Civil Claims and Remedies

The Clerk’s Office and Legal Affairs Department is responsible for managing all claims against the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion. A person who considers that he or she has suffered damage through the fault of the City may lodge a claim in order to recover damages incurred.

How to make a claim

If you have suffered material damage as a result of an accident, you must file a written notice of claim with the Clerk’s Office and Legal Affairs Department within 15 days of the accident. Failure to do so could result in the City not being required to compensate you for any damage you may have suffered. Such written notice shall, among other things, include:

Details and reasons for your claim
Date and location of the event
Your contact information, including phone number

Be sure to include all photographic evidence, receipts and documentation in support of your claim. If you cannot provide these documents at the time of your written notice, they may be forwarded at a later date.

Any claims should be addressed to the Clerk’s Office and Legal Affairs Department and be sent by mail, fax or email, or hand-delivered to:

City of Vaudreuil-Dorion
Clerk’s Office and Legal Affairs Department
2555 Dutrisac
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec J7V 7E6
Fax: 450-424-8540
Email: greffe@ville.vaudreuil-dorion.qc.ca

You can also fill out the following form.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the City has received your claim.

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Identification of claimant

Name *

First name *

Address*

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Province*

Postal code*

Phone number*

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Email *

Site web *

Event description

Date *

Time (specify whether exact or approximate time)

Location *

Request number (311), if applicable

Police report number, if applicable

Brief description of cause of damage*

Details of damage (include all pertinent documents: photos, receipts, estimates, etc.) (Total of 10 MB maximum)

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File 2

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File 4

File 5

The City of Vaudreuil-Dorion makes this form available to the claimant for the sole purpose of assisting the claimant in making a claim. This does not mean that the City accepts liability and will pay the damage claimed.

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Processing your complaint

Upon receipt of your claim, the City will open a file and investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident. In certain cases, the City's insurer will take charge of the file.

If you have already made necessary repairs, be sure to keep photo evidence, together with all invoices and other documents in support of your claim. These documents may be essential for resolving your claim.

Following the outcome of the investigation, you will receive a response informing you of the City's position with respect to the claim you have made.

Legal remedies

If you are dissatisfied with the City's position regarding your claim, you can take legal action. Your right of action may be exercised at the end of the 15th day after the transmission of your written notice to the Clerk’s Office and Legal Affairs Department. However, you must act within six months of the accident that caused the damage, even in the absence of a written reply from the City.

In the case of an action for bodily injury, you must bring your action within three years of the event causing the damage.

Waivers

It is important to note that under the provisions of the Cities and Towns Act, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion cannot be held responsible for damages incurred in the situations described below, among others.

Accidents on sidewalks, streets and roads
Under article 585 (7), no municipality may be held liable for damage resulting from an accident, of which any person is the victim, on the sidewalks, streets, roads, walkways or bikeways, by reason of the snow or ice, unless the claimant establishes that the said accident was caused by the negligence or fault of the said municipality, the court having to take into account the weather conditions.

Damage caused by sewer backup
Under article 585 (8), no right of action shall lie against the municipality for damages caused by the back‐flow from a sewer to articles, merchandise or effects kept for any purpose in a cellar or basement, if the claimant has already received compensation from the municipality for similar damages caused at the same place and has not subsequently installed there, 30 cm at least from the floor and at a distance of at least 30 cm from the exterior walls, a support on which such articles, merchandise or effects must be kept.

Damage with respect to roads
Under article 604.1, the municipality is not liable for damage caused by the presence of an object on the roadway or on a walkway or bikeway, regardless of whether the object originates from or is projected by a motor vehicle. Nor is it liable for damage caused by the state of the roadway or bikeway to the tires or suspension system of a vehicle.

Under article 604.2, the municipality is not liable for damage resulting from the absence of a fence between the right of way of a street, road, walkway or bikeway and contiguous land.

Under article 604.3, the municipality is not liable for damage caused through the fault of a builder or contractor to whom building, rebuilding or maintenance work has been entrusted, for the entire duration of such work.

For further information regarding the handling of claims, contact the Clerk’s Office and Legal Affairs Department at 450-455-3371 or by email at greffe@ville.vaudreuil-dorion.qc.ca.

For additional information regarding your rights and remedies, we recommend that you consult a lawyer. If you have an insurance policy protecting your property, we suggest that you notify your insurance company of any damages you may have incurred.

The information provided in this section is for illustrative purposes only and is quoted from the applicable legislation. It has no legal value. Existing legislation will always take precedence over the content of this section. The laws of Québec can be consulted on the LégisQuébec website.