Rosemère places the community at the heart of its concerns and decisions

Rosemère, May 2017 – The mayor of Rosemère, Madeleine Leduc, is pleased to announce the implementation of a process leading to the development of a citizen participation policy. This policy will allow residents as well as the Town’s partners to express their concerns and opinions with regards to municipal issues of interest to them, and to play an active part in the development of the community. In addition to ensuring that the community benefits from a transparent and structured process, this policy will help guide citizens, managers and elected officials in their decision-making.

"In recent years, the citizens of Rosemère have expressed a desire to be better consulted on major decisions of direct concern to them. We are eager to do so, which is why, to clearly identify the needs of community stakeholders and make it easier for them to comply with the new policy, the Town wishes to develop it in collaboration with its citizens and partners,” stated Madeleine Leduc.

The Town’s approach is not associated with, nor does it result from the Québec government’s Bill 122 on municipal autonomy, which calls for the abolition of referendums on zoning changes and land development. It should be noted that this bill is currently under study by the National Assembly.

To maximize the chances for success of its participatory approach, the Town has entrusted a coaching mandate to the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM), an independent, non-partisan and non-profit organization. "The INM is known to be an authority in the area of public participation, given that its mission is to increase citizen participation in the democratic life of Québec. We believe this is the ideal partnership for carrying out this major mandate,” added mayor Leduc. The INM will provide the Town with the support needed to carry out this participatory measure and draft the policy.

"This process, which must be carried out in a rigorous and exemplary fashion, is an opportunity to engage with the citizens of Rosemère, discussing their expectations, needs and ideas with regards to public participation. This exercise will lead to the development of a citizen participation policy adapted to local realities, allowing the Town to formalize and improve its practices in this area,” asserted the INM’s Julie Caron-Malenfant.

A three-step approach

The development of the citizen participation policy will consist of three steps:

• 1. Development and presentation, by the INM, of a public information document on citizen participation. It will provide the basis for reflection by all players involved and introduce the different steps of the process.


• 2. Consultation, through various activities, of all community stakeholders on the policy to be developed.


• 3. Drafting and enhancement of the citizen participation policy.

The Town and the INM will be unveiling the information document on citizen participation as well as the schedule for the carrying out the process at a public activity to be held at 7 p.m., May 30 at the Memorial Community Centre.