Monday, July 6, 2026 — The Bell Mobilité tower lease came to a formal recorded vote and passed unanimously. Council also authorized a major road-works tender, awarded winter and laboratory contracts, named a new deputy mayor, and moved two PPCMOI housing files forward.
The mayor opened with a longer-than-usual allocution covering several files:
Council chamber reconfigured. The room layout was changed for better video framing; the mural behind the council table will be relocated to the Centre récréatif, its originally intended home.
How council works. Responding to recurring questions about the lack of visible debate at public sessions, the mayor explained that council holds two preparatory caucus meetings — roughly five to six hours — before each public session, where files are discussed and consensus is sought. Public sessions are the end point of that process, a practice he described as common across Québec municipalities. (For how sessions are run, see the Observer's explainer on council procedure bylaw 2-2026.)
Infrastructure. 2026 is a heavy construction year: one rural road paving project has just been completed; work on rues Prince-Albert, Cullen and Oliver (sewer, aqueduct, and a new storm-water network, not just repaving) begins later this summer, with affected residents to be met individually; the 138A will be repaved; and multiple culverts will be repaired on rang Tullochgorum (three), chemin de la Rivière-Châteauguay, and on Argyle. Council believes enough margin has been freed under the $3.7M provincial subsidy to also pave the 3e Rang — one more road than originally planned (see item 7.5 below).
Indoor pool / Centre récréatif renovation. The grant application for the four-season indoor pool and full recreation centre renovation was filed with the ministry on June 19 — a technical dossier of more than 100 pages backed by over 40 support resolutions, including from municipalities outside the MRC. A response is expected around October.
Splash pad. The water games at the recreation centre park have had repeated stoppages. The mayor explained it is a closed-loop system — the same water is treated and recycled — which conserves water but makes the treatment balance fragile. Occasional safety shutdowns should be expected.
Bell tower. The mayor summarized the file ahead of the vote: first council resolution March 2; public notice May 20 opening the written consultation; a public information session held June 10 at the municipality's request (which he stated goes beyond the standard federal process); consultation formally closed June 26, with Bell notifying Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) the same day. He stressed that telecommunications are federal jurisdiction and that the municipality's role in the file is as property owner — had the tower been proposed on private land, the municipality could only have participated in the written consultation like any citizen.
Droit supplétif (supplementary transfer duty). A follow-up from earlier sessions: Québec's Bill 22, adopted in June 2026, modifies the rules on real-estate transfer duties, and the municipality believes it may extinguish the local supplementary-duty bylaw. A legal analysis is underway and the file will return to council.
Public notice posting. With the post office no longer available as a posting location, notices are currently posted on the bulletin board at Town Hall while the municipality continues to look for an alternative site.
The mayor closed by thanking the municipal team, including recreation coordinator Isabelle, for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Canada Day celebrations — the July 1 event was cut short by weather.
Written questions on the Bell tower. The mayor read into the record his responses to written questions submitted by a resident: (1) on holding a debate and formal vote on the lease — he pointed to the consultation period and June 10 session as the debate, and confirmed a formal recorded vote would take place later in the meeting; (2) on an independent ecological inventory before signing — council discussed it in caucus and concluded the promoter is responsible for complying with Québec and federal environmental law, and that council sees no indication of a particular ecological risk on the site, which the mayor described as a large clearing with a crushed-stone perimeter, existing municipal infrastructure (a pumping station and pipes), and mature trees between the site and nearby homes; (3) on disclosing the financial and contractual terms of the lease — he recommended filing an access-to-information request, noting some contract provisions are legally protected.
Opposition letter on the eco-industrial rezoning. A property owner deposited a letter opposing the change of affectation of lots 5 806 516, 5 806 517, 5 806 514, 5 806 512 and 5 805 983 (near the 3e Rang), arguing the industrial vocations envisioned by the municipality are unrealistic given road access, noise, and vacant industrial space nearby, and proposing instead a residential development for which the owners say they are prepared to help fund sanitary-capacity upgrades. The mayor responded that the rezoning to light industrial was initiated by the previous council in 2025 and is now at the final approval stage with the ministry (MAMH); the current council's vision is an "écoparc industriel" with a strong ecological component, including a conservation park. He noted the alternative on the table is a residential project of some 600 doors, and that the file will return to council as it progresses.
