Denis Coderre wants to make the east of Montreal the “green Sillicon Valley” of Quebec, by transforming the sector into a “pole of ecological businesses” and eco-responsible housing. In its platform unveiled Monday, his party is also committed to implanting body cameras among police officers, greening the streets of the metropolis, creating a register of leases and obtaining intermittent status for artists.
“My only attack is to tackle the problems of Montreal,” hammered Mr. Coderre during a press conference held in a downtown skyscraper on Monday. He reiterated that he wants to lead a positive campaign, saying he wants “that Montreal finds itself”. “We have this passion for Montreal, which often makes the difference between an action and a wishful thinking,” he said.
It was its candidates and co-chairs of the platform, Guillaume Lavoie and Emilia Tamko, who detailed the commitments. From the outset, the former said he found it “futile” to think of the organization of a city over four years. “Everything we do will have effects that will exceed four years. Our horizon is 25 years. We want to shape the city of the next generation, ”he pleaded, speaking of three crises: that of housing, that of security and that of the climate.
In housing – one of the issues that promises to be central in this campaign – Ensemble Montréal wants to create a register of all residential leases and require commercial owners to carry out an “independent insalubrity inspection” for dwellings whose construction goes back up. over 20 years old.
The training plans to create an “insalubrity tax” and intends to increase the number of inspectors, with the creation of a preventive inspection program in the boroughs. Mr. Coderre wishes in passing to ask Quebec to transfer its powers to the metropolis to manage the school building stock. “Mushrooms in schools, I want them on the plates and not in the ceilings”, illustrated the former mayor, who believes thus to remove “a thorn in the side” in Quebec.
To “open up” and “develop the East for real”, Ensemble Montréal intends to increase the frequency and services of the river shuttle to the city center by creating other pilot projects with suburban municipalities such as Terrebonne, Repentigny and Varennes. . The east of Montreal must become “more than a simple economic pole”, according to Mr. Lavoie, who sees the opportunity to make it a “signature” of social and economic development.
Trees in all the streets
Ensemble Montréal’s troupes also aim to ensure that “no more streets” are “tree-less” in the metropolis. “We are going to plant it where it counts, that is to say in areas where people need it most”, in the heart of heat islands, said Mme Tamko. “Of course, it won’t be easy, and it’s a lot less clickbait than announcing a huge number of trees, but we think it’s the smartest way to reduce GHGs. We call it intelligent greening, ”she insisted, calling for the“ heritage status ”of Mount Royal to be recognized by UNESCO.
Mr. Coderre’s party wants to be inspired by France and obtain the status of intermittent for artists, which would ensure them a salary and job security between two contracts to reach their “full potential”. The measure affects more than a hundred thousand craftsmen in France currently.
Ensemble Montréal also wants to update the annual portrait of people experiencing homelessness and “establish post-pandemic planning”. If elected, the party also undertakes to set up body cameras on SPVM police officers “from the first year” of his mandate. “We will not define, we will not disarm. Period, ”reiterated Mr. Lavoie.
Side public transport, the party wants to “accelerate” the deadlines surrounding the realization of projects like the blue line. In April, Quebec created a new working group, saying it was worried about the increase in costs surrounding the work. The opposition group finally wants to create a “Quality Commitment Charter” to ensure punctuality and cleanliness of the metro and buses.
A few other bursts of engagement
- End of regulations targeting dogs “according to their breed” and creation of two new animal shelters in Montreal. “It was a mistake. I wanted to protect people, ”admitted Mr. Coderre about his desire, in 2017, to ban pitbulls on the island.
- Include all cities in the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM)
- Create a committee with Quebec to reduce CO production2 on the island of Montreal
- Call for a federal fund to accelerate the fight against the climate crisis in cities
- Change regulation 20-20-20 to slow down the exodus to the suburbs, but continue to require at least 15% of social housing in large real estate projects