Environment Minister Line Beauchamp is expected to announce major funding for compost-treatment centres in the Montreal region this morning. Provincial funding is to be accompanied by monies from the federal and Montreal-area municipal governments.

Last summer, Montreal's agglomeration council adopted a waste-management plan that included the construction of four facilities on the island that would take green waste, such as kitchen scraps, and convert it into biofuels and compost.

On Friday, Quebec City announced plans to build $57 million worth of new composting centres, including plants that would convert green waste into enough biofuel to run 150 city buses.

Quebec plans to ban cardboard and paper from landfills by 2013, and all organic waste by 2020.

According to the city of Montreal, 47 per cent of the materials sent to landfills in 2008 was green waste. Of that, only eight per cent was collected and composted.

Some boroughs and municipalities, including Côte St. Luc, Westmount and the Plateau-Mont Royal, have already introduced municipal compost collection.

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Montréal, Laval et Longueuil pourront bientôt se convertir au bac brun
Cinq usines pour le traitement des déchets de table et de jardin verront le jour d'ici 2015
Jeanne Corriveau
Le Devoir
2 février 2010

À l'heure actuelle, seulement 6 % des matières organiques sont traitées au Québec. En 2020, ce taux devra atteindre les 100 % puisque le gouvernement du Québec entend interdire l'enfouissement de ces déchets. [...]

Dans l'ouest comme dans l'est de l'ile, cette question ne devrait pas etre trop troblématique: <<On pense qu'il n'y aura pas de problème. Dans l'ouest, il y a des terrains vagues et des cours de triage. Les citoyens son prets et ils vont comprendre>>, a fair valoir la conseillère du Côte Saint-Luc, Dida Berku. [...]

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Mayors forming glomer ad hoc legal committee
By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban
February 3, 2010

Mayors and councillors of demerged cities are forming an ad hoc legal committee on the island-wide agglomeration council to look at the recent Montreal budget and other issues, The Suburban has learned.

The central city’s budget has resulted in increases of some 12 percent in what demerged cities have to pay the agglomeration this year, resulting in tax increases as a whole, even where strictly local taxes went up minimally or even declined.

The legal committee was first mentioned by Montreal West councillor Dino Mazzone at that town’s monthly council meeting.

“I received an invitation from Côte St. Luc mayor Anthony Housefather on behalf of the Association of Suburban Municipalities — there will be an informal grouping of lawyers who have been invited by [Housefather] to pool our resources together to see to what extent we can somehow counter or challenge the budget of the City of Montreal and to poke holes and to see to what extent we can try and get a fair share of what we feel to be these egregious amounts of money we pay to the agglomeration.”

Housefather, who is secretary of the Association of Suburban Municipalities, said the body decided to form an “ad hoc committee of lawyers involved in the municipal scene to advise us and Mr. Mazzone is a member of that committee, as would be [Côte St. Luc councillors] Mitchell Brownstein and Dida Berku and others.” Housefather, Mazzone, Berku and Brownstein are all lawyers by profession.

“One of the things we are looking at is what options we would have with respect to the budget, how to properly appeal to the municipal commission and what other options we may have. Certainly, there’s no decision at this time to do anything but the legal committee is much more than this.

“We are looking at a number of issues where the mayors of suburban municipalities have questions about law. We have legal issues all the time — the City of Montreal will tell us something and we may not agree with it. For instance, it took the position that the ad hoc committee on the budget couldn’t hear the public security budget because it was only to go to the public security commission by law. That’s not the case. The police budget has to go the public security commission, but there’s nothing that stops it from also going to an ad hoc committee on the budget. There are legal issues on a daily basis that we get through the agglomeration in terms of the complicated nature of the mixed spending between the agglomeration and the central city.

“Another example would be the case of the water meter contract. We meet as a group of suburban municipalities to take positions related to anything that happened with respect to that, or to be kept abreast of what’s happening with the litigation [regarding the stopped incinerator contract] with Foster Wheeler.”

