What's New

Due to a large amount of materials picked up today, it will not be possible to complete collection on some streets. This will be completed tomorrow.

 Please leave your bin at the curb.

The property assessment roll, filed every 3 years, consists of an inventory of all properties located on the territory of a municipality...

To read more, click here.

UPDATE December 14, 

Due to a technical problem with Canada Post's distribution system, the calendars that had been separated by north and south sectors were distributed randomly. Since we are unable to know exactly which version was distributed to which address, we must redistribute them. This will be done in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can find the January collection information in the December Contact on page 7.

You can also download or consult the calendars by clicking on the following links:

North sector
South sector

“The taxes levied for regional services are scandalous!” Mayor Georges Bourelle

Beaconsfield, December 1, 2022 – “The 2023 Agglomeration budget for regional services exclusively managed by the City of Montréal is scandalous and its injustice obvious. Montréal limits its contribution to 2.7% but imposes an increase of 11.9% on Beaconsfield! Montréal now surcharges us by 4 million dollars per year. This is completely unacceptable!”

Mayor Georges Bourelle is outraged by the offhandedness with which the Montréal administration is playing its game of reducing its contribution for a fourth consecutive year by increasing the shares for regional services of the related cities, such as Beaconsfield.

For the years 2020 to 2025, Beaconsfield is overcharged by 19 million dollars in favour of Montréal. The combined financial impact at the expense of the 15 cities related to Montréal and their 250 000 residents will reach 122 million dollars. Whereas inflation fluctuates around 7% in Canada this year, Montréal limits the increase of its contribution to 2.7% while inflicting an 11.9% increase on Beaconsfield taxpayers which is almost twice the inflation rate. The combined impact for all 15 cities is 8%.

“Montréal’s devious merry-go-round started with the temporary consensus on Agglomeration finances reached in 2017 for a three-year duration. Since then, Montréal has been avoiding compliance with the original agreement of 2008”, states Mayor Bourelle, who is also vice-president of the City of Montréal’s Finance and Administration Commission for the Agglomeration.

The surtax penalty is very real for the citizens of the related cities. They are already paying 60% more than Montréal taxpayers for Agglomeration services although they are using them less, such as police and fire safety services, public transit, and water treatment.

For Beaconsfield, the injustice caused by the Montréal administration’s manoeuvres comes with a price tag that has increased by 2 million dollars annually for the last three years. The new 2023 budget will increase the tax surcharge to more than 4 million dollars per year for the next three years. In 2025, the invoice for taxes overpaid by Beaconsfield to Montréal will amount to 19 million dollars.

Legal action for 10 million dollars

Mayor Bourelle is still counting on the legal challenge launched by Beaconsfield in 2020, the first year of the wrongful overtaxation, to obtain justice for its citizens. The legal action against the City of Montréal has now reached more than 6 million dollars plus interest.

“We will amend the procedure once more to include the new 2-million-dollar surtax which will actually turn into a surcharge of over 4 million dollars for our citizens in 2023. Our legal action will therefore be adjusted to approximately 10 million dollars”, declares Mayor Bourelle.

The City of Beaconsfield had taken this action in order to uphold the multilateral agreement signed in 2008 and ratified by the Government of Québec, the City of Montréal and the 15 demerged cities. The agreement ensures a fair sharing of regional services costs by the cities on the island of Montréal. “This is no longer the case. It is antidemocratic, unfair, and punishing for our citizens”, concludes Mayor Bourelle.

The leaf drop-off site is now closed for the winter season, following this first snowfall.

Leaves can still be included in the green and food residue collection, as usual.

Beaconsfield, November 3, 2022 - In cooperation with non-profit organization GRAME and Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre (IUHSSC), the City of Beaconsfield planted trees to highlight the arrival of 48 young IUHSSC beneficiaries, age 6 to 17, at the Batshaw Centre in Beaconsfield.

"The trees are supposed to symbolize the evolution of the partnership between IUHSSC and the City over the years. We are happy to welcome these new members in our community and to give them the possibility to discover the services offered by our library and leisure programmes," declares the mayor of Beaconsfield, Mr. Georges Bourelle.

Mayor Bourelle states that the City was able to implement this project as a result of the GRAME programme ICI ON VERDIT and a grant of 4,600 dollars obtained from TD Canada through GRAME. The organization also provided invaluable support for the planning of the campus greening and the tree-planting activity on the Elm Avenue site on November 2.

