Montreal Metropolitan Commission


The Montreal Metropolitan Commission was an authority that was involved in municipal affairs affecting the urbanized part of the Island of Montreal.

History

When four municipalities were approaching bankruptcy, they requested annexation by the City of Montreal. Montreal, then experiencing a budgetary crisis arising from its annexation of Maisonneuve in 1918, refused to consider this request, unless it annexed the more wealthy municipalities on the Island of Montreal at the same time. As a compromise, the Quebec government established the Island of Montreal Metropolitan Commission in 1921, which was renamed as the Montreal Metropolitan Commission in the following year. The territory over which the Commission had jurisdiction was known as the Metropolitan District.
The Commission existed until 1959, when it was replaced by the Montreal Metropolitan Corporation, which was abolished in 1969 on the creation of the Montreal Urban Community.

Composition

The Commission consisted of 15 members appointed from the following bodies:
MunicipalityMunicipalityNumber
MontrealCouncillors7
MontrealCity Controller1
WestmountWestmount1
OutremontOutremont1
VerdunVerdun1
LachineLachine1
LaSalle, Saint-Pierre, Hampstead, Mount Royal, Saint-Laurent, and Montreal WestLaSalle, Saint-Pierre, Hampstead, Mount Royal, Saint-Laurent, and Montreal West1
Montreal North, Saint-Michel, Montreal East, Pointe-aux-Trembles, and Laval-de-MontréalMontreal North, Saint-Michel, Montreal East, Pointe-aux-Trembles, and Laval-de-Montréal1
Provincial Department of Municipal Affairs Provincial Department of Municipal Affairs 1
TotalTotal15

The following served as chairman of the Commission during its existence:
YearsChairman
19211927Joseph-Adélard-Azarie Brodeur
19271932Joseph-Maurice Gabias
19321934Dr Henri-Adonai Quintal
19341938Winchester Henry Biggar
19381941Joseph-Georges Caron
19411954Joseph-Omer Asselin
19541957Pierre DesMarais
19581959Maurice Forget

Functions

Except for the City of Montreal, no member municipality could issue bonds or contract non-temporary loans without the Commission's approval. Any municipality failing to meet its obligations could have its financial affairs taken over by the Commission, and all solvent municipalities were liable for the interest of the debts of the insolvent municipalities. In 1953, the Commission's powers were enlarged to include expropriation.

Extraterritorial jurisdiction of the City of Montreal

In 1935, the City of Montreal acquired the power to impose sales tax and income tax in the City as well as in the other municipalities under the control of the Commission, and bylaws came into effect on 1 May 1935 for:
The amounts raised were shared pro rata with the other municipalities within the Commission's territory.
The imposition of sales tax would continue until 1964, and the municipal income tax would be abolished with the implementation of the Wartime Tax Rental Agreements of 1941.