Quebec Municipalities Research Articles

Working the Political Field in Stormy Weather: A Mayor's Role in the Quebec Municipal Mergers

Abstract. Canadian political science often neglects the municipal level as a legitimate research subject, even when large-scale transformations are implemented, such as the 2001 territorial reorganization in Quebec. This paper shows how mayors were involved in municipal mergers, mainly led by the provincial government, and especially how they played different roles in order to ensure their legitimacy as leaders of their communities. Specifically, the creation of the City of Saguenay has been studied through an examination of the activities, strategies and discourses of the mayors of this agglomeration in order to highlight normal and extraordinary levels of action. In doing so, this article contributes new knowledge of the mayors' own conceptions of their duties and roles and also of the rescaling process.Résumé. Le palier municipal attire peu d'attention en science politique canadienne, même lorsque surviennent des réformes substantielles comme la réorganisation territoriale municipale entreprise au Québec en 2001. L'article montre comment les maires ont tenté de s'approprier la mise en œuvre de ces fusions municipales organisées surtout par le gouvernement provincial, en insistant sur les rôles divers qu'ils ont joués pour assurer leur légitimité en tant que chefs de leur communauté. L'étude de la création de la Ville de Saguenay a permis d'examiner de plus près les activités, les stratégies et les discours des maires de cette agglomération et de mettre en lumière leurs registres d'action ordinaires et extraordinaires. L'article jette ainsi un éclairage nouveau sur les perceptions qu'ont les maires de leur rôle et de leurs responsabilités et sur les effets politiques de la réorganisation municipale.

Protection strategies for drinking groundwater sources in small Quebec municipalities

Awareness of groundwater protection has increased substantially in recent decades. In the Province of Quebec, Canada, the Groundwater Catchment Regulation (GWCR) was promulgated in 2002 to protect water quality in public wells. The goal of the present study was to document groundwater protection in the context of emerging regulations and identify factors explaining the propensity of municipalities applying protection strategies. Two types of information were used in this study: data from a questionnaire-based survey conducted among 665 municipalities in the Province of Quebec and complementary information gathered from various sources. Data from the survey revealed that fewer than half of the municipalities have been able to comply with the GWCR, mainly because of financial limitations. Also, close to half of the municipalities have either identified or are expecting land use conflicts to arise between protection areas required by the GWCR and other land usage, with agriculture being the main conflicting activity. Multivariate logistic regression models served to identify factors explaining the likelihood of municipalities to take groundwater protection measures. Those factors were municipality revenue, history of water contamination in distribution systems, land use near wellheads, location of municipalities within a provincial priority watershed and the importance of groundwater use in a region. Results of the study may prove helpful for government authorities in better understanding the groundwater protection issue and in implementing strategies that improve the ability of municipalities to protect groundwater.

Portrait of Drinking Water Quality in Small Quebec Municipal Utilities

Abstract This study of small Quebec municipal drinking water utilities (i.e., those serving 10,000 or fewer people) focuses on a portrait of microbiological water quality (based on total and fecal coliform data) and distribution system management strategies. It also addresses relationships between some important water quality and operational parameters and management strategies, as well as total or fecal coliform occurrences. Along with descriptive analyses, statistical means tests (Student t-tests) were performed to identify significant differences between utilities with high coliform occurrence and utilities with low coliform occurrence according to chlorine dose, distribution system flushings, pipe age, main breakage, and some environmental factors. Even though many interesting trends have been noted, only a few resulted in statistically significant differences. For surface water utilities using chlorination alone, the mean difference of annual system flushings proved statistically significant. In addition, some agricultural land-use indicators within the municipal territory appeared significantly correlated with coliform occurrences.

The Effectiveness of Flood Damage Reduction Measures in the Montreal Region

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of two flood damage reduction measures – designation and dyking of floodplains. The study was carried out in four Quebec municipalities located on the shores of Lac des Deux-Montagnes and Riviere des Mille-Iles, namely Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, Saint-Eustache, Rosemere and Bois-des-Filion. Criteria for selecting the study areas were: area of the flood-risk zone, presence or absence of dykes, presence or absence of buildings, and availability of data. The study areas were selected with the help of flood risk maps of the Greater Montreal region. In each area, information on the number of buildings and their economic value was taken from the municipality's property assessment database. Trends in the occupancy and value of floodplains were identified and compared. The results of the study show that, as in other regions of Canada, flood damage reduction measures based on designation and mapping of floodplains have had no impact on occupancy, have failed to reduce flood damages, and have not even halted increases in such damages.

