Tours
Citizens of Tomorrow
in Old Montréal
The day-long package includes three visits: one to the Centre d'histoire de Montréal, one to the vaults in the Section des archives de la Direction du greffe, located in the basement of City Hall, and a third to the Hall of Honour and Council Room at City Hall.
Schedule for the day
| 9:30 | Guided tour of the Centre d’histoire de Montréal |
| 11:00 | Exhibition of posters made by the students in the multi-purpose room at the Centre d’histoire de Montréal |
| 11:15 | Vote |
| 11:30 | Lunch at the Centre d’histoire de Montréal (students bring their own cold lunches) |
| 12:05 | The guide from the Centre d’histoire de Montréal introduces the students to the archives |
| 12:30 | The group goes to City Hall (on your own – the guide from City Hall will meet you in the Hall of Honour). You may take advantage of the walk to observe historic buildings such as Notre-Dame Basilica, the Bank of Montréal, the Courthouse, the Château Ramezay, etc. |
| 1 P.M. | Visit to the archives, accompanied by an archivist |
| 1:15 | Guided tour of City Hall |
| 2:15 | Back to school |
Preparatory activity to be done in class
In order for the students to be able to take full advantage of their day, they should do the activity Special election: five mayors on the campaign trail! before their visit to the Centre d’histoire de Montréal. You will need to bring the posters that the students make during this activity with you.
Lunch
Students should bring a cold lunch to the Centre d'histoire de Montréal.
Cost and payment
The cost of the activity is $1.75 per student. Payment can be in cash or by cheque (to the order of the City of Montréal). The Centre d’histoire can also send the bill to your school to be paid later.
Transportation
If you come by metro, get off at the Square-Victoria station, go out by the Saint-Jacques Street exit, walk down McGill Street to Place D'Youville. The former fire station that is home to the Centre d’histoire de Montréal will be clearly visible there. At the end of the day, you can take the metro back from the Champ-de-Mars station, which is located close to City Hall. (Map)
A city councillor at City Hall
You may request that a city councillor from your borough be present during your visit to City Hall. It’s simple: you make one (or two!) phone calls to City Hall to ensure his or her availability. A memorandum is sent to all the city councillors at the beginning of the school year, to explain the Citizens of Tomorrow package.
Being present is part of the role of city councillors. Their presence gives the students the right to sign the Golden Book. The children are amazed that they can sign, just like celebrities and important visitors.
You can find out the name of the city councillor for the area where your school is located by getting in touch with an Accès Montréal office or on the city’s website.
If your city councillor cannot be present for your visit, ask if someone else can be there instead, and explain how important it is for the children to be able to sign the Golden Book.
