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.” The vacant lot at the corner of St-Laurent Street and René-Lévesque Boulevard could one day become a mix of social housing, community and green space, and businesses. “That piece of land you’re sitting on now is already bought. We’ve done more in the last ten months that the previous administration had done in eight years,” said Pinard. Social housing has to be the priority, said community rights activist May Chiu. “So that all of the vulnerable people, the seniors, the workers of Chinatown who work on minimum wage and who live in Chinatown now, can continue to maintain their home in Chinatown,” she said. Improving quality of life also means making people feel safer, said Fo Niemi, executive director of civil rights group the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR).CRARR been helping residents who are calling for action on public drug use, vandalism, and other safety issues. “For years they have not been listened to. They’ve been basically forgotten at the expense of their safety and their well-being,” said Niemi. Clean-up Brigade The Ville-Marie borough also 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. Community advocates say the vision is encouraging, but some said rebuilding trust will take time. “Developing an entire neighbourhood that’s over 150 years old is a challenge,” said Chiu. Preserving identity The spirit of the area needs to be at the heart of every decision, said Yifang Hu, president of Asie en Fête, a festival celebrating Asian culture in Montreal “Have a concept that can reunite people, that can represent Chinatown on its own,” said Hu. Preserving that identity through architecture is a priority for the JIA Foundation, a group that protects and promotes Chinatown’s cultural heritage. “These types of very typical buildings, with businesses at the bottom and then residents or office spaces at the top floors, really are ubiquitous in Chinatown,” said Théo Pagé-Robert, research team coordinator of the foundation. New alliance 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.” The new alliance holds its first meeting on Friday.
