/R E P E A T -- Montréal, smart and digital city - The Greater Montréal area is one of the world's seven smartest communities, according to the Intelligent Community Forum/

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 10, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Greater Montréal area has just been chosen by the renowned Intelligent Community Forum as one of the seven most dynamic and inspiring communities in terms of smart cities. The Mayor of Montréal, Denis Coderre, who is also President of the Montréal Metropolitan Community, is delighted with this prestigious honour bestowed upon Montréal.

"We are pleased to receive this new recognition from the Intelligent Community Forum. Montréal took the gamble of becoming in 2017 a world leader among the smart and digital cities. This recognition confirms the many local initiatives and vitality of its network of entrepreneurs, researchers and community members, who are involved in a co-creation process to develop a smart community. The Greater Montréal area's candidacy is based on the promotion of projects by a range of organizations. Backed by this strong cooperation, I have confidence in Montréal's candidacy," said Mayor Coderre.

Last October, the Intelligent Community Forum recognized the Greater Montréal area as one of the 21 smart metropolises in 2016 (Smart21). The announcement of the Top7 finalists represents the second phase of the process, which will culminate next June with the nomination of the grand winner, direct from Columbus, Ohio. A member of the selection board will visit Montréal this spring.

The Greater Montréal area's candidacy includes stakeholders from the academic, business, political and economic fields, as well as members of the general public. The featured projects and assets include the Quartier de l'Innovation, Quartier des spectacles, Je fais Montréal, the Société des arts technologiques (SAT), Communautique, Notman House, Youth Fusion, the Complexe environnemental de Saint-Michel, several innovative enterprises (Moment Factory, Ubisoft, Lightspeed POS, etc.), research chairs and industrial clusters, including TechnoMontréal. The approach chosen by the city, especially in the field of digital inclusion via its network of public libraries, sustainable development and civic participation, was also emphasized. 

"The project to make Montréal a smart community aims primarily at promoting the assets of an open, innovative and people-friendly metropolis. Recognition of the Top7 by the Intelligent Community Forum can only encourage us to continue to invest in our pioneering initiatives and find collaborative solutions with and for the community, to improve the quality of life of residents," said Harout Chitilian, Vice-Chair of the Montréal Executive Committee responsible for information technologies, the smart city, administrative reform and youth.

About the Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum is a New York-based, non-profit organization that examines the development of 21st-century cities. This independent think tank is dedicated to job creation and developing the digital economy. The Intelligent Community Forum is focussed mainly on research, conferences, consultation and educational services, and an annual competition. It also identifies and shares the best practices in the field of smart city development.

Montréal, smart and digital action plan
The Montréal, smart and digital action plan for 2015-2017 includes 70 projects and six programs that were chosen according to their direct impact on the community, the return on investment and completion time. The full version of the plan is available on the web.

Twitter: @mtlvi, #innmtl
Website: villeintelligente.montreal.ca fairemtl.ca
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SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

Source: Catherine Maurice, Attachée de presse, Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif, 514 346-7598; Information: Valérie De Gagné, Relationniste, Service des communications, 514 872-6013