TY - BOOK ID - 77892546 TI - The merger delusion : how swallowing its suburbs made an even bigger mess of Montreal PY - 2012 SN - 1283834855 0773587551 9780773587557 9781283834858 9780773539327 0773539328 077358756X PB - Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, DB - UniCat KW - Annexation (Municipal government) KW - Municipal annexation KW - Cities and towns KW - Local government KW - Metropolitan areas KW - Metropolitan government KW - Municipal corporations KW - Municipal government KW - Municipal incorporation KW - Growth KW - Montréal (Québec) KW - Manrėalʹ (Québec) KW - Marianopolis (Québec) KW - Mengteli'er (Québec) KW - Monrealʹ (Québec) KW - Monreāla (Québec) KW - Monrealis (Québec) KW - Mons Regalis (Québec) KW - Mons Regius (Québec) KW - Mont-Royal (Québec) KW - Montoriōru (Québec) KW - Montreali (Québec) KW - Monṭreʼol (Québec) KW - Montʻŭriol (Québec) KW - Mūntiryāl (Québec) KW - Ville de Montréal (Québec) KW - Μόντρεαλ (Québec) KW - Манрэаль (Québec) KW - Монреал (Québec) KW - Монреаль (Québec) KW - Монтреал (Québec) KW - מאנטרעאל (Québec) KW - מונטריאול (Québec) KW - مونتريال (Québec) KW - モントリオール (Québec) KW - 蒙特利尔 (Québec) KW - 몬트리올 (Québec) KW - Politics and government. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:77892546 AB - Powerless under the country's constitution, Canadian municipal governments often find themselves in conflict with their provincial masters. In 2002, the Province of Quebec forcibly merged all cities on the Island of Montreal into a single municipality - a decision that was partially reversed in 2006. The first book-length study of the series of mergers imposed by the Parti Québécois government, The Merger Delusion is a sharp and insightful critique by a key player in anti-merger politics. Peter Trent, mayor of the City of Westmount, Quebec, foresaw the numerous financial and institutional problems posed by amalgamating municipalities into megacities. Here, he presents a stirring and detailed account of the battle he led against the provincial government, the City of Montreal, the Board of Trade, and many of his former colleagues. Describing how he took the struggle all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, Trent demonstrates the ways in which de-mergers resonated with voters and eventually helped the Quebec Liberal Party win the 2003 provincial election. As the cost and pitfalls of forced mergers become clearer in hindsight, The Merger Delusion recounts a compelling case study with broad implications for cities across the globe. ER -