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