Show me Democracy!

This is democracy in Montreal. This is the process of Gerald Tremblay’s administration. Does it come as a shock to you? Is the community surprised? We know there is no democracy in Tremblay’s party, only hypocrisy.

40 000 petition signatures opposed to the name change; zero petitions for the name change. Yet it has passed. And the mayor has the audacity to say that this is democracy. He has the nerve to say that there was public consultation. A complete and utter lie.

When was the public ever given the right to speak before the proposal? Never. This was a proposal which was forced upon the public. This was a proposal conceived behind closed doors.

And what about the free vote? Well the fix was in right from the beginning. Less than a handful of councilors actually stood up to support the name change, while many councilors voiced their opposition. Yet the vote was lopsided. The councilors were clearly scared to voice their true opinions. The vote was almost completely alon party lines. It should make the people of Montreal sick. The councilors themselves should be ashamed.

So, have we lost the battle for Park Avenue? It seems we have lost a far greater battle for democracy; a battle for the preservation of our history.

They can never take Park Avenue away from us. We know the history of our street, we have the memories, we own houses and businesses which will always be on Park Avenue. And we will continue to fight, tooth and nail, against the name change.

What do we do next?

We are taking legal action against the city. Tremblay’s party mandated in January 2006 to follow rules pertaining to public consultation and transparent government. They are clearly in violation of these rules. We will voice our opposition to the Commission de Toponymie du Quebec, so that they can reject the name change and preserve our beloved Park Avenue. And most of all we remember the politicians in their ivory tower who allowed this to happen.

Je me souviens!

The next municipal elections are a few years away, but we will certainly remember the wounds of Park Avenue. We will recall that Fotopulos initially agreed to change the name of Park Avenue. We will recall that when she and her council flip flopped around the issue and finally decided to oppose the proposal, they did so half-heartedly. She never formally proposed a motion to reject the name change. She never lobbied any councilors in Tremblay’s party to reject the name change. The Plateau councilors, Fotopulos, Prescott and Labrecque abandoned the public. French English, Greek Jewish…all nationalities, all races, were abandoned, and the name change was allowed to pass without strong opposition from our own Plateau councilors. They should be ashamed. They will be voted out at the next election. We the people will show our democracy.

The people of the Plateau had to rely upon Mary Deros and her opposition council from Park Extension to stand up for our community. These are our heroes, and they are not even from our borough. For public consultation we had to rely upon Warren Allmand and Marvin Rotrand who actually had the bravery to stand up against Tremblay and organize an informal consultation in Cote des Neiges. All of these other councilors had to step in and do the work of Helen Fotopulos and her cronies. We will not forget.

Civil Disobedience

And most of all, we will never allow these bureaucrats to change the Park Avenue name. We will post the Park Avenue name over any new street signs. The community will paint over all new signs to preserve the Park Avenue history. We will not change our addresses, or our business names. Park Avenue will always remain Park Avenue.

What the mayor has done has intimately touched the community. He has affected our personal heritage. He is re-writing history and he is trying to change our personal addresses on Park Avenue. His decision will personally affect our lives, and we should not feel afraid to personally affect his. Write him personal letters, and send them directly to his home. He is a person in our community; he is not far above the average person. He is our elected official, and our neighbor, and we should feel free to bring issues to his personal attention. So you can send your mail to Gerald Tremblay’s personal address:

441 Av Stuart
Outremont, QC H2V 3H1

Get Tremblay's home phone number here

How do you feel about being labeled a neo-Montrealer

I didn't know we were neo-Montrealers...I thought I was a Quebecer!

Imagine, Mayor Tremblay thinks I'm a "neo-Montrealer". I quote "Along with other north-south arteries in Montréal, ...Avenue du Parc are marked by the presence of numerous neo-Montrealers". Does he not see that he's adding insult to injury. My parents immigrated to Mile End in 1946. How long does it take before we're considered Quebecers? It sounds a bit like "pure laine" to me. Now he has doubly insulted me. First he's trying to erase my history and then he makes me feel as though I really don't belong anyway because, after all, I'm only a "neo-Montrealer".

Sheila Resels

PS I was born in Montreal and I love this city. I left in 1972 to live in Vancouver and after many years of trying to return here, my husband, son and I finally succeeded 1.5 years ago. We chose to live in Mile End (where I was actually born). It has been a totally positive experience. Calling me and my family "neo-Montrealers", when I feel as though I have finally "come home"...hurts. That's all.

Another letter

Dear Richard,

While I thank you for taking the time to send me the Mayor's view, I must point out that the Mayor's stance in the Avenue du Parc renaming hasn't changed, in spite of public outcry, and therefore doesn't need to be repeated. Your letter failed completely to convince me that the Mayor is correct in this matter.

Furthermore, I was deeply offended by your implication that only so-called "neo-Montrealers" will be affected by the change. In particular, the term "neo-Montrealer" seems to apply to people whose families have lived in Montreal for several generations and I feel this is unjustified. I would like to know how long the Mayor thinks a family needs to live in the city before they can call it home? Your letter also gave me the impression that, because the Mayor feels that the majority of the opposition to the renaming is coming from "neo-Montrealers," the public opposition is less valid. Please remind him that he was elected to serve all Montrealers and, therefore, the view of all Montrealers, no matter how long they have lived here, should be considered equally.

Regardless, the implication that only "neo-Montrealers" will be affected by the change is completely incorrect. If you have been following the debate in the newspapers, you should be aware that many longtime Montrealers are against the proposed name change.

