Press release - For immediate release
Projet de loi n° 22 : CMCEL Denounces the Quebec Government's Intention to
Make Permanent the Exceptional Powers Granted to Municipalities
Télécharger le communiqué au format PDF : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qXgsg9RHS9mnyd9lk3W6zfK0nRaaHHwp/view?usp=drive_link
PL22.mp4
For immediate release , Laval, june 11 2026 (Format PDF)
Object : CMCEL Denounces Quebec Government's Intention to Make Permanent the Exceptional Powers Granted to Municipalities
According to information made public during the proceedings of the Committee on Transportation and the Environment on June 9, 2026, during the 3:25 p.m. session (approximately 58 minutes into the meeting), the Government of Quebec intends to make permanent certain exceptional powers that were temporarily granted to municipalities in 2024 in response to the housing crisis.
These measures were originally presented as emergency tools designed to accelerate the development of housing projects during a period of acute housing shortages. The government is now proposing to permanently incorporate these powers into Quebec's municipal legislative framework.
For the Coalition of Citizen Environmental Mobilizations of Laval (CMCEL), this decision raises significant democratic concerns.
"When municipalities are granted greater discretionary powers to authorize projects that do not comply with existing urban planning regulations, there should be a corresponding strengthening of independent public consultation and citizen participation mechanisms. The greater the powers, the stronger the democratic safeguards should be," said Jonathan Tremblay, Co-Spokesperson for CMCEL.
We recall that municipal land-use planning decisions often have long-lasting impacts on quality of life, the protection of natural environments, agricultural land preservation, mobility, public infrastructure, and climate change mitigation efforts.
Several of these concerns have also been publicly expressed by the Ordre des urbanistes du Québec (OUQ). In a press release issued on April 2, 2026, the professional order reiterated its reservations regarding the permanent extension of temporary measures allowing municipalities to authorize housing projects that do not comply with urban planning regulations without any referendum approval mechanism.
We also wish to highlight that Quebec's new Government Planning Guidelines (OGAT) Orientations gouvernementales en aménagement du territoire (OGAT) place particular emphasis on:
Protecting natural environments and biodiversity;
Enhancing quality of life;
Combating climate change;
Promoting sustainable land-use planning;
Encouraging citizen participation in decisions that shape communities.
It is therefore inconsistent to strengthen municipalities' ability to override urban planning regulations without simultaneously introducing new independent mechanisms that allow citizens to participate in decisions that may affect their communities.
We believe that if the government considers it necessary to grant municipalities greater flexibility, it should, in return, strengthen independent public consultation and citizen participation mechanisms. As discretionary powers increase, democratic checks and balances should become stronger as well.
CMCEL therefore calls on the Government of Quebec to suspend the adoption of this provision and to assess democratic safeguard measures such as:
Independent public consultation mechanisms;
Stronger citizen participation early in project planning;
Greater transparency in decision-making processes;
Maintaining or strengthening referendum approval mechanisms where appropriate.
"Citizens should not have to choose between housing development and municipal democracy. It is possible to accelerate certain projects while preserving public trust, citizen participation, and our collective objectives of protecting natural environments and ensuring quality living environments," concluded the coalition.
For further information:
Jonathan Tremblay
Co-Spokesperson
Coalition Mobilisations Citoyennes Environnementales de Laval (CMCEL)
admin@cmcel.ca
Sources
Committee on Transportation and the Environment – Detailed Study of Bill 22 (June 9, 2026)
Ordre des urbanistes du Québec (OUQ) Press Release – April 2, 2026
https://ouq.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/26-ouq-lettre-superpouvoir-pr-vf.pdf