Plans to improve the quality of life in Montreal’s Chinatown were unveiled by city officials on Tuesday, including the deployment of a cleaning brigade and the creation of a local alliance. “We are turning words into action,” said Claude Pinard, Montreal executive committee chair and councillor for the Saint-Jacques district. “Chinatown deserves concrete measures, so we are stepping up cleaning efforts in the area and launching an ambitious initiative that will enable us to collectively define the next steps.” As such, the Ville-Marie borough announced that the neighbourhood will now have a dedicated clean-up brigade. In addition to the borough’s regular maintenance routine, officials explain the additional crew “will help ensure the regular upkeep of public spaces and enhance the quality of life in Chinatown on a day-to-day basis.” The move is in response to worries regularly expressed by locals about cleanliness and hygiene. Additionally, the borough says it is taking steps to develop an urban, economic and social development plan (PDUÉS) for Chinatown. This includes the creation of a Chinatown Alliance, aimed at promoting a safer, more dynamic and welcoming neighbourhood that is “true to its identity.” “We want to focus our efforts on what the city can actually achieve to stimulate the area’s development,” said Pinard. “By investing in our infrastructure, our public spaces and the land we own, we are creating the conditions needed to attract projects and investment that will strengthen the neighbourhood’s vitality and quality of life.”
