Unveiling of Montréal's Resilient City Strategy, a first in Canada | Survive, Adapt and Grow.
18 juin 2018
Montréal, le 18 juin 2018 - The mayor of Montréal, Valérie Plante, unveiled Montréal's Resilient City Strategy, a strategy developed in collaboration with 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation. This ambitious strategy reflects the city's will to improve its ability to anticipate, prevent and adapt, in order to be prepared to handle the problems and risks affecting the population. The first Canadian city to table a resilience strategy, Montréal is a leader in terms of urban resilience in Canada. The strategy includes a variety of concrete measures spanning over the next 5 years, aiming to improve the city's ability to face unforeseen events and disruptions, along with its partners.
“The strategy is intended for the entire population. We are gathering the tools to improve our response to shocking events such as natural disasters, tragedies, terrorist attacks, or situations likely to weaken our city, such as an aging population, social exclusion, poverty and aging infrastructures. Moreover, our strategy will enable the population, institutions, businesses and systems to react and resist more effectively and efficiently to unforeseen events. Together, we want to be ready and to continue to develop our resilience,” explained Mayor Valérie Plante.
“Today, Montréal is the first Canadian city to present a resilient city strategy. It proposes a collaborative vision of urban resilience in order to support an urban community that is alert, proactive and unifying in facing social, economic and environmental challenges. The city's goal is to instill solidarity and safety on its territory, to protect its living environment, maintain a diversified and innovative economy and to promote integrated governance geared towards serving the community,” added Louise Bradette, director of the Bureau de la résilience.
“We are thrilled to have played a part in the development of Montreal's Resilience Strategy, the first Resilience Strategy in Canada. Mayor Plante and Chief Resilience Officer Louise Bradette have been unwavering partners throughout this process, and under their bold leadership Montreal is poised to serve as a model of resilience for other Canadian cities,” commented Otis Rolley, Managing Director for North America for 100 Resilient Cities.
Montréal's Resilient City Strategy is made up of four great orientations
Montréal chose to build its strategy around four main orientations that will drive the measures taken: supporting a united and safe community, protecting its living environment, maintaining a diversified and innovative economy and promoting integrated governance in the service of the community. These choices are based on the results of citizen consultations and working groups made up of more than one hundred internal and external partners, held by the city's Bureau de la résilience.
Montréal was the first Canadian city to adhere, in December 2014, to the agenda of the 100 Resilient Cities. This prestigious global network aims to improve cities' resilience with respect to the growing environmental, social and economic challenges they are currently facing. As part of this movement, Montréal created, in May 2016, the Bureau de la résilience, whose main objective was to develop a resilience strategy. As it joined the 100 Resilient Cities agenda, Montréal became committed to discussing with cities around the world the approaches to inclusion as well as fighting social exclusion and isolation within the metropolis.
About ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
The inception of this strategy launches a great week of active advocacy centered on sustainable development. From June 19 to June 22, Montréal will host, at the Palais des congrès, the ICLEI World Congress 2018. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, is the leading global network of more than 1,500 cities, towns and regions from more than 100 countries. As a global network, ICLEI is a point of connection between local and regional governments from across the globe. Through its World Congress, ICLEI engages its international network for peer-to-peer exchanges and the creation of strategic alliances with key players and with non-government partners who are influential in the field of sustainable development.
The ICLEI World Congress 2018 is an environmentally responsible event, funded by Ville de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, Co-Operators and Hydro-Québec.