A modern and exemplary city

Regardless of the administration at the head of the City of Montréal, it must always remember that it is in place to provide the best services for its citizens, not at the expense of its citizens. With this in mind, we propose in this section our vision of the relationship that the City should have with all its clients and citizens.  

The two words that guide our vision are “modern” and “exemplary”:

• Modern, because we will renew everything that is wrong and needs to change by drawing on current best practices;
• Exemplary, because we will do everything we can to make your interactions with the City as simple, predictable and enjoyable as possible. 

In its relationship with institutions, elected officials and consultations

We are convinced that the consultation exercise must be exemplary and is not a tool to give ourselves the legitimacy to force projects down Montrealers’ throats. We have said on many occasions that our administration will not be in the “believe or die” business. Our standards of consultation will therefore be the highest. Finally, the budget process will be revised and modernized so that everyone feels included in the discussion. The Coderre-Gelly administration will propose to:

• Create a standard of good consultation for all those carried out by the central city and the boroughs in collaboration with the OCPM, notably by defining: 
  • The minimum information to be given to citizens;
  • The minimum response time for citizens;
  • A minimum response rate to consider the consultation exemplary;
  • The minimum pool of people to be reached.

In its report to citizens

Communication between the City of Montreal and its citizens must be exemplary. No one should feel left out, especially when they call 311 for help. Likewise, paying taxes should not be a hassle. In order to make life easier for Montrealers, the Coderre-Gelly administration is committed to :

• Implement a “no wrong door” policy to truly assist citizens who contact City services. This policy will ensure that when a citizen calls the City with a question, they are guided by a staff member until they get their answer and are never told they are in the wrong place. The same logic should apply to permit applications;
• Allow citizens to pay property taxes in 12 monthly installments, without interest or penalty, starting in the first 100 days;
• Allowing for the automatic debiting of property taxes; 
• Allowing the deferral of the annual property tax increase for those 65 years of age and older with incomes under $50,000 for the first million in value of the home, so that they can pay these increases only when they sell their home;
• Reinstate the online calculator for the non-residential portion of the property tax for mixed-use properties;
• Developing a new, intuitive and easily understood standard for on-street parking signs; 

In its relationship with its employees

The Ensemble Montréal administration will modernize the working conditions of City of Montreal employees to better meet today’s challenges. The Coderre-Gelly administration is committed to :

• Respecting collective agreements;
• Enforce zero tolerance for harassment;
• Enhance mental health supports;
• Implementing a policy of rights and duties for telework;
• Implementing the concept of the “right to disconnect”.

In its relationship with the boroughs

The boroughs and the central city have the same mission: to offer their population the most inclusive city possible, one that is a good place to live. However, this vision differs from borough to borough, and we respect this. While helping the boroughs to fulfill their mission, we must leave them free to carry out their projects while respecting the competencies of each. This is why a Coderre-Gelly administration proposes to:

• Respect the division of competencies between the city and the boroughs;
• Establish a consultation committee whose mandate will be to review the financing of the boroughs; 
• Create 6 funds from which the boroughs can draw to fulfill the following missions:
  • Making streets safer and calmer
  • Cleanliness
  • Greening
  • Maintenance of sidewalks
  • Maintenance and creation of dog parks
  • Maintenance of local parks