Transition Committee: those two words sound innocuous enough, even mildly reassuring. One thinks of a group of folks sitting around together, smoothing the way from one state of affairs to another. The reality is that the Montreal Transition Committee is engaged in foisting a huge bureaucratic construct upon a public largely against the idea.

Ah, but these unelected megacity-makers know what's best for us, especially for those citizens who so touchingly want to cling to the idea of human-scale cities. So the Transition Committee serves double duty as a wrecking crew to rid the municipal landscape of these bothersome cities, many of which have thrived for a century or more.

Peter F. Trent

The identities of Transition Committee members are known, yet they go about their task behind closed doors, busily executing the orders of their boss, Municipal Affairs Minister Louise Harel, following the legal blueprint of Bill 170. From time to time, a bulletin emerges world that things are going swimmingly. But a recently leaked document shows all is not well in the megacity-creation business. This document predicts a $304-million yearly deficit in five years, even after a $50-million injection from Quebec.

How does the committee intend to deal with such a massive shortfall? Why, simple: just ask - politely - the unions to eliminate guaranteed minimum staffing levels and then (poof!) get rid of 1,696 people. Sure, and maybe the unions will buy the Jacques Cartier Bridge into the bargain. Let's face it, if there is so much overstaffing, why wait for the megacity? Do it now. And if these 1,696 people are actually doing something today, this means a massive reduction in services for the privilege of living in this brave new megamunicipal world.

Memo to the Transition Committee: no municipal merger ever saved money. Take Toronto, for example. There, the megacity faced a $305-million deficit this year. It would have had to raise taxes 19 per cent had the provincial government not stepped in with a one-time bailout of $125 million.

The experience of Toronto proves that the real cost of mergers only shows up a few years later, when salaries rise to the highest common denominator. Not only are Torontonians facing a series of tax hikes and user fees, but service levels have dropped. Just one of the pinchpenny new user fees: groups picnicking in the park will now have to pay a $50 fee. (They'd better bring a lawn mower, because in a cost-saving measure, the grass in Toronto parks is now only cut four times a season, down from eight.)

It is for these reasons that the only place in the world where municipal mergers are currently taking place is Quebec. Ontario has stopped all further mergers; in the United States, there's been no real merger for 102 years; and in Europe, the Charter of Local Self-Government requires prior consultation before any municipal mergers are attempted. The United Nations will be looking at a similar charter. Forced mergers are not only passe, but are now considered clearly antidemocratic.

Oblivious to their anachronistic mission, the Transition Committee beavers away. It recently hired the megacity's director-general; to no one's surprise, he currently runs the city of Montreal. One hopes, for his sake, he fares better than Gerard Divay, its ex-director-general, who had the courage to say that Montreal's management is hopelessly sclerotic. Divay got fired for his pains. The city auditor said the same thing last week.

This is the management mess that the Transition Committee wants to spread all over the island? If so, it is suffering from what the C.D. Howe Institute called, in a scathing indictment of forced mergers, "the religious-like idealization of professional bureaucracies."

In short, the Transition Committee is in the process of creating a bigger, fatter city of Montreal. Yet it persists in saying it wants to give the boroughs some power. Well, it can't. Bill 170 requires that financing and staffing will be controlled by the new city of Montreal. Boroughs have no legal status, with no power to tax, borrow, hire or fire. They are empty shells. Oh, but some of them are bilingual empty shells.

The committee is supposed to recommend changes to Bill 170. Well, the mountain has laboured and brought forth a mouse: the amendments, through some clever fiscal sophistry, even manage to remove the 5-per-cent annual cap on future tax bills. And the Transition Committee now has the power to hire all no-unionized management staff.

But it's really not just a question of money and management. The first casualty of forced mergers is democracy: citizens become resigned and cynical about the whole process. This is not helped by the secret workings of the Transition Committee. In fact, its taskmistress, Louise Harel, had originally declared she would force them to hold monthly public meetings. Four months into their mandate, members of the committee have yet to venture into the sunlight. They continue to toil and moil, transmuting our well-run cities into a bureaucrat's dream and a taxpayer's nightmare.

