Rotrand, STM honoured by Black Coalition of Quebec

By Joel Goldenberg, October 24th, 2012

Snowdon Councillor Marvin Rotrand and the Société de Transport de Montréal, of which Rotrand is vice-president, were honoured late last week with the Mathieu Da Costa Prize by the Black Coalition of Quebec's Dan Philip.
Rotrand was honoured for his commitment to social justice and his efforts to “foster racial equality.” The STM was honoured for its equal access to employment policy.
“As part of the theme 'fight for a more just society,' four exceptional individuals were honoured for their promotion of human rights, social justice and the integration of communities of different origin into Montreal society,” says the Black Coalition announcement.
Philip thanked Rotrand for “his professionalism and excellence of his work for our community. Throughout his career, his expertise and passion has been invested in numerous projects for our community.”
Mayor Gérald Tremblay congratulated Rotrand for his efforts in helping to integrate members of the black community into Montreal society. The mayor said his administration has considered the goal of integration to be an important one, leading to the implementation of an equal access employment plan, “which now provides a more accurate representation of members of diverse communities in the public service of Montreal. This is a result of a collaboration between local associations and elected representatives.”
The other honourees were Gaétan Cousineau, president of the Commission des Droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse; former Côte des Neiges/NDG Councillor Marcel Tremblay; and Guillaume André, co-ordinator of the Centre communautaire multiethnique de Montréal-Nord.