Trash talk over money

BY RAFFY BOUDJIKANIAN

raffy.boudjikanian@transcontinental.ca

Several West Island municipalities are up in arms over a decision by the Quebec Environment Ministry to award what they see as their own money to Montreal's agglomeration council for redistribution instead.

"We're afraid the cheque's going to get lost in the mail," quipped Dorval Mayor Edgar Rouleau, whose city signed a resolution on the matter at the beginning of the year.

The money in question is part of a new initiative by the provincial environment ministry to reward cash incentives to different municipalities in the province based on their waste management performance over the last year. According to Rouleau, the money should be coming to demerged cities individually, since those outside the agglomeration council are getting their own cheques. "The (provincial) government says it's going to send it to the agglomeration council, and the council is going to redistribute to us," Rouleau said.

Beaconsfield and Pointe Claire are two of the other cities in the area that have tabled similar resolutions. "If they want to do a regional program, that's fine," said Beaconsfield Mayor Bob Benedetti. However, he remained sceptical that Montreal would follow through on adequately redistributing the money.

Benedetti said the situation has been going on for over a year, with the environment ministry's latest promise being a 61 per cent to 39 per cent split, the larger amount going to the demerged cities.

Benedetti said all the money should still come to the demerged cities. He said he was wary of Montreal redistributing the award totally to boroughs like Montreal-North, where recycling is practically non-existent, rather than split it evenly.

"We have an excellent recycling program," said Benedetti, adding that the money would be put to good use. Rouleau said the same, though neither went into detail.

Rouleau estimated the amount owed to Dorval is around $120,000, and Benedetti said the province owed Beaconsfield $197,400.

Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie said his citizens would be more open to new recycling initiatives from local municipalities rather than Montreal. "It is not a glossy publication by a superior level of government that is going to have a profound effect," he said.

McMurchie's administration is asking for about $299,000 from Quebec.

Agglomeration council representatives did not comment on the issue, stating that the law is still under study by the provincial government and no final decision has been taken yet. Quebec's environment ministry and other West Island municipalities did not return The Chronicle's phone calls as of press time.