Press release
Downtown cleanliness:
Greater efforts required of all, without exception
Montreal, February 19, 2007 The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal welcomes the proposed By-law concerning civic-mindedness, respect, and cleanliness introduced by Benoit Labonté, mayor of the Ville-Marie Borough and member of the Executive Committee responsible for Culture, Heritage, Downtown, and Design.
For the Board of Trade, the need to improve the cleanliness of Montreal's downtown core and the image of our metropolis is clear. We must never forget that, in addition to its residents, our downtown receives 7 million visitors annually and that, every day, it is frequented by half a million workers, students, and shoppers, declared Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
Montreal's city centre is one of the most vibrant in North America, all day, every day, all year long, as well as the backdrop for our largest festivals. Insofar as it is also home to the head offices of the largest corporations and many international organizations, it deserves to have particular attention paid to the image it presents. There is thus every reason for all concerned municipal employees, merchants, workers, and residents to do better and to do more, continued Hudon.
That said, it is also clear that, while the proposed by-law meets a need, it must not serve as a pretext for the municipal government to shirk its responsibilities with regard to cleanliness. The Borough mayor must be aware that while the new by-law is particularly demanding of merchants, the expectations of the performance of the City and its employees will be equally high, concluded Hudon.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montreal and to provide individuals, merchants and businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is the largest private organization in Quebec dedicated to economic development.
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Source:
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: (514) 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca