Projet Montreal launches platform

ProjetMontreal announced its official election platform yesterday, emphasizing transparency, housing, and plans to expandpublic transportation.

Mayoral candidate RichardBergeronsaid hisparty wants to set upa tramway system in the city and extend the metro toAnjouwithin four years, more quickly than the province's proposed 10 yearplan.

Bergeronsaid healso wants to create more housing on the island, toentice more families to stay.

"We are the only one and this will be in our platform to do everything to keep families in Montreal. And when I say everything, it is what has to be done right now in our neighbourhoods and in the new neighbourhoods that we have to create," said Bergeron.

Bergeronsaid8,000 households relocate to the suburbs every year, but he'd like to see residential construction projects on-island, particularly in less-developed areaseast of the Jacques Cartier Bridge.

Bergeron tried to distinguish hisparty from Denis Coderre's team, by pointing out that no members of Gerald Tremblay's old Union Montreal party are in Projet Montreal.

He alsosaid his party has openedits books to show voters how money is being collected and spent during the campaign.

"I don't see who else will offer so strong a guarantee about integrity, and the population of Montreal demands that the next team be honest," said Bergeron.