What's New

In order to help its citizens deal with the economic issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Georges Bourelle and members of Council announce that the deadlines for payment of municipal taxes in Beaconsfield will be extended this year: the first tax installment will be due on May 26 and the second on August 25.

Normally, tax installments are due in February and May.

Following the restrictions announced by the Premier of Québec on January 6, the City of Beaconsfield is putting in place preventive measures to slow down the COVID-19 spread. These measures will be in effect from Saturday, January 9 to Monday, February 8 :
 
  • City Hall will remain open without appointment, Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Friday, from 8 a.m. to noon.

  • The Urban Planning Department will be closed to the public. Appointments for emergencies will be available only by phone at 514 428-4400, ext. 4430 or by e-mail at permis@beaconsfield.ca.

  • The Public Works building will remain open by appointment only. The Drop-off site will be open during regular opening hours.

  • The Recreation Centre will be closed to the public. The registration period for leisure programs and activities for the winter session is postponed to a later date.

  • The dog park on Elm will be open. We remind you to respect the physical distance of two meters between dog gardians at all times.

  • The library will maintain its contactless loans service according to the following schedule starting on January 11:
 
Monday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday: 1 to 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: 1 to 7:30 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
 
The library will soon offer space to study for students who do not have Internet access at home – details coming soon.
 
  • The outdoor rinks are open with a new schedule:
    • Heights and Christmas rinks will be open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. New restriction: Solo hockey OR by people from the same family group who live together in the same residence. A limit of 16 skaters applies.
    • Rinks for public skating will be open from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. A limit of 25 skaters applies.
See the outdoor rinks web page for more details.
 
To keep you informed about the measures taken by the City, consult our COVID-19 web page.
 
For details about the new health measures by the Québec Government to control the second wave, including the overnight curfew, visit quebec.ca
 
 
 
 

  • Bring your tree to the Public Works Drop-off Site, located at 300 Beaurepaire, during opening hours. 
  • During the month of January, leave your tree in the designated area at one of the parks listed below.
  • Keep your tree in your backyard until the spring branch collection.

 

Please note that branches or Christmas trees will not be picked up during the regular garbage collection. It is forbidden to place them at the curb during winter.

 

LOCATION OF PARK CHALETS

  • Beacon Hill - 100 Harwood 
  • Briarwood - 50 Willowbrook 
  • Christmas - 424 Beaconsfield 
  • Drummond - 200 Beaurepaire
  • Rockhill - 540 Beaurepaire
  • Shannon - 340 Preston
  • Beaconsfield Heights - 225 Evergreen 
  • Windermere - 303 Sherbrooke
  • Taywood - 121 Taywood 
  • Montrose - north of parking

We remind you that it is forbidden to park on the streets of Beaconsfield between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. This rule applies regardless of weather conditions.

 

Beginning in January 2021, the City of Beaconsfield will conduct a pilot project on Elm Avenue to evaluate maintenance protocols for the bike path. The City will plow and de-ice the bike path from east to west, during freezing periods only, and finally, once snow removal operations on the main streets are completed. A delay of 3 days is therefore expected before the snow is removed from the bike path following a storm. 

We hope that winter cycling enthusiasts will welcome this news.

Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists: please continue to be courteous and vigilant.

Beaconsfield is now claiming 4 million dollars from the City of Montreal

 
December 16, 2020 – Mayor Georges Bourelle and the members of Municipal Council are doubling Beaconsfield’s original claim and are now demanding that the City of Montreal repay 4 million dollars for taxes paid in excess to the Agglomeration in 2020 and 2021 due to an error in the algorithm to calculate the proportionate shares for regional services.
 
“We have spent this past year trying to have the omission of the neutrality coefficient corrected, by providing evidence and making appropriate representations to the provincial government and the City of Montreal. This error has cost us an additional two million dollars for absolutely nothing in 2020. The same error will reoccur in 2021,” says Mayor Georges Bourelle, denouncing this situation.
 
Agglomeration services include regional services rendered by Montreal for the entire island, including police and fire services, drinking water and waste water management, waste treatment and public transit.
 
Mayor Bourelle points out that the cities linked with Montreal have no decisional power nor influence regarding these services and their costs which are solely controlled by Montreal.
 
At the beginning of the year, the administration had mandated lawyer Marc-André LeChasseur of Bélanger Sauvé Law Firm, a renowned expert in municipal law in Canada, to evaluate procedural options. With the claim to double in 2021, the City is now retaining the services of litigation experts Jacques Jeansonne and Jean-François Towner of Jeansonne Law Firm.
 
