Association: Projet Montréal – Équipe Bergeron, http://projetmontreal.org/les-elus/patrick-asch/
After working with cities across Montreal on grass-roots development for the past 23 years, Patrick Asch has decided to take a different approach to helping people.
As the founder of Heritage Laurentien, he’s known for his commitment to the environment. For the past two years, he’s worked as a part-time counsellor for his local member of Parliament, where he’s been focussed on helping people with immigration, pension and unemployment problems. Now, he’s given up all association with his previous organization and he’s taken a leave of absence from his job at Hélène LeBlanc’s office.
“If I’m mayor, I’m going to be a full-time mayor,” he says.
If he wins, his main priorities will be increasing resident involvement, improving transportation, reducing taxation and improving safety.
Resident involvement will be increased through committees, hands-on politician involvement in projects and full webcasting of council meetings. Taxation is too high too, he says. He believes he’ll be able to wipe out the local tax within four years of becoming mayor.
LaSalle’s worst problem now and in the immediate future is transportation, he says. That’s likely to get worse as the Turcot Exchange and the Champlain Bridge go under repairs. He has ideas for a tram on the old railway line through LaSalle to link the Angrignon Metro with Dorval Airport.
“We have to improve public transportation. It takes 45 for Bus 110 to get to Angrignon and most of the 106 buses are full. Six or seven can pass before you get on. The roads are always full. It’s impossible to get either in or out. We have to fix that.”
“Right now, LaSalle residents are boxed in,” says Asch. “We need easier ways to get into and out of the borough.”
Team: Sault-Saint-Louis District
City councillor: Monika Niedbalski, http://projetmontreal.org/les-elus/monika-niedbalski/
Borough councillor: Patrizia Buffone, http://projetmontreal.org/les-elus/patrizia-buffone/
Borough councillor: Romarick Okou, http://projetmontreal.org/les-elus/romarick-okou/
Team: Cecil-P.-Newman District
City councillor: Yosef Azzouni, http://projetmontreal.org/les-elus/yosef-azzouni/
Borough councillor: Amir Khan, http://projetmontreal.org/les-elus/amir-khan/
Borough councillor: Mody Maka Barry, http://projetmontreal.org/les-elus/mody-maka-barry/
