Last March, the Municipality of Saint-Zotique announced its intention to submit a request to the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation (MAMH) for a change of name and municipal regime, in order to be renamed Ville de Saint-Zotique. On August 29, Mayor Yvon Chiasson confirmed that the MAMH is in favor of the new name. 

"We will be holding a press conference on Monday, September 25 to unveil our new, modernized and revitalized logo. A consultation committee was set up in recent months to work on the project. It was made up of citizens, elected officials, artists and CACVS representatives, who all contributed to the project. A graphic designer also contributed her expertise. The final version was approved by all councillors and will be unveiled in a few weeks' time", said Chief Magistrate Yvon Chiasson on the subject. 

In the meantime, the municipal administration will also unveil the new logo for the Fire Safety Department. "If you look closely at the current logo, the Municipality's logo is in the middle of the firefighters' logo. It is therefore necessary to change it. But I want to reassure the public. We won't be changing all the Municipality's logos that appear on municipal territory. This will be done gradually over time. For example, the logo appears on the fire trucks. However, these will only be changed when the vehicle is replaced," he points out. 

No change in municipal responsibilities 

In an e-mail sent to Néomédia, Guillaume Maheu Drouin, coordinator of community relations and new media for the Municipality of Saint-Zotique, indicated that there would be no change in the Municipality's responsibilities.

"The only major change will be to come under the Cities and Towns Act, which better defines the roles of civil servants and is better adapted to the Municipality, which is in full expansion. In fact, the number of residents has now reached the 10,000 mark," he explained last March. 

At present, the Municipality is governed by the Municipal Code. By passing under the Cities and Towns Act, it will gain greater powers of administration and urban planning.

MAMH distinguishes the two municipal laws as follows: 

The Cities and Towns Act applies to all municipalities designated as towns, plus a few others. It sets out the powers of the council and its various bodies, how the council operates, the rules for adopting the budget, and so on.

The Quebec Municipal Code is the fundamental legislation for other Quebec municipalities that were originally rural in character. The Municipal Code provides virtually the same powers as the Cities and Towns Act.