“I will never say that Montreal is dangerous,” said outgoing mayor Valérie Plante on Sunday. Everybody talks about it. The lively discussion started with his opponent Denis Coderre particularly concerned the upsurge in armed violence in the Quebec metropolis.
Of course, Montreal is not dangerous, but security issues remain and continue to be ignored: it is particularly disappointing to note that a feminist reading grid is still not on the municipal agenda. Montreal community organizations and activists have no shortage of solutions; we should now listen to them, amplify them and improve their initiatives.
Montreal has been a pioneer in the past in its initiatives to make public spaces welcoming and safe for women.
There was in particular the service between two stops developed by the STM in 1992, making it possible to reduce the travel time of women after dark, or the exploratory walks, the objective of which is to discern the obstacles to the feeling of security and remedy.
These successes are for the most part attributable to community and civil society organizations that have actively worked to reflect on and transform the urban landscape of Montreal for the better.
Why stop there?
These initiatives were the precursors of in-depth discussions on security and the feeling of security through the planning of public spaces. Contrary to the SPVM page “Women in notice, safety in the know” which suggests that the safety of women in the street depends on themselves and their individual strategies, the issue raised concerns us all. Whether it’s through lack of political will or simply putting these issues under the rug, here’s what we understand: These issues are ours as individuals, not society’s.
Montreal is a city where a multitude of communities manage to coexist in harmony. However, it will not live to its full potential as long as some of its users still feel exclusion or insecurity.
The projects presented by the municipal political parties are ambitious, but lack social depth, and do not take the problem at the root.
However, there is no shortage of ideas.
The initiatives previously developed in Montreal and Quebec City by community organizations (exploratory walks, service between two stops) have made it possible to launch the debate on the main foundations of safe urban development. The council of Montrealers, in particular, made many recommendations to the City of Montreal, for example “the development of places without hiding places; near public transport; with sufficient lighting and the possibility of calling for help ”. We could also think of developing more dense networks of solidarity, by involving the various actors of the public space such as shopkeepers having a storefront. It would in fact be a question of increasing the compensatory measures while waiting for a real fundamental change to take place.
Education remains one of the best ways to change things. Ambitious projects in this area are developed and supported by community organizations: we can think of the YWCA Montreal, which develops activities for young people in schools, to make them aware of gender equality or exploitation. sexual.
The City of Montreal should give greater visibility and capacity for action to these organizations of citizens who contribute every day to the advancement of gender equality. The projects announced by the various candidates are insufficient; so we must push even further, and recognize that the insecurity of women and the danger they face is a deep problem, that it is impossible to solve it on our individual scales. It is not a question of supplanting the organizations which are already doing an enormous work on the issue, but of giving them the means to change the situation, collectively. Ultimately, it is about sending a clear message to half of the population: your concerns are heard and legitimate, and deserve to be an integral part of municipal political priorities for the coming years.
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