Megatourists =megabucks

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by Patrick Lejtenyi

As the opposite sides in the mayoral race draw their lines and gear up for the all-island slugfest, the detritus of local obsolete municipal councils are getting themselves ready to make their now-squelched voices heard. The independent candidates, mostly former municipal councillors and mayors from Côte-St-Luc, Hampstead, Dollard-des-Ormeaux and points west, joined forces to subvert and destroy the megacity from within. In a press conference held Tuesday, the loosely knit independent faction voiced, to a candidate, their determination to fight against forced amalgamation and the anticipated megacity's megaproblems.

Van Petteway, a business teacher and tourism promoter running in the downtown Peter-McGill district, represented the easternmost candidate of the 13 present. Petteway differs from the rest as the sole City of Montreal resident, and because he was the only one to play down anti-amalgamation to present his reason for running. Namely, to promote tourism.

"Toronto gives something like $800-million to the federal government in taxes. It gives the provincial government about $600-million and maybe $300-million to the city," he says. "I want a conscientious effort to socialize the benefits of tourism."

He notes that Montrealers still have a reputation for being icy to our fat-walleted visitors, and that by being more hospitable, we can also make a few honest bucks ourselves. "The occupancy rate of our hotels has not topped 79 per cent," he says. "For every one per cent increase in hotel occupancy, 1,000 jobs are created." Crucial to that is his plan to increase Montreal's tourism revenues from its present $2.1-billion to $5-billion annually.