Michel Labrecque, chairman of Montreal's STM Board of directors, said the agency signed the Sustainable Development Charter of Union internationale des transports publics (UITP) in Brussels.

"Thus, STM becomes the 66th public transit company to acquire such status. This recognition follows in the wake of its commitment to sustainable development, which truly began when it signed the UITP Charter as a Pledge member in 2005. Indeed, STM had to first officially commit to implementing Charter principles," declared Mr. Labrecque.

To that end, STM made several important decisions:

* Choosing sustainable development as the canvas for STM's 2007-2011 business plan, entitled Des actions durables;

* Establishing a team within its strategic planning branch and a sustainable development committee composed of representatives from each executive branch;

* Implementing a sustainable development action plan over three years, in line with its business plan, that capitalizes on STM's numerous sustainable development initiatives already undertaken;

* Publishing a first Sustainable Development Report showing that STM's daily operations truly reflect this commitment, as well as its strategic planning;

* Adopting a sustainable development policy that applies to the entire company.

Thanks to these achievements, STM successfully submitted its candidacy as a full signatory to UITP's Sustainable Development Charter.

UITP's acceptance of STM's candidacy rewards our efforts and acknowledges their value on the world stage. Thus, STM enjoys the same status as the one held by such prestigious public transporters as RATP (Paris), STIB (Brussels) and MTA (New York). STM is the second transit authority in Canada and the fourth in North America to reach this status.