Quebec: Bill 122 Will Grant Local Municipalities New Powers Governing Land-Use Planning and Zoning

Bill 122, An Act mainly to recognize that municipalities are local governments and to increase their autonomy and powers was introduced by Mr. Martin Coiteux, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy on December 6, 2016.

The bill: 

• gives local municipalities broader powers over urban planning, including zoning, over regulation of contributions for parks and over proper maintenance of immovable assets;
• abolishes the obligation to have amendments to the planning by-laws of Ville de Montréal and Ville de Québec approved through a referendum;
• also abolishes the same requirement for amendments to planning by-laws of any other municipality when those amendments apply exclusively in a requalification zone whose boundaries are determined by the municipality;
  
• stipulates that the Government has a formal obligation to consult the municipal sector when developing its government policy directions regarding land use planning;
• modifies the obligation to obtain certain authorizations or approvals in order for certain municipal decisions to come into force and simplifies the financial management and reporting of municipal bodies;
• provides for new transparency requirements and makes it possible, on certain conditions, for municipalities to change the way their public notices are disseminated;
• introduces new procedures concerning the rules governing the awarding of contracts applicable to municipalities.
  

Access Bill 122 at: http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-parlementaires/projets-loi/projet-loi-122-41-1.html