Press release
Montreal 2017 A 375-Year-Old City of the World:
The symposium ends
and the mobilization process begins
Montreal, May 2, 2002 - Fuelled with a passion to act, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has ended its Montreal 2017 symposium, which was organized in collaboration with the ministère des Affaires municipales et de la Métropole. During two days of reflection and debate with Montreal, Canadian and international experts, including representatives from Lyon and Barcelona, approximately 250 participants discussed the importance of identifying common objectives and taking concrete action to ensure that the Montreal metropolitan area and its some 3 million citizens benefit fully from their region. Within this context, the Montreal Metropolitan Community was clearly identified as the organization that must oversee the fair and sustainable economic development of the city in order to foster a spirit of partnership and collaboration among elected representatives, citizens and organizations working to help Montreal develop.
During his closing address, Benoit Labonté, President of the Board of Trade, presented the three elements crucial to optimizing the quality of life, prosperity and competitiveness of the metropolitan agglomeration over the coming 15 years: CREATIVITY, COHERENCE and COHESIVENESS. The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal will do its part to ensure that the region's actors and decision-makers understand that we must approach the city's development as a city-region, stated Mr. Labonté. Together, we must do our part to create the true City of the World that Montreal can become an extraordinary, inspiring, passionate metropolis where 375 years of history will be celebrated on May 16, 2017.
As the symposium closes, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is making a formal commitment: the commitment to act as a unifying, contributory and responsible change agent in order to promote the development of Montreal. We'll do our utmost to use as much creativity along the way as we are demanding from other Montreal stakeholders. To do this, we must be confident, bold and, above all, courageous enough to stir things up, Mr. Labonté added. The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, as a business organization that specifically focuses on the entire metropolitan community and puts the economic interests of the whole agglomeration first, remains at the core of the region's economic development.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has more than 7 000 members. Its mission is to be the leading group representing the interests of the Greater Montreal business community. The objectives are to maintain, at all times, relevance to its membership, credibility towards the media and influence towards government and decision-makers.
Symposium transcripts