The “Montréal, métropole culturelle” initiative, which was introduced in 2007 and put on hold during the pandemic, was relaunched in 2026 in a changed landscape marked by the slowdown in the arts and culture sector, the importance of revitalizing the downtown area and an urgent need to enhance the city’s appeal. This momentum requires new alignment and coordination between public, cultural, economic and tourism stakeholders. 

The initiative’s relaunch has four key objectives: 

-To position Montréal as the international French-speaking cultural metropolis of the Americas. 

-To agree on a common vision of cultural development, including the role of culture in land use planning and neighborhood life

-To implement coordinated solutions to Montréal’s challenges that bring together shared expertise, optimize funding and improve collaboration between public stakeholders and civil society

The development of the Quartier des spectacles remains one of the most important achievements of the 2007-2017 Montréal, métropole culturelle Action Plan. 

The partners’ concerted efforts also led to the implementation of an ambitious library renovation, expansion and construction program (the RAC), which helped accelerate the process of catching up with Canada’s largest cities of 500,000+ inhabitants.