In St. Laurent, family matters

“Contrary to what we may think, Montréal is a great place to raise a family,” said councillor Laval Demers just after the council agreed to approve the action family plan. It was actually drafted in the wake of the City of Montréal’s initiative to develop a family policy. It also updates a policy on family that St. Laurent had already adopted in 1994, while taking account of the principal issues and challenges identified in the borough’s strategic planning initiative, launched in 2006. The plan will allow the borough to continue and improve actions already undertaken over the years, such as the program of family rates for recreational activities, the increase in number of available places in day camps and in parent-child activities, the family-initiatives program and other measures aimed at making the lives of families easier.

The plan also includes some new elements like a $500 000 investment for bicycle paths, the creation of a financial-aid program for house work and an intervention policy to help out cultural communities.

Also within the action family plan, the council approved during its last general meeting an official request to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) to examine potential possibilities allowing public transport family fare. “At a time when it has become vital to encourage alternatives to travelling by car and, accordingly, to foster access to public transit, particularly for families — and all with an eye to sustainable development — the introduction of a family rate structure could have a major economic impact on St. Laurent’s families and would be an incentive for them to use public transit”, said Mayor Alan DeSousa. St. Laurent is the first borough to pitch in this kind of idea, so now the ball is the STM and the City Of Montreal’s hands.



(Photo: Archives)