The City of Mirabel “exposes itself to risks” by signing agreements with real estate developers without knowing the impact of the construction of new projects on infrastructures such as sewers and aqueducts, notes the Commission municipale du Québec. The mayor, Patrick Charbonneau, affirms that his city respects the rules of the art, even if it operates differently from other cities in terms of managing agreements.
In a report of audits carried out with three municipalities, including Mirabel, the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) is critical, to say the least, of the municipality on the northern shore of Montreal. The government agency observes several shortcomings in the management of agreements between real estate developers and the city.
“The City is exposing itself to risks since it is waiting until after the signing of the agreement to obtain, in particular, studies on the capacity of the networks,” writes the CMQ in this document published in June.
Mirabel does not use “all the tools at its disposal” so that the development fits with its development strategy, according to the CMQ, pointing out that the City has not adopted a regulation on the overall development plans. For the period studied, no real estate project was submitted to the planning advisory committee or to the procedures of the site planning and architectural integration plan, which evaluates architectural quality.
At To have to, the city’s new mayor, Patrick Charbonneau, defends the management of agreements with real estate developers: “I think we still have an effective system that has proven its effectiveness over time. I would tell you that there is no problem that emerges because, precisely, the way we operate remains fairly respectful of both promoters and the City. »
A city engineer evaluates the proposed projects in detail, says Mario Boily, director general of the municipality: “We are not exposed to risks. That is false. We know the risks, because the engineer tells us if we can go ahead or not. In a document sent to the CMQ, the City of Mirabel refutes most of the organization’s observations.
Mario Boily stresses that it is not because Mirabel signs an agreement with a promoter that it delivers de facto building permits. It ensures that infrastructure, such as sewers and aqueducts, will be able to meet needs over the years: “In twenty years, we have never resumed work; there have never been any projects that have had water and sewer problems. »
“We have developed a way of doing things which, over time, is effective and which is different from other places. We had to adapt to this explosion [démographique] sums up the mayor. Between 2018 and 2021, the population of Mirabel increased by 12%, and the number of dwellings jumped by 14%. In three years, the city has disbursed nearly $65 million to acquire infrastructure for new subdivisions, while the developer’s contribution has reached nearly $23 million.
Because there you have it, the infrastructure that a developer deploys in a new neighborhood is then transferred to the municipalities, explains Isabelle Rivoal, spokesperson for the CMQ: “The risks associated with a poor evaluation today of the agreements can have impacts that will only be felt in the long term. »
Beloeil and Mascouche want to improve
The two other municipalities audited reacted very differently to the CMQ’s observations and recommendations. Already, Beloeil has submitted an action plan to the organization to integrate the recommendations into its mode of operation; Mascouche has completed the first draft of a plan which should be presented shortly.
“If elements were missing to do things better, I find that the audit allows us to better rethink our processes. For me, I see it constructively. I find it important to ask questions not only about how we do things, but also why we do them,” says Nadine Viau, Mayor of the municipality, elected last year.
The CMQ recommends that Beloeil create a one-stop shop to process projects and modify certain procedures to ensure better follow-up, which the municipality undertakes to do next year.
Similar story from Guillaume Tremblay, mayor of Mascouche: “In fact, we welcome the CMQ report because we are always in continuous improvement, particularly in a context where there are more and more “ doors” that are being built on our territory. Essentially, the organization recommends that Mascouche improve the guide that describes the steps involved in carrying out real estate projects.
Registry of Lobbyists
The audits also enabled the CMQ to note that none of the three municipalities had provided for “minimum control” so that promoters who want to influence the decisions of the cities register in the Register of Quebec lobbyists.
“Frankly, the development of [Mirabel] is done in harmony between the vision that the elected officials may have and the promoters who will come to make the projects”, says Patrick Charbonneau, Mayor of Mirabel: “At this level, there can be discussions [sans inscription au registre des lobbyistes]. But if they want to influence, they are asked to register. »
The position of the Mayor of Beloeil, Nadine Viau, is more clear-cut: “We noticed, even before the CMQ report was tabled, that not all promoters registered in the register before coming to us. to encounter. A few months ago, we decided to ask for it systematically. We want to be whiter than white. »