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Montréal’s Charter of Rights and Responsabilities

A proposal for a Montréal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities was released on December 10th 2003, the 55th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This proposal is the product of discussions that took place at the Montréal Summit. The draft charter, which was submitted to a public consultation process in early 2004, appoints an ombudsperson to enforce it.

The City undertakes to promote public participation and to guarantee its credibility, transparency and effectiveness (art. 13), improve housing conditions (art. 15), safeguard and protect the architectural and natural heritage (art.17) and promote sustainable development (art. 19).

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Principles for Public Participation in Montréal

  • The right of residents to be informed and consulted and to influence decisions that may have an impact on their living environment;
  • The effectiveness and efficiency of participation in reaching fair and timely decisions;
  • Transparency and fairness toward all stakeholders;
  • The accountability of all stakeholders, including elected officials, managers, developers and activists;
  • The application of recognized rules and ethics in matters of public participation.

Public Participation

According to the principles of sustainable development, residents must be kept informed and must be able to influence urban planning and development decisions.

The City’s Charter designates the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) as being responsible for public consultations with respect to the Master Plan. The Act respecting Land Use Planning and Development requires the borough councils to hold public information and discussion sessions in connection with certain amendments to the Master Plan and the zoning by-laws. In the latter case, residents have the ability to initiate a referendum procedure.

The Ville de Montréal supports the establishment of additional mechanisms with a view to diversifying and improving public participation in urban planning and development. These could operate in the preliminary stages of projects, when all options are still under study. Various forms of participation could be used, depending on the purpose and scope of the projects in question. In addition to the public hearing process, the City intends to examine procedures based on mediation, consensus building, information, cooperation or conflict resolution. These various methods will be based on acknowledged principles of public participation.

Some examples of partnerships

Many of the projects supported by the City will require ongoing cooperation among a number of public, private and community stakeholders. Given the success of several partnerships in recent years, a variety of different arrangements can be considered, tailored to the needs of the projects and stakeholders involved.

The redevelopment of the Quartier international de Montréal gave rise to a non-profit organization bringing together the Government of Québec, the Government of Canada, the Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec, the Ville de Montréal and the private landowners. The success of this process can serve as an example and as a model for many other large projects. For instance, it led to the expansion of the Palais des Congrès, the construction of the Caisse de Dépôt et Placement’s business office, the development of prestigious public spaces (Square Victoria, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle) and the redevelopment of major thoroughfares (University, Saint-Antoine, Viger, McGill).