Occupy Montreal - Day 33

The city of Montreal demands Occupy Montreal removes “most” of the wooden structures by Sunday.

By: Paula Monroy

MONTREAL, November 16, 2011 – The GA met with the Chief Negotiator for the City, Michael Arruda, today at 6:30pm and decided to accept the request with 2 conditions:

1) The agreement is reviewed by a lawyer

2) A press conference is organized with the city and the occupants to announce the signing of the agreement.

“This cooperation isn’t only to assure the continued survival of the Occupation, but is part of a philosophy that all groups in society must be engaged if we want to truly represent the 99%.” outlined the the Judicial Workgroup of Occupy Montreal in an official communication released today after the meeting.

It also reads that “The city’s issue with the wooden structures is twofold. First, there’s an issue of fire safety and whether the structures can withstand the weight of a large snowfall. Everyone agrees that most of the structures have to be either modified or taken down altogether. We’ve asked the city to give us specific instructions on what has to be done to make them secure, but they’ve so far refused to give us any specifics. As such, we’re taking the initiative of hiring building inspectors who can advise us on how to bring the structures up to code. The city’s second, and more important issue is to do with perception. The city simply doesn’t want anything built that could be perceived as a permanent structure. We’ve pointed out to them that the structures can be easily broken down, that we’re willing to remove them come Spring, and that we can offer all the necessary assurances that these structures are temporary, but their position remains firm.”

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