Additionally, I feel your statement about consultation is inaccurate. The consultation the people of Montreal are demanding is public consultation. Consulting the Municipal Council and the Commission de toponymie du Québec does not constitute public consultation.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Susan McVety

Definition of Neo from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Neo: 1 a : new : recent b : new and different period or form of : in a new and different form or manner c : New World d : new and abnormal

Definition

Mayor Gerald Tremblay calls Ave du Parc supporters Neo-Montrealers

Dear Mr. Richard Thériault,

I am scandalized by your comments implying that the name change issue is limited to what you describe as the concerns of neo-Montrealers. I AM a Montrealer!!!! What does it take to be considered a Montrealer rather than having the label "neo" attached? How many generations does it take? I guess you would never refer to me as Quebecois but either as a neo-Quebecois or perhaps Quebecer. The majority of Montrealers are against this name change, whatever their backgrounds!! Do you really find that the majority of the 20.000 + names on the petition sound “ethnic”? For your information, the majority of us are proud second, third etc generation Montrealers. In addition, your comment that this decision does not affect the culture of new arrivals is both misleading and racist. Avenue du Parc is part of our history!!

We do not need to be condescendingly lectured on Mr. Bourassa's great contributions to Quebec society. We are not ignorant people and have lived in Montreal for generations. Indeed most Montrealers would like Mr. Bourassa honored but not at the expense of our personal identity, those of our families’ and city’s heritage brushed aside as unimportant. Quebec City named a highway after him. I also "remind you" (another condescending phrase you included in your letter) that “no” consultation process was undertaken before the October "declaration".

Your lack of respect, your arrogant lecturing and racist neo-labeling underlines your continued disinterest in a true consultation process. Even your subject line “Avenue Robert-Bourassa” is both unofficial and provocative. It further demonstrates your administration’s insensitivity to an issue of concern to a great many Montrealers. Avenue du Parc is still alive.

Many of us have been fans of Mayor Tremblay. However, if this decision goes through, Montrealers of all backgrounds will vote against your party in the next municipal election.

Marion Bialek
3600 Avenue du Parc

Citizens respond

I received this letter from a Gerald Tremblay representative. In it he refers to "neo-Montrealers", and says that changing the street name will have no affect on their history. I don't know what he is trying to suggest when he says neo-Montrealers. I was not aware that we were making these distinctions in Montreal. It seems like he is suggesting that if we care about the history of Ave du Parc, we are neo-Montrealers.

This shows exactly how disconnected Mayor Gerald Tremblay really is. I was born in Montreal and have lived here for 24 years, does this still make me a neo-Montrealer? What about the Greeks and the Jews and the Irish who have roots created on Ave du Parc for well over 100 years, are they neo-Montrealers too?

Apparently many neo-Montrealers live on north-south arteries in Montreal. Are we to assume that classic Montrealers mostly live on East-West arteries? Everything about this makes very little sense, but sadly I am not very surprised that this was a letter from the Mayors office.

This letter is arrogant and insulting. Changing the name of Ave du Parc WILL have a negative effect on the history of Montreal and the matter is being carried out in a non-consultative and autocratic manner.

Mayor Gerald Tremblay calls Ave du Parc supporters Neo-Montrealers

Dear Mr./Ms.,

The Mayor of Montreal, Mr. Gérald Tremblay, received your e-mail in regards to Avenue Robert-Bourassa.

The Ville de Montréal’s Executive Committee has recommended that Avenue du Parc and Rue de Bleury be renamed Avenue Robert-Bourassa in honour of the former Premier of Québec, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of his passing. It should be noted that on April 29, 1970, Mr. Robert Bourassa became, at 36, the youngest Premier in the history of Québec. This marked the beginning of a long and brilliant career, as he was elected Premier of Québec on four occasions, for the terms of office of 1970 to 1973, 1973 to 1976, 1985 to 1989, and 1989 to 1993.

This recommendation is also founded on Mr. Bourassa’s legacy. We have him to thank for the creation of medicare, family allowances, legal aid, the Official Language Act, the Conseil du statut de la femme, the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the government of Québec’s first cultural policy, and the Matrimonial Property and Family Support Act. Finally, Robert Bourassa is the “father of James Bay.” He was able to foresee the huge development potential of our hydroelectric network and achieve it. This accomplishment alone, which brings together all of our society’s political persuasions, deserves to be acknowledged. This Premier’s contribution to the development of Québec is one that will maintain our province at the forefront of energy development for many years to come.

As the only elected Premier to have been born in Montréal, Mr. Bourassa spent his childhood on the Plateau Mont-Royal, represented the Mercier and Saint-Laurent ridings for nearly twenty years, and spent a significant part of his life as a resident of Outremont. Avenue du Parc runs along two ridings in which Mr. Bourassa lived and worked, Mercier and Outremont. It also runs along four Montréal boroughs: Ville-Marie, the Plateau Mont-Royal, Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie and Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension. Avenue Robert-Bourassa will run from Place Riopelle to Rue Jean-Talon, thereby acknowledging Mr. Bourassa's political and economic contributions.

Along with other north-south arteries in Montréal, Rue Bleury and Avenue du Parc are marked by the presence of numerous neo-Montrealers. The decision of changing the name of the artery does not affect in any way their history or the gratitude that we feel for the contributions of new arrivals to Montréal’s development.

With regard to the consultation process, I would like to remind you that the motion was proposed to the Municipal Council in October and will be submitted for approval during the Municipal Council's November meeting, before being filed with the Commission de toponymie du Québec.

Thank you for having taken the time to express your opinion on this matter. Rest assured that we will take your comments into consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Richard Thériault
Director of Administration and Communications