A majority of Coteau-du-Lac's municipal councillors refused to sign the agreement leading to the creation of an intermunicipal management board for the Centre Sportif Soulanges. The vote took place at the last municipal council meeting on May 14.

The main point of disagreement preventing the elected representatives from moving forward is the lack of costs associated with the project. The elected officials also deplore the fact that their requests concerning the number of votes granted to the City of Coteau-du-Lac and the borrowing by-law were not considered in the drafting of the agreement.

At the end of 2023, it was proposed to set up an intermunicipal board to manage the Centre sportif Soulanges in Saint-Polycarpe.

The ten municipalities using the sports facility took part in several meetings to establish the terms of the régie, whose ultimate objective is to ensure the arena's survival by sharing the costs associated with renovation work and management.

The only person to vote in favor of the proposal, André Legros, believes that to succeed in negotiations, it is imperative to participate in the discussions. "My perception is that you have to be at the table to negotiate. I know we can walk away at any time, but for me, it's important to be an integral part of this agreement," he says.

"Given that we don't have any money associated with this agreement, it's a bit like issuing a blank cheque. Several points had been requested by Coteau-du-Lac councillors, none of which were considered in the agreement. As the 2024-2025 season is covered, the money to cover the season is there, we have plenty of time. From what I've read, a city that doesn't adopt the agreement at this stage could come on board at any time," said Councillor Alain Laprade.

Last April, it was confirmed that a consensus had been reached between the municipalities involved to secure the next season of activities at the Centre sportif Soulanges. All agreed to extend the mandate of the Centre sportif Soulanges for the coming year. As an NPO since 2020, it already has all the expertise and human resources to fulfill this mandate and enable players, associations and clubs to continue their activities without interruption.

For his part, District 2 Councillor François Vallières deplores the lack of information and the distribution of the Municipality's votes around the table. "Despite the fact that we're the 2nd biggest payer, the votes are very limited for Coteau-du-Lac. We have two votes out of 15 or 16, which doesn't give us much room to maneuver. I'd like to have more details. I don't think we have enough information.

As the meeting drew to a close, Mr. Vallières made it clear that the project was not dead, but that it needed to be reworked to meet the council's expectations.

This sentiment was also shared by Councillor Isabelle Lemay. "From the outset, I've felt that we haven't had enough information. There have been a few meetings and the information is not the same as it was at the beginning... Under these conditions, I too will vote against," she said.

As for Christine Arsenault, she said she had mixed feelings, but was nonetheless open to following the progress of the file. Like her colleagues, she has attended two meetings representing the Municipality of Coteau-du-Lac, and deplores the fact that the costs associated with the project are still unknown.

"I was excited to start the discussions, but my biggest fear is the amounts, because in Coteau-du-Lac, at the moment, we've already started projects with amounts that need to be taken into consideration. There are more and more people who need community help to get there. My second fear is the agreement. I went to a meeting and I'm afraid we won't be able to reach an agreement. As my colleague pointed out, we can integrate and embark on the loan and the whole operation at any time. As long as we don't have the amounts, for me it's difficult to say that all the citizens of Coteau-du-Lac will have to pay, without knowing how much they'll have to pay. Unfortunately, I'm going to vote against it, but I still want us to continue to see where it's going and how much it's going to cost.

Finally, Patrick Delforges considers that the agreement presented to the municipal council "is not good for the people of Coteau-du-Lac".

"I am disappointed that the Municipality of Saint-Polycarpe did not consider our requests. If they had accepted, my position might be different today, and I might have voted in favor... Personally, I've never signed a blank cheque at home, and I wouldn't do it with the money of the citizens of Coteau-du-Lac. We don't know how much it's going to cost and that scares me.

Disappointment for the mayor

At the end of the meeting, Mayor Andrée Brosseau expressed her disappointment at her fellow councillors' decision. "I won't hide from you that I'm disappointed with the outcome of the resolution, but I'm going to respect my colleagues' decision. I think it was good for the citizens. I think it's a collaboration with the Soulanges municipalities to acquire regional equipment. I think that working together is the way of the future. Over the past six years, I've always sought to collaborate with other towns... For me, the Centre sportif met a need for our citizens. It was a way of having a regional facility at a lower cost, and I think that forming a board with the other municipalities was a starting point".

Ms. Brosseau also reiterated the fact that, at this stage of the process, it is impossible to know the exact costs involved in renovating and managing the Centre sportif Soulanges, since the launch of the call for tenders is contingent on the formalization of the intermunicipal board.

"What remained to be done was to review the call for tenders submitted by the Municipality of Saint-Polycarpe. We can't talk about costs until we've modified the call for tenders, until we've been on the market and we've had a cost. That's when we'll know how much each municipality will have to pay... At this point, no one can confirm a price, because the régie has not yet been formed, and it's the régie that's going to call for tenders," concluded the mayor.

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