City sells land for metro extension

Summary#

Montréal city council adopted a decision about selling land to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) for a metro extension. The council also removed the land from the public domain. Its approval of the sale and permission for the STM to start construction are the city’s position for the agglomeration council; that council makes the final decision at a later meeting. City staff say the goal is to allow construction of a power-conversion station for the Blue Line extension.

  • The land is about 202.8 m² on rue Jean-Brillant at rue Victoria, in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The sale price is $115,000, plus applicable taxes.
  • The city authorized the STM to start construction before the sale deed is signed, subject to the promise’s conditions.
  • The city clerk may sign the sale deed once the legal department finds its final form substantially consistent with the promise. The deed also depends on required approvals tied to the city’s earlier acquisition of the land.
  • The STM must pay to prepare the required cadastral documents. If a future access easement is created, the STM must pay its costs.

What it means for you#

  • Residents and road users: The land is a portion of rue Jean-Brillant removed from the public domain. The decision does not grant the STM the separate temporary-occupation permit it needs for a larger surrounding area of about 382 m²; the borough must issue that permit.
  • STM: It may begin construction under the promise’s conditions, before the sale deed is signed. It has 90 days after signing the promise to check the ownership title. The sale excludes legal warranties of quality and ownership, so the STM takes the property at its own risk.
  • City: The city would receive the sale price. If the city later sells or removes the remaining part of the lot from the public domain, the sale deed is to provide the STM with a 7 m² access easement. The STM would pay the costs of creating it.

Money#

The city is to receive $115,000, plus applicable taxes, for the land; no overall cost estimate is provided.

  • City staff say the price matches the land’s estimated market value.
  • The sale revenue is assigned to the operating budget of the city’s real-estate and housing service, under the agglomeration’s 100% responsibility.
  • The STM pays for cadastral documents and, if created, the future easement. No figures are given for those costs.

What is unclear#

  • The promise’s full terms and the conditions for starting construction are not set out in the available material.
  • The required approvals from the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, including any required authorization by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council, have not yet been confirmed.
  • The decision does not say when the sale deed will be signed or when construction will start.
  • The temporary-occupation permit and its terms are not decided here.

Case for#

  • The land would let the STM build a power-conversion station described by city staff as needed for the metro network.
  • The site is beside an existing STM ventilation station, and staff say its location suits the borough, the city’s planning service and the STM.
  • The city receives the estimated market value, according to staff, while the STM pays certain preparation costs.

Case against#

  • The city is allowing construction to begin before the sale deed is signed, while the sale still depends on required approvals.
  • The STM receives the land without legal warranties of quality or ownership, but the decision does not explain how any resulting property issue would be handled.
  • The sale removes a portion of a public street from the public domain. The decision does not describe the effects on street use or access during and after construction.