Our Written Submission Template for the OCPM Consultation on Montreal’s Chinatown

Important note: the OCPM asks that all persons submitting a comment or question must identify themselves with their name, phone number, and email address so that the City can easily contact you, if needed. 

The deadline to submit written submissions may be extended. However, as of May 25th, 2022, we have confirmed that you can submit your written statements using the form on the OCPM website until June 13th, 2022 at 16h00 ET. We will update this document if an extension is given.

The Chinatown Working Group (CWG) has created the following template for community members to adapt for their own written submission to the Office de Consultation Publique de Montréal (OCPM) consultation regarding the City of Montréal’s proposal to: 

  1. Confirm the City’s heritage designation of an expanded border of Montréal’s historic Chinatown.
  2. Reduce allowable height and density limitations for buildings in Chinatown. 

To better understand this proposal, you can look at the website above for more information, or please read CWG’s quick summary, available in French, English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

WHO IS THIS TEMPLATE FOR?

We have made this template available for all Montréalers, or those who care about Montréal’s Chinatown to use. Whether you are an individual resident of Montréal, or you represent a group of people or an organisation in Montréal or beyond that cares about Montréal’s Chinatown, we encourage you to participate by submitting a written statement.

We know that not everyone is an urban planner or understands exactly the impact of the proposal, but we wanted folks to have a guide to express their opinion about the measures from the standpoint of the issues that speak to them. You do not have to be an expert in anything to write a submission. We just ask that you tell the OCPM and the City of Montréal why you care about the neighbourhood and the different communities that live, work, and visit there.  

We are looking for as many people as possible to submit statements both in writing and in person, and we are told by OCPM that all submissions will be considered equally. 

  • There are no residency requirements to be from Montréal, so if you care about Montreal’s Chinatown but you are located elsewhere in Québec, Canada, or abroad, please submit a statement. 
  • There are no citizenship, or residency requirements, so if you are not a permanent resident or Canadian citizen, you are also encouraged to submit a statement.

We have only provided this template in English and French, because the OCPM will only accept submissions in these languages. Unfortunately at this time, CWG is unable to help community members translate their written submissions into English or French, but we suggest the use of a free online translation service like Deep L to help you. You can insert text in any language and select translation into English or French.

HOW TO USE TEMPLATE

There are two templates below, one if you are writing on behalf of an organization, and one that is for individuals to show their support for the proposal of the City of Montréal. Both provide a variety of options and flexibility depending on what issues you care about. 

  1. Copy and paste the text for either for organizations or for individuals into a word document or google doc, or whatever software you may want to use. 
  1. Anytime you see text below in [square brackets] and BOLD, you will want to adapt the text to better reflect your organizational or personal views. You can make your submissions as long or short as you like, the template below is just a guide to help you articulate your thoughts and concerns.
  1. Save your file in an easily accessible format like Microsoft Word (.docx) or a PDF. Perhaps send your email to a family member or friend to make sure they can open and view the document easily. 
  1. You need to upload your written statement on the OCPM website before June 13, 2022 at 16h00. You must complete the form on the web page above, and provide the following information: 
  • Select whether you are submitting as an individual or on behalf of an organization
  • Name of your organization (if applicable)
  • Name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Select your gender (Male, Female, Other, or Prefer not to say)
  • Select the consultation for which you are submitting a statement (Quartier Chinois de Montréal)
  • Select and upload your file (e.g. docx, pdf)
  • Message (Optional)
  • Select the consent options. You will not be able to submit without these options selected.
  • Click “send”.
  1. Make a post on social media or tell a friend about the consultation to encourage others to submit a statement. We encourage you to share this template. 

HOW ELSE CAN I PARTICIPATE IN THE CONSULTATION? 

  1. Don’t forget that if you want express your opinion verbally at the public consultation meetings, you must register by telephone at +1.514.872.8510 before June 2, 2022 at 16h00. You will be given 10 minutes to speak, with 10 minutes for questions. 
  2. The OCPM has prepared a web-site page(s) where you submit views based on key themes and provides guiding questions for you to respond to. You are also encouraged to submit your opinions through the OCPM website. You are required to include your name and email address before submitting.  
  3. Attend one of the public consultation meetings in June. Two meetings are currently scheduled for June 8, 2022 at 19h00 and June 9, 2022 at 13h00, both at the Holiday Inn Centreville, 999, rue Saint-Urbain) See the OCPM website for more details. 

Please note that as of September 2022, Chinatown Working Group has officially closed its doors.

Veuillez noter que le GTQC a officiellement fermé ses portes en septembre 2022.