Alain Vaillancourt

By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

Montreal city council nixed an opposition motion to call in the fire department (SIM) brass to a fall plenary council where all elected officials could question them on procedures, following a summer marked by the heavy-handed terrassegate and the much softer approach to protest encampments.

Opposition critic for public safety Abdelhaq Sari cited the “real problem of communication between the Plante administration, services and merchants as well as event organizers,” as cause for incidents during the festivities that accompany the Grand Prix, and “showed a chaotic management and relationship between the city and the partners.”

He said the abrupt terrasse closure during peak tourist season without adequate coordination tarnished Montreal’s reputation internationally and is “a symptom of a greater malaise, revealing a loss of control” of an administration riddled with contradictions.

“I spoke, as well as my colleagues, with several merchants and event organizers this summer who told me of their frustration with the improvisation and lack of communication of the Montreal fire department. I was told of rigidity, of lack of advanced preparation and even intimidation.” On the other hand, he says the fire department treated protest camps with kid gloves, where agents were forced to leave, “despite serious safety and health problems reported on several sites… I wonder what message the city of Montreal wants to send…” The opposition wants explanations why the SIM does not apply a uniform policy of control and sanctions in its interventions, and “what justifies the double standards we witnessed this summer.”

Executive committee member responsible for public safety Alain Vaillancourt agreed the way downtown terrasses were closed “is unjustifiable,” and “an example never to be repeated.” He said following the city’s internal investigation and discussions with partners and merchants, all will be made public at the Commission de la sécurité publique (CSP). “This is where these reports are made. When investigations are done and it is presented publicly it is done via the CSP.”

That includes future steps to improve the issue of terrasses and communication as well as that related to encampments, “of which we are very proud; that the two UQAM and McGill camps were dismantled without violence, with respect for everyone, with no act of violence committed on either side. Of that we are very proud.”

Despite the opposition’s plea for municipal councillors to be able to question the fire department openly about it, the motion was defeated along party lines. n