There are so many layers of government that it can be difficult to understand their purpose and how they function. I often receive questions about the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), sometimes referred to as the Greater Montreal Area, so I wanted to take a moment to explain and help clarify a few things.
IT’S ORIGIN
The CMM was created by the Government of Quebec in 2001 as a regional authority tasked with overseeing urban planning, economic development, environmental protection, and transportation across the Greater Montreal area. Its creation aimed to promote coordinated regional planning, control development, and ensure the efficient management of shared resources throughout the Montreal region.
WHY WAS SAINT-LAZARE INCLUDED IN THE CMM
The primary benchmark determining which municipalities to include in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) used was 50% or more of the workforce commuting to jobs within the metropolitan area. Municipalities where the majority of workers commuted to the core of Montreal or other metropolitan employment hubs were deemed part of the functional metropolitan region and included in the CMM.
Areas connected to Montreal via major highways, commuter rail, or public transit networks were included, recognizing the shared infrastructure and commuting patterns.
The logic at the time was that including municipalities with a high commuting dependency ensured better coordination in managing urban sprawl, infrastructure investments, and environmental impacts.
Saint-Lazare was included in the CMM from its creation in 2001.
WHO HOLDS POWER
Although the Government of Quebec has ultimate authority over the CMM, the CMM Council is the primary decision-making body, responsible for adopting policies, budgets, and regional plans. The council has 28 members including:
- [1] the Mayor of Montreal,
- thirteen [13] elected members of the Montreal Council and Agglomeration,
- [1] the Mayor of Laval and two [2] elected officials from Laval,
- [1] the Mayor of Longueuil and two [2] elected officials from Longueuil,
- four [4] mayors from the North Shore,
- four [4] mayors from the South Shore.
Larger cities, such as Montreal, Laval, and Longueuil, hold more influence due to their higher populations.
Saint-Lazare’s power within the CMM is definitely modest. It relies on collective representation through the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC and the Couronne-Sud (which excludes Longueuil) to ensure its interests are considered in regional decisions. The Couronne-Sud which we’re part of, holds 4 votes out of 28 at the CMM council.
Currently (2025), the mayor of Vaudreuil-Dorion sits on the CMM council and represents the MRC of Beauharnois-Salaberry and the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges (11 municipalities of Vaudreuil-Soulanges out of 23 are part of the CMM). So, in fact, our region holds only one [1] vote, which clearly limits our influence on decisions taken at the CMM level.
Vaudreuil-Soulanges municipalities that are part of the CMM: Saint-Lazare, Hudson, Les Cèdres, Vaudreuil-Dorion, L’Île-Cadieux, Pincourt, L’Île-Perrot, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Pointe-des-Cascades, Terrasse-Vaudreuil, Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac.
SAINT-LAZARE WITHIN THE CMM
Saint-Lazare contributes to the CMM’s budget based on its share of the regional population and property tax base. These funds support the CMM’s activities, such as regional planning, transportation, and environmental initiatives. The CMM holds significant power over municipalities like Saint-Lazare in areas such as land use planning, environmental protection, and regional transportation.
The amount budgeted for Saint-Lazare in 2025 towards our share of the cost for the CMM was $584,425.
COMPLIANCE OBLIGATIONS
The Plan métropolitain d’aménagement et de développement (PMAD), which is adopted by the CMM, has a significant impact on Saint-Lazare. The CMM has jurisdiction in the field of land use planning. To exercise this power, the CMM must adopt and maintain in force a Metropolitan Land Use and Development Plan (PMAD) throughout its territory. The PMAD has binding authority over municipalities within the CMM. The PMAD is based on three main pillars: land use, the environment, and transportation. It defines policy directions, objectives and criteria to ensure the competitiveness and attractiveness of the Greater Montréal region in keeping with sustainable land use and development.
The MRC Schéma d’aménagement et de développement must comply with the PMAD, and municipalities are required to ensure that their local urban plans align with the Schéma. Therefore, the PMAD supersedes both the MRC Schéma and municipal urban plans, establishing rules and guidelines that must be followed.
This system of conformity establishes a structured planning hierarchy, ensuring alignment with the metropolitan vision and goals. Non-compliance could result in provincial intervention or rejection of local decisions. While it ensures regional coherence and sustainability, the PMAD limits some local autonomy by imposing requirements on land use, densification, and resource protection.
We can see the negative impact the CMM and the PMAD can potentially have when as an exemple, it imposes uniform housing density requirements across the CMM, ignoring the unique characteristics and specific needs of each municipality.
PUBLIC TRANSIT AND OUR OBLIGATIONS
As part of the CMM, Saint-Lazare is automatically included in the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) system. Municipalities within the CMM can’t opt out of the ARTM system or independently establish competing public transit services, as public transit operations are centralized and regulated by ARTM under provincial law. This ensures regional coordination but also limits local autonomy in transportation matters.
Even though Saint-Lazare has limited local transit services, its inclusion allows residents to have access to commuter options (e.g., Exo trains and buses). Saint-Lazare’s financial contribution to ARTM includes our local bus 51 but also helps cover operational costs, infrastructure development, fare subsidies, and strategic planning for public transit in the Greater Montreal region.
Since 1992, owners of passenger vehicles registered in certain municipalities have had to pay a contribution for public transit (currently set at $30). Starting January 1, 2024, owners of passenger vehicles registered within the CMM must also pay a tax to fund public transit. For the year 2024, the CMM set this tax at $59. As of January 1, 2025, the amount increased to $150. For vehicle owners in municipalities concerned, this tax is added to the existing contribution for public transit. Thus, in 2025, Saint-Lazare citizens must pay $180 for car registration costs.
In addition, residents in municipalities within the CMM contribute to public transit funding through municipal taxes. The amount to be billed for Saint-Lazare in 2025 towards our share of the cost for public transit (ARTM) is $1,198,975.
ONCE YOU’RE IN, YOU CAN’T GET OUT
The inclusion of municipalities in the CMM is mandated by the Government of Quebec under the legislative framework that established the CMM in 2001 (through Bill 134). Municipalities within the CMM are subject to provincial laws and can’t opt out of their inclusion. There is also no precedent for a municipality withdrawing from the CMM since its creation.
So, once a municipality is included in the CMM, it is considered a permanent part of the metropolitan region unless the provincial government would decide otherwise, which is very unlikely as exiting the CMM would create a precedent, potentially destabilizing regional governance, funding, and planning across the Greater Montreal area.
CONCLUSION
With all the layers, comes different obligations. Understandably, there is enormous frustration felt by citizens regarding the financial and administrative burdens imposed by the CMM. While regional collaboration can offer benefits, the system imposed by the provincial government and the CMM often fails to reflect the reality of smaller municipalities like ours.
To address this, there must be greater flexibility within the framework to account for the unique needs of smaller municipalities. Establishing mechanisms for meaningful input and ensuring equitable representation at the decision-making table could help create a more balanced system. Currently, many municipalities within the CMM feel trapped in a structure that gives them little power over decisions that directly affect them.