The Wire and Pole Elimination Plan

The mission of the Commission des services électriques de la Ville de Montréal (CSEVM) is to plan, construct, maintain and manage buried conduits for power lines and telecommunications cables on Montréal's territory.

The CSEVM is responsible for developing the Wire and Pole Elimination Plan, whose program is based on the following criteria:

Fire hazards;

Problems associated with the accessibility and importance of urban activities;

The existence of average-density urban areas with concentrations of buildings over six storeys high;

The presence of heritage, cultural or tourist sites.

The CSEVM is in favour of burying wires, since an underground power grid is safer and impervious to weather conditions. Its existing program covers the nine boroughs in the former Ville de Montréal and will soon be extended to the entire territory of Montréal. Under that program, the plan calls for the burial of 65.2 kilometres of existing overhead wires.

The Wire and Pole Elimination Plan

Implementation measures

Provide the City with adequate control mechanisms for the design and layout of the public realm, including the establishment of urban design guidelines as well as a policy on urban design and public art competitions.
Increase the quantity and quality of Montréal's public spaces by preparing and implementing a program for the creation and improvement of public spaces.
Ensure that winter is given more consideration in design, event organizing and maintenance of public spaces.
Ensure the coordination of municipal actions with regard to the design of the public realm, thus ensuring a smooth transition at borough limits.
Integrate works of art with the public realm, particularly when designing new public spaces while encouraging the private sector to do the same on both private and public property.
Develop and implement the Politique sur l'affichage commercial de grandes dimensions et les panneaux-réclames (Policy on Large Commercial Advertising and Billboards).
Regulate commercial advertising and billboards so as to limit their visual impact on public spaces and the urban landscape in general.
Support the development and implementation of the Plan directeur d'élimination des fils et des poteaux (Wire and Pole Elimination Plan) by setting priorities as well as developing a by-law aimed at making the burial of power lines and other cables mandatory in newly urbanized areas.