Mayor Coderre establishes a ‘direct, permanent and continuous link’ with Montreal’s universities

Montreal is Canada’s premier university city: it awards more undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees than any other metropolitan area, with an annual average of 40,000.

It is also the country’s largest research centre. In the 2009-2010 academic year alone, local institutions saw a 10 per cent jump in funding, with a model based on municipal collaboration and public-private partnerships.

On Thursday, in recognition of the key economic role played by Montreal’s universities, Mayor Denis Coderre appointed councillor Richard Deschamps to be the city’s advisor on higher education affairs.

“Deschamps will help to establish a direct, permanent and continuous link with our universities, colleges and research institutions in the territory and to highlight their added value, so that Montreal can really take full advantage of its status as a city of knowledge,” Coderre said.

Benoit-Antoine Bacon, Concordia’s provost and vice-president of Academic Affairs, welcomed the September 17 announcement.

“It’s an important recognition of our stature within the city,” he said. “Having someone that we can liaise with on a regular basis will be very helpful as we develop future initiatives.”

For his part, Deschamps, who represents the borough of Lasalle, promised to work tirelessly to promote the diverse and unique expertise coming out of Montreal’s universities.

“We have to keep our educational institutions in the foreground, since, year after year, they contribute to the reputation of our city and the creation of wealth,” he said.

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