Jérôme Normand

For 10 years, Jérôme Normand was the Executive Director of ENvironnement JEUnesse, an environmental education organization that encourages citizen participation among youth. Ripe for a career change, he wondered what job would allow him to dissect and analyze issues and give advice, all while being involved in his community. It sounds much like the role of city councillor and fast forward to Jerome being elected as a city councillor in 2017 in the District of Sault-au-Récollet.

The change in culture brought about by the elected officials of Projet Montréal in Ahuntsic-Cartierville makes Jérôme proud. The administration of which he is a part of holds regular and real public consultations, where people genuinely have a say and for Jérôme, it is clear that this way of proceeding leads to constructive exchanges and innovative solutions. When the public service comes into direct contact with citizens, Jérôme sees that everyone benefits.

It is partly thanks to this approach that a project, called for by many citizen groups in the borough for a decade, finally saw the light of day in Ahuntsic-Cartierville during Jérôme's first mandate: two protected, four-season, two-way bicycle paths were inaugurated on rue Prieur and rue Sauriol in 2020. A father of two young children himself, Jérôme is delighted that these new paths are used daily as a safe route to nearby parks and schools... but also by seniors in four-wheelers!

A constant source of motivation for Jerome is to demystify for his fellow citizens the process and the many steps behind each decision of the City or Borough Council. To do this, he knows how to draw on the popular education skills he has acquired throughout his career. In fact, what Jérôme has really discovered since being elected is that his role requires a lot of know-how: you have to know how to break down deadlocks, be a good listener (whether you're dealing with a civil servant, a resident or a mobilized group), show discernment and, above all, not let fatigue or stress get the better of you.

As far as know-how is concerned, we can say that Jerome does not lack it either. With his MBA, he has a good understanding of the City's financial issues, serving on the Water, Environment, Sustainability and Major Parks Commission and the Contract Review Board. His years as vice-chair of the board of directors of the Maison du développement durable serve him well when he chairs the Communauté Métropolitaine de Montréal's Commission de l'aménagement. While he loves developing public policies that will bring about structural change in his district, Jerome feels even more pride when he connects with his fellow citizens who are happy to see their neighborhoods more vibrant, greener and safer.