PRIORITY SECTORS COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE
NDG’s priority sectors face many common issues ranging from food insecurity to poor housing and social isolation, and require consistent attention. The approach to community work in each sector varies depending on the organisations present and the funding available, but to date there has been no common space for the four sectors to ensure a balance, exchange best practices and share resources. To better monitor the vulnerable sectors, the NDG Community Council formed a transitionnal committee to propose an intervention plan based on the work over the last year. The proposal aims to bring together individual reflections and expertise to benefit all sectors, which in practice means creating a single forum for exchange coordinated by an Action Table for the priority sectors.
Table of Action for the Priority Sectors (TAPS)
Since 2006 the Council has worked in the priority sectors and has been working on creating a space to bring together people working in these sectors (it is now called the Table of Action for the Priority Sectors, TAPS). The transition committee proposed to organise two meetings per year to exchange our experience and better coordinate our resources to improve the quality of life in the vulnerable sectors of NDG.
Steering Committee:
Halah Al-Ubaidi (NDG Community Council), Jennifer Auchinleck (CIUSSS Centre-Ouest), Sophie Boucher (CDN-NDG Borough), Lisa Bornstein (NDG resident & Prof at McGill), Yona Jébrak ( NDG resident & Prof at UQAM).
CONCERTATION
This year, we held three Residents’ Assemblies. Each assembly was preceded by extensive outreach, including doorto-door visits, postering, social media promotion, website updates, and targeted emails. The main objectives were to gather residents’ lived experiences to better inform local community partners, and to update residents on sector developments through presentations and interactive mapping activities. Insights from these assemblies guide sector-specific mobilisation efforts and may lead to updates in sector boundaries
- Westhaven, April 2025
- Saint Raymond, March 2025
- Walkley, February 2025
- Snowdon, November 2025
In 2024, the Chester sector was added.
Over the years, the Council created spaces for residents and community partners to come together and take collective action in these areas. This work is now consolidated under the Table of Action for the Priority Sectors (TAPS). Until 2024, the Council operated in each priority sector through separate committees led by individual community organisers. These committees met regularly with local partners, identifying local issues and organized community-based activities such as summer festivals, Halloween parties, Sugar Shack celebrations, and December Together
along with programs such as Block Net and the Grand Animation Program. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council progressively reactivated engagement in the sectors. The last round of individual sector meetings was held in 2024.
In 2025, the Council adopted a more integrated structure: two community organisers now jointly oversee all priority sectors. This collaborative approach allows for both sector-specific focus and cross-sector resource sharing, improving coordination and impact.
NDG PRIORITY SECTORS
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Meeting with partners in the form of a Jane's Walk.
Last year, based on our experience and the significant demographic changes, the Council decided to divide the Saint-Raymond sector into two parts: Grand Boulevard and Saint-Raymond. In addition, we started studying a new Sector Chester in collaboration with McGill University. It is important to note that while each sector may share common characteristics (economic and social), there are specific aspects that differentiate them, including the built environment (e.g. train tracks), lack of services, and a major concentration of social housing. The specific dynamics of each sector depend on the local context and the unique challenges faced by its residents.
The Mesure 17 program, funded by CIUSSS Central West, is providing the opportunity for the Westhaven & Fielding-Walkley neighbourhood to move towards an environment that enables healthier and more active lifestyle for its residents. NDG Community Council is proud to have accompanied its partners and residents in this program to conduct an in-depth study of the neighbourhood's built environment. For more information on the study's final report and recommendations, please click links below.