Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre fields a lot of questions in his job, but most citizens never get a chance to ask theirs directly.
Until now.
Starting in September they’ll be able to put their queries straight to the mayor in a new bi-weekly feature on CTV News.
Talk Of The Town will air every second Friday on CTV Montreal’s flagship 6pm newscast. Mr. Coderre will field questions from Chief News Anchor Mutsumi Takahashi and from members of the public on a wide range of topics making news in Montreal.
"We struck up the conversation about this segment as soon as the mayor was elected," says Takahashi. "We all know Denis Coderre isn’t shy when it comes to facing the media, but we wanted to give our viewers an opportunity to have their questions answered too, and we’re very pleased that he agreed."
People living in Montreal and beyond will be asked to send in their questions via social media or in a short video, and the questions chosen by the CTV News editorial team will be put to the mayor, whether in his office at city hall, in the CTV Montreal studio, or somewhere out and about around town to accommodate the mayor’s busy schedule.
"This presents an excellent opportunity to reach out to all Montrealers and to hear firsthand on issues that matter to them," says Coderre. "It will provide a direct link for citizens to share their concerns, ask questions on current affairs and engage them in the decision-making process. I look forward to exchange ideas on our great metropolis and discuss how we can enhance Montrealers’ daily lives."
"This is a great opportunity to engage Montrealers in the debate over the direction their city is taking," says CTV Montreal News Director Jed Kahane.
"Citizens often say their voices are not heard. We hope this will be one small step in changing that."
Talk of the Town will be re-broadcast on News Talk Radio CJAD 800 and be available on montreal.ctvnews.ca
