A month-long protest that saw producers in Saint-Chrysostome block access to snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails on agricultural land has ended, after the municipal council backtracked on a decision to impose higher taxes on farmers.
At least 60 citizens packed the Saint-Chrysostome town hall on January 13 for the regular council meeting. Most were there to oppose the council’s adoption of a proposed bylaw establishing the tax rates for 2025, which included a proposal to increase the variable rate for agricultural property.
The variable rate, which has been applied in Saint-Chrysostome since 2016, ensures that residential and agricultural tax bases finance the same proportion of the municipality’s budget equitably. In 2023 and 2024, the variable rate corresponded to 70 per cent of the residential rate. The 2025 bylaw would have increased the tax rate for agricultural properties to around 75 per cent of the residential rate.
Assistant director general Linda Hébert said that a steep increase in property values, which jumped by an average of 67.72 percent in Saint-Chrysostome, complicated revenue calculations. Agricultural property, which occupies just over 98 per cent of the municipality’s territory, jumped in value by 98.78 percent.
Hébert explained that rate adjustments were necessary to establish a balance between updated property assessments and market realities. This resulted in the transfer of an increased tax burden to certain taxpayers.
In response, frustrated farmers blocked access to snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails that run through their land and reached out to the Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA) for support. The Haut-Saint-Laurent UPA passed a resolution on December 11 standing firmly behind the farmers and their protest.
The resolution also noted that abolishing the variable agricultural rate in Saint-Chrysostome, or any major change in its scope, would likely have a snowball effect in other municipalities.
A change of mind
When put to a vote during the January meeting, the bylaw was rejected after three councillors and Mayor Steve Laberge voted against its adoption. Following some debate, the bylaw was amended and eventually adopted by majority.
Hébert said the bylaw includes a significant reduction in the variable rate applied to each building category. “The tax rates were reduced between 51.23 per cent and 59.38 per cent compared with 2024 to strike a fair balance between property categories,” she explained. The adopted agriculture and forestry rate dropped from $$0.561 per $100 evaluation in 2024 to $0.352 in 2025, which represents a decrease of over 59 per cent.
“By combining the reduction in the tax rate with the increase in the agricultural credit from the provincial government, the municipality believes it has done everything possible to limit the impact on agricultural producers,” Hébert said.
‘We must remain vigilant’
Éric Leboeuf, the president of the Haut-Saint-Laurent UPA, said that union is pleased with the council’s reversal but remains wary. He noted there was a good turnout from the farming community and village residents. “We need this support,” he added, saying farmers must remain vigilant.
Leboeuf acknowledged that while the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries, et de l’Alimentation does refund a portion of agricultural taxes, the funds used for this are taken from the province’s overall agriculture budget. “It is poorly understood,” he said, pointing out how the refund directly benefits municipalities much more than the agricultural sector.
“Municipalities are always looking for additional sources of revenue to fund their budget … If we want to keep municipalities alive, especially in rural areas like ours, we must re-establish a balance in municipal taxation,” said Leboeuf. “But it is not up to the agricultural sector to pay for this.”