Roger Ferland is a retired politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He was the mayor of Longueuil from 1987 to 1994, having previously served as a school commissioner and as a member of the Longueuil city council.
Private life and school commissioner Ferland was a computer specialist in private life who worked for several years with Hydro-Québec. He was first elected as a school commissioner in 1972, and at one time he served as a school board chair."Ferland enters Longueuil race," Montreal Gazette, 30 April 1987, G1; Le Parti municipal de Longueuil: Le premier mandat 1978 - 1982, Société historique et culturelle du Marigot, accessed 10 January 2014.
City councillor Ferland was a founding member of the Parti municipal de Longueuil and was first elected to council under its banner in 1978."Mayor's exit from party puts council in quandary; Longueuil politicians ponder next move," Montreal Gazette, 7 January 1993, G1. The results of the 1978 election were inconclusive: Parti civique de Longueuil leader Marcel Robidas was re-elected as mayor, but the Parti municipal won nine of seventeen seats and initially held a functioning majority on council until one of its representatives was expelled from the party.
Ferland served as the Parti municipal'''s main spokesperson on council in this period in place of party leader Paul Viau, who did not seek a council seat in 1978 and was defeated in that year's mayoral contest. Ferland considered running for party leader in 1981 after Viau's resignation, but he ultimately stood aside in favour of Jacques Finet.Le Parti municipal de Longueuil: Le premier mandat 1978 - 1982, Société historique et culturelle du Marigot, accessed 10 January 2014.
Ferland was re-elected in the 1982 municipal election, which was won by the Parti municipal under Finet's leadership. Ferland was chosen as council speaker after the election."Ferland enters Longueuil race," Montreal Gazette, 30 April 1987, G1. He was returned for a third term in the 1986 municipal election, in which the Parti municipal won every council seat.
In November 1986, Ferland was appointed as a director of the Montreal South Shore Transit Corp."More public access vowed in Longueuil," Montreal Gazette, 27 November 1986, B3.
Mayor First term (1987–90) Jacques Finet resigned as mayor in April 1987, and Ferland was chosen without opposition to be the Parti municipal's new leader and mayoral candidate for a by-election the following month. He promised "continuity" in government and said that he would introduce more friendly "customer-client" relations between Longueuil residents and municipal employees.James Mennie, "Voters choose mayor Sunday in Longueuil," Montreal Gazette, 27 May 1987, I1. On election day, Ferland defeated Jacques Olivier, a former member of the House of Commons of Canada, by a significant margin.James Mennie, "Ferland whips ex-MP to win Longueuil mayoralty," Montreal Gazette, 1 June 1987, A3. He was sworn in as mayor on June 10, 1987."Ferland must wait a week before taking mayor's chair," Montreal Gazette, 4 June 1987, G1.
In late 1987, Ferland called for municipalities to be given greater control over the Saint-Hubert Airport. He was quoted as saying, "We want to favor our industrial parks and if we have a hand in managing the airport, we can construct routes with that in mind."Catherine Buckie, "Mayors, MP to discuss St. Hubert Airport," Montreal Gazette, 8 October 1987, G3. Shortly thereafter, he began exploring options for constructing a horse racing track in Longueuil in the event that Montreal's famed Blue Bonnets Raceway was shut down.Catherine Buckie, "Horse racing in Longueuil, St. Hubert?; Cities interested in building new track if Blue Bonnets closes," Montreal Gazette, 7 January 1988, E7; "Mayor checks out Meadowlands," Montreal Gazette, 11 February 1988, G1.
As mayor, Ferland presided over a municipal policy that required Longueuil public servants to live within the city during their terms of employment. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) challenged this policy in 1988, on the grounds that it violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms.Catherine Buckie, "Residence policy in Longueuil assailed," Montreal Gazette, 10 March 1988, G1. The law was introduced in 1984, before Ferland became mayor.
Ferland and other South Shore mayors declined to pay a fifteen million dollar transit bill submitted by the Montreal Urban Community Transit Corp. (MUCTC) in early 1988 to cover a deficit. The mayors instead argued that Montreal Island residents should pay a fee increase, an option that was rejected by Montreal Urban Community councillors.Peter Kuitenbrouwer, "Laval, South Shore refuse to help with transit deficit," Montreal Gazette, 26 April 1988, A3. The transit corporations of Montreal, Laval, and the South Shore signed a comprehensive deal the following year to form a new regional transit authority, ending years of tension between the communities.Mike King, "Mayors finally agree on regional transit," Montreal Gazette, 14 September 1989, A3.
In September 1988, Ferland and city urban planner Claude Doyon introduced Longueuil's first official plan since the city's incorporation in 1874. Highlights included a municipal housing code to set hygienic standards for rental units, an expansion of the city's existing "green network," refurbishing parts of Chambly Road and Roland Therrien Boulevard to attract businesses, and the construction of both a riverfront development and a regional centre.Catherine Buckie, "Longueuil unveils plan to spruce up city, preserve historic neighborhoods," 29 September 1988, G1.
