Montreal councillor Marvin Rotrand says a key way to curb urban sprawl is to impose a tax not only on the big parking lots that encourage shopping outside the downtown core, but also on the shopping centre lots in the 450 region, the suburbs surrounding the Island of Montreal.
Rotrand spoke this morning to CJAD's Andrew Carter and said the tax revenue would be put to good use.
"The funding will fund things like public transit, and cut congestion and greenhouse gases," he says. "The funding will lead to more funds for the City of Montreal, and less property taxes."
Rotrand admits the City of Montreal does not have to power to impose a tax in other cities. He is hoping strong support for the idea within Montreal council will prompt to the province to act.
He says it is in the interest of everyone in the region to have a dynamic downtown core and not a hollowed-out city drained of its vitality by urban sprawl.