The municipal council has adopted a resolution asking the Quebec government to review certain provisions of Bill 40.
At its October 17 council meeting, the municipal council of the City of Brossard adopted a resolution to ask the Quebec government to review certain provisions of Bill 40, adopted in 2020.
Following the adoption of the Act to amend the Education Act with respect to school organization and governance, municipalities were required to transfer to school service centers, free of charge, any immovables needed for the construction or expansion of schools or school service centers (SSCs). This transfer of responsibility was carried out without consulting the municipalities, and the financial burden was not accompanied by a transfer of school tax revenues.
A growing number of municipalities are now being forced to assume significant costs as a result of this legislative change, and this in a context of significant inflationary pressures. At a time when municipal responsibilities are constantly increasing, this additional financial burden is becoming difficult to manage.
Since 2020, the municipal sector has been lobbying the Quebec government to assume its responsibilities in acquiring buildings for the construction and expansion of schools. The government has expressed no desire to review these provisions. What’s more, the obligation imposed on municipalities does not take into account the use of existing buildings (land or buildings) belonging to the Quebec government.
In late summer, the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) announced the creation of a committee on relations between municipalities and CSSs, on which the mayor of Brossard, Doreen Assaad, sits.
“Education is a Quebec government responsibility. It’s not by putting cities under pressure that we’re going to ensure that we make the best decisions for the successful integration of schools into our living environments and the vitality of municipalities. The Quebec government must assume its responsibilities and propose solutions in concert with local players,” says Ms. Assaad.
The municipal council of the City of Brossard therefore asks the Quebec government :
- To assume the entire cost of acquiring school buildings, and to facilitate real estate transactions with towns and cities, in order to optimize school locations while respecting the authorities;
- To take into account municipal development and urban planning when setting up new schools;
- Ensure that the Quebec government and school service centers (CSS) optimize the buildings they already own, in line with the vision set out in the Politique nationale d’architecture et d’aménagement du territoire;
- Offer compact, innovative school models that set an example for the State in terms of regional planning and the efficiency of public investment;
- Ensure that CSSs cooperate fully with the municipalities in their respective territories.
