Themes, tags, keywords and great projects

Offer residential areas that are quiet, built on a human scale, safe, attractive, connected to public transit and that allow for pedestrian transit, reducing the role of the automobile. In order to do this, create neighbourhoods around metro stations, commuter train stations, and New Tramway lines by prioritizing the development of vacant or underused land located around these transit stations. The following are some of the qualities to aim for in residential areas:

• a sufficient quantity of green space integrated with building projects, like green laneways landscaped for and by residents;
• new parks and playgrounds, especially in central neighbourhoods where they are sorely lacking;
• residential buildings on a human scale whose height and size respect the architectural character of the neighbourhood, the wishes of the borough, and the expectations of the population;
• commercial areas with a diverse range of services accessible by foot and located close to public transit;
• safe roads where the use of cars is discouraged though traffic calming measures and a reduction of parking spaces available.

Promote the incorporation of renewable energy technologies in new housing unit projects (LEED, R2000, etc.).

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.

Create green neighbourhoods free of through traffic and surface parking, connected by green networks, streets (including commercial arteries) reserved for pedestrians, bikes and public transit.

Green neighbourhoods are a simple yet effective way of ridding residential areas of commuter through traffic. The aim is to return the public space to the neighbourhoods’ residents and, by encouraging active transportation (on foot or by bicycle) to give new life to areas otherwise plagued by through traffic. A variety of measures can be used to create a green neighbourhood, including:

• Physical impediments such as speed bumps, chicanes, wider sidewalks and narrower roadways, pedestrian crossings, raised intersections and retractable bollards activated by magnetic cards or transponders;
• Changing the direction of one-way streets, often for only a block or two;
• Road surface, signage, and street equipment (benches, garbage cans etc.) designed to alert automobile drivers to the fact that they are in a “green neighbourhood”;
• More pedestrian areas;
• Increased vegetation (trees and in planters);
• A speed limit of 30 km/h, even 15 km/h in certain areas.

The green network is a collection of streets reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and rollerbladers. These streets cross each borough and allow users to go from one borough to another – and from one end of the city to the other – safely. Within a neighbourhood the green network connect schools, parks and libraries, allowing users, especially children, to discover the treasures of Montreal in all safety.

Support the transformation of the taxi industry by offering financial and regulatory incentives to taxi license owners and operators who opt for the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly cars available.

Stop all planned road and highway infrastructure projects aimed at increasing capacity within or leading into Montreal. Invest the money earmarked for such developments in the development of sustainable transit. Two projects demand urgent reevaluation: the plan to transform Notre-Dame East into an urban expressway as well as the reconstruction – with increased capacity – of the Turcot Interchange.

Enact a procurement policy that would have the city buy the least noisy, most fuel efficient vehicles available for all its fleets as well as those of its paramunicipal corporations, whether they be regular cars, patrol cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, garbage trucks, snow removal equipment etc. In contract tenders regarding the acquisition of vehicles, give manufacturers a margin of no more than 25% more than the most inexpensive vehicle of the same class on the market.

Produce a sustainable development plan for Montreal for the period 2010-2015. This “umbrella plan” will include plans for all sectors (transportation, waste management, protection and optimization of natural environments, increase in social and accessible housing, etc) and it will establish precise targets, timelines, and performance indicators.

Obtain ISO 14 001 certification for the City of Montreal. With an environmental management system for every municipal operation, the city will be able to identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products, and services. It can keep improving its environmental performance by adopting a systematic approach to defined environmental objectives and targets, reach these and show that they have been attained. To do this, the City of Montreal will have to count on the competence of municipal employees and ensure that personnel is qualified accordingly.

Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced on the territory of Montreal by 30% by 2020 and by 80% before 2050, as stipulated in the Declaration of Mayors and Municipal Managers on Climate Change, signed by Montreal in 2005. An action plan on GHG’s emitted by the City of Montreal was made in 2006, but no action plan for GHG emissions for the city as a whole has been proposed. GHG emissions by the City of Montreal account for only 1.5% of total GHG emissions produced within the territory of Montreal.

Reduce the number of days with poor air quality by 50% within the next 10 years, as stipulated by the Urban Environmental Accords, signed by Montreal in 2005. Emissions of air pollutants are mainly produced by the industrial and transportation sectors and, in winter, by residential wood-burning. Montreal experienced an average of 64 days of poor air quality during the 2003-2006 period, an average of one out of every six days.