"It was a great pleasure for GRAME to contribute to the planting project at the Batshaw Centre. In fact, we know that involving the young boys and girls in the planting of these 40 trees will allow them to feel engaged and to develop a sense of belonging to the Centre. With these direct interventions and by involving young future leaders in ecofriendly activities, GRAME participates in the greening and embellishment of this living environment," notes Ms. Élise Légaré-Hains, Greening Coordinator at GRAME.

"The cooperation with GRAME has greatly facilitated the efforts of our community to preserve our forest cover on both private and public properties. The access to high-quality tree-planting services at unequalled prices as well as the solid experience of the GRAME team made it possible to increase Beaconsfield's urban canopy," affirms Mayor Bourelle.

"We are very grateful to the City of Beaconsfield for enabling the planting of more than forty trees in cooperation with the GRAME organization. In addition to greening their living space, the activity provided an opportunity for introducing the young people to ecofriendly engagement and raising awareness for the benefits of biodiversity in their environment. We sincerely thank our partners for their financial participation and their implication," says Mr. Jean-François Miron, Associate Executive Director at the West Island IUHSSC.

GRAME – Groupe de recommandations et d'actions pour un meilleur environnement – provides environmental solutions in collaboration with citizens, communities, organizations, and governments by intervening on the ground, deploying education and awareness programmes, and making recommendations firmly backed by robust science that has characterized the organization since its inception. 

The mission of Batshaw Youth and Family Centres (Batshaw Centres), established under the Act Respecting Health Services and Social Services, is, among others, to provide psychosocial, rehabilitation and social integration services, and to ensure the provision of services related to child placement, adoption, adoption disclosure, reunification, expertise to the Superior Court and family mediation. Since 2015, the Batshaw Centres are part of the Montreal West Island IUHSSC.

As part of the bus network redesign and the anticipated commissioning of the REM in the West Island of Montréal, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is holding public consultations.

Beaconsfield residents will be able to express their opinions in two ways: by participating in the virtual consultation session or by using the Let’s chat website.

The virtual information session for the Pointe-Claire, Kirkland, and Beaconsfield sector will be held on Thursday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Click here to sign up online.

From now until November 13, residents and people who work in the area can share their opinion on the Let’s chat platform. The tool will allow them to:

• Consult the information available, including the consultation session recordings, which are posted a few days after the event
• Comment on others’ proposals, including those of the STM
• Suggest ideas and receive comments from other participants
• Learn about the results of the consultation once they are available

More information on the bus network redesign is available online.

Source: stm.info

Beaconsfield, September 21, 2022 – As predicted by Mayor Georges Bourelle, the municipal administration and its financial experts, the effect of the increased property values generated by the new three-year assessment role (2023-2025) will double the unjust overtaxation imposed by the Montréal Agglomeration on Beaconsfield taxpayers to four million dollars per year.

The previous role (2020-2022) had caused a tax surcharge of two million dollars annually for Beaconsfield. The new role will add another two million dollars per year.

"Our lawsuit against the City of Montréal and the Québec Government had already reached six million dollars. With the new role, it will increase by more than four million dollars per year for each of the next three years. The amount of taxes paid in excess to Montréal will represent ten million dollars in 2023, 14 million dollars in 2024, and 18 million dollars in 2025 because of this new role. We are overtaxed by Montréal without receiving any additional services," decries Mayor Georges Bourelle.

This injustice started in 2019 with the adoption of a Ministerial Order that deviated from the rules instituted in 2008 regarding the cost-sharing for regional services, such as police, fire safety, public transit, drinking water and wastewater management. The omission of a neutrality coefficient in the calculation algorithm falsifies the historic equity which had previously established the proportionate shares of the 16 municipalities on the island of Montréal. The Agglomeration budget is solely controlled by the metropolis which grants itself an alleviation of its contribution at the expense of the related municipalities on the island.

To protect its taxpayers, the Beaconsfield administration had filed a lawsuit in 2019. "Pending a court ruling, we will adjust our claims every year to correct this perfect injustice," states Mayor Bourelle, former big business executive and co-chair of the Finance and Administration Commission of the Montréal Agglomeration.

The new three-year role has the same penalizing impact for Beaconsfield as its predecessor. The exuberant real estate market of recent years has led to a rise in property values, averaging 32.4% across the island of Montréal and 39.3% in Beaconsfield.

