Montréal, October 14, 2015 – The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal would like to acknowledge the important work accomplished by the working committee on Montréal’s metropolitan status. The report released today by the Mayor of Montréal and President of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, Denis Coderre, and the chair of the working committee, Monique F. Leroux, makes concrete proposals for strengthening the city.
“The city needs tools to ensure its development and to harness the benefits of economic growth,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. “It has to have the decision-making levers major cities need to develop their territory and their strategic infrastructures, in a context of sustainable development and successful social integration. Mayor Coderre is right in once again raising the challenges facing Montréal, a driver of the Quebec economy, a city of knowledge and a place where new immigrants to Quebec converge and become part of society.”
“In addition to these decision-making levers, the city needs the associated financing tools to meet its responsibilities,” Michel Leblanc said. “It can’t keep depending exclusively on rising property values. It needs to diversify its sources of revenue. This is what was recommended in the Côté-Séguin report, A City that Lives Up to Our Aspirations, commissioned in 2010 by the Board of Trade.”
“The Board of Trade supports the Mayor of Montréal’s efforts to obtain a status for our city that reflects its unique role,” Michel Leblanc concluded. “It joins the members of the working committee in calling on the Government of Quebec to act swiftly and take the report’s recommendations into consideration. When Premier Philippe Couillard spoke before the Board of Trade in February, he made the commitment that his government would quickly pass a law giving Montréal metropolitan status. The report submitted today should help speed up that decision.”
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of over 7,000 members. Its mission is to be the voice of Montréal’s business community and to promote the city’s prosperity. It is involved in key areas of economic development, advocating a philosophy of action based on engagement, credibility, proactivity, collaboration, and innovation. The Board of Trade also offers a range of specialized services to individuals and to businesses of all sizes to support them in their growth at home and abroad.
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Source:
Michelle LLambias Meunier
Senior Advisor, Public Relations, and Press Attaché
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Phone: 514 871-4000, extension 4042
mllambias@ccmm.qc.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chambremontreal
Twitter: @chambremontreal
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