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This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Agglomeration abomination. It came into being on January 1st, 2006, as Jean Charest made good on an election promise — sort of. In 2002, the former PQ government merged all Montreal island municipalities into one megacity. After his election the following year, Jean Charest reluctantly delivered on his promise and opened the door for Pointe-Claire and 22 other former municipalities to regain a measure of their lost independence. First, though, we had to win a referendum process that was deliberately stacked against us, AND, even if we won, regaining our former independence was never in the cards. The government had tossed a poison pill into the mix.

I was in the room when Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay came to the West Island to make the case for just how poisonous that pill would be. He pointed out that if we stayed in Montreal, we would have a voice in how our tax contributions would be spent. If we voted to leave, we would lose that voice, but Montreal would keep our money. After passing the 1,860-signature threshold (10% of eligible voters) required to hold the referendum, over 90% of Pointe-Claire voters said they wanted out. So out we came on the one hand and back in we went with the other. Our independence, no matter its limitations, was worth the price, so we swallowed the poison pill and voted to take our chances with the Agglomeration abomination we knew lay ahead.

Then, the battle won, we laid down arms and surrendered. For 20 years, Montreal has steadily used the total dominance the law has given it over the Agglomeration to take an increasing proportion of Pointe-Claire’s budget to pay for island-wide expenses, which Montreal budgets in secret. This year, Montreal reached into your pocket for 58% of your tax bill. And as the real estate value here rises and as Montreal’s expenses also go up, look for this trend to continue, even accelerate. More and more of your money will go to fund services elsewhere, meaning that, unless something is done, there will be less and less money for our own city.

Three choices, or a combination of said choices, are open to us: we raise our taxes, we increase our tax base through development, or we make cuts to our own local spending. None of these choices are particularly appealing, but they are coming no matter who sits on council or who occupies the mayor’s office, no matter what pleasant fictions you may be told.

There is a provincial election coming. The power will lie with the next government to correct the affront to democracy that the Agglomeration abomination has been for over two decades, not by killing it but by reforming it. It will be up to voters to demand reform. More on that next time when I’m On the Record.