Montreal, February 21, 2007 - Claude Trudel, chairman of the STM Board of Directors, and Marcel Tremblay, Executive Committee m

Press release


In 2007, the STM will play an active part
in Montréal’s campaign for a cleaner city

Montreal, February 21, 2007 - Claude Trudel, chairman of the STM Board of Directors, and Marcel Tremblay, Executive Committee member responsible for cleaning up the city, have announced the first joint action by the STM and the city of Montréal for 2007, as part of the City’s annual cleanliness drive: the installation of over 175 ashtrays to curb the number5 of cigarette butts littering the ground outside of métro station entrances.

The ashtrays will be purchased by the City, while the STM will oversee their installation and maintenance. It is estimated that, annually, over 100 000 cigarette butts will find their way into these ashtrays, which should be installed over the next few weeks.

« As a good corporate citizen, the STM cares about the cleanliness of its installations and their surroundings and plans on launching its own cleanliness drive in the weeks to come. With this in mind, the STM considers the City’s gesture of handing over a hundred or so ashtrays as the first in a series of actions which, together, we will all be called upon to take over the next few months to keep our metro and its stations clean”, said Mr. Trudel.

« If we want to have a lasting effect on cleanliness, concrete action must be taken by both public administrations and citizens themselves. We are taking the first necessary steps by installing the ashtrays. Now, it is up to smokers to take responsibility and make use of the ashtrays. Every little bit counts!”, declared Mr. Tremblay.

Indeed, municipal authorities have made improvements to cleanliness a priority. “Last year, we deployed cleaning squads in the downtown area and installed 700 new trash bins. So, of course, we are going to multiply our actons this year,” added Mr. Tremblay.

Other announcements are planned by the STM and the City of Montréal in the coming weeks. Details of the 2007 cleanliness campaign will be unveiled at a later date.

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