Bell consultation process. The Observer's editor asked whether all council members had access to the complete consultation dossier, including the Observer's correspondence with Bell, and raised a discrepancy over the consultation window: in the Observer's exchanges with Bell, the reply period tied to individual correspondence extended to July 10. The mayor responded that the dates he relies on are those in the May 20 public notice published in The Gleaner — a written consultation from May 20 to June 19, which Bell in practice extended, answering questions until June 26 before notifying ISED that the consultation was closed. He said the clerk's office (a notary) reviewed the lease clauses, and that council deliberately chose not to sign the lease until the consultation process concluded — which is why the vote was held at this session. He confirmed that the written exchanges submitted during the consultation form part of the dossier. The Observer notes that its position — that concurrence before the expiry of individual reply windows falls outside the CPC-2-0-03 framework — was stated on the record; readers can consult the Observer's Bell Tower investigation for the full documentary record.
Downtown safety and drainage. A new shop owner at 27 rue Lambton flagged nearly erased crosswalk lines at the Lambton corner, a missing storm drain that leaves standing water at the corner, and truck parking that consumes multiple car spaces. The mayor took note and said a merchants' meeting is being organized for September; a councillor invited residents to file such requests through reception so they are logged to the right department.
4.1 — Accounts payable. Council approved financial operations totalling $601,832.15.
4.2 — Loan refinancing (Règlement 117-2019). The 2019 borrowing for paving on chemin de la Rivière-Châteauguay (original works: $895,800) reaches its renewal point. Council authorized refinancing the remaining $466,200 by notes dated July 22, 2026, repayable 2027–2031. In the second question period, the DG explained the rate is set through Québec's centralized municipal financing process, which bundles municipal borrowings and runs the public tender — the lender could remain RBC or change. The interest rate was not available at the session.
4.3 — Deputy mayor. Councillor Jacques Guilbault (seat 2) was named maire suppléant for the period running to January 2027, continuing council's practice of rotating the role every six months. Councillor Valérie Tafer's term had expired.
4.4 — Laboratory services contract. Following an invitation to six laboratories, council awarded the annual materials quality-control and soil characterization contract to the lowest conforming bidder, Groupe ABS, at $93,874.21 (taxes included). Other bids: GIE $99,000; Laboratoires GS $105,392.70; Solmatec $117,167.16; Laboratoire Montérégie $167,295.18. The lab work supports this year's construction program (Prince-Albert/Cullen/Oliver, 138A, 3e Rang, Tullochgorum, and culvert projects).
4.5 — Group insurance market study. Council mandated the firm Les Solutions Collectives Prestige to conduct a market study of the employee group-insurance plan — a periodic review (roughly every five years) to compare coverage, costs, and market conditions before deciding whether to renew or change plans.
4.6 — Interim public works director. With the public works director position vacant as of July 10, 2026, Stéphanie Sigouin — currently director of inspection and environment — was named interim director of public works while keeping her current duties, until the position is filled.
4.7 — Bell tower lease: approved unanimously. Council authorized the conclusion of a lease between the municipality and Bell Mobilité inc. for a telecommunications tower and related equipment on part of a municipal lot near Route 138, and authorized the director general to sign the lease and all related documents, including any filings at the land registry. At the mayor's initiative, a full recorded vote was held: all six councillors voted in favour, and the mayor exercised his vote in favour — adopted unanimously, 7–0. For the consultation timeline, the correspondence record, and the compliance scorecard, see the Observer's Bell Tower investigation and the pre-vote report.
4.8 — Office d'habitation du Haut-Saint-Laurent. Council received and approved the OH's 2025 financial statements. Ormstown's share of the operating deficits — covering the HLM program ($22,151.29, including $17,830.04 for the Parc des Érables property) and the rent-supplement (PSL) program — totals $23,850.40. Exact component figures will be confirmed against the official minutes.
4.9 — Clerk recruitment. The greffier/greffière position has been vacant since May 7, 2026. Council accepted a service offer from Groupe Montpetit, a firm specialized in legal-talent recruitment, to run the search.
4.10 — Seasonal hires (item added at the session). Council authorized the hiring of two temporary seasonal labourers, plus one student employee, for the public works department.