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Blood on the table — city ‘agglo’ taxes set to soar
By P.A. Sévigny
The Suburban
February 3, 2010

Prior to last month when the Tremblay administration finally revealed its new budget for 2010, the island’s suburban mayors already knew their cities were in for some very bad news. As of last week, the news only got worse. Unless the Charest government does something about

Montreal’s finances, both the city and its suburbs can expect more tax hikes in their not too distant future.

“At this point, we’re looking at a six percent increase in taxes for residential properties and up to an 11 percent increase for commercial and industrial properties,” said TMR mayor Vera Danyluk. “Frankly speaking, there’s not much we can do about it.”

As for Westmount’s new budget, city councillor Tim Price, the city’s finance commissioner, was forced to wait until the last week of January before releasing his own figures which demonstrate how the owners of an average single-family dwelling can expect an increase of at least eight to nine percent over last year’s taxes. In his presentation, Price told the city council the tax hike was due to a 12.5 percent increase in the city’s agglomeration fees for regional services which adds up to $5 million more due as compared to last year’s fees.

“This increase in Westmount’s contribution is completely unacceptable, given the rates of inflation, our current economic situation and the reality of our city,” said Price.

As the president of the island’s Association of Suburban Mayors (ASM), Westmont Mayor Peter Trent prepared the ASM’s minority report in which he singles out nine serious points for future discussions with the central city authorities. As a successful businessman, Trent still can’t understand why the city’s budget process fails to reflect any concrete objectives nor does it display any kind of coherent guidelines for future projects or possible emergencies. During the recent municipal elections, the report cites how Mayor Tremblay often said the city’s future tax hikes would only reflect regular inflation rates but nothing was said about the agglomeration’s budget. Following the recent municipal election, the city’s so-called minority partners are now forced to deal with a 12.6 percent increase in their “agglo” rates which the ASM report denounces as both financially and politically unacceptable. The report also denounces Mayor Tremblay’s autocratic approach to “agglo” concerns when he made it clear there would be no changes made, or even considered for the 2010 budget. Thus were the suburbs effectively cut out of the budget’s discussions even though the city’s independent suburbs finance almost 20 percent of the city’s budget without any serious participation in the process. As for the budget’s actual figures, both Mayor Tremblay and executive committee member Alan DeSousa will have to explain the 9.4 percent increase (excluding debt repayment) in the city’s operational spending habits. Apart from the fact this means the city will be spending a combined $190 million more than it spent last year, Mayor Tremblay will have to explain why that total includes an additional $91.9 million which must be paid into the city employees’ pension funds along with another $62.2 million going to the STM and the island’s AMT — the island’s beleaguered suburban train service. Considering the city’s already difficult economic situation, the island’s suburban mayors consider the increase to be completely unacceptable.

Apart from the fact two of the city’s three largest departments, as defined by the SPVM (Service de la Police de la Ville de Montréal) and the city’s SIM (Service des Incendies de Montréal) happen to represent 40 percent of the agglomeration’s total budget, the ASM report bitterly denounces their absence from the agglomeration’s budget process. Apart from their vociferous complaints about both the SPVM and the SIM being absent from their budget consultations, the ASM report also condemns the new budget’s lack of any kind of so-called “trend analysis” because in this case, such information would demonstrate how the central city’s bill for regional police and fire services are being increased at roughly three times the normal inflation rate.

Other issues include several millions of dollars worth of hypothetical revenues for the STM —the city’s public transport system — which could easily become deficits if such revenues turn out to be nothing more than wishful thinking. The report also condemns similar confusion about assorted tri-annual infrastructure investments.

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CSL public works chief to help in Haiti
By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban
February 3, 2010

Tordjman will be going down to Port au Prince, and is doing so on his own time — using two weeks of his vacation available to him. He told The Suburban last week that he is motivated by the Jewish principles of tikkun olam — repairing the world — and pikuach nefesh, helping other people in a time of need. Tordjman said his family will remain here, as conditions in Haiti are dangerous.

“I was chosen as part of a group to go down,” he explained. “Our first step will be to establish clean water systems and a safe environment for any refugee camp in the city of Port au Prince. Following that will be information collection for when I return, to do a reconstruction plans for specific areas.

