Three candidates compete in a race that will determine next Sunday the successor of the former mayor of Sorel-Tracy, Serge Péloquin, forced to resign last June. At the heart of the debates are opposing very distinct visions as to how to frame the development of this city in the Montérégie, where real estate pressure threatens several green spaces.
On June 8, the Superior Court endorsed a recommendation from the Commission municipale du Québec by declaring Serge Péloquin “unqualified” to continue to hold the position of mayor of Sorel-Tracy. The mayor had been singled out for installing a microphone in the city clerk’s office to listen to his conversations. His dismissal thus led to the triggering of a by-election, which will lead to his replacement on November 20. A day of advance voting took place on Sunday.
Build housing
This race takes place in a context where several natural environments in Sorel-Tracy are in the sights of real estate developers, who wish to seize business opportunities in this sector, as available land is becoming scarce in neighboring towns. The construction of housing is also the number one priority of businessman Jean Cournoyer, who is running for mayor of this city with a growing population.
We have to keep the jobs we have here. We have to make up for the lack of manpower here, and the people who come here, we have to be able to house them.
“We are going to tell each other, we are not a prosperous city, we are not a rich city. We are a little twenty years behind the others”, launches the To have to Mr. Cournoyer, who notably owns the Continental golf club and the Kiroule vehicle rental company. The man who also owns land dedicated to real estate projects as well as the company Construction 2000 sees in the construction of housing one of the main means of revitalizing the economy of Sorel-Tracy.
“We have to keep the jobs what we have here. We have to make up for the lack of manpower here, and the people who come here, we have to be able to house them,” insists Mr. Cournoyer, who also owns several rental apartments.
At the moment, “nothing is happening,” says the mayoral candidate, who deplores the fact that real estate projects are slow to take shape in the City of Sorel-Tracy. In recent months, a tree policy has been developed to allow the municipality to set targets for increasing the canopy and reducing heat islands. A policy criticized by several promoters.
“You have to help the world; we must not just help the trees,” says the candidate for mayor, who nevertheless maintains that the protection of wooded areas is important to him. “If I am elected, there will be no projects where mechanical saws will enter [dans des boisés] and cut everything,” he says.
Sustainable development
One of his opponents, Patrick Péloquin — who is not related to the former mayor — believes that this by-election “will really determine what the citizens of Sorel-Tracy want in terms of development for their city”. For his part, he proposes an approach based on “sustainable development”.
We have a great need for social and affordable housing; we also need housing for families. But never to the detriment of woodlots.
“We have a great need for social and affordable housing; we also need housing for families. But never to the detriment of wooded areas,” says the candidate. In this sense, he proposes that the City revise its urban planning by-laws in order to establish clear guidelines for the development of the municipality. The municipality could, for example, further densify sectors that are already mineralized in order to ensure the protection of its green spaces while meeting its housing needs, he suggests.
“It will bring predictability. So, it will be a good tool for the City, but also for developers because they will know what the rules of the game are,” says Mr. Péloquin. One thing is certain, according to him, “we must not make clear cuts because at the moment, it is really left to the goodwill of the promoters”.
I want to give the municipality back to the citizens.
The third candidate in the running, Corina Bastiani, who was a municipal councilor from 2005 to 2013, also proposes to bet on “restorative densification” to develop the territory of Sorel-Tracy without harming the protection of the environment. “You have to think about the layout for the people”, indicates the one who wishes in particular to reduce the number of heat islands in the city.
She also proposes to review the model of governance in the city, in particular by holding more public consultations and improving the way in which the decisions of the municipality are communicated to its residents. “I want to give the municipality back to the citizens,” she sums up.