Monday, March 14, was the night of the Sainte-Julienne municipal council meeting in Lanaudière, and items on the agenda were parked at full speed. The mayor, Richard Desormiers, properly presided at the meeting.
He is no longer new to politics. Prior to being elected mayor in 2021, Richard Desormiers held the position of municipal councilor for District 5 from 2013 to November 2021, where Domaine la Fierté is located.
During the questioning, a citizen picked up the microphone and said he had read some exchanges on the Facebook group The galleryconsisting of residents of Sainte-Julienne, about clear cutting and house construction without a permit on the land of Domaine la Fierté, owned by Mayor Richard Desormiers.
The people then asked the mayor: Do you have permits for everything going on there? (Referring to cutting trees and building houses.) And the mayor candidly replies no.
The citizen said he was surprised because, if he wanted to cut down a tree on his property, he would have to apply for a permit from the Municipality. In fact, it is clearly indicated on the City’s website that anyone wishing to cut down one or more trees must first obtain a certificate of authorization.
The mayor replied that, since the creation of the Domaine la Fierté in 1998, it has been the way things are done. He said previous administrations have felt that it works well and that the Municipality is content with collecting the amount of taxes.
” This is always allowed; no one said anything. “
Regarding the construction of houses, the mayor explained, during the municipal council, that at that time people who wanted to build or live in his campsite had to get a permit from the City. But, according to the mayor, the latter will not be issued because its land is not a subdivided lot. Mr. Desormiers indicates that the Municipality is now trying regularize the situation.
Implement environmental standards
During the municipal council on April 11, Councilor Joël Ricard, who was not on the mayor’s team, proposed a resolution on compliance with municipal regulations and environmental standards related to Domaine la Fierté.
This resolution proposes that the council direct the Director General of the Municipality to look into the situation at the Domaine, particularly by directing the city planning services to investigate the mayor’s compliance with the rules and conduct of site inspection. .
This resolution did not get a municipal council quorum because the mayor and members of his group abstained from voting to avoid a conflict of interest.
Ang MRC Montcalm was arrested
In the absence of a quorum, the director general and clerk-treasurer of the Municipality of Sainte-Julienne have a legal obligation to transfer the question of the council to the regional county municipality (RCM) of Montcalm. This is what Nathalie Girard, the current general manager, did.
The council of MRC de Montcalm, by resolution, then reiterated its trust in the professionals and officials of the Municipality of Sainte-Julienne. The latter has already invested in the powers of inspection of the territory, and this, without a request from the council.
Considering that there is an allegation that possible violations of municipal laws have occurred, the office of the director general requested to conduct an inspection of the property and report it to the director general of MRC.
The lawyer Nicolas Rousseau of MRC De Montcalm pointed out that it must be understood that this is a question of equal treatment for all citizens: the law is the same for all.
Response from the City of Sainte-Julienne
The Municipality claims to be aware of certain issues in terms of urban planning and has specified that the administration, once noticing a situation, will treat it as any file would be treated.
The municipal administration said it was preparing a complete report to establish the state of the situation and the actions taken by the Municipality in the context of the Domaine la Fierté file. This document must be provided to the council of MRC by Montcalm.
Richard Desormiers declined our interview request.
The mayor’s party, Équipe Richard Desormiers, campaigned in November 2021, promising, among other things, to plant 1,000 trees over four years and distribute 2,000 trees annually.
Source: Radio-Canada