The municipal world is putting its grocery list on the table this Thursday for the next provincial election and it reflects the issues facing Quebec as a whole.
The Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ) and the Metropolitan Community of Montreal (CMM) are similar in many respects, particularly in terms of housing where the crisis is acutely evident.
The two organizations are calling for the massive construction of social and affordable housing. The UMQ is also asking for measures to facilitate the construction of rental housing in the regions, while the CMM, which has 82 municipalities, is asking to complete the housing units promised and not delivered and to rehabilitate the badly degraded HLMs.
Support for public transport
Unsurprisingly, the two organizations insist on their funding and that of public transit, with the UMQ calling in particular for a strengthening of this funding and a review of the business model for intercity transit. The UMQ is also demanding payment by Quebec of all its property taxes – a long-standing claim – an increasing sharing of the QST and an increase in royalties to municipalities affected by the exploitation of their natural resources. The CMM is also calling for support for the development of public transit and for the SAAQ to collect the deferred vehicle registration tax as of next year.
In the regions, the Union of Municipalities urges Quebec to financially and logistically support a regionalization strategy for immigration and to use taxation to encourage participation in the labor market, two measures aimed at countering the labor shortage striking work in the region. The UMQ is also asking it to financially support the vitality of city centers and commercial arteries, which are struggling to recover from closures and confinements and the explosion of online commerce.
Water, forest and green spaces
Environmental issues also occupy an important place among municipal concerns. The UMQ wishes to see municipal renewable energy production projects supported by Quebec, the implementation of the roadmap for sustainable forest management. The Union is also calling on the government to draw up a portrait of the quantity of ground and surface water in the province and to guarantee funding for municipal actions to protect drinking water sources.
The CMM is also requesting funds to map its local waterways and to carry out risk characterization work, particularly in flood-prone areas. It is also asking for $200 million to create a network of metropolitan parks and acquire land such as golf clubs that could be converted into green spaces. It is also asking for $15 million to decarbonize supply chains.
The two entities ask Quebec to review the law on expropriation.
Finally, the Union of Municipalities calls for predictable and sustainable funding for recreational and sports infrastructure and simplified and flexible, but also predictable funding for municipal infrastructure.