Dude wants to know if he can build a cabin in the woods, this reply explains how he can found a whole town.
The Question:
I was just wondering, given the vastness of Quebec's territory, much of which is uninhabited/unexplored, what would happen if someone decided, for example, to follow the Manicouagan road or another route in the north and simply go build a log cabin in the woods?
The Answer:
Hold on to your hat, let's go!
If you're outside a municipality, you'll be in an unorganized territory (TNO). Unorganized territories are managed by regional county municipalities (MRCs). Article 9 of the Act respecting municipal territorial organization allows MRCs to adopt regulations. In short, you are subject to the control of the MRC, and they can tell you what to do, what not to do, etc. It's not exactly "freedom"...
Ultimately, you alone won't be able to do much...
However, if you gather a few friends (to be precise, you'll need 299 friends) and you settle in an unorganized territory, you can invoke Article 38 of the Act respecting municipal territorial organization (AMTO) to submit an application to the government, asking them to create a new municipality for you and your 299 friends!
In your application, you will have to include the following elements (Article 38 AMTO):
The name of the municipality;
A description of its territory, prepared by a land surveyor; (get ready, this is going to cost you an arm and a leg!!)
The estimated population of the municipality; (you and your 299 buddies)
The fact that the municipality will be governed by the Quebec Municipal Code (Chapter C-27.1) or the Cities and Towns Act (Chapter C-19); (it's very technical, for now we don't really care)
The name of the person designated by the applicants to be their representative (that could be you!!!);
The name of the person who will be the first clerk or clerk-treasurer of the municipality (has your girlfriend ever been a cashier at a grocery store??? We'll take her!!!);
The name of the regional county municipality whose territory includes the unorganized territory affected by the incorporation request and, if applicable, the name of the regional county municipality chosen by the applicants if the unorganized territory is included in more than one regional county municipality. (by the way, they probably won't be very happy...)
For point 1, choose your name carefully! The Quebec Toponymy Commission can recommend to the government that they reject your new municipality name... because "St-Creu-du-Bien-Loin" is funny around a campfire with a few drinks... but it doesn't sound very serious. (you know, "Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha!" or "Les Boules" are much more serious... by the way, "Les Boules" changed its name and is now called "Métis-sur-Mer")
Okay, let's continue!!!
Once your application is filed, the RCM (reminder: the one you're about to steal property tax revenue from) has 90 days to object to your application. In life, nobody likes losing money, so they're probably not going to be super supportive of your plan.
If the regional county municipality (MRC) doesn't object (like if the prefect is asleep at the wheel and didn't see your application come in), the government will appoint a conciliator to divide the assets and liabilities of your new municipality. You might end up owing the MRC some money if, for example, they built roads or infrastructure in the past within the territory of your new town.
After a whole bunch of other administrative hassle (like public hearings), the government can either approve or reject the creation of your new municipality.
IF they approve it, they'll call an election, and you'll be able to run for MAYOR of your town! You just have to convince your 299 friends to vote the right way if they want you to issue them building permits for their new cottages and if they don't want you to bother them too much with your municipal regulations.
You'll also have to set the date for the first municipal council meeting. That's going to be pretty boring, so make sure your new fellow citizens bring some beer!
Thanks for this! I just used Google translate and then fixed the opening. lt's interesting how evolved it's become, preserving those place names and references.
One thing that is lost in translation is how wonderfully québécois the whole thing sounds, which makes it even better. You can hear the accent in every sentence.
Bruh, that's some next-level knowledge fr. Most ppl don’t even realize how deep Quebec’s rules go, like the whole UTO and RCM thing is wild. If you think you can just build anywhere outta nowhere, nah it’s way more layered. Dude’s basically schooling everyone on how governance shapes towns. Respect the hustle, Quebec’s got its own game!
i mean i guess its funny and well written but he didnt even answer the guys question. Is it allowed to build a log cabin somewhere in the woods or will someone come and make you tear it down if it is being noticed?
Dude wants to know if he can build a cabin in the woods, this reply explains how he can found a whole town.
The Question:
I was just wondering, given the vastness of Quebec's territory, much of which is uninhabited/unexplored, what would happen if someone decided, for example, to follow the Manicouagan road or another route in the north and simply go build a log cabin in the woods?
