Bill 104: The ASM Calls for Fair Reform of the Montréal Agglomeration

October 17th 2025

Quebec City, October 7, 2025 — Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM), representing the 15 cities linked to the Island of Montreal, spoke today before the Parliamentary Commission to express its support for Bill 104, while issuing a clear call to the government to extend the principles of this reform to the Montréal Agglomeration.

Bill 104, which proposes a revision of the weighting of votes within the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), responds to a demand that has been made for several years by the ASM for a more balanced dialogue between all municipalities in the metropolitan area, regardless of their size or population. However, the ASM insists on one essential condition for its support: the maintenance of two seats reserved for the cities linked to the Island of Montreal within the CMM’s governing bodies.

"This project marks a significant step toward more equitable and representative metropolitan governance that is better suited to the realities of our territories. It formally recognizes the voice of each city within the CMM’s decision-making processes, and this recognition has been long awaited. But this progress can’t stop halfway. It also has to extend to the Montréal Agglomeration, where our citizens are still deprived of a real voice," said Julie Brisebois, co-chair of the ASM and mayor of Senneville.

Furthermore, although the ASM represents more than 250,000 citizens, or nearly 13% of the population of the Island of Montreal, these citizens are deprived of any real decision making power within the Montréal Agglomeration. The City of Montreal holds more than 87% of the voting rights on the Agglomeration Council, giving it absolute control over decisions, without prior consultation or transparency.

Despite this marginalization, the affiliated cities must bear more than 18% of the Agglomeration’s overall expenses. They have no access to detailed budget forecasts or valid accountability reports, often justified by the City center on the grounds of outdated computer systems or confidentiality.

What we are experiencing within the Montréal Agglomeration is an institutional travesty. Our elected officials are reduced to symbolic roles, with no real power, while our citizens pay more than their fair share. It is time for the Quebec government to recognize this injustice and take action to restore a minimum of democracy to this structure," said Alex Bottausci, co-chair of the ASM and mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux. The AMB is therefore asking the Quebec government to act with the same commitment to fairness that it has shown to the CMM, and is proposing three concrete measures to restore a minimum of democratic justice within the Agglomeration:

• The creation of an advisory committee composed of elected officials from the City of Montreal and the linked cities, meeting at least six times a year to review budgets, investments, and services.
• Immediate access to said financial information, even if classified as confidential, as it is necessary for the administration of the linked cities to fully understand and participate in the management of the Agglomeration.
• The participation of a mayor from one of the cities linked to the City of Montreal’s Executive Committee for matters concerning the Agglomeration.

The ASM reiterates its full cooperation with the Government of Quebec to build an inclusive and transparent metropolis that respects all its components. It is time for municipal democracy to be fully exercised throughout the entire territory of the Island of Montreal.

About the Association of Suburban Municipalities

The Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM/AMB) includes a total population of some 250 000 citizens and represents the fifteen cities linked to the Greater Montréal area, each of which has its own voice and is autonomous in its municipal management. These municipalities, and their mayors, are Baie-d’Urfé (Heidi Ektvedt), Beaconsfield (Georges Bourelle), Côte-Saint-Luc (Mitchell Brownstein), Dollard-des-Ormeaux (Alex Bottausci), Dorval (Marc Doret), Dorval Island (Gisèle Chapleau), Hampstead (Jeremy Levi), Kirkland (Michel Gibson), Montreal East (Anne St-Laurent), Montreal West (Beny Masella), Mount Royal (Peter Malouf), Pointe-Claire (Tim Thomas), Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (Paola Hawa), Senneville (Julie Brisebois), and Westmount (Christina Smith).

To watch the committee meeting, click here

Source: Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM/AMB)