Je vois Montréal paves the way for Je fais Montréal - City will follow up on 180 projects

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 26, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The Mayor of Montréal, Denis Coderre, today applauded the initiatives brought forward by some 350 leaders and partners of Je vois Montréal, as part of an event held at City Hall. These actions are aimed at improving city prosperity and once again supported by Mayor Coderre. The participants were invited to attend networking and joint development activities with central departments and the boroughs to facilitate the realization of their respective projects.

"At the Je vois Montréal event, which took place last November 17, I agreed to give my support to the participants by creating the Bureau de suivi de projets, the project monitoring office. Because Montrealers and the business community had mobilized to work together for the city's economic recovery, it was our responsibility to accompany them in their efforts so that all the proposed projects could take shape as soon as possible. Je vois Montréal paved the way for Je fais Montréal," said Mayor Coderre.

Note that Je vois Montréal created an unprecedented spirit of cooperation within the Montréal civil society. The event, which attracted more than 1,000 participants, was a resounding success and resulted in 180 commitments signed by leaders who took on the responsibility of a project.

Je fais Montréal project monitoring office
The mission of the Bureau de suivi Je fais Montréal project monitoring office, which is under the leadership of Diane De Courcy, is to maintain the independent dynamics created by the grass-roots movement and help the leaders realize their projects as they also contribute to our city's social and economic development.

BCG renews its participation for two years
Je vois Montréal has relied on a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which proposes an economic recovery program for Montréal inspired by international cities. One of the main recommendations of the BCG study is to "mobilize the community". Over the next few years, BCG will develop an index to assess Montréal's evolution on the way to prosperity.

Several strategic pilot projects have been realized or are underway
"Not even 100 days after holding the Je vois Montréal event, I am delighted that already several commitments have been realized or are underway. This is an indication of the vitality, dynamism and seriousness of the process instigated by the leaders," added Mayor Coderre.

Here are a few examples of strategic projects already underway as part of the Je fais Montréal project:

Commitment No. 8: AéroPortail: Create an aerospace community among young people in the Greater Montréal area.
AéroPortail is a digital ecosystem aimed at helping young people 16 to 25 years old access the information they need on aerospace in Québec, in a simple, centralized and dynamic manner. Phase 1 of AéroPortail has been completed, and the virtual community now has approximately 2,000 members.

Commitment No. 31: University ideas competition, presented by the National Bank.
The Fondation Montréal inc., in association with Montréal universities plans to launch an ideas competition aimed at students and graduates. The Fondation and 300 business volunteers will use the 10 best ideas and to turn them into genuine businesses. The launching of the competition will take place on March 5, 2015, and the period to submit ideas will extend from March 5 to April 17. The Gala will be held on April 30.     

Commitment No. 69: L'Extension, clinique interfacultaire en éducation et en santé
Establish a clinic offering remedial education and health services, especially in vision and dental care, in the Parc-Extension neighbourhood. Phase 1 of the L'Extension project has been realized. Interventions in remedial education services with students have already started and diagnosis sessions in dental and eye care will begin in March.

Commitment No. 117: Montréal Houblonnière
Massive planting of hops in the spring of 2015, to cover institutional, commercial and residential façades. Training and conference workshops aimed at residents, and cooperation with local breweries to develop, in the fall of 2017, the beer of the 375th anniversary, using the harvest.

Commitment No. 173: A place for winter cycling in Montréal
Promote and demystify winter cycling, and organize a recurring, annual event. The Vélo sous zero event took place on February 15. The Mayor of Montréal, who attended the gathering, can attest to the tenacity of the 400 cyclists who braved the extreme cold.   

For more information, please visit: jefaismtl.com.

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

For further information: Source: Catherine Maurice, Office of the Mayor and Executive Committee, Ville de Montréal, 514 346-7598; Information: François Goneau, Service des communications, Ville de Montréal, 514 868-5859