The Answer:
Hold on to your hat, let's go!
If you're outside a municipality, you'll be in an unorganized territory (TNO). Unorganized territories are managed by regional county municipalities (MRCs). Article 9 of the Act respecting municipal territorial organization allows MRCs to adopt regulations. In short, you are subject to the control of the MRC, and they can tell you what to do, what not to do, etc. It's not exactly "freedom"...
Ultimately, you alone won't be able to do much...
However, if you gather a few friends (to be precise, you'll need 299 friends) and you settle in an unorganized territory, you can invoke Article 38 of the Act respecting municipal territorial organization (AMTO) to submit an application to the government, asking them to create a new municipality for you and your 299 friends!
In your application, you will have to include the following elements (Article 38 AMTO):
The name of the municipality;
A description of its territory, prepared by a land surveyor; (get ready, this is going to cost you an arm and a leg!!)
The estimated population of the municipality; (you and your 299 buddies)
The fact that the municipality will be governed by the Quebec Municipal Code (Chapter C-27.1) or the Cities and Towns Act (Chapter C-19); (it's very technical, for now we don't really care)
The name of the person designated by the applicants to be their representative (that could be you!!!);
The name of the person who will be the first clerk or clerk-treasurer of the municipality (has your girlfriend ever been a cashier at a grocery store??? We'll take her!!!);
The name of the regional county municipality whose territory includes the unorganized territory affected by the incorporation request and, if applicable, the name of the regional county municipality chosen by the applicants if the unorganized territory is included in more than one regional county municipality. (by the way, they probably won't be very happy...)
For point 1, choose your name carefully! The Quebec Toponymy Commission can recommend to the government that they reject your new municipality name... because "St-Creu-du-Bien-Loin" is funny around a campfire with a few drinks... but it doesn't sound very serious. (you know, "Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha!" or "Les Boules" are much more serious... by the way, "Les Boules" changed its name and is now called "Métis-sur-Mer")
Okay, let's continue!!!
Once your application is filed, the RCM (reminder: the one you're about to steal property tax revenue from) has 90 days to object to your application. In life, nobody likes losing money, so they're probably not going to be super supportive of your plan.
If the regional county municipality (MRC) doesn't object (like if the prefect is asleep at the wheel and didn't see your application come in), the government will appoint a conciliator to divide the assets and liabilities of your new municipality. You might end up owing the MRC some money if, for example, they built roads or infrastructure in the past within the territory of your new town.
After a whole bunch of other administrative hassle (like public hearings), the government can either approve or reject the creation of your new municipality.
IF they approve it, they'll call an election, and you'll be able to run for MAYOR of your town! You just have to convince your 299 friends to vote the right way if they want you to issue them building permits for their new cottages and if they don't want you to bother them too much with your municipal regulations.
You'll also have to set the date for the first municipal council meeting. That's going to be pretty boring, so make sure your new fellow citizens bring some beer!
A little context on why those city names are funny.
St-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha! -> St-Louis of laughs
Les Boules -> The Balls (literal, as in what you would play with not anatomy), or The Breasts (it's slang)
St-Creu-du-Bien-Loin -> St. Deep of very far (like naming a town Bumfuck of Nowheresville)
Thanks for this! I just used Google translate and then fixed the opening. lt's interesting how evolved it's become, preserving those place names and references.
One thing that is lost in translation is how wonderfully québécois the whole thing sounds, which makes it even better. You can hear the accent in every sentence.
This is hilariously detailed
I wish i could translate the intricacies of it
[removed]
I wish I were as eloquent as you in my title ;)
Bruh, that's some next-level knowledge fr. Most ppl don’t even realize how deep Quebec’s rules go, like the whole UTO and RCM thing is wild. If you think you can just build anywhere outta nowhere, nah it’s way more layered. Dude’s basically schooling everyone on how governance shapes towns. Respect the hustle, Quebec’s got its own game!
i mean i guess its funny and well written but he didnt even answer the guys question. Is it allowed to build a log cabin somewhere in the woods or will someone come and make you tear it down if it is being noticed?
Not on gov't land no they cannot. Thats why they need to incorporate
It's pretty clear that a bunch of comments here are AI slop praise, right?