On the occasion of the first meeting of Longueuil municipal council on Tuesday evening, a draft by-law was tabled to increase the salary of Mayor Catherine Fournier from $ 250,000 to $ 185,000 per year, such as this one had promised during the election campaign.
This reduction of $ 65,000 in the remuneration of the mayoress of Longueuil will take effect on January 1. “It was one of the first things I announced when I launched myself as mayor of Longueuil. I wanted to reduce this salary significantly so that it is more proportional to the salary, for example, of the Prime Minister [du Québec] and the mayoress of Montreal, ”explained Catherine Fournier on Tuesday evening.
Recall that the outgoing mayor of Longueuil, Sylvie Parent, was the best paid elected in Quebec. His salary of $ 250,000 surpassed that of Prime Minister François Legault, who receives an annual salary of $ 205,793.
By way of a press release in the evening, Catherine Fournier said that according to her, it would be time to review the salaries of elected officials, not only those of the municipal sphere, but also those of the House of Commons and the National Assembly. “For example, a member of the House of Commons earns roughly twice as much as a member of the National Assembly, basic federal salaries approaching that of the premier of Quebec,” she argued. Meanwhile, mayors of small municipalities are earning a “symbolic” salary while doing “considerable” work, she added.
Change of tone
This was the first meeting of Longueuil’s municipal council since the elections of November 7. “I really think that we are living through a historic moment because this is the first time in the history of our city that we have had a joint council, a council that is also in the image of the population of Longueuil. since it represents a diversity, not only of experiences, of origins, but also of ages, ”said Catherine Fournier at the opening of the assembly. “We will note this evening a change of tone, a change in the way we conduct our debates,” she added, extending her hand to the Leader of the Opposition, Jacques Lemire.
The mayoress took advantage of this assembly to materialize several electoral promises. Elected officials notably gave their approval to a notice of motion to set up a demolition committee to analyze all requests for the demolition of single-family homes, a subject that has aroused much indignation in recent months. This committee will include three elected officials as well as representatives of civil society, including members of historical societies.
Ms. Fournier also indicated her administration’s intention to create an independent public participation office similar to the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM). The first mandate of this organization will be to look into the thorny issue of fires outside wood. On Tuesday evening, the city council also lifted the ban on these fires for the territories of Greenfield Park and Saint-Hubert pending consultations to this effect.
Asked by a citizen about the work to extend Boulevard Béliveau, Catherine Fournier promised that the City would respect the wildlife opinion of the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, which sounded the alarm concerning the destruction of habitat. of the Chorus Frog. Remember that this work is suspended and that the federal government adopted a decree on Monday to protect the amphibian.
“It has always been our commitment to comply with the recommendations [de l’avis faunique], to follow science. It will be important for us to take this into consideration when we analyze the different scenarios available to the City, ”explained Mayor Fournier. “Our intention is to work with all levels of government, both the Government of Quebec and the federal government, to reach an agreement on this issue that will protect the endangered species and the natural environment. “
Ms. Fournier also promised to hold a housing summit next spring in collaboration with her counterpart from Laval, Stéphane Boyer.