City to honour Expos’ Carter

Montreal will honour Gary Carter.

City council unanimously approved a motion on Monday to offer condolences to the family of the veteran Expos catcher, who died of brain cancer last week at 57. The motion also calls for the city to find a street or place to name in his honour.

Montreal executive committee member Manon Barbe said, “He was the favourite ‘Kid,’ ” reading from the motion in council chambers and referring to Carter’s baseball nickname during 12 seasons in Montreal.

“He’s part of the category of professional athletes who mark their era not only with their exploits but also with their personality.”

She likened Carter, who was born in California, to homegrown legends like hockey greats Maurice Richard and Guy Lafleur and racing’s Gilles Villeneuve.

The motion mandates the city’s place-naming committee to find an appropriate street or public place to name after Carter.

Council majority leader Marvin Rotrand said this will be done in consultation with Carter’s family.

Carter made an effort to be part of the city and be an example to young people, said Rotrand, who like Barbe is a member of Mayor Gérald Tremblay’s ruling Union Montreal party.

The two opposition parties tabled the motion with Tremblay’s party. Members of all three parties noted that Montrealers of different generations, including some who aren’t fans of baseball, are sharing a sense of loss in the wake of Carter’s death.

“Gary Carter was so associated with the Montreal Expos; his death was like the Expos were leaving for a second time,” Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron said. He brandished a baseball Carter had autographed for a political adviser to his party.

“If Montreal is still a baseball city, it’s largely thanks to Gary Carter,” Bergeron said. He added that Carter was an ambassador for Montreal.

“He was adopted by Montrealers and … he adopted Montreal,” Vision Montréal leader Louise Harel said, noting that Carter wore an Expos cap when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 though he had played five seasons and won a World Series with the New York Mets.