With approximately 4 million dollars to reclaim, and considering the risk that this over-invoicing will be repeated every year, the mayor and the members of Municipal Council believe that all necessary actions must be taken to protect the citizens’ rights against this injustice. The professional fees for recuperating these millions will be less than $100,000.
 
“We have made all the appropriate political and administrative representations over the last twelve months in order to avoid having to go to court. We will continue to do so. However, we will also act to protect and enforce respect of our rights,” concludes Mayor Bourelle.
 
 
 
 

Tax freeze for all residential properties

 
December 16, 2020 – Beaconsfield’s mayor Georges Bourelle is pleased to announce a freeze for local taxes on all residential properties, while 92% of commercial properties will benefit from a global tax rate below inflation despite increased proportionate shares for costs related to the Montreal Agglomeration.
 
“These results are all the more satisfying as they were achieved in the particularly difficult context of the pandemic which has upset both our personal and professional lives,” explains Mayor Bourelle.
 
In March, the administration had to undertake an urgent review of its operations in order to maintain as many municipal services and activities as possible while respecting the health authorities’ instructions to assure public health and safety.
 
“By freezing the local residential taxes, the municipal administration demonstrates its diligence in ensuring the City’s stringent fiscal management and respecting our citizens’ ability to pay,” says Mayor Bourelle.
 
The administrative exercise becomes even more demanding by the administration’s total lack of control of regional expenses managed by the City of Montreal, representing half of the municipality’s budget. Moreover, these expenses for regional services are increasing beyond inflation.
 
It should further be noted that the City of Montreal is overcharging Beaconsfield, for a second consecutive year, by $2M for agglomeration services. This overcharge is due to an error in the algorithm used for calculating the proportionate shares of each of the 15 municipalities linked to Montreal on the island, including Beaconsfield.
 
“We have to absorb the increased costs for regional services while maintaining quality services in Beaconsfield and controlling costs. This difficult and demanding exercise makes the outcome even more satisfactory”, concludes Mayor Bourelle.
 
The Mayor and the members of Municipal Council would like to commend the excellent work of the municipal employees and express their appreciation for the results achieved in the particular context of the pandemic.
 
 
 
 

In order to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, it is recommended that you wear reusable masks, making sure to change and clean them properly.

If you opt for disposable masks, you must place them in the garbage and not throw them onto the street, where they would become a potential source of contamination and pollute the environment. You can also store them safely until spring for disposal on Shredding Days (see 2021 Collection Calendar).

To learn more, visit canada.ca

Beaconsfield stands out for its energy efficient practices

 

The Benchmark measures where a community stands relative to Canadian best practices on ten measures that, taken together, constitute the core characteristics of a Smart Energy Community.

The City of Beaconsfield is one of nine pilot communities that participated in the development of the Benchmark and received the highest score for the overall total of 10 indicators (tied with London, Ontario). Each month QUEST is highlighting a new indicator, and the respective best practices of the participating cities. In December 2020 they are sharing the best practices for the Land Use indicator.

You want to discover Beaconsfield’s best practices for this indicator? You will find them on page 27 to 31 in Beaconsfield’s Benchmark.

Consult the Beaconsfield Benchmark (French only) : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vaRpsmoOSeuoK6hFjU7NssQHykegoNzk/view

Consult the Beaconsfield’s scorecard (English only): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxJpoQPx9x3LYVNDeE5wUVhZRDVNM3h2Y1FHUG10TlJCRG9j/view  

Discover the participating cities’ best practices on QUEST social media (English only)

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Discover the Smart Energy Communities Benchmark : https://smartenergycommunities.ca/highlights/

November 15, 2020 – The Mayor of Beaconsfield, Georges Bourelle, announces that the municipality is starting legal proceedings to reclaim approximately 2 million dollars per year from the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal, paid in excess for services rendered by the Montreal Agglomeration since 2020.
 
This overpayment was caused by a change made to the algorithm used to establish the proportionate shares of the 16 related municipalities on the island of Montreal for regional services, such as police, public transit, water, etc., which has penalized municipalities with higher residential density. 
 
“After a full year of discussions with the Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal to find a fair solution for our citizens, we are confronted with a dismissal that forces us to uphold our rights in court,” explains Mayor Bourelle.
 
