalities, a more serious effort to decentralize to the borough level was required than might former suburban municipalities who are have been the case if the former mayor now regrouped in boroughs have and champion of the new city project, CATHERINE A. SPEARS considerably less local autonomy than Pierre Bourque, had been victorious. B.E.S., M.SC. (PL), MCIP, RPP they previously enjoyed and no control Ironically, the new City of Montreal's over financial resources. Some are greatest strength in withstanding de­ 3 36 Quee n sbu r y Avenue concerned that island-wide legislation merger forces may well prove to be the To r on t o, O nt a r io and norms pertaining to issues, such as decentralization policies that it has had M 1 N 2X7 pesticides, will be established that do to put into place. Clearly, the City would not reflect the differing perceptions of Phone: 416/698/3700 be much more vulnerable to de-merger Fax: 4 16/698/3199 environmental issues throughout the pressures had a more centralized Em a 11: [email protected] territory. administration taken control.

Plan Autumn/ Automne 2003