CONSULTATION AND DEVELOPMENT,  AT THE HEART OF RESO’S ACHIEVEMENTS

The Sud-Ouest has long been known as a place in which citizens took their district’s vitality and economic and social development to heart – a place where businesses, institutions, unions and organizations joined in common purpose to get things done.

Without such community-wide mobilization, it would have been impossible to speak of renewal in the Sud-Ouest: business and job creation, strengthening of the industrial base, development of the Lachine canal and area, workforce preparation and training, revitalization of districts, development and strengthening of an array of community resources, and emergence of a cultural sector.

Although the Sud-Ouest community can today take pride in its years of efforts and achievements, there is still a distance to go before the benefits created by renewal are shared by the entire community.

With its partners from the business, community, institutional and union communities, RESO must continue to play a unifying role in this community mobilization.

Day-to-Day Consultation

Consultation and partnership are at the heart of RESO’s actions, underpin all its activities and are present in most of its initiatives. Whether it is the development of the Lachine Canal, tourism, culture, housing, land-use planning, new technologies, jobs, in-company workforce training, community organizations and social economy enterprises, or organizing vocational training, RESO plays a part in existing cooperative efforts, takes initiatives to create these efforts and works alongside multiple partners.

For example, RESO has a seat at the Sud-Ouest districts’ issues tables, and takes an active part in the Société de promotion du canal de Lachine, the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie du Sud-Ouest de Montréal, etc. It works in partnership with the Commission scolaire de Montréal’s Centre Saint-Paul, the district’s Local Employment Centre, and several other agents of workforce development. It is also one of the partners responsible for birth of the Carrefour jeunesse emploi Sud-Ouest de Montréal, and is its sponsor today.

Consultation on Projects Affecting the Sud-Ouest Community

RESO has organized far-reaching consultation exercises involving the entire Sud-Ouest community, notably, in 1997, for the development of the Plan de développement économique du Sud-Ouest and the Plan de développement de la main-d’oeuvre en emploi et sans emploi du Sud-Ouest. Further consultations were carried out when these plans were updated in 2003. RESO’s Board of Directors recently adopted a new Plan d'action local pour l'économie et l'emploi (PALÉE) 2007–2010, developed jointly with a full spectrum of social and economic partners in the Sud-Ouest borough, along with a good deal of citizens’ input. The PALÉE will be released shortly. Each of these plans, which serve to direct the activities of RESO and its partners on behalf of the Sud-Ouest’s economic and social development, call on partnership for their implementation.

In the spring of 2000, RESO organized the Forum canal de Lachine to identify a clear and shared vision in the Sud-Ouest community on how best to develop the Lachine Canal. Four public assemblies were held for residents of Ville-Émard/Cote-Saint-Paul, Pointe Saint-Charles, Little Burgundy/Griffintown and Saint-Henri. Seven more forums brought together representatives of large companies, small and medium-sized businesses, financial institutions, shops and small service industries, unions, institutions, Sud-Ouest community organizations, and participants in RESO’s activities. A synthesis forum was the culminating point of this consultation – one unprecedented in the Sud-Ouest.

More recently, RESO, the Coalition de la Petite-Bourgogne/Quartier en santé and the technical resource group Bâtir son quartier got together to propose a development plan for the Canada Post site, unused now for two years. This plan, presented at a public assembly November 24, 2004, articulates the Sud-Ouest community’s concerns, particularly in regards to social diversity and accessibility.

To learn more on RESO’s consultation and development efforts, contact Pierre Morrissette, director general, or Lucie Dufour, communications advisor.