Themes, tags, keywords and great projects

Provide technical and financial support for new housing development in neighbourhoods around metros, areas surrounding the New Tramway, and commuter train stations. Put in place a subsidy program offering financial incentives of up to $25,000 per admissible housing unit. If a property is acquired privately, this initial aid would have to be reimbursed, for example, when the property is resold.

Help Montreal families become homeowners through a variety of measures. The City will provide an average of $10,000 per housing unit of complimentary investments in the public domain. A free transit pass will also be provided for two years to each household moving into select newly constructed developments, the equivalent of a $1,440 subsidy. The City will favour housing developments that do not include new parking spaces. This would lead to a decrease in housing price ranging from $10,000 (outdoor parking) to $40,000 (indoor parking).

By combining this commitment with the previous one, the cost of buying a residence with at least 3 bedrooms will be reduced by at least $46,440 to as much as $76,400 compared with current market prices. Currently, most households living in the targeted areas either do not own a car or make limited use of the one they have. The new households will have a similar profile, given that the housing projects will be designed to reduce dependence on the automobile. The combination of these housing and transportation measures will allow Montreal, including the downtown area, to offer families a lifestyle that meets their needs at an accessible price.

The availability of schools is one of the most powerful inducements for families to leave Montreal and settle in the suburbs. An abundance of schools is found in these cities (most of them recently built), as is shown in the table below. With the goal of keeping families and young couples, and attracting families with children to Montreal, demand that the Ministère de l’éducation work with the Montreal Island school boards to:

• build primary schools in the downtown area and in central neighbourhoods as necessary;
• maintain the renovation program for Montreal schools;
• negotiate an agreement with the school boards to ensure that the sale of unused properties and buildings does not hurt Montreal’s long-term capacity to accept students. Buildings and properties that are temporarily superfluous could be converted into community centres, local employment centres, daycares, etc.

To protect current residents, tenants as well as owners, from the speculation that generally accompanies larger urban projects and to protect their right to their housing at an accessible price:

• compile and make easily accessible a registry of rents;
• maintain the moratorium on converting buildings into condominiums in neighbourhoods where the vacancy rate is less than 3%;
• make it possible for families to stay in their neighbourhoods by securing housing for them by means of a moratorium on the subdivision of existing housing by non-resident owners (according to borough);
• limit the increase of property taxes paid by a live-in homeowner to the rate of inflation as long as he or she is occupying the unit. In the case of an increase in value as a result of simple market forces (i.e. no improvements have been made on the unit), the new level of property tax would only be applied to the new owner when the property changes hands. As an equity measure towards neighbours benefiting from the same municipal services, the difference in taxes paid between a live-in homeowner and the neighbourhood average should not exceed 25% for properties of equivalent value.

Redevelop commercial streets to make them more pleasant and increase the public space dedicated to pedestrians. Define and put in place a plan of “pedestrianization” – complete or partial, seasonal or year-round – of certain streets and public places in Montreal. This commitment would promote the vitality and conviviality of commercial arteries and increase the safety of pedestrians through a variety of specific measures including: widening sidewalks, making intersections safer, creating space for sidewalk terrasses and for display and poster stands, installing retractable bollards to allow the temporary closing of streets (e.g. on summer weekends or during special events). The top four candidates for pedestrian redevelopment are:

• Ste-Catherine Street between Guy and Papineau;
• McGill College Avenue from Place Ville-Marie to Sherbrooke Street;
• Saint-Paul Street;
• Mont-Royal Avenue, between Parc and Frontenac.

Access for emergency vehicles (fire, police and ambulance), commercial deliveries and private vehicles belonging to residents of these streets would be established in consultation with local residents and businesses.

In order to increase the use of bicycles both as a means of transportation and for pleasure, a Projet Montréal administration would:

• Make existing bike paths safer both for cyclists and for pedestrians crossing them;
• Install, within four years, 50 kilometres of new, dedicated bike paths;
• Increase the number of secure bicycle parking posts without obstructing sidewalks;
• Improve the cleaning and maintenance of the city’s bike paths;
• Maintain bike paths and bike parking year-round.

Pursue the program of installing platform-level elevators in order to make the metro more easily accessible to people of reduced mobility, the elderly as well as people with children in strollers.

Reduce the off-highway speed limit to 40 km/h on all streets in Montreal and further reduce it to 30km/h on residential streets, near metro stations, schools, parks and other places frequented by children.

Numerous studies from around the world demonstrate that changing the posted limit has virtually no effect on the speed of vehicles. It is also impossible, of course, to assign a police officer to every street corner. The most effective and sustainable means of slowing vehicle traffic is to physically redevelop streets and intersections.

Clearly it will be impossible to redo all streets and intersections immediately; but traffic calming work can be scheduled to coincide with other basic maintenance, such as resurfacing. Residents and merchants would be consulted during the planning stage to choose the specific measures best suited to their particular streets. Furthermore, at the request of a majority of citizens in residential neighbourhoods, calming measures could go as far as restricting passage of motorized vehicles to residents and their visitors.

Modify the regulations governing street parking to give priority to residents and their visitors. Institute a pilot project of temporary permits for visitors.

Provide a financial incentive of $100 for the purchase of twenty washable diapers to encourage young families to use them instead of disposable diapers. This measure is already in force in many Quebec municipalities, including Terrebonne, Beloeil, Sherbrooke, Victoriaville, and Lévis.

Public markets give local producers access to customers and favour the consumption of local products. These markets can be permanent, or if temporary, can operate on a rotating basis in several neighbourhoods. Public markets breathe life into neighbourhoods, allowing local craftspeople to sell their wares on public holidays and in seasonal fairs (Christmas market, harvest market, etc).

Guarantee stable and renewed financing of our municipal libraries to ensure they can carry out their mandate and adjust to growing need. Bring an end to ongoing negotiations with the provincial government and conclude the systematization of a library network. Specifically:

• Ensure that citizens enjoy the same level of service regardless of where they live in the city. The Conseil d’agglomération must be sensitized to the need for sharing resources between boroughs and associated municipalities;
• Bring libraries closer to the citizenry, especially to children and students. To this end, establish three libraries of median status and locate them strategically in the city with a view to maximum proximity for the greatest number. Outfit them with quality material and increase human resources (language specialists, longer opening hours). These measures would relieve pressure on the Grande bibliothèque;
• Use public libraries as resource centers for welcoming and socially integrating recent immigrants;
• Open the Grande bibliothèque seven days a week.