Montreal looks at how its services measure up
Snow clearing, garbage collection, road repairs among biggest culprits
Montrealers use their libraries the least and pay the most to use them.
They pay more for garbage collection, on average, than residents of Ottawa, Calgary, Winnipeg, Quebec or Toronto. And they pay more than the citizens of every one of those cities to have their snow cleared or their roads repaired.
On a more positive note, Montrealers are bigger users of public transit, pay less for parking, and have the lowest firefighter emergency response times among that group.
These were among the findings culled from the city’s first foray into benchmarking — comparing the level, efficiency and cost of its services to those of comparable Canadian cities to gauge its performance and find ways to improve. In total, the city looked at 111 indicators on everything from the cost of distributing drinkable water to its residents (didn’t compare well) and employee training costs (also not so well) to how much residents throw in the garbage (about average), employee turnover (average) and the number of violent criminal acts (below average).
In the interest of transparency and inciting ideas on how to improve, the city is publishing all the information on its website.
“It’s important to have this transparency, and perhaps it will solicit one thousand and one questions, and that’s perfectly OK,” said Pierre Desrochers, chairman of the city’s executive committee. “We are obliged to act, and now there are many elements that we have to analyze and pick apart and investigate to really understand what are the differences between our city and others.” The information can be used to look at what the city is doing right and spread those practices, or what needs improvement, Desrochers said.
Compared to the 2014 median of the five comparable large cities included in the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative, which the city joined in 2014, Montreal’s performance was inferior in 42 cases, better in 26 and at the median level in 19 cases, out of a total of 94 studied. The remaining seven indicators were not applicable. Montreal also joined a benchmarking initiative organized by Quebec’s Department of Municipal Affairs, looking at performance indicators. Montreal was better in six cases, and inferior in nine cases, with one indicator that did not apply.
The Charbonneau Commission, media investigations and the city’s auditor-general have uncovered that collusion among contractors has long driven up prices for road construction, snow clearing and garbage collection in the city. Desrochers said it was unlikely collusion was still to blame for higher prices in these most recent findings, as the city and province of Quebec have installed oversight mechanisms that have already proven effective. In the case of roadwork, Desrochers said the advanced age of the city’s infrastructure and years of neglect are to blame for our higher costs. As for snow clearing, Montreal may have higher performance standards than other cities, or different techniques that drive up prices. In Quebec City, for instance, much of the snow is blown onto owners’ lawns, lowering their costs, said Harout Chitilian, vice-chairman of the city’s executive committee and member responsible for administrative reform. Chitilian also took the time to thank the late Marcel Côté, a mayoral candidate and former management expert who worked with the city for free on the benchmarking initiative before he died in May 2014.
In several cases the city’s organization performance department is looking at areas where the city is underperforming to see how it can improve. It is also speaking with other cities to learn more about best practices. Unlike private contractors, cities don’t mind sharing information on how to improve or lower costs, Desrochers said.
To see how Montreal compares with its urban compatriots, and how it has either improved or deteriorated over time in different sectors, go to ville.montreal.qc.ca/vuesurlesindicateurs.