Democracity

>> Big fish in a little pond squabble for a piece of the megacity

by CRAIG SEGAL

Tedd Dillon became political the day he learned a wild and crazy dance club was being built near his tranquil Mile-End apartment. Along with loads of residents the former actor fought the law and the law won. He's been battling to make Montreal more democratic ever since.

Dillon represented the Coalition for Urban Democracy during the Tremblay Commission hearings, a 14-session democracy megathon most Montrealers did their best to ignore. In November, the Commission made public a bunch of recommendations on how the city must be run in order to become more democratic. Among them is the right to vote on controversial projects.

The city responded to the Tremblay Commission by asking Quebec to change its charter. Bourque wants to transfer the power to approve zoning changes for big projects from the Urban Development Commission: a central committee based in city hall run by Bourque's party--to neighbourhood councils--public meetings with neighbourhood councilors also run by Bourque's party.

Dillon says the city's response to the Tremblay Report is road apples, since either way Bourque's Vision Party still has complete control. He is circulating a petition criticizing the Mayor's response. So far nine neighbourhood citizens' groups have signed it, including his own. "It's incorrigible what the mayor is doing in response to the Tremblay Report," says Dillon. "We're outraged. It's a terrible waste of citizens' initiatives."

Ironically, the guy who made the report criticizing mayoral power, Gérald Tremblay, is running for mayor of the megacity against Bourque. Dillon's group backs Tremblay, since he is pledging to democratize the city. "Bourque is not informing the citizens of projects that will affect their quality of life," Tremblay told the Mirror. "If we're elected, people will know all the projects and they will have access to referendums."

But critics of Tremblay accuse him of being undemocratic himself. "Tremblay has repeatedly refused efforts to find a method to democratically choose a candidate to build a united front against Bourque," says Marvin Rotrand, city councillor for Snowdon. "If you really believe in democracy you have to act democratically. I think these guys are motivated by a desire to get into power and it's as simple as that."

Tremblay admits the importance of a united front against Bourque. "The best way to defeat him is with a united opposition. We'll do everything possible for that to happen." Asked if he could win on his own, Tremblay said, "It would be difficult, but it would be possible."

Still other city hall watchers are whispering that the provincial government is petrified of Tremblay becoming mayor, since he is a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister. "Montreal is getting less and less French as it is. Could you imagine if the province's biggest city was predominantly English and led by a Liberal?" says one critic.

So what of Dillon's petition? He can fight all he wants, Rotrand says. But it may not be worth a damn. "This is only assuming the city charter is not thrown out. No one knows what powers will belong to the mayor of the megacity."