Summary#
Montréal city council gave notice of a motion and tabled a draft bylaw for a “return point” at 12455 rue Sherbrooke Est, in the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles. The bylaw has not been adopted, so it does not yet authorize the site’s use. Its goal is to allow a place to return deposit containers as part of Québec’s expanded deposit system.
- If adopted, the bylaw would allow part of the building to be changed and occupied as a Consignaction+ return point, despite current local zoning rules.
- The draft conditions described by city staff require all operations and storage to be inside the site, and an employee to be present whenever it is open to the public.
- City staff say the proposed facility would be about 800 square metres. Information from Consignaction describes a site open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with 5 to 7 employees and container pickups by truck about once or twice a week. These details are not among the two draft conditions identified above.
- City staff say the borough’s zoning rules do not currently list “return point” as a permitted use, although the site is in a commercial zone. The city is preparing a broader zoning update that would add this use.
What it means for you#
- People returning deposit containers: If the bylaw is later adopted and the required permits are issued, the site could offer another place to return containers. This council decision alone does not open the facility.
- People near the site: The proposed hours, staffing and truck pickups give an indication of planned operations, but the draft conditions described by staff require only indoor operations and storage, and an employee present during public opening hours.
- Residents and businesses generally: The decision does not change deposit amounts, who pays the deposit, or the provincial deposit system’s rules. It concerns this specific location.
Money#
No cost information is included in the available material.
- The material does not give a city spending estimate, fees, or the facility’s operating costs.
What is unclear#
- When the council will consider adopting the bylaw, or whether it will adopt it.
- What permit or other approvals would still be needed, and their timing.
- Whether the proposed operating details—such as hours and truck pickups—would become formal conditions.
- The draft bylaw itself is not reproduced in the supplied material, so its full terms cannot be checked.
Case for#
- City staff say the site would help provide return locations for Québec’s expanded deposit system, which is scheduled to cover more types of containers starting March 1, 2027.
- The proposed site is in a commercial area, and staff say its size, parking and loading space suit a Consignaction+ facility.
- Requiring operations and storage to stay indoors, with an employee present during public hours, would set some limits on how the site operates.
Case against#
- The bylaw would allow a use that current borough zoning rules do not list as permitted. A concern is whether the two stated conditions are enough to address the effects of a large return facility.
- The material gives planned hours, staffing and pickup frequency, but does not say whether those details would be enforceable conditions.
- The draft bylaw’s full text is unavailable here, so it is not possible to assess all limits it might impose.