Peter F. Trent, Mayor of Westmount

Yves Boisvert

Une conversation qui dure
Ce soir, comme tous les mercredis depuis 1001 semaines, une trentaine de personnes se réunissent chez David Nicholson et Diana Thébaud. On y commentera l'actualité. Il y sera question de politique, d'économie, d'art.

Peter Trent

Monday January 15 2001 Clavardage

Thème : Who will be the mayor of Montréal ?

Yves Boisvert

13:39:16 MODERATEUR:Bienvenue with all! Our chronicler Yves Boisvert will be with us in a few minutes. We will begin the clavardage towards 14h.

13:56:30 marcassin:Comment that are made that Bourque, with its whims and its odd air, managed to concretize its dream: an island a city?

13:58:41 Yves Boisvert: It is precisely that, under this odd air, hides a man with a vision... not so insane. In interview the last week, he said to us that never he would not have spoken about an island a city if he had not seen Lucien Bouchard saying that the shortly after the election of 1998, its priority would be MOntréal. Let us say that there were a convergence of the ideas and interests...

13:58:49 CJB :Bonjour Mr Boisvert. I have two questions for you. The first: Do you think that a woman could be elected with the town hall of the new Town of Montreal? My second: Do you think that one new-come from the municipal political scene can- to be elected with the town hall of the new Town of Montreal?

14:00:46 marmaline:Une woman mayor? It is that ki would be necessary!

14:13:51 martruf:Pas Liza Frulla nevertheless!!!

Diana Thébaud & Yves Boisvert

14:13:55 Yves Boisvert: For the first, the answer is obviously yes. I think that people of Montreal do not have any prejudice of this kind. As for the second question: new (or a news) come could be made elect, but it will be more difficult. Point out you to them mishaps of Mr. Duchesneau, the ex-chief of font, which had supports of size; recall you, in 1994, like the businessman Claude Beauchamp failed. It is a particular trade which that of politician; and even more particular that of p

14:14:17 MODERATEUR:La continuation is come from there...

14:14:40 Yves Boisvert: that of municipal politician: one needs an excellent network on the ground and, in the case which occupies us, of the solid supports in all the parts of the island.

14:14:46 boubou:De all mayors of suburbs, which are likely best to pass against Bourque?

14:04:18 Bayard:Il will be necessary especially a person, man or woman, who will have one * vision * of what will have to be Montreal in this beginning of the 3rd millenium!

14:04:44 Yves Boisvert: I am not able to answer. Nobody gets clear clearly. Mr. Bossé, of Verdun, has beautiful being the president of the union of the municipalities, his notoriety in the remainder of the island is not very tall. I believe that there is several king makers, like one says in English: Yves Ryan has a broad influence in Montreal-North; and so on for several others. In short, their scale is local POOUR the MOMENT: that can change.

14:04:54 martruf:le principal asset of the Bourque mayor will not be T-it not once again the division of the vote, taking into account the number of candidate who is likely to present himself against him. Worked, do Tremblay... go left them égo on side for the common good?

14:06:10 mamario:Ca would astonish me that the égos are left of with dimensions: they are too large!

14:07:00 Yves Boisvert: The division of the vote indeed saved Mr. Bourque in 1998: it collected 44% of the votes, its three adversaries together, around 50%. It is a lesson for the opponents. But one can prevent nobody believing the best and from trying his chance. Much will depend on the candidate who will represent the towns of suburbs. Will he be a candidate high-speed motorboat (kind Gerald Tremblay) or one of the current mayors?

14:07:06 martruf:Comment explain you the attitude of Mayor Peter F.Trent for some time. He seemed to to me a man full with common sense.

14:09:43 Yves Boisvert: We enter on the ground of the political psychoanalysis. It reacts with an extreme emotivity. It says that it wants to leave the country if Westmount disappears. It seems to see a kind of plot political of the ÙPQ against the english-speaking. Damage, bus indeed, he is a man of value; will it remain in margin while waiting for that the court gives him wrong, as one can expect it? It would be deplorable... and vermin with the interests which it defends.

14:09:48 would GroupeCJB:Y have a candidate of which nobody still spoke who could come to scramble the cards? 14:09:59 mamario:MACHA GRENON A the TOWN HALL!

14:12:42 Momo:Gérald Tremblay: it is funny, I heard a rumour of a close relation of WP on top... IT will try its chance, it is on...

