Montreal and the Agglomeration Council: Letter to the Editor Brent Cowan

I recently read through Bill 75 in order to figure out how the Agglo operates. Passed in 2004 by the Charest government, Bill 75 created the Agglo to accommodate the reconstitution of the 15 cities that had won their respective demerger referendums. It was a fob to satisfy the suburban voters that had brought down Bernard Landry’s PQ government in favour of the Jean Charest Liberals. Ever since, Montreal has treated the Agglo as an inconvenient administrative body necessary only to rubber stamp what has been already decided.  From the beginning, its structure was rigged to empower Montreal at the expense of the demerged cities and for two decades Montreal’s mayors have pulled all the strings. And they could do this hidden from the public because, I discovered when I actually read the law for myself, we have allowed them to.

I was astounded by articles 61 and 62. I learned that the mayors of the demerged cities are obliged to inform their respective councils about past Agglo decisions, to discuss what’s in the pipes for future Agglo meetings and to poll the positions their Councils want them to take going forward as expressed by resolution. And the mayors must vote at the Agglo Council any position their councils take.

This is not discretionary. The law requires compliance, but to my knowledge - certainly in my seven years on Pointe-Claire Council - this has never happened. The reconstituted cities have apparently never followed the law. There is, of course the excuse that Montreal’s practice of withholding the agenda and supporting information until mere hours before any Agglo Council meeting makes giving the demerged city councils a heads up a practical impossibility.  Is willfully making it a practical impossibility to comply with the law itself lawful? I shouldn't think so. Hmm…

Brent Cowan

City Councillor, District 8

Pointe-Claire