September 25, 1997 

Last week I quit as member of the executive committee of the Union des Municipalities du Québec. My colleague, Georges Bossé, the Mayor of Verdun, did likewise. We both felt the UMQ’s actions had left us no choice : this organization could no longer represent the interests of the citizens of the Island of Montreal. At the end of the year, all the Island cities (except Montreal) will quit the UMQ. We henceforth will be represented in all matters by the Conference of Suburban Mayors (CSM), of which I’m president. The CSM members backed our decision totally.

How did things come to such an unpretty pass?

Let’s start off with : what is the UMQ - and why should you care?

UMQ cities and towns make up 80 per cent of Quebec’s population, 87 per cent of total municipal budgets, and 93 per cent of municipal labour costs. Up until now. Our quitting removes 11 per cent of the population and 14 per cent of total budgets.

For years, I’ve felt that the UMQ was rurally dominated. After all, there is another union that represents the interests of the really small towns - the UMRCQ.

And we’re talking small. It is a measure of the rural fixation of the Quebec government that they tend to treat the two unions as equals. So we urban cities are doubly diluted, because within the UMQ, Montreal island is just a region like the other 16.

On July 25, the UMQ Council formally rsolved that the $500 million downloading from Quebec be euqally distributed - n.b., not equitably distributed - all over Quebec. (The original proposal let the Island off fairly lightly, in view of costs we bear that off-Island cities don’t.)

We were only told after the vote how much this would cost the Island. Luckily, I had made rough calculations during the meeting and warned everybody that we would never accept the idea. It sailed through anyway.

Then, on Aug. 2, the entire assembly of the UMQ voted for ’equal’ sharing of the $500 million. Again, we warned them we can’t accept that.

Next, Quebec set up a negotiating table to discuss the matter. We did not want to sit as UMQ members, as we would be bound by their anti-Island policy. We were refused a seat. Imagine. Not one person from the Island of Montreal, which represents a third of Quebec’s economy. But the UMRCQ got five out of the 10 seats! Five hamlets beat out a metropolis.

Then Bossé and I simply invited ourselves to the table. We went up to Quebec and marched into the room where the meeting was to be held.

After waiting an hour with no one showing up - the media had told them of our presence - a flunky came to see us sheepishly requesting we see the Minister. Trudel was all at sixes and sevens. After hastily checking with the UMQ, he awkwardly declined us a seat at the table in view of their objection. In the event, the table never did come up with a solution, and now he is imposing a method that is even more penalizing for Island cities.

Saw you all at the Verdun Auditorium for the monster No Rally that Sunday.