Maintain the by-law prohibiting the installation of wood-burning stoves for new construction or renovations. Over 10 years, prohibit the use of wood-burning systems on the island of Montreal. The replacement cost of these stoves by pellet or gas heating systems is estimated at $250 million (54,000 installations, at an average replacement cost of $5,000 per unit). Therefore, Montreal requests help from the Government of Quebec to implement a replacement program.

Restore access to river-banks and re-naturalize them in order to foster enjoyment of the beauty of the St. Lawrence River and the Rivière des Prairies. Montreal is surrounded by water and yet Montrealers do not have access to all the pleasures that such abundance should provide. Over the past few years, water quality has, on the whole, improved around the island and, with continuing efforts to improve water quality, Montreal is now in a position to develop a series of water-related activities.

Ensure public ownership of distribution facilities and water treatment, pledging not to privatize infrastructure. Indeed, privatization of infrastructure in many of the world’s large cities has proven a failure in both financial terms and quality of service.
Promote the drinking of tap water since the Montreal produces water of excellent quality. To make it more accessible, increase the number of public drinking fountains and promote the drinking of tap water in all municipal buildings (discouraging the consumption of bottled water).

Continue to defend the City of Montreal’s position on the non-fluorination of drinking water.

Reduce consumption of potable water by 15% per person by 2015. In particular, apply the existing regulations in a more systematic way by limiting water use (e.g. watering the lawn and asphalt) and impose technologies with low water consumption (e.g. dual- and low-flush toilets) in new construction and renovations.

Reduce overflows of sewage into the river by 50% over 10 years, as stipulated by the Urban Environmental Accords, signed by Montreal in 2005. During heavy rains, water flows over impermeable surfaces and into the storm sewer system. The sewage treatment plant then receives a much higher than usual quantity of water and is not always up to the task. The overflow is directly discharged into the river without treatment. The problem is directly attributable to too many impervious surfaces – too much concrete and asphalt.

Transform at least 10% of the surface of streets and lanes in each borough into local green spaces or linear parks and integrate them in a network of green corridors. Prioritize streets in contact with municipal or nature parks. Take advantage of operations aimed at traffic reduction underway to implement this strategy of greening the city.

Encourage the installation of green or reflective roofs for new buildings and for residential buildings with existing flat roofs, with a target of 40% of roof area for each borough. Establish a program of green walls (e.g., planting of climbing or drooping vines and ivy) downtown and in densely populated boroughs. Collaborate with institutions acting to reduce heat islands, especially schools.

Rise to the task of protecting 8% of the territory of Montreal as green space as soon as possible. The island of Montreal is about 500 km2, meaning the target of 8% is 40 km2. This is about what remains of green spaces of all types on the island of Montreal. To achieve this objective, therefore, Montreal must preserve all of its existing green spaces. Namely, by:

• fully protecting the 423 hectares of Mount Royal’s ecological network;
• protecting Montreal’s remaining 13 streams;
• preserving institutional gardens, including within the city centre (e.g., the
  Motherhouse of the Gray Nuns of Montreal, Marianopolis College, Dawson
  College);
• fully protecting woodlands and former agricultural lands on the West Island, in Pierrefonds and Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, where 600 hectares of woodland and agricultural land are threatened, in the short-term, by low density residential construction projects.

To do this, apply policies and municipal protection by-laws for natural spaces and trees so as to fully preserve all areas of woodland and wetland and protect the trees in the city against unlawful, unnecessary or premature cutting down.

To proceed in the direction of the international target of 12% of protected areas, re- naturalize certain environmentally degraded spaces.

Enhance and protect Mount Royal and its historical and natural boundaries. To do this:

• eliminate through traffic on Camilien-Houde;
• eliminate parking at Smith House and redevelop the formerly existing garden;
• build a by-pass;
• make a park at the third summit;
• eliminate parking at Royal Victoria Hospital (after the transfer of property to McGill) and ask for the handover of land to the park;
• rebuild the Remembrance / Côte-des-Neiges interchange;
• showcase the cemeteries and protect commemorative art.

Maintain the supply of community gardens in lower-income neighbourhoods. Promote urban agriculture by offering support to people wishing to practice it, and favour converting to this use under-utilized spaces by entering into agreements with major property owners.

