Low turnout and uncontested elections: How healthy is municipal democracy in Quebec?

More than three decades have gone by since a municipal election was held in Brbeuf, a small townin the Laurentians along the meandering Rivire Rouge.

This year is no exception. All of the councillors and the mayoral candidate were acclaimed earlier this month, just as they have been since 1986.

• Who will run Lingwick? Small Quebec township can't find mayoral candidates

The paucity of contested elections inBrbeufisnot from a lack of trying, according toMarcL'Heureux, the 61-year-oldtriathletewho recently became the town's newest mayor when no one stepped in to run against him.

"We aren't cherry-picking people to sit on council,"L'Heureuxsaid during a recent interview at his home, which overlooks his horse ranch."We have trouble finding people."

But along with the slim pool of candidates,L'Heureuxsaid the town of 1,000 people is also cost-conscious.He estimated the price tag for a municipal election would runat least $15,000.

"It's a lot of money for us," he said. "People don't want to force an election even if they are interested."

The 'worrying' state of local democracy

Brbeufis among214municipalities in Quebec that won't be having an election on Nov. 5, when voters in the rest of the province head to the polls to electthe mayors andcouncillorswho will run their towns and cities for the next four years.

The high number of municipalities likeBrbeuf where there is simply no competition for elected positions, where the mayor and everycouncillorare acclaimed contribute to the perception that local democracy in Quebec is in a sorry state.

Of these 214 municipalities, there are 23that haven't had an election since 2003,a period that will include four municipal election cycles by Nov. 5.

• Smooth operator: The Denis Coderre method to staying in power

In the last round of municipal elections in 2013, 47.2 per cent of the province's mayors and 56.3 per cent of its municipalcouncillorsran unopposed.

Takentogether, that means more municipal officials in Quebec were acclaimed than elected into office. The next four years will be no different.

Another concerning factor is the persistently low turnout rate for municipal elections.

Only 47per cent of eligibleQuebecersbothered to vote in the municipal elections of 2013, well below the turnout rates for the most recent federal (68 per cent) and provincial(71 per cent) elections.

"That's very worrying for our democracy," elections chief Pierre Reid said as he launched an ad campaign to boost turnout. "Imagine if ourmunicipalities also did things only half-way."

• The charm offensive: Valerie Plante's charge for City Hall

But is it all bad?

But data compiled by CBC News indicates that when it comes to the health of municipal democracy in Quebec, a moreoptimistic diagnosisis also possible.

The 47-per cent turnout in the 2013 municipals was nevertheless an increase from the 45 per cent who votedin 2009 and 2005.

Turnout has also steadily increased in Montreal since the messy merger process of the early aughts. It's gonefrom a dismal 35 per cent in 2005 to a slightlyless-dismal 43 per cent in 2013.

(In 2014 Vancouver and Toronto had municipal elections with turnouts of 43 per cent and 60 per cent respectively.)

There are also fewer Quebec municipalities that are seeing across-the-board acclamations; their number has decreased by 35 per cent between 2005 and 2017.

Acclamations, overall, have been on the decline since 2005.

End of a dark period

To be sure, municipaldemocracy in Quebec went through a dark period.

Provincial reforms created a confusing patchwork of governing bodies in Montreal, making it so that voters in the city have to choose anywhere from three to five names when they step into the voting booth.

• Confused about voting in Montreal? Here's what you need to know

A few years later, a provincial inquiry into Quebec's construction industry exposed wide-scalecorruption in dozensof municipalities, including Montreal, Laval, Terrebonneand Mascouche.

One witness at the inquiry,Gilles Cloutier, claimed that over his career he hadhelped rig some 60 elections in the Montreal area at the request of Roche, an engineering consulting firm.

"That cast a shadow on the whole world of municipal politics," said ricForest, an independent senator who chaired theUnion of Quebec Municipalities between 2010-2014. "It discouraged a lot of people from entering politics."

• Politicians react to Cloutier's explosive Charbonneau testimony

But he believesQuebecersare gradually recognizing that municipal government is about more than just garbage collection.

This summer, the Quebec government passed Bill 122, which expands the powers available to local authorities for dealingwith issues like the environment andeconomic development.

It passed separate laws increasing the powers of Montreal and Quebec City.

By expanding what local governments can do, saidForest, citizens are more likely to take a vested interest in who governs them.

• Montreal has more power, autonomy under new provincial law

Municipalities are also experimenting with alternative ways of getting citizens involved in decision-making. A growing number are implementing participatory budgeting practices, which gives the public a chance to express their opinion on how municipal budgets are spent.

Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal boroughwas, in 2006, among the first to try it out, but now even smaller towns like Baie-Saint-Pauland Saint-Basile-le-Grand are giving it a shot.

"It's a wonderful tool to help people become aware of all the latitude and autonomy that you can have at the municipal level," said Forest, himself a former mayor of Rimouski.

'Bringing something new to council'

In Brbeuf, there doesn't appear to be any widespread concern about the town's lack of elections.

Jean-Pierre Maill, who owns a small-motors repair shop, admitshe never goes to council meetings, but alsodoesn't have anyissues with how the town is run.

"The taxes seem normal compared to other towns, things seem normal here for a little village," he said.

Down the road fromBrbeuf,Montcalm will be having its first election in 12 years, for one council seat (all the other positions were acclaimed).

Kathy Monet is among the 78 residents able to cast a ballot. She says she's glad there is an election in the community this time around and intends to vote.

"There will be a bit more competition, and that will bring a little bit of something new at council," Monet said.

• Everything you need to know as Quebec's municipal elections near