The City of Blainville’s Engineering Department and its director, Patrick Lépine, have received two provincial distinctions recognizing their work in municipal asset management.
The Association of Municipal Engineers of Quebec presented the honours during the awards gala at its annual congress on September 22. Blainville received the Municipal Asset Management Award for its geomatics application portal, while Lépine received the association’s Recognition Award for his contribution to municipal engineering.
The city’s award centres on a digital system developed to bring information about municipal infrastructure into one place. The portal covers water mains, sewers, roads and electrical infrastructure, allowing municipal employees to document inspections, repairs and replacements directly on a map.
Information can be entered from the field in real time through approximately 10 connected tablets. This gives municipal teams a record of work as it happens, rather than requiring information to be transferred later from paper reports or separate systems.
According to the association, Blainville has been developing the portal since 2024. It now includes approximately 20 applications covering municipal operations such as snow removal, street sweeping, organic-waste and branch collection, pothole management and citizen service requests.
Dashboards provide a broader view of ongoing and critical operations, while information submitted by outside contractors can also be incorporated into the system. The objective is to make the condition, maintenance and history of municipal assets easier to follow and verify over time.
The internally developed portal uses ArcGIS technology and is the result of cooperation among Blainville’s Engineering, Public Works and Information Technology departments.
Municipal asset management concerns the long-term inspection, maintenance, repair and eventual replacement of infrastructure. Reliable information can help a municipality establish priorities, plan projects and document why work is required.
The AIMQ created its Municipal Asset Management Award in 2019. It is presented annually to a municipality whose work reflects recognized practices for the responsible management of public assets.
The distinction is also connected to Blainville’s broader infrastructure priorities. Optimizing asset management forms part of the city’s 2024–2029 strategic plan and influences the infrastructure projects selected each year.
In 2026, the city says 65 per cent of its infrastructure projects were devoted to maintaining existing municipal assets. This includes work intended to preserve or extend the useful life of infrastructure already serving residents, rather than focusing exclusively on new construction.
Lépine’s individual Recognition Award honours his involvement with the AIMQ and the municipal engineering profession over several years.
The association highlighted his sustained participation in its asset-management community of practice and his willingness to share his experience with other municipal engineers. It said his contribution has helped advance professional knowledge and strengthen the municipal engineering community.
The two awards recognize different sides of Blainville’s work: the development of a practical digital system by a multidisciplinary municipal team and the professional contribution of the department’s director beyond the city itself.
The AIMQ presented six excellence awards at its 2026 gala to municipalities, teams, individuals and a private-sector partner for achievements involving innovation, collaboration and professional commitment.