“There is definitely going to be a lot of work done [from Montreal],” he added. “It’s all volunteer for now, so I don’t know if I’ll have the opportunity to go down there again soon, but we’ll be doing a lot of planning and coordination for reconstruction. A lot of the coordination can be done from a distance. I did a lot of that in my previous job, when I was in project management at SNC Lavalin. Those are the tools I’ll be using when I’m back here. While on site, I’ll be evaluating whether some areas can be saved and which can’t be, possible relocation sites for some of the schools and if their rebuilding cities, to make sure they build them properly with the future in mind.”

Tordjman said that from what he has seen on television and read, coupled with his engineering expertise, he believes reconstruction will take a decade, “easily.

“There’s a possibility of relocation of major parts of Port au Prince — 10 years is probably an optimistic view.”

As to where he will sleep and how he will eat in his two weeks there, “those arrangements will be difficult,” he said last Thursday. “Specifically in the case of eating because I eat only Kosher, I will be bringing a lot of my own food down and, as for sleeping, we will be in a sort of camp. The location hasn’t been disclosed to me just yet.

“It’s going to be less than comfortable accommodations for sure.”

But nevertheless, “we all have to get involved in some way to help out — I can give of my time, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

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Art exhibit at CSL library
The Suburban
February 3, 2010

Côte St. Luc’s Eleanor London Library is presenting artworks by Amy A. Thompson and Amber Albrecht, until Feb. 28, the city announced. “This exhibition, Invented Memories: Works by Amber Albrecht and Amy A. Thompson, explores themes of recollection, narratives and dreams,” says a city announcement. “Amber Albrecht has created prints and drawings of absurdist situations, which stem from her recollection of the creatures, landscapes and impossible happenings of the storybooks from her childhood.

“In Amy A. Thompson’s mixed media series Glint, she depicts an imagined land. These dreamlike landscapes lead the viewer to reflect on the contrast between the intimacy of the self and the grand expanse of the cosmos.”

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The CSL library matters too
The Suburban
Letter to the editor
February 5, 2010

Joel Goldenberg reported in the recent issue of The Suburban on the passing of the budget in Hampstead. Unfortunately, he did not mention the debate about the support for the library membership. There were a number of residents who appealed to the council not to reduce the funds dedicated to the support of library membership. Unfortunately, the council members were split on this issue and reached an agreement before the budget meeting to provide $10,000 for this cause. The appeals from the residents had no effect because the council members did not want to revisit this issue. Several of the residents who voiced their concerns were youth arguing that the society should support access to books and literature as part of the approach to education and not recreation. Here is my perspective:

When Hampstead demerged from the City of Montreal 800 of its residents were members of the CSL library at the cost of five dollars per year. In the first budget as an independent town Hampstead budgeted $160,000 for a deal with CSL according to which Hampstead residents had to pay approximately $75 per year (youth and seniors $25). In the subsequent years Hampstead decreased this budget item to approximately $70,000 with increased membership costs resulting in approximately 200 members in 2009. The final decrease of this budget line to $10,000 will lead to further decrease in the membership.

In my mind discussion about usefulness of a library and public access at a very small cost has been resolved a long time ago. Just like schools and daycares (in Quebec) are heavily subsidized, so are the libraries. As far as I know, Hampstead is the only town within greater Montreal (and likely well beyond) that does not have its own library. OK, we are too small to support our own library but we still could help our residents to join one of their choice. Hampstead passed a $21 million budget, there is $2 million in this budget for ‘recreation and culture, but really only $10,000 for the latter. That is 0.05 percent of its total budget. For comparison, CSL spends five percent of its budget on the library and Westmount three percent. The situation in Hampstead is a real disgrace.
Mirek Cygler
Hampstead

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CSL Winter Carnival
The Suburban
February 3, 2010

Côte St. Luc’s annual winter carnival takes place Sunday Feb. 14, also Valentine’s Day, with numerous activities during the day, Peewee “A” invitational hockey tournament semi-final games takes place at Trudeau Park, Confederation Annex, from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., and 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. A pancake breakfast, along with hot chocolate, cider and coffee, takes place at the park’s Chalet 1 starting at 11:30 a.m. A figure skating club exhibition takes place at Samuel Moskovitch Arena from noon to 1:35 p.m. Carnival activities from 12 to 4 p.m. will include face painting, balloons, arts and crafts at the Samuel Moskovitch Arena studio room; taffy on the snow, inflatables, horse-drawn carriage rides and skating on Centennial Lake at Trudeau Park and from 1:45 p.m. to 2:50 p.m., public skating at the

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Municipal taxes, suburban anger
Municipalities face 10-13% hike in their share of tab for island-wide services
By David Johnston, The Gazette
February 4, 2010

The 2010 municipal budget season is over and here are the final standings:

Highest tax increase on the island of Montreal: Baie d'Urfé, 8.5 per cent.