Municipal Cultural Policies in Quebec

The current state of municipal and regional cultural policies in Quebec represents a major evolution since the adoption of Quebec's Cultural Policy in June 1992. A "municipalization" of cultural policy has occurred. Over the past ten years, there has been a fourteenfold increase in the number of municipalities with cultural policies in Quebec (to 93 today), and this phenomenon appears to be growing and gaining greater influence as the new century begins. These cultural policies have become important strategic tools for cultural, social, and economic development in the province. This paper reports the main findings of a recent study that examined the content of 51 cultural policies of Quebec municipalities.

PariTOP: A goal programming-based software for real estate assessment

In Quebec's municipal taxation system, the tax burden is allocated according to the market value of properties. Determining the market values for housing inventories containing tens of thousands of properties is obviously a complex task with enormous implications in terms of the resources required and the quality of the resulting estimates. This article presents PariTOP, a decision-support system that uses mathematical programming in general and goal programming in particular to estimate the market value of large numbers of residential properties. PariTOP is the result of a partnership between the Communauté urbaine de Québec (CUQ), an administrative unit that comprises 12 cities, and Modellium, a Canadian company that develops decision-support systems.

Potential for Municipal Sewage Sludge Application on Agricultural Lands in Southern Quebec

Abstract In the present study, sludge composition from 112 municipalities in southern Quebec, Canada, were studied in order to examine the potential of alternative, environmentally sound sludge disposal, such as land application. Twenty-four municipalities with complete data set produced 24,000 dry tons of sludge per year. Of this amount, 47% (11,000 dry tons) could potentially be used for agricultural land application, according to Quebec standards. The other municipalities could not use their sludge for agricultural land application because of heavy metal contamination. The available areas of agricultural lands in southern Quebec are limited to about 149,454 ha. Considering that only 15% of this surface is adequate for sludge application and that a large part is already applied with manure, only 86,683 ha could be used for sludge application. Geographical Information System modeling in a smaller portion of this region showed that another 38% of land must be removed for other reasons, e.g., buffer zones around water bodies and roads. This left a surface area of approximately 54,000 ha or 5.4% of all agricultural land available for sewage sludge application in this region. Land application of sewage sludge may be possible but not without some limitations in some regions of southern Quebec. Other factors, such as pathogens contamination, climatic constraints and economic costs for the transportation and storage of sludge, must also be considered.

Multielement Relationships Characterizing the Chemical Composition of Municipal Sewage Sludge in Southern Quebec

Abstract Disposal of sewage sludge on agricultural or forest lands has been shown to be an economical means of sludge disposal which reduces the amount of waste going to landfills and returns nutrients to the soil. The heavy metal content of sludge generally depends on the composition of influents and on the treatment process. The present study considers the sludge chemical composition of 23 municipalities in southern Quebec and the heavy metal concentrations in their respective drinking water supplies. This study attempts to determine the main multielement relationships characterizing sludge composition, and to verify the occurrence of a possible link between chemical element concentration in sludge and in water supplies. The main phenomena influencing the chemical composition of municipal sewage sludge were modeled by using principal component analysis. The analysis shows that Cu concentration in sludges highly correlates with the organic nitrogen, and a series of metals (Cd-Co-Cr-Ni-Pb) are deposited independently of N and P. The activated sludge process removes a greater quantity of N than aerated lagoons, but heavy metals are generally more concentrated in aerated lagoons. The metal level found in water supplies slightly correlates with the metal content of sludge. Treatment plants showing metal contamination problems are found in regions with high natural geo-chemical levels of metals.

Representational Gains of Canadian Women or Token Growth? The Case of Quebec's Municipal Politics

AbstractUsing data on women's representation at the municipal level in Quebec over the 1985–1995 period, this article questions the assumption that there are few barriers to women's access to elected office at the local level. While the number of female mayors and councillors in Quebec's cities has increased significantly, the authors find that many councils have either no women or only a token female presence. The more desirable the council seat, the less likely women are to have achieved a significant level of representation. The general weakness of community characteristics and political structures in explaining variation in women's representation points to the presence of more systemic barriers.

