I spent last Saturday at city hall being inducted into the Order of Montreal, and the ceremony was revealing.

Partly because I was the only anglophone among 17 recipients.

My first surprise was how organized the event was, with much historic ritual and ceremony. Recipients were drummed into the vast, jam-packed Hall d’honneur in a procession, by a military band playing Scottish music.

It all flowed perfectly, without a single orange cone in the way, although there were plenty right outside city hall’s doors.

Overall, it was the most well-orchestrated performance by the city I’ve seen since Expo 67.

In fact, if we had this event’s organizers take over road repair, we might not have a billion potholes. Why not let them run construction (and housing) (and caring for the unhoused) (and public transit) (and fill-in-the-blanks)?

The ceremony was co-hosted by Valérie Plante, the only Montreal mayor I hadn’t met in 40 years. She’s much more charismatic and genuine in person than she comes across on TV.

At times during the event, Plante scurried over to help people with disabilities navigate their wheelchairs, or pick something up off the floor someone had dropped, or hug somebody spontaneously. Or talk warmly to family members of recipients.

On TV Plante sometimes seems scattered and bureaucratic, but in person........

© Montreal Gazette