Open letter - Towards a true partnership between Montreal and its suburban cities

MONTREAL WEST, April 6, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM) released an open letter from Mr. Beny Masella, ASM President and Mayor of Montreal West for which he is available for interviews:

"The City of Montreal's mayoral race has received special attention in the past few days. This interest is shared by the mayors of the 15 suburban municipalities on the island who want to know more about the people who will enter the race and the ideas they will have for the city and for the island. It's clear to us that these candidates?declared or prospective?must address these issues keeping in mind that Montreal city hall will have to improve its relationship with its suburban cities which contribute nearly $440 million annually to the city's budget. This sum is well in excess of the demographic weight for our cities.

It's important to remember that we share common services such as water management, public security, large parks and public transit. However, people in suburban municipalities pay 62% more in taxes than people in the city of Montreal for the same services.

In 2017, Montreal and its suburban cities agreed on a temporary formula for sharing expenditures which ended in December 2019. Faced with the need to come up with a permanent formula, the Montreal-island cities suggested changes to manner in which we share these costs to make it more equitable, specifically by adding indicators that incorporate user-pay principle. Unfortunately, we are faced with indifference from our main partner who has been refusing to negotiate for several months. The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Andrée Laforest, set up a working committee due to this impasse. 

However, this committee is being snubbed by the city's representatives. Montreal is still refusing to come to the negotiating table and is finding various ways to delay the meetings. It's unacceptable and disrespectful. Mayors of these suburban cities represent over 250,000 citizens and deserve better treatment from Montreal representatives. 

To that end, we ask declared and prospective candidates to explain how they intend to establish a true partnership between Montreal and its suburban cities. We ask that they explain how they intend to break the deadlock in order to establish a new framework for sharing agglomeration costs."

Association of Suburban Municipalities
The Association of Suburban Municipalities is comprised of mayors from the 15 suburban cities located on the island of Montreal. Each one of them has their own voice and municipal management. The association represents the interests of over 250,000 citizens and contributes nearly one-fifth of the budget for Montreal Island.

SOURCE Association of Suburban Municipalities