2021 ANNUAL REPORT - SECOND YEAR OF CONDITIONS REQUIRING OCPM TO REINVENT ITSELF

MONTRÉAL, May 5, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ - Ms. Isabelle Beaulieu made public this morning the 2021 annual report of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM), where she has now served as president for a few months. The year 2021 was marked by the departure of Ms. Dominique Ollivier, who had been president of the OCPM since 2014.

Last year was one of consolidation of online consultation practices, with almost no in-person meetings. Holding consultations online presents a number of challenges, and the OCPM made sure to attract participation by implementing credible processes to continue its work, carry out mandates, and make recommendations to Montréal elected officials.

The OCPM again held many consultations in 2021, despite the pandemic. The meetings were held using the COVID-19-adapted method we developed in 2020. Therefore, our work essentially consisted of virtual consultations, complemented, however, with outdoor activities and reflection workshops featuring maps and mock-ups, in addition to virtual workshops. We also continued to make available postal kits allowing citizens without Internet access to receive the basic documentation, complete with a postpaid envelope and instructions enabling them to ask a question or express an opinion in writing or over the telephone. We also organized guided walks and guided visits within the framework of certain consultations.

To ensure the success of the consultations and participation by as many people as possible, we focused on mobilization. The lockdowns and partial and/or total reopenings, as well as the shutdown of activities and closing or shorter opening hours of numerous community organizations had a major impact on our processes and activities. Faced with that situation, the OCPM innovated and diversified its channels to reach as many citizens and organizations as possible and get them interested in our activities. Moreover, in many instances, groups and organizations agreed to relay our publications and other mobilization messages on their Facebook page. In cases where organizations were not in a position to return our calls or e-mails, we used social networks (Facebook and Messenger) to solicit their participation.

With respect to the public consultations themselves, three projects initiated in 2020 were concluded in the first months of 2021 with the publication of consultation reports: the Îlot Sainte-Catherine Ouest; the des Faubourgs Special Planning Program (SPP); and the construction of a school and public facilities in Griffintown. Furthermore, other consultations were undertaken and completed, including a draft Master Development Plan for the mountain campus of the Université de Montréal, the development of the Louvain-Est sector, and a real estate project on the site of the La Baie store downtown. Lastly, some consultations initiated in 2021 were concluded in 2022: the development of the Saint-Ferdinand sector; the Université de Montréal MIL campus; and the redevelopment of the former site of the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Despite all the constraints stemming from the ongoing pandemic, we managed to maintain a good level of participation in our consultations. More than 4000 people used the means put at their disposal by the OCPM to become informed about a subject and express their opinions during some 50 online or in-person events -- achievements of which we can be proud!

The annual report is available in its entirety in PDF format, in both English and French, on the OCPM Web site at ocpm.qc.ca, in the Publications section. Moreover, since the 2014 annual report, a Web version is offered to make reading more enjoyable on mobile devices, which is another way for the OCPM to maximize the reach of its messages.

SOURCE Office de consultation publique de Montréal