Montreal and Toronto bolster relationship
TORONTO They were small signs of the new alliance between the leaders of Canada’s two largest cities.
First, from Toronto Mayor John Tory, who displayed a framed poster of hockey legend Maurice “Rocket” Richard in his City Hall office as a gesture to Mayor Denis Coderre, who went to visit on Wednesday. If he stumbled on a word in his rudimentary French, Coderre was there to help.
“Maurice transcends Montreal,” Coderre smiled.
There was, of course, more hockey banter to be had, but Wednesday’s meeting was in fact to present a new, united front when it comes to seeking international investment and convincing the federal government to spend more money on cities.
It’s an alliance they say will be a “win- win” for both metropolises, soon to be “sister cities” with a formal agreement to prove it. Tory plans to travel to Montreal in the coming months to make it official.
“The two solitudes are over,” said Coderre at a morning news conference at Toronto City Hall.
“I think what people are expecting is to work together.”
Tory argued that “in this very complicated, very competitive world ... we are going to gain more as cities, as the two biggest cities in Canada ... if we work more together.”
That includes making the pitch for investment abroad, he said. The two men highlighted various areas of common interest — from tourism to transportation, multimedia, pharma and financial services — and said they believe a concerted effort can reap greater rewards.
Coderre later delivered a lunchhour speech at the Toronto Region Board of Trade, in a room filled with former Liberal MP colleagues and big business figures from Cisco Systems Canada and the Toronto Dominion Bank Group.
“There is a new path here, there’s a new trend where everybody is sticking together and saying we don’t fall in the trap of divide to conquer,” Coderre told attendees.
There was also a shedding of the ghosts of controversial mayors past. “We had our share. You had your share, in Toronto. Now you have a mayor. Now we have a mayor,” said Coderre. “Montreal is back.” Both he and Tory noted the opportunity that the federal election presents when it comes to securing more money for urban centres, specifically in the areas of housing, infrastructure and public transportation.
Tory acknowledged that funding has been flowing from Ottawa in the form of the gas tax, but he said more and consistent money is needed.
“I’m not looking for new taxes but we can talk about revenue share,” Coderre told reporters following his speech.
He stressed that their push during the federal election is “above partisanship.” ( He used the quip: “Been there, done that, got a T- shirt” twice on Wednesday.)
“You know, we have a saying in French, it’s not the size of the axe that matters, it’s the strength of the swing,” said Coderre, who invited Tory to attend a summit in Montreal in June that is meant to address anti- Semitism and Islamophobia.
Coderre praised the governance of Toronto’s transit system, and the relations between the business community and the arts. He counts himself as a Blue Jays fan now, and plans to attend the Pan Am Games this summer. But for all the talk of a great new alliance, a little friendly competition might remain. To a question at the Board of Trade about joint tourism marketing and Toronto’s apparent lack of “sexy” attractions, Coderre responded: “Yeah, we don’t have that problem.”