He regrets this approach especially in view of the fact that the proof is clear and clean. “Due to the erroneous elimination of the neutrality coefficient in the formula for determining the proportionate shares, we have paid an additional two million dollars in taxes to Montreal for absolutely nothing. We have provided clear evidence, but no corrections have been made”, states Mayor Bourelle.
 
Despite the request of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Andrée Laforest, the serious discussions lead by the Beaconsfield administration have not succeeded in influencing neither the Government nor the Montreal administration to correct this financial penalty inflicted on Beaconsfield taxpayers.  
 
“As responsible public managers, if you make an honest mistake, you have to correct it in the same vein. This is what the Government and the Montreal administration should have done,” believes Mayor Bourelle.
 
Both 2020 payments of Beaconsfield’s proportionate share to the Montreal Agglomeration have been made under protest with the view of recuperating the 2 million dollars paid in excess. Lawyer Marc-André LeChasseur, expert in municipal law at Bélanger Sauvé law firm and professor at McGill University, was mandated by City Council to represent the municipality in this case in February of this year.
 

Given that the City of Beaconsfield is in the COVID-19 red zone and in compliance with health and safety directives, Council has rescinded resolution 2020-09-288 (By-election of December 6, 2020 for district 6 - estimated budget of $ 92,000 and salary scale) and resolution 2020-09-317 (Notice of vacancy for the Office of Municipal Councillor for district 6) at a Special Council Meeting held on October 9, 2020.

Consequently, the City will not hold a by-election to fill the office of Councillor for District 6, following the passing of Councillor Gardner. The City of Beaconsfield is thus in a similar situation as other municipalities in Quebec which have not had to fill a vacancy since Council has a quorum and has no vacancy in the office of Mayor.
 
Council is however concerned and aware that the residents of District 6 have the right and expect to be adequately represented. Therefore, Mayor Bourelle undertakes to be the direct link with the residents of District 6, supported by all Councillors, in order to maintain the usual follow-ups with these residents. Mayor Bourelle can be reached as follows:

The agenda may be consulted on the City website.

September 17, 2020 – City Council is asking for significant federal and provincial grants as well as for private donations to revitalize Centennial Park and the Lord Reading property. The project aims to establish a multipurpose centre with a library, encourage access by active transport, and relocate the parking lot to the roadside along Beaconsfield Boulevard. 
 
“The participatory consultations held in 2019 made it possible to reach a clear consensus that these exceptional sites must be revitalized and that the project should be a vehicle for sustainable development and quality of life, but that the implementation depends on funding by higher levels of government and private donors”, indicates Mayor Georges Bourelle.
 
The City administration intends to substantially reduce the municipal financial contribution by obtaining government grants for two thirds of the costs. The City’s part will be further reduced by raising funds from private donors.
 
“Public and private contributions are essential for guaranteeing the execution of this project and for respecting the taxpayers’ capacity to pay while enabling the realization of a quality project”, explains Mayor Bourelle.
 
To this end, City Council will present four specific financial aid requests to the Green Municipal Fund of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to the Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund of Heritage Canada, to the Capital Assistance Program of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, and to the ÉcoPerformance Program of Transition énergétique Québec.
 
Once the financial support of government authorities and private donors is secured for the revitalization of the park and the construction of a multipurpose centre with a library, a multidisciplinary architectural contest will be held in the spring 2021. The call for tenders for its execution will then determine the final budget for this project.
 
Centennial Park and the Lord Reading property are exceptional public waterfront sites that are very popular among residents and visitors.
 
“This project is the result of a comprehensive and collaborative community initiative. It respects the wishes of our citizens who want the City’s largest waterfront park to be revitalized, accessible, frequented, animated and appreciated by the entire community”, concludes Mayor Bourelle.

September 10, 2020 – According to a preliminary pre-project study commissioned by the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) for the construction of a sound wall along a 5km stretch on the south side of Highway 20 in Beaconsfield, costs will increase by 127% from $20.5M to $46.6M.
 
“This is a substantial increase considering that the MTQ’s pre-project study is only at the preliminary stage. Yet five years ago, the minister at that time had guaranteed that there would be no cost overrun, and the budget would be respected”, recalls Mayor Georges Bourelle.
 
In 2015, Beaconsfield had reached an advantageous agreement with the then minister that the City would contribute 25% or approximately $5M of the implementation costs. “This was already a major commitment for our City considering the relative impact of such an expense on our budget”, indicates the mayor.
 
