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).