Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted a position recommending $68,700 in support for the Regroupement des éco-quartiers (REQ) to organize the 22nd Patrouille verte, from June 1 to August 22, 2026, and approve a funding agreement. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the program’s goal is to educate residents about environmental issues and practical actions.
- The proposed grant would come from three city services: Environment, Water, and the Bureau de la transition écologique et de la résilience.
- The REQ would organize outreach on waste sorting and disposal, green alleys and heat waves, and drinking-water conservation.
- The staff summary describes the program as supporting the planned hiring of 47 patrol workers. The resolution does not set hiring requirements or detailed program rules.
What it means for you#
- Residents: The program plans to offer outreach, such as door-to-door visits and information booths. The decision does not create a new resident service or require residents to take part.
- REQ: The proposed funding agreement would set the terms and conditions for paying the grant. Those terms are not included in the materials.
- Taxpayers: The proposed $68,700 is public funding. The materials do not say how much each of the three city services would contribute.
Money#
The city council’s position is to award $68,700; the staff summary gives a projected total program budget of $452,333.74.
- The other projected sources are $239,683.74 from Canada Summer Jobs and $143,950 from participating boroughs and linked municipalities. Staff say these amounts were still forecasts when they prepared the summary.
- The staff summary gives two different estimates for patrol workers’ hours: 18,048 in one passage and 18,560 in another.
What is unclear#
- The funding agreement’s specific payment conditions and reporting requirements are not in the materials.
- The summary describes the planned work as covering 18 boroughs and either five or six linked municipalities, and 16 éco-quartiers. It does not resolve the different coverage figures.
- The summary does not explain whether the forecasted federal and local contributions were later confirmed.
Case for#
- City staff say the program provides direct environmental education and supports municipal goals on waste, water, and the urban forest.
- The proposed funding would add to federal and local contributions, rather than cover the whole forecast budget.
- Staff report that the 2025 patrol reached 52,012 residents, offering a past measure of the program’s reach.
Case against#
- The program’s total budget and several funding sources were still forecasts in the staff summary, so the final funding picture was uncertain.
- The different hour and geographic coverage figures make it hard to tell exactly what the proposed 2026 funding would support.
- The materials describe outreach activities, but do not set targets for what residents should learn or how the city would measure results.