Rallying the troops

>> Can Michel Prescott lead the opposition against Bourque?
by JOHN EDMONDS

Michel Prescott made a splash at Montreal's city council meeting on April 17, getting himself turfed out by council president Luc Larivee for saying, "During the election campaign, in front of the TV cameras, Monsieur Bourque sleeps in the homes of the poor. But between elections, behind closed doors, the mayor sleeps with the rich promoters."

But while critics might claim the move was a mere political stunt, it comes at an opportune time. Increasingly, groups of angry citizens have come with loud complaints to meetings at city hall. And they are far from amused at their neighbourhoods' treatment at the hands of the Bourque government.

"There are numerous cases," Prescott told the Mirror. "Loblaws, Gescor, Rialto, Parmalat, Matrec--in every dossier of a certain importance you've seen the same principle. Unhappy people from some quartier had to come to city hall to fight for quality of life. One would expect the city administration to do that for them."

Waste land

Even the Quebec government implicitly agreed when it came to the Matrec dossier. Matrec is the name of the company which was to operate the city's planned garbage transfer station, to be located under the Turcot interchange in St-Henri. Residents--who say they only heard about the project just over a month ago--vociferously complained about the feared impact to their already noisy, smelly 'hood of an expected 215+ loaded garbage trucks per day.

Bourque planned to expedite the project anyway, until on April 21, the idea was killed by the National Assembly in Quebec City. But the mayor, who called the waste transfer site "a beautiful project," still intends to petition the Quebec government to let him place it there.

Other pockets of disgruntlement have erupted in various city neighbourhoods over condo developments, destruction of old buildings or trees and approval for big new retail centres or industrial expansions.

Many people in these new gripe-groups agree with Prescott when he says, "Bourque has ears open only for the developer, but to his citizens' concerns he is deaf."

Who's following who?

But while he is officially leader of the opposition, is Prescott really leading? Some city hall insiders question--off the record--whether he has the political skills required to organize the different citizens' groups into a cohesive political constitutency. This is what the Montreal Citizens' Movement is supposedly all about.

Few would argue that Prescott has the pit bull instincts of independent councillor Helen Fotopulos. Fotopulos is perhaps best known for attacking the city for years for allowing unpermitted renovations to the old Rialto theatre on Parc in her Mile-End district.

She has also led the charge to have allegations of conflict of interest for the "Reve sur mer" pro-ject--involving project manager Jean Landry--investigated. Part of a larger municipal concept called "Montreal Blue," Reve sur mer is a city of Montreal plan to build condos and develop recreational boating in east-end Pointe-aux-Trembles. The possible conflict of interest is now under investigation by the city.

Prescott, on the other hand, had a minor mutiny within the MCM last fall, when two of his councillors criticized the party's performance. One of these, the Laurier district's Helene Jolicoeur, threatened to quit, saying, "We have to recentre the party, go out and see the militants in the districts and work with concerned citizens and not just do a media show in city hall."

More recently, however, overt criticism seems to have dried up. Marvin Rotrand's Democratic Coalition has said that it is contemplating joining up with the MCM. And concerned citizens and militants have started to come to city hall for their own media shows--by the bus load.

The boom in development--with all the growing pains that it entails--surges on. It could possibly also be a boom for a divided and demoralized opposition, if they--and in particular Michel Prescott--could capitalize on it.

But does he actually see himself as the right guy to lead citizen resistance against Bourque-style development? "I think so," he said "I have been elected somehow the chief of the opposition. No one is asking me to quit yet.":

more news...