Civic Alert: Charest finally concedes on agglom— but offers no new solution

He spoke of the issue at a party rally first in Boucherville on the South Shore, and then on the West Island, and more informally in an English radio interview.

But the spin on his response colours the reality. Either he does not understand the situation or is willfully trying to mislead. He perpetuates the “city and suburbs can work it out” approach with which his municipal affairs minister Nathalie Normandeau, for the past year, has convinced no one.

But at last, he has publicly agreed that there are problems with his municipal reform. That overdue admission has been a long time coming, but does indicate some slight progress.

“We have to be glad about that,” said Pointe Claire mayor Bill McMurchie, vice-president of the suburban mayors’ association. “But I want to wait and see what will really happen.”

Of course, Charest has to tread a fine line and be careful not to upset Big Montreal Mayor Gerald Trémblay. His words were carefully nuanced when reading his prepared speech to the Dorval faithful last Thursday and in a more free-flowing interview with CJAD’s Andrew Carter the next morning.

“I met recently with Gérald Tremblay and raised the issue with him, saying also that we have to find ways to make it work,” Charest revealed to the CJAD morning-man.

Unfortunately, it would have cost the Liberal leader too much political face to admit the whole thing is a disaster and Mario Dumont is right — it should be scrapped. At best, we can only hope for some patched-up version.

Carter pushed Charest on what would be done. “There are ways,” he replied, “so that the agglomeration council is more inclusive in the decision-making process for all the mayors.”



Making it happen



“We can certainly find ways to make that happen,” he added. I wondered: did that comment mean that the Liberals would legislate a solution? Probably not, as Charest went on: “We will approach it in a very constructive way and work with both sides.”

Although he did not go into details, was he signaling that the real impediment was Tremblay’s intractability?

It seemed possible, because he added: “If I raised it with Gérald Tremblay, it was because I believe that he and the other mayors can find a way of making it work more effectively.”

Charest’s basic message was the same at Dorval and on CJAD. “There were the forced mergers. We committed to return democracy to the municipalities. We did so.”

That statement is pushing the limit of credibility. It is being freely used by Liberal MNAs, hard-pressed to find something positive about the Charest reform.



Half a promise



At best, during their mandate, the Liberals returned only partial democracy to the former cities — plus big downtown taxes. Westmount Mayor Karin Marks says they still have the other half to do.

While Marks is out of town, Pro-Mayor Nicole Forbes deputizes, but was reluctant to speak in that capacity.

"My personal view, though, is that Jean Charest's position was very disappointing. The mayors have tried hard to cooperate with Gérald Tremblay, but it’s just not possible with the demerger law giving Montreal a license to over-tax and abuse the suburbs. It needs a stronger government intervention."

A long-time Liberal Party activist, Forbes said she will still be voting Liberal. "Nevertheless, if some people looked at other options in these circumstances, I could understand them."

The trickery cannot be forgotten. It amplifies the problem and provides justification for the support of the ADQ on the West Island.

The West Island mayors rooting for Mario Dumont and the ADQ were unmoved.

“(Charest’s) idea of making it work more effectively underlines that he has no intention of doing anything meaningful,” said Senneville’s George McLeish. “It cannot be ‘worked-out’ between the mayors. It can only be solved by the government changing the structure.”Bill Tierney was as firm in his dismissal. “Why didn’t he meet with our President to tell her? Why were no mayors invited to meet him on his West Island visit?” asked the mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Then he supplied his own answer: “Because he doesn’t need us: we’re in the bag! He has no intention of making any changes. It was Charest’s opportunism.”



Another love-in



Westmounters’ bond to their weekly paper and their respect for the current Examiner editor showed last week when Wayne Larsen described his job at a meeting organized by the WMA in the Library’s Westmount Room.

An absorbed audience, which had turned out on a record-setting cold evening, listened attentively and afterwards discussed their requirement for the town’s newspaper.

Despite the lack of perceptible change in the paper, there was lingering concern over last month’s office move which was reflected in many of the questions following his presentation.

Called on at short notice, Allan Aitken, a nephew of the UK press baron Lord Beaverbrook (Max Aitken), closed the proceedings by drawing on his long-acquired knowledge of the Examiner. He had been a director of the Monitor Company when its printing business collapsed in 1968 and some assets had to be sold.

One of them was the Examiner, which was acquired by John Sancton, who published it in Westmount for the almost three decades.

Aitken pointed out the truism that, although a newspaper is a commercial product with a proprietor, readers of a good paper feel they are part-owners, too! Publishers had to avoid damaging that relationship.