Partitioning of Heavy Metals in Some Quebec Municipal Sludges

Abstract The process efficiency of metal bioleaching from sewage sludges depends upon various physicochemical characteristics of sludges and the forms in which metals are present in these sludge solids. The aim of this research work was to evaluate the metal speciation in some Quebec sludges with the help of a sequential extraction procedure, in order to better predict the bioleaching process. The distribution of Al, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in exchangeable, sorbed, organically bound, carbonate, and residual forms were compared among both undigested and digested sludges. Metal redistribution after aerobic sludge stabilization was also studied. Results indicate that the organic and residual fractions were the principal metal binding phases. Copper was present mostly in the residual fraction while the other metals were mostly organically bound. Statistical tests showed that metal speciation varied significantly from one sludge to another. In terms of metal distribution pattern observed, these sludges could not be regrouped according to the sludge type, their total solids concentration or their total metal concentration. However, the variation in metal distribution among Quebec sludges was similar to the variation range found in the U.K. and U.S. sludges. The metals showed a tendency to redistribute and move towards the organic fraction in stabilized sludges. In conclusion, the present study shows that sewage sludges of different origins do not have similar metal distribution and hence, the speciation of metals must be considered for each sludge on an individual basis in order to predict their fate during the bioleaching process.

Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology Annual General Meeting Minutes: Wednesday, June 7, 1989 Quebec Municipal Congress Center Quebec City, Quebec

Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology Annual General Meeting Minutes: Wednesday, June 7, 1989 Quebec Municipal Congress Center Quebec City, Quebec

L’Archivistique et la gestion des documents dans les municipalités du Québec

This article presents the results of a study done on a sample group ofl 05 Quebec municipalities. The study shows that the management of municipal records is better in centres with a large population. Smaller communities place a higher priority on filing current records and preserving essential archives than on using microfilm, developing records schedules or establishing dormant storage centres for records. Another interesting finding was that there exists in Quebec a movement toward better preservation of municipal records. The article identifies and describes a variety of resources which could be of use to municipalities in their search for better ways of managing their records.

Conditions économiques et élections: le cas de l'élection provinciale de 1976 au Québec

Using data based on Quebec municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, this article tests the hypothesis that the conjunction of economic conditions and labour unrest contributed significantly to the defeat of the Liberal party in the 1976 Quebec election. This hypothesis, suggested by the results of the election polls, follows from the conceptual framework furnished by political economy models. These models and the controversies they have given rise to are discussed first from a theoretical perspective. This discussion is followed by a brief review of empirical studies which could shed light on these controversies. Much of the theoretical discussion and most of the empirical results suggest that economic conditions generally have a significant influence on election results.In the second part of the article, after a methodological discussion, we present the results of empirical tests conducted to examine our hypothesis about the influence of economic conditions on the November 1976 general election in Quebec. These results show that increased “fiscal pressure” between 1975 and 1976, union unrest, and the unemployment rate in 1976 had significant negative effects on the Liberal vote.We conclude by raising questions about the effect economic factors could have on the results of the referendum on sovereignty-association.

Cancer mortality in relation to asbestos in municipal water supplies.

The mortality experience of twenty-two municipalities in Quebec grouped by evidence of exposure to asbestos fibers in water supplies (known high, possible high, and probable low exposures) was evaluated. Excess mortality due to cancer of the stomach (males), pancreas (females), and lung (males) was observed in the two municipalities with known high exposures. The excesses among males have been due to occupational exposure to asbestos. The absence of excess mortality due to pancreatic cancer among males suggested that the excess among females was not due to waterborne asbestos. The study therefore did not reveal evidence of excess cancer mortality that could be attributed to exposure to asbestos in drinking water.

Le logement public à Hull

Public Housing in HullThe purpose of this article is to explain the program of public housing construction in Hull. The first section evaluates the construction completed. Basing their appraisal on several indices, the authors conclude that the municipality began the program enthusiastically but that its activity has decreased since then. Certain factors which could explain these two phases are identified. The authors point out the importance of relating public housing to urban renewal, although the latter would not explain the whole situation by itself. After having noted that pressure groups played a negligible role, the authors examine the chain of communication among the local political elite. One thing they show is how the perceptions of the elite can sometimes be influenced by a certain bias in the information that comes to them from the public. Finally, the authors note the impact of “external” information which connects the local elite to those in other Quebec municipalities and in the neighbouring province.

The Quebec Municipal Code and the degree of duty ot a municipal corporation for the maintenance of its sidewalks in winter: Evolution in law

The Quebec Municipal Code and the degree of duty ot a municipal corporation for the maintenance of its sidewalks in winter: Evolution in law. Un article de la revue Les Cahiers de droit (Volume 11, numéro 1, 1970, p. 7-194) diffusée par la plateforme Érudit.