14:12:47 Yves Boisvert: It is possible, of course. But whoever wants to be presented must work to build alliances. It will be more complicated than with the practice. Thus, it must be active as of now. Among the candidates, one speaks much about Gerald Tremblay, who wrote a long text on the challenges of the next mayor in the Press of Thursday. It is clearly on the rows in this moment. Liza Frulla thinks of it too. Pierre Marc Johnson was strongly encouraged by his closest friends, but he does not want R

14:13:52 Momo:Frulla, Johnson, Tremblay... There, that starts has to resemble

14:13:52 Momo:Frulla, Johnson, Tremblay... There, that starts has to resemble has a city which has pace!

14:14:01 : I thus said that the close relations of Mr. Johnson has a presentiment of it to present themselves, but it absolutely seems out of question that he presents himself... in this moment. More especially as it will follow closely what occurs to Quebec. It is always in reserve of the republic...

14:14:06 are GroupeCJB:Qui currently the elected officials posts some in the suburbs who will join the rows of the Bourque team, according to you?

Yves Boisvert

14:16:23 Yves Boisvert: The mayor Jerome Unterberg met the mayor. He says tOWN to give up the policy, but appears very attracted by the project of the mayor. The mayor known as tOWN to surprise us. We will be surprised, indeed, if there is even a handle of the current mayors who support it. Let us see seeing what will occur on January 26, at the time of its first official output of the pre-countryside.

14:16:32 Turtle:J' intended to say that Bourque had opponents in his clean parties and that some would change camp.

14:17:04 Momo:Bourque has opponents in his own brain... Malicious Hon

14:18:08 Yves Boisvert: There is the question of Jean Fortier, president of the executive committee; its relations with the Bourque mayor are not as well as possible and it met several people this autumn. It should be said that the DG Guy Coulombe takes much place. But Mr. Fortier was with the press conference of Mr. Bourque, when it announced candidature. For the remainder, Bourque seems well to hold its troops, contrary to 98.

14:18:23 marmaline:TU seem to start to appreciate Bourque... Either it pays well;) either you saw something of transcendent in that catch...

14:21:03 Yves Boisvert: Let us say simply that I do not believe any more has the caricatural image of Bourque. It is a man who has ideas, a relevant vision of Montreal of tomorrow and which is able to convince of people to go with him. It is already not badly. I did not say that it was that which it conceited A Montreal. I wait to see who will be opposite for him. But I try to include/understand why it succeeds, in spite of the image of half-insane which one has of him. And I find that it has strong qualities, often invisible has the screen.

14:21:48 martruf:Quel is the dimension of M.Bossé near the mayors of suburbs? One says it very ambitious but which assessment can one make of his administration at the Town of Verdun?

14:24:46 Yves Boisvert: It does not achieve the unanimity *** TRANSLATION ENDS HERE

To continue
www.cyberpresse.ca/groups/public/documents/convertis/puba_p1029997.hcsp
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Yves Boisvert ckick for more

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Cat with Yves Boisvert (January 19 2001)
Cat with Yves Boisvert (December 6 2000)

Clavardages in file
" It wounded me for the life "
Yves Boisvert answers all your questions about the Net
The RCM did not die
The landlord...
The drifts criminogenes of the system of management of the sentences
Fire the party of Christmas?
Who drank will bark
Valley-of-snows: for comfort and the full air
Gangs of motorcyclists: why a law?
Gangs of motorcyclists: capacities of the ordinary right
Raymond Malenfant continues Gerald Larose in slandering
One is called, one is done one puffs out...
The "ami " of Jean Lapierre
An island, a city: surprised, it is Peking!
Will Mr Net from go away?
Albertosaure of McGill
" It wounded me for the life "
So far from a business Barnabe?
With 800 meters of altitude in a basket
It is not afraid

La Presse www.cyberpresse.ca/ in French Or Translate
When trandlated do the search from the LaPress front pagein your Langue

Teaches at Concordia Students Comments: (Boisvert, Yves; JOUR 515) The rating is generous. Yves Boisvert is a first time instructor and, although he likely is a decent law reporter, he wasn't particularly good at teaching this course. He was inconsistent in his marking. He refused to honour a legitimate doctor's note from one student. He was also hostile to students who requested that certain course materials be made available in English. (avg 63% rating 1)