West End mayors are forming a common front against the Quebec electoral map changes that will merge Outremont and Mont Royal and significantly alter D'Arcy McGee.
The mayors of Côte-St-Luc, Côte-des-Neiges-NDG borough, Hampstead, Outremont and TMR are uniting their voices against a move that they say will weaken Montreal's political weight and dilute the voting power of districts which include sizeable anglophone, allophone and cultural communities.
The mayors produced a legal opinion from a law professor at the Université de Montréal that questions the changes and suggests they could be contested in court.
But the mayors say they won't be the ones spearheading any legal challenge because it's more appropriate for citizens to do it.
"I have a great deal of reticence about public bodies suing one another," said CDN-NDG mayor Russell Copeman at a news conference.
"But I think more fundamentally than that, this is an issue that touches residents and electors."
The mayors say their respective councils have been adopting motions opposing the changes.
They are also holding a public meeting to discuss the issue next Tuesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. at 6767 Côte-des-Neiges.