5.1 — Notice of motion: Règlement 129-2026 on contract management. Québec's new law on municipal-body contracts came into force April 1, 2026, consolidating and modernizing contracting rules. The notice of motion begins the process of bringing Ormstown's contract-management bylaw into conformity; the draft bylaw and adoption vote will follow at later sessions.
7.1 to 7.3 — Winter materials. Three supply contracts were awarded:
7.4 — Water systems management. Council awarded a one-year, $47,736 (plus taxes) contract to Groupe Hélios (Aquatech division) to support management of the municipal drinking-water and wastewater installations. The mayor stressed this is a complement, not an outsourcing: the municipality's water employee remains in post, but relying on a single person creates coverage risk (illness, vacation), and efforts to recruit a second employee were unsuccessful.
7.5 — Tender authorization: 3e Rang, Tullochgorum, Argyle. Council authorized a public call for tenders for paving the 3e Rang (completing a partly paved road and addressing a water-accumulation problem), three culverts on rang Tullochgorum, and a permanent repair of the broken Argyle culvert. Context: the $3.7M MTQ subsidy funds 75% of up to $5M in works; the winning 138A bid came in well under budget, freeing margin to add these projects. The municipality will request a modification of its subsidy file with the ministry, and the mayor cautioned everything remains conditional on tender results.
8.1 — The fire department's monthly report was tabled.
9.1 — June permits. 23 permits were issued in June for a total work value of about $929,840 (roughly $3,630 in permit fees) — including five renovations, four accessory buildings, two constructions, two occupancy permits, decks/galleries, two additions, and one tree felling.
9.2 — Minor derogation, 5 rue Victoria: granted. The request regularizes a front gallery encroaching into the front setback and a heat pump close to the side line. Key factor: the house was built in 1884 — Ormstown's first construction bylaw dates from 1946 — supporting acquired rights for the gallery. Council accepted the derogation for the gallery and will issue the heat-pump permit only upon receipt of a signed letter from the neighbouring owner at 3 rue Victoria confirming no loss of enjoyment (the letter has been received).
9.3 — PIIA, 12 rue Bridge: approved. Signage (wall-mounted and detached) for the accounting firm at 12 rue Bridge, conforming to the sign-dimension rules.
9.4 — PIIA, 25-27 rue Lambton: approved with condition. Window-film signage for the newly opened brocante (second-hand shop), approved on condition the signs conform to the latest plan submitted. (The owner noted during the question period that the business's registered name, which references Valleyfield, will be changed now that she has moved to Ormstown.)
9.5 — PIIA, 36D rue Lambton: partially refused. For a mattress retailer: the window lettering and logos (within the 30%-of-window limit, art. 11.19 of zoning bylaw 148-2023) were approved, but the large flat-mounted façade sign — 10,800 sq. in. where the bylaw allows a maximum of 2,356 sq. in. (art. 11.24) — was refused, with council invoking art. 15.2 (acquired rights for signs) and requiring the sign's removal. In the second question period, the shop operator — who is a tenant, not the sign's owner — asked how to proceed, noting the sign structure predates her arrival and was shared by several businesses under an earlier bylaw. The mayor said the inspector will contact the business owner to work out next steps, and framed the PIIA regime as an effort to harmonize the main street's heritage character, not to block businesses.
9.6 — Multi-unit residential permit request, lot 6 411 704: referred to CCU. The municipality received a permit request for four multi-unit residential buildings on a lot near the rivière aux Outardes (behind the existing multiplexes). Council formally asked the comité consultatif d'urbanisme (CCU) to analyze the project's feasibility, integration with the surrounding built environment, green space, connection to the parks network, and heat-island mitigation, and to report back with recommendations. Depending on the outcome, the developer would need a PPCMOI or a regulatory amendment — processes that include public consultation, a register, and potentially a referendum. Observer note: the unit count stated during the session was inconsistent (introduced as buildings of 16 units each, then summarized as 16 units total); the Observer will confirm the figures against the official minutes.