The mayor of Beaconsfield points out that his administration has undertaken all the appropriate and necessary actions to settle this over-invoicing with the Québec Government as well as the City of Montréal before initiating legal procedures to secure the rights of its taxpayers and protect the citizens of Beaconsfield.

"It is an intolerable nonsense and injustice. We pay more taxes with no added services because of an erroneous calculation algorithm. The validity of our legal action is now more apparent than ever. If we had not acted in 2020, we would have lost our recourse rights, as is the case for the other municipalities on the island. The new role proves that this over-invoicing will be repeated every year and increased every three years, thus adding on to it. It simply does not make any sense", deplores Mayor Bourelle.

Beaconsfield, September 15, 2022 – The latest three-year property assessment role for the Island of Montréal tabled on September 14 demonstrates once again that Beaconsfield property values are experiencing a considerable growth rate with an average of 39.3%, increasing the average value of a single-family home to $1,034,500.

“Beaconsfield belongs to the seven municipalities on the Island with average property values of more than one million dollars. This new role confirms the enrichment of all property owners in Beaconsfield who see the value of their property grow faster than inflation”, explains Mayor Georges Bourelle.

The mayor of Beaconsfield wishes to reassure about the impact on property taxes. He points out that the average increase of 39.3% will be compensated by a reduction of the mill rate to limit the impact on the municipal tax bill for 2023.

“The amount on the tax bill is mostly established by the property value in combination with the millrate. While the real estate market, which we do not control, determines the market value of properties, it is the Municipal Council who determines the mill rate. Although the equation is not perfect, we are striving to keep the impact below the inflation rate, as we have done in the past nine years”, reminds Mayor Bourelle.

Beaconsfield’s administrative rigour is even more remarkable considering that half of the municipal budget is determined by the Montréal Agglomeration. Over the last years, the quotes-parts paid to Montréal have been affected by increases exceeding the inflation rates. For that matter, Beaconsfield took legal action in 2020 – for an amount that has since reached more than six million dollars – against the City of Montréal and the Québec Government. The dispute relates to the penalizing method whichis used to calculate the amount that Beaconsfield must remit to Montréal.

“As with every tabling of a new role, the municipal administration is already working on minimizing the impact of the increased property values to keep the increase of the next tax bill below the inflation rate which represents the rising cost of living. Despite the inappropriately high contribution for regional services that we must pay to the City of Montréal, we will do everything necessary to preserve our taxpayers’ ability to pay while maintaining quality services that contribute to the quality of everyday life in Beaconsfield”, assures Mayor Bourelle.

Beaconsfield, August 25, 2022 – Mayor Georges Bourelle, members of City Council and Mr. Francis Scarpaleggia, Member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, proudly inaugurated Briarwood Park, which was completed at the end of July.

The newly redeveloped park offers an inclusive and contemporary design concept with accessibility in mind for individuals of all ages and abilities so that they can have an experience that meets their needs and aspirations. The play modules are aimed at tactile, motor, cognitive and sensory exploration. It also offers a completely new-to-Beaconsfield addition: A splash pad area!

A contract in the amount of $1,220,135 was awarded in July 2021 for the improvements to Briarwood Park. The City of Beaconsfield obtained a non-repayable contribution of $723,558 from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) administered by Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED).

“The City of Beaconsfield is very grateful for this partnership opportunity. We are pleased to be able to offer residents the opportunity to play and exercise on an inclusive, quality playground. This park will benefit children and adults in the neighbourhood, including the disabled and mobility-impaired population, who will be able to enjoy the benefits of outdoor play,” stated Mayor Bourelle.

“I am truly pleased that Beaconsfield is benefiting from this federal support aimed at helping communities across Canada rebound from the pandemic through investments that support local quality of life. The City of Beaconsfield is renowned for its focus on providing quality public spaces, like Briarwood Park, where citizens can meet, enjoy their outdoor surroundings, and experience a strong sense of community”, declared MP Scarpaleggia.

About the CCRF

The Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) was launched in June 2021. A total of $500 million has been granted over two years to Canada’s regional development agencies (RDAs), including $107 million to CED to invest in shared and inclusive public spaces in Quebec. As public health restrictions ease, the Government of Canada remains committed to investing in shared spaces to make them safer, greener and more accessible. This in turn will stimulate local economies, create jobs and improve the quality of life for Canadians. This funding helps communities:

• adapt community spaces and assets so that they may be used safely in accordance with local public-health guidelines; and
• build or improve community spaces to encourage Canadians to re-engage in and explore their communities and regions.