Lowest tax increase on the island of Montreal: Dorval, 3.79 per cent.

Municipality in Greater Montreal with the highest assessed value for its average single-family home: Westmount, $1.02 million.

This week saw the final few of the 82 municipalities in the Montreal region pass their budgets for 2010.

The 15 suburbs on the island of Montreal - most of them in the West Island - were among the last of the 82 to table budgets. They had to wait until the city of Montreal got around to producing its budget on Jan. 13, because that budget assigned the suburbs their shares of the bill for island-wide services like policing and transit.

The increase in those shares turned out to range between 10 and 13 per cent; those hikes that provoked anger and raised questions about tax equity in the Montreal region.

Today, The Gazette is publishing tax data for 25 selected municipalities, on and off the island of Montreal. The municipalities are ranked in descending order of real-estate wealth, as reflected in valuation rolls, with Westmount topping the list.

Main highlights of the 2010 budget season and a summary of fiscal trends can be found here.

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Municipal taxes 2010
What people are paying
http://www.scribd.com/doc/26375808/Montreal-municipal-taxes-2010

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Municipal taxes: Budget intelligencer
By David Johnston, Montreal Gazette
February 4, 2010

Tax increases in 2010 in the Montreal region are generally higher in municipalities on the island of Montreal than off it - particularly in demerged suburbs on the island, whose mayors accuse the city of Montreal of offloading some of its local costs onto the suburban tax base. But high tax increases in Montreal and the island suburbs also reflect money that needs to be raised to finance new métro cars. Even though the métro serves Laval and Longueuil, only municipalities on the island have to pay for new métro cars.

Before forced mergers in 2002, taxes were generally much higher in the city of Montreal than in the island suburbs. From 2002 until demergers in 2006, tax rates in most suburbs were raised to reach a single uniform mill rate on Montreal Island. Demergers put an end to that. Even so, offloading since then continues to put tax pressure on island suburbs. The figures for 2010 show there is no real difference anymore in taxes between the city of Montreal and most suburbs, for properties of roughly equal value.

The lowest tax increase on Montreal Island in 2010 is in Dorval. Taxes in the airport city will rise only 3.79 per cent this year. Dorval Mayor Edgar Rouleau says the small tax hike was achieved through dipping into past surpluses. Island tax bills are generally 50 per cent for local services and 50 per cent for shared island services like policing. All island suburbs were assigned tax increases of 10 to 13 per cent by the city of Montreal for shared services.

To keep overall tax bills low, suburbs either cut their budgets (Beaconsfield, down 3.5 per cent) or kept increases at or below inflation (1.8 per cent).

Laval's 1.7-per-cent increase this year is exceptionally low by metropolitan standards - but it's business as usual for the Montreal region's biggest suburb. Continuing population growth means it can count on an expanding property-tax base. In the 12 months up to July, 13,341 people left Montreal Island to live in Laval and only 6,568 moved from Laval to Montreal. Laval still has a lot of room left for residential growth. Although one-third of Laval's land is reserved for agricultural production, Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt says the city still has developable land equal to 14 per cent of the city's entire land mass. But he says new development will mainly be high-density construction. "The days of bungalow development are over," he says.

Unlike the city of Montreal, most island and off-island suburbs bill separately for water consumption - either through a flat tax or a charge for metered consumption. Off-island suburbs have also started to bill separately for a wide variety of city services. Blainville, for example, charges separately for water, garbage removal and sewage treatment, on top of its regular property taxes.

CoteSaintLuc.org

Press clippings: Week of February 1, 2010 / Coupures de journaux : Semaine du 1 février 2010