Yves Boisvert
yves.boisvert@lapresse.ca
Okay, maybe Montreal doesn't need heated sidewalks, a project that city officials are currently studying. But the last time we heard about sidewalks was when the Charbonneau commission on corruption in the construction industry exposed an alleged cartel linked to the Sicilian Mafia.
So it feels good to look at Montreal's infrastructure with fresh eyes. The past 12 months have witnessed all sorts of ideas and projects popping up to reinvent the country's second-largest city. Suddenly, the city's spirits are lifting.
It was a coincidence, but there was a symbolic charge to it: On Friday, Justice France Charbonneau wrapped up her commission after 261 days of generally depressing and spectacular revelations spread over 2 1/2 years. Then, on Monday, 1,500 people from the business, university, entertainment and political arenas gathered at an uplifting conference designed to reinvent the city. More then 160 signed commitments emerged from the event, Je Vois Montréal (I See Montreal): growing hops for local beer, electric taxis, an orchestra academy presided over by maestro Kent Nagano, a new and immense public space inspired by the Rambla in Barcelona, painting the pillars of an elevated expressway and many others.
Who knows how many of these "commitments" will see daylight. But never mind. The whole exercise is testimony to a new buzz here.
We recently learned that some prominent and very wealthy business people are contemplating the idea of bringing back a baseball team in Montreal, including BCE and Stephen Bronfman, son of former Expos owner Charles Bronfman. Again, who knows whether they'll succeed. But the mere fact that they consider seriously investing millions in a business highly dependent on the local economy signals confidence in the city's future.
As city residents, we've seen more than our fair share of bad news and poor leadership. Forget corruption – it took 10 years of absurd existential debates, reports and commissions just to decide where a new university hospital would be built. We can't believe our eyes, but it's here, spectacular, almost finished, in a formerly devastated area of downtown.
Montreal undertook a merger of the island's 28 municipalities in 2000, then the demerger of 15 of them four years later. Who decides what has never been so foggy. One thing became clear, though: There were more bureaucrats who could just say "no" than ever.
To organize a simple parade, Just for Laughs Festival president Gilbert Rozon had to deal with officials from five boroughs, all contradicting each other. To decide on a course, organizers had to bring together more then 20 people from all the city's departments – as well as police officers, the fire department, Hydro-Québec workers, the archdiocese and more.
The city's administrative structure remains a conundrum. But a new mayor, former federal MP and cabinet minister Denis Coderre, is very much in charge. The era of dithering and "there's nothing we can do about it" appears to be behind us.
On Tuesday, Mr. Coderre sent another message about ending the red tape. In a typical administrative stalemate, the merchants of St. Laurent Boulevard were denied permission to install an 8,000-foot garland of Christmas lights over Montreal's main street. The mayor jumped in and overruled city officials. A garland there will be.
Now, things are far from perfect. Montreal still has to compete with its more family-friendly suburbs. A report from the Boston Consulting Group this year painted a somewhat negative portrait of Montreal in comparison to other world cities: The city lags behind in demographic trends, disposable income and economic growth over the past 10 years.
What's new is this very strong will to move forward. Denis Gallant, the star prosecutor of the Charbonneau commission, has been appointed as the city's first inspector-general – it's like there's a new sheriff in town. Construction cranes are popping up all over the skyline. A strong alliance has been built with Quebec City. Creativity is on the political agenda. Even the formerly very critical Mr. Rozon is now on board the committee planning the city's 375th anniversary in 2017, and he's filled with enthusiasm.
Will Montrealers be walking on heated streets without potholes? Maybe not. But there's no doubt their city has turned a corner – it fervently wants to feel good about itself for the first time in a generation.