Since the beginning of this project, Mayor Bourelle has maintained the necessity of a citizen’s consultation and approval for a financial participation of the City in view of its sanitary, geographic and financial impact. This is even more significant today: “The skyrocketing costs make the social acceptability of this project even more difficult”, says the mayor.
 
According to a survey conducted among citizens by a renowned independent firm, the community is deeply polarized on the pertinence of the wall and the cost-sharing between districts. 
 
The preliminary pre-project study shows that the wall with a height of 4 to 4.5m, erected from east to west, will allow for a noise reduction varying between 7 to 13 decibels. Current noise levels vacillate between 63 to 71 decibels over 24 hours. In its policy on traffic noise adopted in 1998, the MTQ acknowledges its share of responsibility regarding sound pollution generated by road traffic. The MTQ has committed to intervening if the anticipated reduction by mitigation measures is at least 7 decibels.
 
In order to continually ensure a transparent decision process, Mayor Bourelle and members of Municipal Council will request MTQ officials to present the project in a public meeting once the final report is completed.
 
June 25, 2020 – The City of Beaconsfield is protecting the second payment for quote-part to the Agglomeration of Montreal by legal protest, as it did in February, in order to recover the millions of dollars unduly collected by the City of Montreal from Beaconsfield citizens.
 
"Millions of dollars are collected in excess every year from our citizens. These are no longer taxes for services rendered, but invoices inflated by Montreal to the detriment of equity and justice" decries Mayor Georges Bourelle, who is also Vice-President of the Commission sur les finances et l'administration [Standing Committee on Finance and Administration] of the Agglomeration of Montreal.
 
As we approach the August 31 deadline provided in the Ministerial Order concerning the revision of the payment calculation for regional services of related municipalities to the Agglomeration of Montreal, the City of Beaconsfield guarantees its legal remedies by this payment under protest.
 
This ministerial order of December 18, 2019 invites the related municipalities to reach an agreement by August 31. However, the intervention of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Andrée Laforest, has so far failed to advance talks with Mayor Valérie Plante’s administration in order to settle the numerous disputes concerning the shares paid for regional services on the Island of Montreal.
 
"There has been no development in the situation in six months despite Minister Laforest's formal invitation by ministerial order. The City of Montreal is stalling by providing proposals which are, in fact, placebo solutions, an illusion of settlement. The reality is that the inequities remain. The Montreal administration refuses to change the situation because it is the only one who benefits from it and imposes the sums to be paid, without consultation or consideration", reiterates Mr. Bourelle.
 
In addition, the Montreal administration uses two different financial approaches for the Agglomeration so as to reduce its contribution and increase its revenues. When it comes to revenues, it keeps 87% based on its demographic representation, but pays according to its fiscal potential, or 82%. The related cities, including Beaconsfield, then pay 18% of the expenses, but receive only 13% of the revenues.
 
The cost-sharing formulas applied by the City of Montreal to the Agglomeration are inadequate, outdated and the injustices are not corrected despite knowing all the facts, says Mayor Bourelle.
 
In 2020, without seeing any increase in services, Beaconsfield is paying for an 11% increase in its contribution to the Agglomeration, while general shares increased by 0.7%. This single distortion of the complex share calculation methods will cost the 20,000 Beaconsfield residents an additional $2 million this year.
 
"According to the ministerial order, there are only two months left to resolve these complex issues. We must establish lasting solutions which will have to be applied gradually over several years in order to avoid distortions penalizing taxpayers", concluded Mr. Bourelle.
 
 
 

 
Maire Bourelle rondJune 11, 2020 – Beaconsfield is a community where respect and basic fundamental rights are at the heart of our core values. We must honour this reality on a daily basis and defend it to ensure the well-being of current and future generations. 
 
The anti-racism protests that have been rocking the world over the past few weeks in the wake of the murder of US-citizen George Floyd during his arrest by four police officers in Minneapolis, denounce unacceptable violence against any human being.
 
The charters governing human rights constitute the foundation for justice, freedom and peace in our society. Any form of violence and discrimination must be reported, banned and punished. Law enforcement agencies must ensure that their representatives are systematically made aware of these societal issues in order to prevent brutality and profiling of any kind.
 