Ferland oversaw Longueuil's re-assumption of control over the city's municipal court in 1989, fourteen years after the city had given oversight responsibility to the provincial government.Mike King, "Municipal court returns to former Metro location," Montreal Gazette, 29 December 1988, G1; "New Longueuil court set for expanded role," Montreal Gazette, 2 March 1989, G1. The following year, he oversaw the creation of a municipal arts and culture development board"Longueuil creates cultural panel," Montreal Gazette, 1 March 1990, G1. and introduced a municipal recycling program;"Longueuil to start recycling program," Montreal Gazette, 26 April 1990, G2. he also launched Longueuil's Parcours du Cerf golf course and a new city theatre.Le Parti municipal de Longueuil: Roger Ferland, le gestionnaire, Société historique et culturelle du Marigot, accessed 19 February 2014. In June 1990, he and Montreal mayor Jean Doré launched the first operational ferry link between Montreal and Longueuil in sixty years.Marian Scott, "Ready to cast off; New ferry will link city, Longueuil," Montreal Gazette, 27 June 1990, A3.
As mayor of Longueuil, Ferland also served as a member of the Champlain County Regional Municipality.Catherine Buckie, "Mayors continue their assault on Regional Municipality," Montreal Gazette, 14 April 1988, G1. In 1990, he was chosen as the first president of the Conference of South Shore mayors, a group founded for the purpose of providing a united political voice for the area.Michael Orsini, "Mayors hope group gives region one voice," Montreal Gazette, 28 June 1990, G1.
Second term (1990–94) Ferland was re-elected as mayor in the 1990 municipal election, in a divisive contest against Gisele Hamelin of the Parti civique.Mike King, "Longueuil mayor's leadership under attack; Challenger pulls out all the stops in aggressive election campaign," Montreal Gazette, 1 November 1990, G1. Ferland's Parti municipal won seventeen of twenty council seats, as against three for Hamelin's party. One of the election's key issues was a controversial condominium project on Île Charron that Ferland supported and Hamelin opposed.Marian Scott, "Longueuil rivals square off on Ile Charron condo project," Montreal Gazette, 2 November 1990, A4. (Notwithstanding Ferland's victory, the project was eventually stopped in the face of opposition by a local citizens' movement.)
Shortly after the 1990 election, Ferland was chosen as vice-chair of the Montreal South Shore Transit Corp.Mike King, "Olynyk demands inquiry into bus company," Montreal Gazette, 22 November 1990, G1. He was also an inaugural member of the Metropolitan Public Transit Council, which met for the first time in January 1991.Mike King, "Longueuil residents will be hardest hit by fare hike: lobby," Montreal Gazette, 24 January 1991, G1.
Ferland continued to serve as president of the Conference of South Shore mayors after the 1990 election.Mike King, "Highway 30 project got boost from native crisis, Elkas says; Link to connect Brossard with Valleyfield is back on schedule for 1998 completion," Montreal Gazette, 14 February 1990, G1; "Gagnon on Conference board," Montreal Gazette, 18 April 1991, G1. In this capacity, he opposed the provincial government's plans to cut five hundred million dollars from municipal transfer payments in early 1991, saying that he would be willing to support a new gasoline tax instead.Debbie Parkes, "Mayors agree gas tax is way to go; South Shore group joins chorus against funding cut," Montreal Gazette, 28 February 1990, G3. Ferland later called for the South Shore to become a distinct administrative region within Quebec, although this plan did not win support from the provincial government.Harvey Shepherd, "No South Shore version of MUC in works: mayor," Montreal Gazette, 5 March 1992, G1; Harvey Shepherd, "Monteregie is here to stay, Bourbeau says; Regional development agency gets new money, powers," Montreal Gazette, 4 June 1992, G5.
In November 1991, Ferland led the Longueuil council in approving a new municipal code of ethics that gave councillors six months to end conflict-of-interest situations. Gisele Hamelin of the Parti civique criticized the law as vague, arguing that it did not properly cover gifts received by councillors."Longueuil's code of ethics called vague," Montreal Gazette, 14 November 1991, H1.
Ferland established a heritage committee in early 1992 to oversee historical buildings in Old Longueuil.Debbie Parks, "Longueuil to set up heritage commission; Follows demolition of old home," Montreal Gazette, 26 March 1992, G3. Critics later charged that the committee was biased in favour of corporate interests and that its membership was not chosen democratically.Bart Kasowski, "Heritage agency chief fights back against critics," Montreal Gazette, 16 July 1992, G1.
In October 1992, Ferland announced the Longueuil had joined an international network of medium-sized municipalities that also included Namur, Belgium; Poitiers, France; Maidstone and Northampton in the United Kingdom; Coimbra, Portugal; and Pécs, Hungary. He indicated that the network was focused on achieving economic goals and that reciprocal visits and seminars were being planned."Longueuil links up with Europe," Montreal Gazette, 15 October 1992, G1.