Montreal elected officials will pay tribute on Monday to the former mayor of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, André Lavallée, who died last Sunday. A declaration underlining its “exceptional contribution” to the development of the metropolis will be adopted during the meeting of the municipal council. But the City intends to honor the memory of the ex-elected permanently, a reflection which could for example lead it to name a public place in his honor.
It is still too early to say how Mr. Lavallée’s memory will be honored. The rules on toponymy and recognition stipulate that one must wait one year after the death of a person before an official proposal is made. The City has just set up a new body, the Recognition Advisory Committee, which will be made up of experts from various walks of life and will support the City in its decisions regarding commemorative ceremonies and toponymy. This committee will replace the current toponymy committee.
“Mr. Lavallée’s contribution to our metropolis is undeniable. Its impact is felt in several places in the city and will continue to inspire us for a long time,” Mayor Valérie Plante’s cabinet said on Friday. “The new advisory committee will guide our administration in order to pay him the tribute he deserves while respecting the wishes of those close to Mr. Lavallée. »
A visionary
Municipal councilor of Rosemont from 1986 to 1998 with the Rassemblement des citoyen de Montréal (RCM), then mayor of the borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie from 2005 to 2009 with Union Montréal, André Lavallée piloted several major files, including the City of Montreal’s first Master Plan in 1992, the first Transportation Plan in 2008 and the creation of the Bixi self-service bicycle service in 2009. The former elected official also contributed to the redevelopment of the former Angus factories in Rosemont and in the foreground Jean-Drapeau Park master plan.
“André Lavallée was a notable elected official in Montreal. He was a visionary. The first urban plan is not nothing,” underlines François Limoges, current mayor of the borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. “Of course, a tribute will be considered, but it will be within the framework of the Advisory Committee in recognition which is being set up. We never do things in a rush again. »
Elected mayor in his borough last November, François Limoges reports that he discussed regularly with André Lavallée. “He’s someone who has never given up on public affairs and Montreal life,” he said. “He had an extraordinary institutional memory. He advised many people in a constructive and educational way. For many people he was a mentor. But he was a demanding interlocutor who did not accept vague answers. »
The declaration that will be adopted on Monday was tabled jointly by Mayor Plante, François Limoge and the Leader of the Opposition, Aref Salef. She proposes that the City “guided by its Recognition Framework, initiate at the prescribed time, the process aimed at permanently commemorating the exceptional contribution of André Lavallée to the development of Montreal”.