Residents opposed to the project and its excessive costs for Beaconsfield

Beaconsfield, August 23, 2022 – The mayor of Beaconsfield, Georges Bourelle, and the members of Municipal Council released the survey and results of citizen consultations which show that the population is opposed to the noise barrier project proposed by the Ministère des Transports (MTQ) primarily due to its excessive costs.

The survey data as well as the presentation by the experts who conducted the survey are now available on the City’s website at https://bit.ly/3QPfaGz (data) and https://bit.ly/2F4eOJp (presentation).

Mayor Bourelle had also written, as a matter of urgency, to the ministers of Transport and Health and Social Services following a statement by Montréal’s Public Health Department regarding a health issue which contradicts the affirmations of the MTQ experts.

As a reminder, until last May, the MTQ had always maintained that the project was not linked in any way to a health issue but was intended only to improve the quality of life for residents living close to the highway corridor on the south side. Even during the public session on May 17, MTQ officials had assured the population that there were no data regarding health issues in Beaconsfield caused by the highway. However, in June, an expert of the Public Health Department, Dr. David Kaiser, affirmed the contrary in response to representations made by citizens and Mayor Bourelle. Dr. Kaiser who is a renowned specialist in the field, assured that the health of citizens living within 150 metres on both sides of the highway is compromised by the noise, causing stress, sleep loss, cardiac problems, amongst others.

“Considering the new information and these contradictory positions, I have written twice, in June and July, to the responsible ministers of Transport and Health, François Bonnardel and Christian Dubé, asking them for clarification. We need to know whether there is a health issue for our citizens living close to Highway 20, as stated by Dr. Kaiser.

“This has become a crucial question. For years, the MTQ project has only included the construction of a barrier on the south side of the highway to improve the quality of life for the residents living south of the highway. If there is a health risk, this would also apply to the population north of the highway corridor”, explains Mayor Bourelle.

If a health issue exists, the project will become the government’s responsibility and must therefore be undertaken entirely at its expense. If this is not the case, the City would have to bear 25% of the costs for a noise barrier built only on the south side, as per the agreement concluded with the MTQ in 2015. The construction of such a barrier is very expensive, as it also necessitates the relocation of major telecommunication and public utility infrastructure.

The project is currently estimated at approximately 60 million dollars. If the City had to bear 25% of the costs, this would represent the equivalent of its existing long-term debt. The scientific survey shows that such funding is not acceptable in the eyes of the population.

In view of the health issue indicated by the environmental health expert, Mayor Bourelle mentions that it was decided to wait for a response from the two ministers prior to establishing the course of action for this project.

During this period, a representative of Compteurs Lecomte will take the annual reading of your meter. This is usually done from outside your home.

If an indoor inspection is required, residents will be informed with a door hanger of the procedure to follow in order to do the water meater reading directly through the company's website. 

The by-law on the quality of drinking water requires municipalities to take annual samples of the drinking water in their distribution networks, from residents who agree to participate. The samples are then analyzed in the laboratory and the results are sent to the Ministry of the Environment (MDDELCC). Citizens who participated in this campaign will receive a letter with the official results from the City of Montreal's laboratory in the fall of 2022.  

Access to the water ramp at the corner of Lakeview and Lakeshore. 
For non-motorized watercraft requiring a trailer only        
A permit is required to pass through the gate to access the boat launch.
Cost of permit: $100 for the current year
Key: $100 deposit required

Documents required:
To obtain an annual access permit, you must provide the following documents:

• Photo and registration certificate of the boat
• Proof of residence (e.g. driver's licence, Hydro-Québec or telecommunication company bill)
• Quebec driving licence

You must present yourself in person at the permit counter in City Hall, 303 Beaconsfield Blvd. Beaconsfield during opening hours, Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.

Methods of payment accepted:

• Cash
• Debit or credit card (MasterCard, Visa)

For more information, write to permis@beaconsfield.ca

• Kayak
• Canoe
• Windsurf board
• Paddleboard

Starting the week of May 30 until September 
Extensive work including excavation, pipe changes, lighting and installation of electrical charging stations will prevent the use of regular parking spaces in the vicinity of the Recreation Centre starting the week of May 30. This work will continue until the end of September. Access to the Recreation Centre will still be through the main doors despite the work.

