Quebec wants to reduce delays in cities awarding contracts

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press “The municipal contract regime is currently composed of complex provisions. This reality raises issues of understanding for all stakeholders, and constitutes a significant obstacle for many businesses,” said Minister Laforest.

The government of François Legault wants to reduce the obstacles and delays faced by cities and municipalities in awarding public contracts. The Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, proposed major changes to the law on Thursday.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Tabled in the House this morning, Bill 79 “enacting the Act respecting contracts of municipal bodies and amending various provisions primarily for the purpose of reducing the administrative burden on municipal bodies” aims to speed up the development of all types of projects in cities and local municipalities.

To do this, it aims to allow municipal bodies to authorize “mixed” projects—residential and commercial—that deviate from urban planning regulations.

It also plans to abolish “the remedies by which qualified voters may request the Commission municipale du Québec to examine the conformity of an urban planning by-law with an urban plan.”

By making changes to the administrative management of municipal public contracts, Québec intends to reduce “by 25% [the] processing times for requests for compliance with the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation.”

“The municipal contract regime is currently composed of complex provisions. This reality raises issues of understanding for all stakeholders, and constitutes a significant obstacle for many businesses,” Minister Laforest said in a press release on Thursday.

Other details will follow.