The current anti-racism protests remind us that discrimination exists even if it has little or no impact on our daily lives. Unfortunately, discrimination is a persistent reality, and we must be sensitive to the distress it causes. We need to be vigilant and attentive to any signs or behaviours that foster or conceal discrimination in overt or subtle ways. We have to stand up and take action to make it stop.
 
A few years ago, the City of Beaconsfield adopted policies relating to non-violence and harassment in the workplace. Respect for each individual and their rights is fundamental, be it in terms of race, colour, sex, age, civil status, religions, political affinities, language, ethnic or national background, social status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or handicap.
 
In fact, what differentiates us is the appreciation for the wealth of diversity we are a part of. Together, our differences form a whole and shape a society in which understanding and tolerance bind us together, set us apart and unites us. 
 
The protests to end systemic and individual racism remind us that human rights and freedom must be protected at all times. We need to listen to those who denounce injustice. We have to understand, and we must, above all, take action to put an end to it.
 
If you are a witness or victim of discrimination or violence, I encourage you to take legally appropriate action to get help for yourself, provide help for those in need, or report those who act in disregard of the rights of others to the authorities.
 
If we want to build a better world, no person shall be excluded, just as no person shall deliberately ignore discriminatory behaviour. We must join together to make sure that this stops. We all have a responsibility to shape a world that is a better place for everyone.
 
 
 

SECBenchmarkLogoQUEST and Pollution Probe have launched the Smart Energy Communities Benchmark. The Benchmark measures where a community stands relative to Canadian best practices on ten measures that, taken together, constitute the core characteristics of a Smart Energy Community.
 
The City of Beaconsfield was one of nine pilot communities that participated in the development of the Benchmark. The City is very pleased to have contributed our experience and expertise to this new tool that will help other municipalities in Canada on their energy-smart journey.
 
 
Smart Energy Communities Benchmark: https://smartenergycommunities.ca/highlights/
 

 
211An information and referral service available 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., 365 days a year, which will eventually be open 24 hours a day.
 
211 Community resources directory is also available on the web. In collaboration with community organizations, all information on social and community resources is updated annually.
 
With the help of statistics from calls and web frequency, 211 sheds a light to government officials and decision-makers on social needs and in determining missing resources that are needed.
 
211 service helps curb poverty and social exclusion, giving the people with non-urgent social needs rapid information on the social and community resources that will help them find solutions to move beyond their precarious situations.
 
211 is a free service, largely accessible especially for low-income people, seniors and newcomers.
 
 

sewer grate 2sewer grate rectThe 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.

 

Muted citizen response regarding utility and financing

November 20, 2015 – Beaconsfield residents are cautious in their assessment of the utility and financing methods of a sound wall along the south side of Highway 20, despite the exceptional proposal made by the Provincial Minister of Transport Robert Poëti for its implementation.

This was revealed by a survey of 600 adult Beaconsfield residents conducted by Léger Marketing from October 16 to 23, 2015; the results were weighted according to sex, age, owner or tenant status and district of residence. Such research reflects an overall position of citizens regarding the project’s relevance and financing methods. The results can be expected to be accurate to within 4% if repeated again 19 out of 20 times.

“We have conducted this survey to become fully aware of the overall position of our residents on this project. The results confirm the caution with which we have handled this matter from the beginning”, explains Mayor Georges Bourelle.

According to the pollster’s analysis, the survey results show that “the majority of the citizens seem unconvinced of the sound wall’s necessity […], because they have doubts regarding its efficiency and appearance or disapprove of the costs related to the implementation of the project.

“This first level of consultation allows us to take stock of the stakes to be considered before deciding whether to accept the Minister’s proposal. We will now address the financing and consultation methods to ensure that the decision will be made with total transparency as part of a democratic exercise which will respect all parties concerned”, adds the Mayor.

Transport Minister Robert Poëti recently offered to bear 75% instead of 50% of the project costs. Despite this exceptional proposal, Beaconsfield’s part would still amount to five million dollars.

The survey results demonstrate that the noise problems caused by the highway affect a very slight majority of respondents in the three districts closest to Highway 20, whereas the respondents in the three other districts declare to be hardly or not affected.

The two main reasons given by those opposed to the project are the costs (53%) and the fact that they are not directly affected by the noise generated by highway traffic (46%).

This trend is even more pronounced when considering the cost issue. The most impacted districts favour a general cost-sharing solution, while those less or not impacted believe that the costs should be covered by the affected owners.

Click here to consult the survey and its results (PDF)

 

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.