Cyclists will still be able to park their bicycles on the bike rack located in front of the Recreation Centre. The skatepark will remain accessible during the reconstruction.
Please plan to arrive in advance to your activity to avoid being late.

Alternative spaces
In order to limit the inconveniences caused by this project, the City has created temporary parking spaces in the green space located on the north side of the Recreation Centre. Please follow the appropriate indications for entries and exits and respect the designated area.

Parking spaces for the disabled and mobility impaired will also be set up temporarily along City Lane in front of the Recreation Centre.

• The marina property should be integrated with Centennial Park;
• The redevelopment of Centennial Park should preserve its natural character;
• The construction of a multi-purpose centre (including a library and community spaces) will serve as an anchor, allowing our community to enjoy this unique waterfront space.

Once again, we are proud to announce that the City of Beaconsfield has been named one of Montreal’s top employers for 2022.

For the third year in a row, the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers have selected us based on criteria such as our retirement planning assistance, our parental leave support, and our sick and personal day policies. Our flexible work arrangements, tuition subsidies, and in-house training opportunities set us apart as a top employer.

Find the details of our nomination at reviews.canadastop100.com in the “Montréal’s Top Employers” section.

An amendment to By-law BEAC-033 regarding nuisances was adopted by Council on Monday.

This amendment prohibits the use of leaf blowers from June 1 to September 30 and will be in effect starting next year. 

The pertinent documentation relating to this amendment can be consulted below: 

• Rapport d'analyse d'un sondage téléphonique mené auprès des citoyens de la Ville de Beaconsfield - Léger (in French only)
• 14 environmental studies and documents 
  • Government of Canada - Particulate matter 2.5 and 10
  • Government of Canada - Fuels and air pollution
  • Government of Canada - Air pollutant emissions from transportation, off-road vehicles and mobile equipment
  • World health organization - Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health
  • Agglomération de Montréal - Inventaire 2010 des émissions de gaz à effet de serre corporatives (in French only)
    • Annexe A
      
    • Annexe B
    • Annexe C
    • Annexe D
  • Directrice santé publique de Montréal - bruit environnemental (in French only)
  • Directrice santé publique de Montréal - pollution atmosphérique (in French only)
  • Town of Lincoln Board of Health - Leaf blowers and health 
  • Jamie L. Banks, PhD, MS, Robert McConnell, Environmental Engineer - National emissions from lawn and garden equipment
  • Edmunds - emissions test : car vs. truck vs. leaf blower
  • Confédération suisse - Ce qu'il faut savoir sur les souffleurs et aspirateurs de feuilles mortes (in French only)
    
  • Évaluation des risques de la pollution urbaine sur la santé en Ile-de-France (in French only)
  • Un point sur la législation en France (in French only)
  • Medieco - Souffler des feuilles n'est pas anodin pour la santé! (in French only)

The Public Works department has noticed that certain sewer lines in your sector are blocked due to an accumulation of small branches and other small bits of debris which can only be there if they were purposefully put down the gaps in the sewer grates.  Recently, the accumulation of debris has caused many sewer back-ups.

We would ask for your cooperation in stopping this recurring issue in your sector by asking you to inform your children and anyone else who you might see putting debris in the gaps in the sewer grates of the consequences of their actions.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The City of Beaconsfield has implemented an automated call system called CodeRed to provide the means to reach citizens in an emergency. It is an efficient call system that can reach a large number of people in a very short time and can be deployed in a specific area, even a street if, for example, a broken water main were to force interruption of the water supply. In other cases, authorities could use it to announce an environmental accident, a gas leak or other emergency. The message could include information on procedures to be followed.

Is your phone number confidential, have you only a cell phone or have you moved in the last month?
The CodeRed database system contains numbers of landlines in our territory. In case of an emergency, citizens are called at home, on their cell, or at both numbers. If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called. The CodeRed automated call system gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own telephone or cellular numbers directly to the system's database. This can be done by visiting the City's website and clicking CodeRed.

Caller ID

When you see 866 419-5000 displayed, you will know the call is from the City. If you would like to hear the last message delivered to your phone, simply dial the number back.

This project complements other procedures already established as part of the City's emergency plan to improve efficiency during emergency situations.