Citizens speak up



The lack of citizen activism at this stage of the demerger saga is remarkable considering the swollen agglom taxes — La taxe Charest, as it was dubbed on the South Shore. It is a dramatic contrast to the high level of action at the forced merger and referendum stages. In TMR at that time, for instance, a citizens group took on — and won over — City Hall.

Counter to the current general trend, a delegation of some of the same TMR activists this week visited Pierre Arcand, the former broadcasting business man who is Jean Charest’s rookie candidate in the riding.

“Despite short notice, we found him very receptive,” said Kathy Elie, one of the organizers. “Liberal MNAs had briefed him on the discontent, but it was valuable to let him know how we felt.”

Fortunately, he did not use the party line about Liberals having provided the demerger.





Civic Studies



Mystery growth How did Westmount's population increase by 767 between 2001 and 2006? Was there some forgotten major construction? Or was it the conversion of the former Reddy Hospital to an immigrants’ shelter? Or the revised electoral register at the 2004 referendum time of the “hotel” section of Alexis Nihon complex which reputedly produced some 14 names for an apartment?



Local expert Jim Griffin was called on by several broadcasters to explain how to recognize and eliminate lead pipes from the older residential installations which isnow being recommended by the community health department.



Diversion A dispute over heavy traffic use of residential streets as a short-cut to the Autoroute involves Montreal-West and Lachine, with Big Montreal lawyers wading in and waving “agglom” warnings!



Gallery selectors Westmount council appointed Suzie Fairbrother, Mary Martha Guy, Anthony Hobbs, Susan Lazar-Hart and Florence Millman to the Gallery Selection Committee for the 2007 season. Victoria Leblanc, curator, and Community Events Coordinator Maureen Lafrenière complete the committee, but do not vote.



Demolition team Councillor Patrick Martin will chair the Demolition Committee for the next year. He will be joined by Councillors Nicole Forbes and Cynthia Lulham.



Price review A comprehensive review of prices for permits and services is being proposed by Westmount Council. For instance, causing the replacement of a street lamp will cost $2,500.



Oil recovery After spending several million dollars over the last decade in eliminating the polluting underground oil outside the former Montreal Transit garage on The Glen, council is now going to borrow $250,000 for five years to pay for it.



Business travel Big Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay is spending two days on the French Riviera this week with a business group looking to attract international developers to Montreal. He then attends an executive meeting of a local government association in Paris.



Business continued With Chairman Frank Zampino absent, Vice-Chairman Francine Senécal steered last Wednesday’s Executive Committee through one of its heavier agendas.



Metro security The Montreal executive has given a green light to the 135-strong police squad to work on the Metro. Police Inspector Hélène Charron will head a new transit division.



More women In the last 12 years, 48 per cent of new hirings in the City of Montreal have been women. Currently, 39 per cent of employees are women compared to only 16 per cent in 1987.



City workers Was Côte St. Luc copied? The former city of York (now part of Mega-Toronto) will have its garbage and recycling collected again by city workers, not contractors. Because equipment and personnel are available, the switch is estimated to save $4 million a year.





CJAD transcript



Here is a transcript of Jean Charest's interview with CJAD's Andrew Carter last Friday, March 9:



Carter: “15 suburban mayors say they have given up hope of meeting with Quebec Premier Charest any time soon. They are bitterly disappointed and want to discuss possible changes to the agglomeration council.”



Charest: Well, we will work with the mayors to make the agglomeration council work and will work with the Mayor of Montreal. I met with the Mayor of Montreal recently, Gérald Tremblay, and I raised the issue with him also saying that we have to find ways to make it work



Carter: What do you think are good ways to make it work more effectively?



Charest: Well, there are ways that the agglomeration council can work so that it is more inclusive in the decision-making process for the all the mayors around the table and we can certainly find ways to make that happen.

So we are going to approach this in a very constructive way and work with both sides. And if I raised it with Gerald Tremblay it was because I believe that he and the other mayors can find a way of making it work more effectively.

You know, this whole issue of democracy at the municipal level has been a tough issue for Quebec. We’ve had the forced mergers we committed to returning democracy to the municipalities. We did that.

And it is tough to undo something and rebuild something. But we’ve gone through most of it now and if we need to adjust some things as we go forward, we are ready to do that.







Community activist Don Wedge can be reached at calert@web.net. His columns are archived at www.westmountexaminer.com,">www.westmountexaminer.com,">www.westmountexaminer.com, go to Opinion.