9.7 — PPCMOI, residential project on lot 6 455 729: draft resolution adopted. Council adopted the draft resolution for the multi-unit residential project on the lot adjacent to the Toit Vert property — the file that was before council June 1 as four 6-plex buildings. A PPCMOI (projet particulier de construction, de modification ou d'occupation d'un immeuble) is a discretionary approval used when a project doesn't conform as-of-right to zoning; here the derogations concern height (three storeys where two are permitted), a vegetated buffer narrowing from 2 m to 1.3 m at one point, and driveway spacing of 27.4 m where 30 m is required. Council cited CCU-driven improvements including brick façades and a planting plan of roughly 30 trees (native species such as red maples and serviceberry) where the bylaw minimum is 12, on a currently fully mineralized site. Next steps: a register (signature period) announced by public notice — open to qualified voters of the concerned and adjacent zones — and potentially a referendum. Observer note: Asked how many people attended the public consultation, the mayor answered "2".
9.8 — PPCMOI, Royal Canadian Legion parking: draft resolution adopted. Filed by the municipality on the Legion's behalf, this project (public consultation held July 2) would regularize the use of the vacant lot facing the Legion as parking, integrate it as public parking within a broader parks/active-transportation network, and allow the Legion building at 33 rue Prince-Albert to serve as an emergency shelter under the municipal civil-security plan (the formal agreement will come by separate resolution). Same next steps: register, then possible referendum.
9.9 — Notice of motion: subdivision bylaw amendment. Council began the process of revising the lotissement bylaw's 10% parks contribution — the rule requiring subdividers to reserve 10% of land for a park or pay 10% of the value in lieu. The amendment would add exclusions for situations where the requirement makes little sense (e.g., splitting a lot in two). Councillor 5 left the room for this item, citing a potential conflict of interest. Draft bylaw and adoption to follow.
10.1 — Library report: the TD summer reading club continues through August; registration remains open.
10.2 — Council granted $300 to Projet Communic-Action, a regional non-profit supporting seniors with reduced autonomy living at home, to help offset rising transportation and energy costs. The aid is conditional on the municipality's financial-assistance policy and reporting requirements.
10.3 — Council adopted a letter of support for the Centre de formation de Huntingdon's "Aînés branchés" project (digital autonomy, technological safety, and artificial intelligence training for residents 55+), submitted under the federal New Horizons for Seniors program, 2026-27.
Beyond the loan-refinancing and Lambton-sign exchanges noted above, the Observer's editor raised communication around public consultations: the July 2 PPCMOI consultation drew two attendees; the June 1 minutes were not yet published when the consultation notice ran, leaving the video recording as the only way to learn what had been tabled; and the loss of the post office as a posting site narrows access further. He suggested the town post unofficial plain-language summaries — including on Facebook — as a low-cost improvement. The mayor explained the minutes-publication sequence (adoption at the following regular session, then signature, then posting — a built-in delay of several weeks), praised the obligatory on-site consultation billboards posted for both PPCMOI projects, and acknowledged "there is probably room for improvement," noting the municipality has been reflecting on alternatives since losing the post office posting location. He added that consultations are one step in a longer process that still includes a register and a possible referendum. (For more on how municipal communications reach — or don't reach — residents, see the Observer's editorial When Policy Allows More Than Practice.)
| Item | Status | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Bell tower lease — lot 6 065 483 | Lease authorized by unanimous recorded vote | DG to sign; land-registry filings; ISED concurrence process |
| 3e Rang / Tullochgorum / Argyle works | Tender authorized | Public call for tenders; subsidy-file modification with MTQ; conditional on bid results |
| PPCMOI — lot 6 455 729 (residential) | Draft resolution adopted | Register announced by public notice; possible referendum |
| PPCMOI — Legion parking (33 Prince-Albert) | Draft resolution adopted | Register; separate resolution for the emergency-shelter agreement |
| Multi-unit permit request — lot 6 411 704 | Referred to CCU | CCU recommendations return to council |
| Règlement 129-2026 (contract management) | Notice of motion | Draft bylaw tabling, then adoption |
| Subdivision bylaw (10% parks contribution) | Notice of motion | Draft bylaw tabling, then adoption |
| Droit supplétif bylaw | Under legal analysis (Bill 22 impact) | Council to report back |
| Indoor pool / rec centre grant | Application filed June 19 | Ministry response expected ~October |
| Clerk (greffier) position | Recruitment mandate awarded | Groupe Montpetit search underway |
| Official minutes — July 6, 2026 | Not yet published | Expected on ormstown.ca approx. 4–6 weeks after adoption at the next regular session |