Summary#
Montréal city council approved a professional-services contract and licence arrangement with the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM, Montréal Metropolitan Community), titled Accorder un contrat de services professionnels et licence… The $194,812 agreement is for applying MÉRIGE, a method for assessing and managing flood risks. City staff say the goal is to give municipalities information for planning flood-prevention and mitigation measures.
- CMM will provide modelling work, including checking and adding map data, mapping possible flood consequences and danger levels, and adding direct tangible damages to the method.
- The work will identify areas and possible mitigation measures, and assess whether each proposed permanent protection measure is a last resort.
- The project also involves the city’s civil-protection department, the provincial housing and municipal-affairs ministry, and the boroughs concerned. City staff say a provincial grant fully funds the overall project.
What it means for you#
- Residents: The assessment concerns buildings whose main use is residential. It is intended to inform municipal planning; the decision does not require residents to apply, take action, or accept a flood-protection measure.
- Residents and property owners: This decision does not approve construction of a dike or other protection works, change property rights, or guarantee that any measure will be built.
Money#
The contract is for $194,812; city staff say the overall project is fully funded by a $746,123 grant from the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH).
- The contract is to be paid in three instalments tied to reports: $48,729, $35,743.50, and $110,339.50.
- The materials do not say whether the contract amount includes taxes.
What is unclear#
- The materials do not give the licence terms, including what use of MÉRIGE the licence permits.
- They do not describe how residents will be consulted, or whether the results and maps will be made public.
- The decision summary says the project uses CMM as the modelling expert under the grant agreement, but does not report whether the contract followed a call for tenders or how many bids were received.
Case for#
- City staff say the assessment could help municipalities compare the costs and benefits of flood-protection, mitigation, and adaptation measures.
- Using a standardized method could give the city information to support requests for government approval of permanent protection measures when they are shown to be a last resort.
Case against#
- The assessment could inform decisions about protection measures, but this decision does not set out how the city will choose among them or involve affected residents.
- The materials do not explain what the licence permits or how the assessment’s findings will be shared.