AIVP Agenda 2030: the Port and the City of Montreal are committed

Montreal in Quebec is one of the biggest port cities not just in North America, but in the French-speaking world. With its ocean port on the majestic Saint Lawrence river, relations between the City of Montreal and the local Port Authority are more promising than ever. Representatives from the two Canadian institutions were in Paris recently, to sign up to AIVP’s 2030 Agenda. They undertake to pursue the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals together, in their respective roles as port city and port authority. Through the liaison committee set up and regular dialogue between their staff, the two bodies are already working in tandem in a number of areas, ranging from the city-port interface zone, to biodiversity conservation, promoting maritime culture, coexistence with neighbouring communities, and climate change adaptation. Ms Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal, and Mr Martin Imbleau, CEO of APM Port de Montréal, have been talking to us about their shared City Port ambitions. The City and Port Authority of Montreal have been members of AIVP since 2022 and 1993 respectively. Serge Lamontagne, Director General of the City of Montreal, Bruno Delsalle, Director General of AIVP, Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal, Martin Imbleau, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority. ©André Cathy A joint vision for the future AIVP - Ports and cities all over the world are setting out their visions for the future. This will be one of the key themes at AIVP’s conference in Venice, in November 2023. The City and Port of Montreal both have strategic visions for 2030. Can you tell us about them, and outline some of the joint strategies you have adopted to make them a reality? Mr Imbleau – In several respects, there are areas of convergence and similarity between our two strategic plans, and that makes matters much more straightforward between our organisations. Particularly when it comes to relations with the public, climate change adaptation, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. That’s no accident. Because the Port’s strategic plan is the result of a wide-ranging consultation, in which large numbers of Montrealers took part. This plan is their plan, because the Port of Montreal is their port! Ms Plante - Montreal has a strong culture of public participation, including through the citizen participation and public consultation mechanisms introduced by us, which have inspired numerous organisations, like the Port. So the Montreal 2030 plan, which is the framework that will guide what we do this decade, was built together with the people of Montreal. It’s easy to imagine a carbon-free future in a great city with human-sized districts like Montreal, because that’s what Montrealers want. And of course, that also poses questions for the relationship between the City and the Port, particularly when it comes to local development, because if the Port fails to take into account the views of its neighbours, it will be increasingly difficult to have a positive social impact. ©André Cathy A productive collaboration for a sustainable port-city AIVP - How important do you think cooperation is for creating a sustainable and viable port city by 2030? Ms Plante – Collaboration really is part of Montreal’s DNA. If we have a reputation as a creative city, that’s partly because everyone works together. Of course, the City’s teams are working more and more closely with…