The Legault government is engaged in a vast operation to rejuvenate and complete the legislative framework for territorial planning in Quebec. A new version of the Law on development and town planning was adopted on 1er last June. On June 6, the very first National Architecture and Land Use Planning Policy was made public; an implementation plan for this policy is currently being prepared. And a consultation is underway with a view to developing new government guidelines for land use planning and another consultation was launched on June 21 to “modernize” the Law on the protection of land and agricultural activities, the said law on zoning. agricultural.
However, an important component is missing from this legislative framework for territorial planning: a local and regional development policy (or strategy).
This project was undertaken in the fall of 2019, but was abandoned in May 2021 following the resignation of the delegate minister, Marie-Ève Proulx, who chaired the work. Instead, there is a set of programs and measures to help businesses and new entrepreneurs. These technical and financial tools have certain beneficial effects, but are applied without an overall policy or implementation plan.
In the absence of a clearly defined vision and orientations, the files submitted are analyzed on the basis of variable criteria of which transparency is not the first quality, which gives rise to numerous criticisms.
Get regions out of their unloved status
Among his multiple functions, the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, is both responsible for regional economic development and responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal region.
Theoretically, there is logic in bringing together these two responsibilities in the same ministry. It must be understood, however, that this position forces the minister to make crucial trade-offs, while he is confronted with the ambitions of unlimited growth of the Montreal region on the one hand, and the vision of a strong Quebec in each of its regions, on the other hand.
There is a need here to rethink the concentration model.
The Ministry of the Economy has made some good moves in recent months, materialized by investment projects worth several hundred million dollars, particularly in the battery sector. Other major investments which will consolidate its growth, potentially reaching $10 billion, should be announced by the end of 2023. The advantages of subsidies and “forgivable” loans granted to obtain these industrial megaprojects must confirm cost-benefit analyzes over time.
In Quebec, a large part of the economy relies on small and medium-sized businesses. In December 2020, Quebec had 250,724 small businesses, 5,098 medium-sized businesses and 682 large businesses. SMEs play an essential role in the Quebec economy: they contribute to nearly a third of GDP and the percentage of jobs in this business sector was 86.1% in 2020.
Although less spectacular in scope than the projects of large companies, it is desirable that numerous and lasting successes emerge throughout the region in SMEs in the fields of processing and manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries (including aquaculture), forestry, digital, science and technology, culture, etc. SMEs are often in symbiosis with their environment and at the basis of the dynamism of local communities in the region.
For a real local and regional development policy
A global and integrated local and regional development policy would have the main objective of contributing to a better balance of occupation and economic vitality of the territorial mosaic of Quebec.
Such a policy would encompass economic, social, cultural and environmental dimensions. The attractiveness of an environment depends on the jobs available and the climate conducive to entrepreneurship, but also on the quality of life ensured by the diversity and quality of infrastructure, equipment and public services offered to the population (health, education, professional training, culture, protection and development of natural environments, etc.).
We cannot make businesses flourish in a social and cultural desert. Fertile soil is necessary. We must build local and regional development ecosystems, made up of territorial belonging, solidarity, expertise, progressive governance, qualification and training, technical and financial support, pleasant living environments, etc.
A strong axis of this local and regional development policy would consist of decentralizing the economic and demographic growth of Quebec in favor of the regions, by consolidating the attractiveness and competitiveness of regional cities and central municipalities which polarize the MRCs, without neglecting the role of villages.