Montreal is known to have one of the largest Haitian communities in the world. Although many countries around the world have provided aid to Haiti, Montreal will be the first city in the world to directly intervene in the rebuilding process.

Montreal is part of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Union des municipalities du Quebec. Over $9 million will be spent by the participating municipalities in order to provide clean water, rebuild public buildings, and maintain roads and bridges. This project is not considered part of Canada’s emergency efforts for Haiti, but rather the beginning of the rebuilding process. In addition to the contribution made by the municipalities, the federal government will be spending over $20 million to construct semi-permanent schools so that more than 35,000 children can receive free education.

Over the next two years, Montreal will be providing experts and human resources to train Haitian city employees to co-ordinate the rebuilding of their nation. Urban planning will be a major priority as officials need to determine where housing can be built. Officials are optimistic that the training they will be providing will allow Haitian employees to eventually take over the rebuilding process.