What's New

Due to a large amount of residue picked up today, collections could not be completed in some sectors. Both collections will be completed by Friday, April 9.

Please leave bins, paper bags and bulky items at the curb.

Mayor Georges Bourelle and the members of City Council are pleased to announce an initiative aimed at generating community support for the creation of Centennial Place as part of the Reimagining SPACE revitalization project.
 
In June 2019, the project's Steering Committee issued a series of recommendations for the City’s largest waterfront park, including the integration of the Lord Reading property with Centennial Park, the redevelopment of Centennial Park to respect its natural character, and the establishment of a multipurpose cultural centre as an anchor for the community to appreciate this undervalued and unique waterfront space.
 
“This major project has created consensus with regard to cultural and recreational needs as well as to community events. It is a magnificent project that requires the mobilization of all citizens to ensure its quality and realization”, explained Mayor Bourelle.
 
The project has become necessary because the current facilities are insufficient to satisfy the needs of the population, which has been the case for some years now. According to a study conducted in 2015, the surface area of the library is 26% less than the minimum standard level for Beaconsfield’s population, compared to the national standards for public libraries.  Also, the number of seated places in the library is 21% lower than required by the minimum standards. Yet the community's most popular services are those offered by the Beaconsfield library; it is the municipal facility that receives the greatest number of visits annually.
 
A new committee for the Centennial Place Centre will focus on engaging citizens in this project. It is composed of three City representatives and five residents who have been selected to encourage the expression of a citizen's voice leading to the development of a vision of the new centre for the benefit of the community. The citizens who have accepted this mandate are Jacques Duval, Geoffrey Kelley, Gabriella Musacchio, James Orr, and Caroline Tison.
 
"On my own personal behalf and on behalf of City Council, the residents, the management and staff of the City of Beaconsfield, I would like to thank the members of this new committee for their civic engagement. Through this committee, the citizens’ voice will be represented to provide a platform for residents to participate in the project, contribute to its realization, and take ownership of this landmark community initiative," said Mayor Georges Bourelle.
 
The City is calling on the federal and provincial governments for significant financial assistance with the project in order to substantially reduce the municipal financial contribution for this project estimated at 21.5 million dollars. Public and private contributions are essential to respect the taxpayers’ capacity to pay, while enabling the realization of a quality project. Once the financial support from government authorities is confirmed, an architectural contest will be held in 2022. The call for tenders for its execution will then determine the final budget for this project.
 

City of Beaconsfield Wins Top Employer Award

February 10, 2021 – We are proud to announce that the City of Beaconsfield was named one of Montreal’s top employers for 2021 for a second year in a row.
 
Organized by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers, this annual competition recognizes the employers in Greater Montreal that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Evaluations are based on criteria such as work atmosphere, benefits, vacation and paid time off, continuing education and skills development, employee engagement and work-family reconciliation policies. Moreover, employers are compared to other similar organizations to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs.
 
"It's a great honour to be recognized among Montreal’s top employers, especially in this particular year where the COVID-19 pandemic has put the economy on hold, disrupting the daily lives of organizations and undermining the mental health of the community. This recognition is a remarkable accomplishment and demonstrates a key priority for our organization – to provide health and wellness tools and programs to employees so that they feel motivated and happy at work and at home. The dedication and day-to-day commitment of our staff is the driving force behind our success. On behalf of Management and Council, I want to thank them warmly for their excellent work," said Patrice Boileau, Director General.
 
The City of Beaconsfield is located in the West Island of Montreal. The organization promotes a positive workplace culture and offers many social benefits and pleasant surroundings. Depending on the season, the number of employees varies between 150 and 200 working in the following departments: Culture and Leisure, Sustainable Development, Finance and Treasury, Public Works, Urban Planning and Municipal Patrol, Human Resources, Registry and Public Affairs, and General Management.
 

Beaconsfield is among twenty-five municipalities across Canada that successfully completed an intensive pilot focusing on local climate action.

 
February 4, 2021 – In August 2019, the City of Beaconsfield was selected to join the first Showcase Cities cohort led by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Canada. As a member of this network, we received free support to spur climate action at a local level.
 
Over the past year, Beaconsfield has benefited from targeted technical support, training and access to tools and resources. With the help of this support, the City was able to develop three action plans of the i3P project to make our community more resilient to the impacts of climate change: GHG Reduction Plan, Community Energy Plan and Climate Adaptation Plan.
 
"We are proud of this unique initiative, which allowed us to identify local priorities for climate action, from innovative projects to reduce GHG emissions to initiatives that protect our community from extreme weather events. This was a major challenge that our administration met with great success," said Georges Bourelle, Mayor of Beaconsfield.
 
With the help of ICLEI and the FCM and the other participating municipalities, Beaconsfield achieved the GHG emissions inventory badge, as well as the Climate risk and vulnerability assessment badge, as awarded by the global program of GCoM.
 
Through participation in this pilot, Beaconsfield has been recognized as a leader on local climate action both nationally and internationally. This sets up the conditions for further success as municipalities tackle the issues of climate change.
 
The initiative combines two leading domestic climate programs, the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program and Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC), with the leading global climate program. The GCoM Canada is piloting this approach, which will build on FCM and ICLEI’s more than 25 years’ experience in delivering climate change programs in Canada. 
 
The Global Covenant of Mayors Canada is a collaboration between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, the Global Covenant of Mayors Secretariat and the International Urban Cooperation Project supported by funding from the European Union.
 
 
About the Global Covenant of Mayors Canada partners
 
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is the national voice of municipal governments, with 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of the Canadian population.
 
ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments committed to sustainability. The Canada offices work with local governments across the country to meet with their sustainability objectives.
 
The International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme is part of a long-term strategy by the European Union to foster sustainable urban development in cooperation with both the public and private sectors.
 
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the largest global alliance for climate leadership, uniting a global coalition of over 10,000 cities and local governments. By 2030, GCoM cities and local governments could collectively reduce 1.3 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year. That’s the equivalent of taking 276 million cars off the road.
 
 

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.

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.
 
 
 
 

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/

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.
 

 
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.