Establish a program to eradicate ragweed in order to improve the quality of life of people suffering from allergies. Ragweed, also called Ambrosia, takes root mainly in recently-altered or disused sites. The eradication program would establish other plant species, mainly perennials, in conjunction with the uprooting of ragweed plants before they flower. The city and the boroughs would take charge of municipal grounds and strongly encourage residents to do the same on their property.

Attain the rate of 60% waste diversion from landfills by 2012, as stipulated by the Quebec Policy on Waste Management, 1998-2008. In addition, achieve 80% diversion from landfills over 10 years. The diversion from landfills will be achieved through reuse, recycling and composting.

As in other cities in Canada and Quebec, reduce the frequency of removal of residential waste (garbage) to once a week. This reduction will be offset by the collection of organic materials.

Waste generation has been continuously on the increase in the Montreal region during recent years. In 2006, Montreal households produced 62,182 tonnes of waste more than during the year 2002, an increase of 6.6%. In 2006, the amount of waste generated amounted to over one million tonnes per year. Some 78% of this waste, almost 780 000 tonnes, was buried in landfill sites in the Montreal region.

Establish the collection and processing of organic matter throughout the City of Montreal during the first term. Complementary to this, support community composting projects.

Establish eight new eco-centres by 2012, as planned in the Waste Management Plan.

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.

Replace bins installed on public property by sorting stations to enable responsible waste collecting.

Actively explore alternatives to the incineration of sewage sludge – for example, the use of a wet oxidation process, assisted by plasma, to treat or recover the sewage sludge, a process already in place in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.

Systematically apply the existing regulations relating to noise. There are numerous reasons to believe, however, that Montreal’s regulations on noise are obsolete and do not meet the expectations of the population. It is therefore necessary to conduct a comprehensive review of these regulations to include new considerations and most of all, clear measures. To this end, mobilize affected groups in order to make a diagnosis of noise on a Montreal-wide scale.

Impose a moratorium on new outdoor billboards. Gradually make Montreal a city free of outdoor billboards. This can be achieved in two ways:

• at renewal time, terminate the rights of billboard owners to post, forcing them to dismantle;
• organize an annual public competition to identify 50 billboards whose decommissioning is most desired. Redeem the rights on these billboards and dismantle them. At $20,000 apiece, this operation will cost $1 million for every year in effect.

Develop and implement a policy to reduce unnecessary lighting. Furthermore, take advantage of the fact that 70% of existing streetlights must be replaced within 10 years to improve the new streetlights. Aim for the Dark Sky standard for all new lights. Also, require that downtown buildings turn off lights in empty rooms.

Preserve the views of the Mount Royal lookout on the river and also city views on the mountain.

Prohibit the movement of vehicles dedicated solely to advertising.

Apply in a systematic way existing regulations (e.g. against leaky garbage trucks) and establish a series of standards pertaining to odours with a view to improving the quality of life of residents.

Ask the Québec government to implement programs or provide tools to complement the ClimatSol program in order to respond more proactively to the problem of contaminated land. All around Montreal, a large amount of land is available, but poor soil quality renders it unattractive. This represents enormous potential for development that is stymied by the fact that substantial investments are required for decontamination, making it difficult to get projects started.

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).

Electrifying the transportation of people and goods is the only way to shelter Montreal's population from current and future speculation on the oil market. In the process, our decreased participation in the automotive and petroleum industries will gradually translate into commercial prowess in sustainable urban transportation technologies.

This new focus will give rise to conditions favourable to Montreal's emergence as an North American industrial hub for new urban transportation. The New Tramway / Tram- Train, commuter trains, high-speed trains, and other electric vehicles are all technologies that can be exported.

Use snow-removal vehicles that are better suited to the increased complexity of our urban spaces. In particular, ensure that vehicles do not damage trees, vegetation, benches and other installations. As well, adopt measures to optimize the use of road salts, which should result in an overall reduction of quantities used.

The sidewalk brigade will keep sidewalks safe, comfortable and clean at all times – in winter and summer alike. It will remain in operation year round, with a consistent focus on the state of the city's sidewalks. In winter, de-icing and snow removal will be the obvious priorities but cleaning operations are also possible. Outside the winter period, the sidewalk brigade will assist borough administrations in maintaining the safety and cleanliness of sidewalks, particularly in areas with a high concentration of pedestrians.