Press release
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal welcomes the Ville de Montréal’s economic development strategy
Montréal, June 13, 2011 – The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal welcomes the 2011-2017 Economic Development Strategy presented today by the Ville de Montréal before an audience of over 500. This planning document presents a vision that reflects Montréal’s economic challenges and strengths.
“Montréal’s economy has seen profound changes in recent years,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade. “While the private sector plays a driving role in this transformation, Montréal has strong leverage to ease the transition toward a modern, innovative and prosperous city. We are pleased to see that the strategy announced today focuses on collaboration between public and private partners and recognizes the importance of improving processes to further stimulate the development of businesses and their projects.”
The strategy proposes maximizing the impact of major development projects that are a priority for the city’s development. “The Urban Innovation pillar highlights the many projects in Montréal, both in terms of transportation and private or institutional development,” Michel Leblanc said. “Our challenge is to ensure that they generate economic leverage and stimulate innovation around poles of excellence such as the CHUM, the MUHC and the Outremont Campus.”
The business community agrees with the strategy’s analysis of the importance of creating Collaborative Sites that will be used as gateways between different sectors of the economy. “It was important that the strategy repeat the thoughts expressed by a number of institutional and private developers for increased collaboration between players and greater effectiveness in promoting entrepreneurship,” Michel Leblanc said.
The Board of Trade points again to the importance of following up on the proposals contained in the Montréal Business section of the strategy. “We need to simplify the approval processes for private projects to make them simpler and more fluid,” Michel Leblanc said. “If we want ambitious projects, we have to make the task of entrepreneurs easier and support them throughout the process. We look favourably on the fact that the Ville de Montréal has taken note of the system’s weaknesses and that it is committed to improving how it operates.”
“This strategy is about transforming Montréal, modernizing its economy, completing development projects and offering Montrealers a better quality of life,” Mr. Leblanc said. “Obviously, the results will depend on whether the main recommendations are implemented quickly. The Ville de Montréal should also pay particular attention to the more mundane aspects of economic development, such as the state of infrastructure, fluidity of travel and low taxes.”
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its primary mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec’s leading private economic development organization.
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Source:
Sylvie Paquette
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca