More mega madness

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by Naomi Bloch

The municipal merger debate is not over for the Quebec Coalition Against Municipal Mergers, who are organizing another mega-demo under the theme "MEGA CITY = MEGA MESS." The coalition hopes the event, to be held this Friday, May 11, will rival last fall's rally of 70,000 raging citizens. "We're hoping that the good weather will help bring out as many or even more people than last year," says assistant event coordinator Romain Duguay.

Once again, the coalition is stressing the comparison to Toronto, which is already $325-million in debt after its merger and which will suffer an additional $400-million shortfall next year, to be made up through tax increases and cuts in services. Montreal's transition committee, the organizers point out, is also planning to raise taxes but refuses to put a cap on the amount.

Friday's event is meant to galvanize the public prior to Superior Court proceedings, scheduled to begin May 22, when 18 municipalities from the Island of Montreal will take on Bill-170, the megacity merger legislation. Participants will leave from Lafontaine Park around 11 a.m. and will join other protesters gathering at noon on René-Lévesque in front of the Hydro-Québec building, where Premier Bernard Landry's office is located.

Protesters who wish to bring a vehicle to the event should contact the organizers at 393-9981 to fill out a participation form.