Verdun citizens are invited to a public consultation about active transport in the borough on Tuesday, September 18th at 5:30 p.m. The event will occur in the Andre Fortier room in the basement of the library building, Centre culturel de Verdun, 5955 Bannantyne Street. A light buffet will be served.
Participants will be asked to identify obstacles to cycling or walking in Verdun.
“That might be an intersection that needs to be repaired or it might be some area that’s not picturesque and discourages people from walking through that part of town,” said Julien Caffin.
Caffin’s in charge of special projects for Verdun’s social development roundtable (CDSV), an organization that networks with other community groups to eliminate poverty and improve social conditions.
The CDSV is organizing the meeting as part of their “Together for a Better Borough” program, one of many Quartiers 21 initiatives designed to show how sustainable development can be implemented in Quebecois communities. Inspired by the implementation plan developed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio, Quartiers 21 is jointly funded by the Public Health Agency of Quebec and the City of Montreal.
Verdun is one of four boroughs to receive funding for the period from January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2014. Ahunsic/Cartierville, Villeray and Mercier Hochelaga Maisonneuve also have projects underway for the same period.
Verdun’s plan includes a consultation and information gathering phase followed by implementing as many still-to-be-determined projects as possible.
“We are trying to encourage active transport in Verdun, principally the use of bicycling and walking towards our two Metro stops but also in other sectors,” said Caffin. “The idea is to consult over the first year or two and then spend the final year actually implementing solutions.
The plan will cost $120,000 over three years.
Tuesday night is the first opportunity to get citizens actively involved. “This gives us an initial opportunity to have a real grass-roots meeting with citizens so that they have a hand in ensuring that the solutions we create over the life of our three-year project will have resonance,” said Caffin.
For more information about the CDSV, refer to the organizations’ new website at www.CDSV.org.
Source:
Julien Caffin
Chargé de projets
Concertation en développement social de Verdun
4400 boulevard Lasalle, bureau 110
Montréal, H4G 2A6
(514) 362-0177, poste 228
