Municipal demergers have now exceeded 20 years of existence in Quebec. Around thirty municipalities have regained their autonomy over the past few decades.
In total, 31 Quebec municipalities were affected by this demerger. Of this number, around fifteen were demerged on the island of Montreal, like the Town of Mount Royal.
The agglomeration of Longueuil and the Quebec region were also affected by this phenomenon.
Due to shared municipal services such as police and fire services, municipalities still have less freedom than before.
“The mergers have had benefits [sic]but the promises of the merger were never realized to their full potential, for a variety of reasons,” Alan Desousa, mayor of the Saint-Laurent borough, told TVA Nouvelles.
LCN screenshot
This phenomenon was above all a strong promise from Jean Charest when his government was in power in 2003.
“The mergers were promoted at the time by the Quebec government, allowing economies of scale, but we know very well that at certain levels, there are economies of scale at certain sizes. […] It took a long time for the agglomeration of Montreal to function properly,” explains Danielle Pilette, specialist in municipal affairs.
Two decades later, the subject is still relevant and opinions remain divided. Many are for this change while others think that cities should be less centralized.
Those who live in the Town of Mount Royal generally remain satisfied with the results of their demerger.
“It has its pros and cons, but at the same time, the service was adequate,” indicated a resident of the Town of Mount Royal. She adds that snow removal, for example, has been “terrific” in recent years.
“Citizens live like [dans] a small village,” illustrated a lady.
See the full explanation in the video above.
