Canada/A further step towards the new town of La Pocatière

On Thursday evening, La Pocatière, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and Sainte-Onésime-d'Ixworth reached a new milestone in the municipal merger process.

The three municipalities tabled their joint draft by-law at a special meeting. It will be adopted at a special meeting next week.

We've been working together in committee since November 2022, and people are positive about it. We want to develop a new city.

A quote from Jean-François Pelletier, mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière

At the start of the amalgamation process in 2020, seven Kamouraska municipalities were included in the amalgamation study. Along the way, the elected representatives of Rivière-Ouelle, Saint-Pacôme, Saint-Gabriel-Lalemant and Saint-Denis-De La Bouteillerie decided to abandon the idea of amalgamation.

The municipality of Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, which lies in the neighboring Chaudière-Appalaches region, joined the process over the past year, before withdrawing in October 2024.

A 30-day consultation

Following adoption of the by-law, the Minister of Municipal Affairs will launch a 30-day consultation period, during which the public will be able to make their views on the matter known to the Minister, whether or not they are in favor of consolidation.

Citizens can send letters to the Minister saying how they felt about the process. That's when citizens can say, 'Maybe we weren't consulted enough, we would have liked a referendum'," says Jean-François Pelletier, mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière.

At the same time, he estimates that in his municipality 60-75% of residents are in favor of the merger. We're already very integrated [in La Pocatière]. Our water is treated in the same plant as the city. We're already very integrated, and people understand that.

He recalls that there was a referendum in 1999 for a merger, and that the project was rejected. People didn't have the same attitude as today. Today, people are positive.

Mr. Pelletier explains that at the end of the consultation period, the Minister will have another 30 days to analyze the request for amalgamation and make additional requests to the municipalities concerned, if necessary.

She may ask us for verifications or another consultation, depending on the letters she receives from citizens," explains the mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière.

After this period, a decision will be made.

What are the next steps if the merger goes ahead?

If the decision is in favor of the merger, the new town, to be known as La Pocatière, will be recognized on the date of publication of the ministerial decree in the Gazette officielle du Québec.

The new La Pocatière would be governed by a provisional council made up of all the council members of the former local municipalities, i.e. some twenty elected officials.

The mayor of the current Ville de La Pocatière, Vincent Bérubé, would serve as mayor of the provisional council until the November 2025 election.

The municipal council of the new Ville will be made up of one councillor from the former municipality of Saint-Onésime-d'Ixworth, two councillors from the former parish of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and three councillors from the former Ville de La Pocatière.

The 2025 budgets of each municipality will remain in effect until the end of the fiscal year.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/