District 2 councillor François Vallières tendered his resignation this Tuesday, June 11, in the midst of the municipal council meeting, in the face of deep-seated environmental convictions that are at odds with the current will of Coteau-du-Lac's elected officials. In the minutes leading up to his decision, which he described as irrevocable, the alderman had vehemently opposed a major development project due to be launched on municipal territory in the coming months. 

Shortly before the opening of the end-of-session question period, Mr. Vallières announced his decision to the audience, which included his fellow councillors, the general manager, the clerk and deputy clerk, as well as some twenty citizens who had come to attend the public meeting. 

"The only reason I'm leaving is environmental. That's all it is. In the last few days, I've come to realize that public pressure like that exerted on the Soulanges Sports Centre can really change things. The public has power, and we've seen proof of that. So I'm going to continue to get involved, but as a citizen and not as an elected official", he told media representatives following the public meeting where his decision caused consternation.

Following his announcement, District 6 Councillor Delforge had a few kind words for the resigning councillor, who was serving his second term. "Thank you to Mr. Vallières for his involvement. He's a very straightforward person who was always right on the money and very honest.There really is a problem.This is the 2nd resignation at this table in a short space of time, Ms. Brosseau," he said, referring to the departure of David-Lee Amos from district 3 in September 2023.

Fiercely opposed to a development project 

Earlier in the evening, before tendering his resignation, Mr. Vallières fiercely opposed a major real estate project that could see the light of day on the site of the former Camping Koa, on land located between Highway 20, the entrance to the Soulanges Canal and Route 201. 

"A project to build townhouses, triplexes and apartment buildings has been submitted for this site. It has been submitted to the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and will be analyzed as it must comply with the MRC's Schéma d'aménagement. Public consultation dates should then be announced," said Mayor Andrée Brosseau on the subject. 

If the project is approved by the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, the first excavators could be seen on site. 

It was this project that Mr. Vallières fiercely opposed during the course of the evening. He called for a vote on all items on the agenda concerning this future real estate development. All other councillors voted in favour of this major project. 

"In April 2022, the City of Coteau-du-Lac pledged to do everything in its power to improve the future and help reduce climate change. This project runs counter to that commitment, since it will require the cutting down of hundreds, if not thousands, of trees. Last year, we also made a commitment to the young people who designed our Generations Chair to make the best possible decisions for their future. We're not going down that road with this project. At COP15, we also pledged to protect 30% of the planet, and Coteau-du-Lac is a long way from achieving this. We're going to cut down thousands of trees to make way for this project. I'm vehemently opposed," he admitted after calling for a vote and voting against the project. 

Before tendering his resignation, Mr. Vallières also elaborated on his position."Global warming is one of the world's major challenges.It is recognized that one of the best ways to contribute to GHG reduction is to conserve mature trees.But here, we're going to cut down trees and contribute to reinforcing this environmental problem despite commitments made in April 2022.Before considering the monetary value of land, it's important to consider its ecological value too.For me, this would have been a great opportunity to preserve the Camping Koa site by annexing it to the Quatre-Saisons park so that citizens could enjoy it.But that's not in the plans," he said, before announcing his resignation, standing up, handing his iPad to the Director General of the City of Coteau-du-Lac and his letter of resignation to Clerk Chantal Paquette, and taking his seat in the hall with the citizens.