For the first time, the ten mayors of the municipalities involved in the Centre sportif Soulanges project have agreed on the future of the sports facility in Saint-Polycarpe. 

"It's a first to have all the mayors supporting us in our efforts to set up a Centre sportif management board," explained Saint-Polycarpe mayor Jean-Yves Poirier at the December 11 council meeting.

The mayor was cautious, however. "There are still a few approvals to be sought from certain municipal councils. There are three councils where we need to show how important it is to keep the Sports Centre... We want to make sure we have the assent of all the councils," he said.

On November 14, the Municipality of Saint-Polycarpe announced the possible closure of the Centre sportif in the spring of 2024, if an equitable distribution of the operating and maintenance costs of this regional infrastructure was not reached with the surrounding municipalities. 

Since the announcement, several municipalities have shown their support for Saint-Polycarpe, while others were a little more hesitant. Many citizens have also turned out at council meetings to demonstrate the importance of the sports center. 

Talks launched last May 

Talks to ensure a more equitable sharing of the costs of operating and maintaining this vital infrastructure for the region were launched by Saint-Polycarpe last May. At the time, the municipality's elected officials invited their Soulanges counterparts, whose citizens use the Centre Sportif facilities, to discuss sharing the costs of running the Centre and financing the work required to maintain it.

The municipalities approached by Saint-Polycarpe to contribute to arena expenses are: Saint-Zotique, Coteau-du-Lac, Les Coteaux, Rivière-Beaudette, Saint-Clet, Saint-Télesphore, Sainte-Marthe, Très-Saint-Rédempteur and Sainte-Justine-de-Newton. 

Saint-Polycarpe is currently the only municipality contributing to the Centre's operating costs, although its population represents only around 10% of users.

Since 2014, it has invested over $2 million in the Sports Centre.Despite repeated appeals to surrounding municipalities, no agreement has been reached in recent years to share this burden, which is becoming increasingly heavy on the municipality's finances.

For the mayor of Saint-Polycarpe, Jean-Yves Poirier, it is inconceivable that the citizens of his municipality should continue to bear these expenses alone: "Our citizens have done their share. Their financial resources are not infinite, and it is out of the question for us to increase property taxes excessively in order to serve, for the most part, citizens of other municipalities."

However, the Chief Magistrate points out that the Centre remains an essential asset for the regional population. For him, "Soulanges cannot afford to do without the Centre sportif, nor would it be appropriate to forgo the 5.6 million subsidy."That's why, he says, his municipal council "reached out to the region's elected officials."

Under Saint-Polycarpe's proposal, the total population of each municipality and its level of use of the Centre would be the variables used to determine each municipality's contribution, with Saint-Polycarpe agreeing to contribute more to compensate for, among other things, its increased use of the hall there.

"We're not asking the surrounding municipalities to invest in Saint-Polycarpe; we're simply asking them to assume part of the costs associated with their own use of this collective infrastructure".If a majority of municipalities were to agree and ensure the arena's survival, additional fees would apply for residents of non-signatory municipalities.