“I see things as all positive. So whatever change happens, I see it as that there’s a reason for it and there’s always a learning opportunity that could come from it. I grew up in the West Island, so hearing stories from my parents about how when they bought their house in Dollard, there was no mall, there was no street, there was no complex for living over here. So I’ve always been sensitive to the evolution of what a community could look like or what a city could look like.

Driving down the street over here I’ll be the first to admit traffic construction on every second corner. It’s not the most pleasant to deal with currently. But you have faith that as the city grows, as the people who are making these decisions to do some of the work that they’re doing, they have a plan. It might not be communicated in the best ways possible but there is a plan. We know that within 10, 15 years, Montreal’s construction is going to be finished. So we hope.

We know that within the next 10, 15 years we’re going to have an incredible augmentation of what our Montreal skyline looks like. From a new bridge to a new intersection down here where they carry is to the other side. We know there’s gonna be a beautiful shopping mall. So the changes are ever growing and everlasting. And we’re always gonna adapt, but that’s how life is.

You’re always going to look at things and say, how can I improve? How can I make this better? And that’s the way that I live within the non-profit worlds. When you think about charities and you think about the organizations that we support, you really wanna be looking at things of how can I go and augment this experience? How can I take what’s going on now and make it better? And it could be something as small as oh wow, our kids at Summit really love this program so we’re gonna do it again.

It could be something as grandiose as our basketball team has never seen an actual basketball game live in person and us reaching out to the Harlem Globetrotters the one time they come to town and getting them tickets, and letting them go meet their idols, and having a blast. Creativity is what spurs and runs our city.

Business owners, startup owners, well-established businesses, if you’re not creative then you rest on your laurels and that’s when problem starts. So you’re always looking for that different way to push. You’re always looking for that different way to differentiate yourself from the pack. And if you look at Montreal when you walk down the streets, that’s what you see. You see colors. You see people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, histories working together to create a beautiful safe place for everybody.”