Council closes a five-month regulatory overhaul, borrows $750,440 for Prince-Albert Street, and faces questions on staff turnover

Monday, April 13, 2026 — A packed agenda: a full bylaw package adopted after five months of work, four new advisory committees seated, 24 new homes approved on rue Isabelle, and a resident's pointed questions about 20+ staff departures in two and a half years.

Before the meeting opened

Louise Labelle Rolin, president of the Ormstown Ladies Auxiliary, presented a $20,000 cheque to the municipality for the purchase of breathing apparatus for the fire department. Councillor Robert Greig, who is also a firefighter representative, was on hand for the handover.

Council also recapped the April 11 citizen open house: more than 120 residents visited information booths at Town Hall, where two PAFIRSPA grant applications later on that night's agenda were presented at 11 a.m. The event, coordinated by Isabelle Tanguet, was deemed a success and will be repeated. Separately, the municipality flagged its role as a partner in the CVR's Earth Day event on Saturday, April 19, which will include a document shredder for residents.

Two agenda changes were made at the outset: item 4.13 (a specialized HR consulting mandate) was added, and item 10.6 (FADOQ event parking on Hector Street) was withdrawn and deferred to a future meeting.

A full regulatory cycle, completed in one night

After five months of drafting and revision, council adopted a significant package of bylaws in a single session. The new internal procedure bylaw (2-2026) — which introduces two public question periods per meeting starting next session — passed alongside amendments to the official plan (147.1-2025), the zoning bylaw (148.4-2025), and the permits & certificates bylaw (151.1-2025). Council also adopted a new municipal tariff bylaw (39-2026) and a domestic animals and dangerous dogs bylaw (131-2026). Notices of motion were tabled for an update to the elected officials' ethics code (74-2026) and a library bylaw amendment (90.1-2026) — both expected for adoption at the next session.

$750,440 borrowed for Prince-Albert Street

Council adopted borrowing bylaw 173-2026, financing the reconstruction of underground infrastructure on Prince-Albert Street. A related infrastructure works contract for Prince-Albert, Cullen, and Oliver Streets was awarded later in the same session.

Four new advisory committees seated

Council appointed members to four committees planned since the start of the current mandate: the Agricultural Advisory Committee, the Environment Committee, the Local Economic Development Committee, and the Community Life Committee.

Public works: a busy infrastructure file

• A snow-clearing agreement for Rang Dumas with the Municipality of Franklin
• A collaboration agreement with the Transport Ministry (MTMD) covering two road projects
• Two PAFIRSPA grant applications tabled (recreational and sports infrastructure)
• A hydrogeologist services contract awarded to Orflow
• Contracts awarded for acquisition and installation of modern, remote-reading water meters
• Bids received for the sale of surplus municipal vehicles were refused — no acceptable offers
• A water well drilling contract awarded to Forage métropolitain inc., carried by majority with Councillor Émond opposed — the lone dissenting vote of the night

Urban planning: a variance and 24 new homes

A minor variance was approved for a residential expansion at 1242 rue du Marais, bringing the total footprint to 128.18 m² — 48.18 m² above the 80 m² maximum for zone R-22. The Urban Planning Advisory Committee (CCU) noted that most existing homes in the zone already exceed this norm, and the urban planning department has been mandated to study a broader revision of the applicable rule.

Site plan approvals (PIIA) were granted for a 24-lot single-family development on rue Isabelle. Models that included an accessory dwelling unit were refused: municipal infrastructure cannot support the equivalent density of 48 units. All building permits for the project must comply with the approved resolution.

Culture & community

• Public piano: the municipality is applying to join the Haut-Saint-Laurent MRC's public piano program, with an instrument planned for the village core.
• Ormstown Fair 2026: $5,000 granted to the LBA. The fair drew over 35,000 visitors in 2025.
• MNA office rent redistribution: $1,000 each to five local organizations — Cercle de l'Amitié, Club FADOQ, the Royal Canadian Legion, Affaire de famille, and one other — payable at the end of the lease in February 2027.
• Library: a Dorotime exhibition opened April 14, a network book exchange ran April 22, and a genealogy club is in planning.
• Mayor Besombes and Councillor Fairhurst presented 2026 school perseverance scholarships at CVCEC.

Question period: a resident presses on staff turnover

A resident raised concerns about municipal staff turnover, citing at least 20 departures across administrative, technical, and public works positions over the past two and a half years. He also described a specific case: an employee allegedly given only four hours' notice before council voted on a dismissal, and termination paperwork he said was not signed by the Director General as required.

Mayor Besombes acknowledged the concern but was direct about the legal framework: personnel management in Quebec municipalities is exclusively the domain of the administration — the Director General and Director of Human Resources — not council. He said he cannot intervene in individual employee files without risking censure from the Municipal Commission.

Council pointed to three actions already underway: HR is now a standing item on the monthly preparatory COCUS agenda; the HR Director, in place less than a year, is actively building job descriptions, procedures, and policies; and the municipality is working toward compliance with Bill 27.

Full resolution index

Every item that came to a vote or was formally tabled, drawn from the public recording. Mover/seconder fields were not always stated aloud and are marked with a dash where unavailable.

Outstanding items & follow-up