Proud to have sponsored a resolution calling on Tour de l’Île to become charitable

Mike Cohen

7 years ago

The annual Tour de l'Île de Montréal has been a thorn in my side for decades. I am not a cyclist and I resent the fact that this event paralyzes the city one Sunday each year, as well as eating up the equivalent of $500,000 in Agglomeration funds while not raising a penny for charity.

Activist Murray Levine first connected with me on this issue over 30 years ago and I wrote about it in my newspaper column at the time.

Organizers from Velo Québec continue to march to the beat of their own drum and with each City of Montreal administration not taking a stand on the issue they face little incentive to change. Now we have a Montreal Mayor in Valerie Plante who cycles to work.

If the Tour would encourage its riders to raise funds for their favorite charity, I might find this inconvenience a bit more bearable.

**With Murray Levine after the vote at City Council.**

It was with this in mind that I moved the following resolution at our December 10 Council meeting, which passed with a majority:

MOTION TO ESSENTIALLY INCREASE PHILANTHROPY IN QUEBEC

WHEREAS the 30,000+ participants of New York’s TD 5 Boro Cycle are invited to raise

funds for charities and this year (and previous ones) raised $1 million;

WHEREAS the participants of multitudes of mass participation running, cycling, triathlon

and other mass participation self propelled athletic events around the world have optional

charitable fundraising components;

WHEREAS the participants of running events alone in the US raise over $1 billion per

year for charities;

WHEREAS the participants of the Marathon de Montreal are INVITED to raise funds and

may still be paying Montreal so that they may stage their event;

WHEREAS charities staging athletic events that raise funds at Parc Jean Drapeau

actually pay for the privilege;

WHEREAS Le Tour de L’Ile de Montreal receives $500,000 in funding and in kind support

from the Agglomeration;

WHEREAS the Tour de L’Ile de Montreal is a major inconvenience to pedestrians and

motorists;

WHEREAS emergency vehicles are delayed due to the event;

Whereas there is no noticeable increase in tourism due to the event;

WHEREAS Dorval, Kirkland and Hampstead will not consider allowing Le Tour in unless

the participants are invited to raise funds for charities;

WHEREAS Cote St Luc, DDO and Laval have banned the event altogether;

WHEREAS a significant number of the participants come from Laval, the South Shore

etc. whose cities contribute no funds and suffer no inconvenience;

It was MOVED BY myself SECONDED BY COUNCILLOR Ruth Kovac

AND RESOLVED:

“THAT the Côte Saint-Luc City Council call upon the Agglomeration not to support

Velo Quebec with funding and free in kind support, until such time as all of the participants of Velo Quebec events on the Island of Montreal, are INVITED by to raise funds for charities via their participation in the events.”