Montreal - November 1st, 2017

In brief

Valérie Plante, leader of Projet Montréal and mayoral candidate, has begun outlining her executive committee in the lead-up to the election of November 5th. Valérie Plante will nominate Benoit Dorais as her chairman of the executive committee.  Benoit Dorais has been mayor of the Sud-Ouest borough since 2009.  Born and raised in Saint-Henri, he was vice-chair of the Executive Committee in 2012 and 2013. He was also president of the Agglomeration Council in 2016, until expressing support for Projet Montréal and being pulled from this post by the outgoing mayor in 2017. Benoit Dorais’ extensive experience has also earned him the presidency of the Commission sur le développement social et la diversité montréalaise, and the vice-presidency of the Commission sur l’inspecteur général, two posts he held up until this election.

Highlights

· Valérie Plante will nominate Benoit Dorais as chairman of her future executive committee.

· Benoit Dorais has extensive experience in municipal politics. First elected mayor of the Soud-Ouest borough in 2009, he won a second mandate in 2013 and is on track to be re-elected.

· Benoit Dorais was vice-chair of the executive committee in 2012 and 2013.

· As mayor of the Sud-Ouest borough, Benoit Dorais was also president of the Montréal Agglomeration Council in 2016 and 2017.

· Benoit Dorais is chairman of the Commission sur le développement social et la diversité montréalaise, and is vice-chair of the Commission sur l’inspecteur général.

· During his two terms as borough mayor, Benoit Dorais has been responsible for major projects, housing and social housing, realty, and real estate strategy.  He has overseen the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM) and the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM), and he has been a member of the Commission du développement social de la Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.

· In the Sud-Ouest borough, Benoit Dorais and his team have brought order to the municipality’s finances and contributed several important planning and strategy documents.  Each one is the first of its kind for the municipality: a cultural policy for the Sud-Ouest borough; an action plan (2012-2015) for architectural heritage within developed neighborhoods; a high-level plan for parks and greenspace; and a ‘Friends of the Elderly’ municipal action plan. 

Quotes

“I am very proud I can count on an elected official with as much experience as Benoit Dorais to be the chairman of my future executive committee. He has demonstrated his dedication and integrity, and earned important responsibilities over the last eight years. Benoit Dorais is a proven team player, a hard worker, a man of vision and a capable leader. He, and all the elected members of Projet Montréal, will bring Montréal to the next level.”  - Valérie Plante, leader of Projet Montréal and mayoral candidate

 “I humbly accept the role that Valérie Plante has asked me to fill.  She and I have developed into a very good team since we started working together.  Valérie knows how to rally a team of competent, diverse people around her, and we can build a very solid administration from this team.  This is a great responsibility and I thank Valérie for her confidence.  Montrealers desire transparency, hard work, and vision – in short, they want a city government that reminds them of themselves.  This is what we will give them.”  - Benoit Dorais, borough mayor of the Sud-Ouest