Action Laval’s municipal councillors David DeCotis (Saint-Bruno) and Achille Cifelli (Val-des-Arbres), along with mayoral candidate Frédéric Mayer, have strongly criticized the outgoing mayor’s administration for granting itself exceptional powers. These powers allow the administration to bypass urban planning by-laws without a clear framework, referendum process, or sufficient democratic checks and balances.
This move effectively places the decision-making power solely in the hands of the executive committee, enabling them to disregard the city’s urban planning by-law and circumvent citizen opposition. The administration claims that these measures are necessary to accelerate development. However, Action Laval argues that this approach undermines transparency, urban balance, and citizen participation.
At a time when Laval is experiencing a significant democratic deficit, this new by-law is likely to increase public cynicism towards democratic institutions. “This is a major democratic setback. Laval residents are being deprived of their right to be heard and to influence decisions that transform their neighborhoods. By centralizing power in the hands of the executive committee, we marginalize both citizens and the municipal council,” lamented David DeCotis.
The criteria for exercising this power are vague and at the discretion of the administration, failing to ensure equity between different projects and neighborhoods. This superpower allows for the authorization of major real estate projects without giving citizens the opportunity to contest decisions through referendums, as is currently the case.
Public consultations, which are meant to replace these processes, lack binding power and become mere formalities, allowing for arbitrary decisions without genuine public debate. “It is not about denying the housing crisis or blocking residential projects, but this power is too broad, too susceptible to abuse, and comes at the expense of local democracy. A well-governed city does not undermine the powers of its population,” stated Frédéric Mayer.
Action Laval acknowledges the urgency of increasing the housing supply but refuses to let this emergency be used as a pretext to sideline citizens. They advocate for supervised, wellthought-out densification that is socially acceptable. Respect for urban planning rules, balance between living environments, and public trust must remain central to Laval’s development. “We want a city where citizens participate, not one where they suffer. Laval residents must be involved in the development of their city, not have it imposed on them,” concluded Achille Cifelli.
