But this community newspaper is not just informative it is also openly educational. Hence it educates its readers principally but not exclusively about,

social ecology and all of its implications for a new society, democratic citizenship, sustainable economic development, in a word about the need for deep social, economic and political changes in our neighbourhood(s) and our city.

David Leblanc , Art Director

Development
Launched in January - February 1994 as a bi-lingual community newspaper (a rare occurence in Montreal) published once every two months, PLACE PUBLIQUE, was distributed door to door and placed in a dozen locations in the Milton-Parc neighbourhood, covering University/Pine/Sherbrooke/St.Denis streets. It started with 12 pages and a print-run of 18,000 circulation. Right from the start it was well received by readers in the area. The newspaper was published by a half-time staff person and a large group of volunteers.

PLACE PUBLIQUE became a 12 page MONTHLY, during Year 2 and was distributed door to door in the much larger area of the Jeanne Mance municipal electoral district, covering Sherbrooke/Mont-Royal/University/St.Denis streets. It won first prize for graphic design from AMEQ(the provincial association of community newspapers) as the best designed community newspaper in Quebec.

PLACE PUBLIQUE became a 16 page monthly later on during Year 2, and was distributed door to door in a still large area beyond Jeanne Mance by incorporating another municipal electoral district called Mile-End, covering Sherbrooke /Van Horne/University-Park avenue/St.Denis streets, with a print-run that now reached 23,000 copies. It had one French-language journalist, one-English-language journalist, a graphics designer and a advertising salesperson, all engaged through Article 25 federal employment projects. It again won a prize for graphic design from AMEQ.

Later on during Year 3, PLACE PUBLIQUE was found to be the community newspaper most highly respected and read by an independent survey of community newspapers in Quebec. The survey was commissioned and financed by AMEQ.

From its foundation, SODECM has been financially assisting PLACE PUBLIQUE and had obtained grants from a variety of sources such as Health Canada, the STCUM, Heritage Canada, Communications Quebec, etc. It also had several successful community fund-raising benefits.

With the ending of Year 3, PLACE PUBLIQUE  continued to published monthly with a circulation of 25,000 and varying from 16 to 20 pages per issue. It had  a staff consisting of an office manager, a managing editor, one French-language journalist and one English-language journalist, a coordinating sales manager and several commissioned sales persons. In the spring of 1997, a consultant was hired to study how the newspaper could become financially self-supporting. The consultant's "Business Development and Expansion Plan" concluded that PLACE PUBLIQUE should be published twice-monthly as the only way to increase its revenue and long range prospects. As of September 1997, PLACE PUBLIQUE has appeared twice monthly. 

Today
The circulation of PLACE PUBLIQUE has become more pin pointed. Covering a territory from Atwater to the West, St-Denis to the east, René Lévesque to the south, and the CP tracks to the north (Van Horne), the print-run has been stable at 22,000 copies with an estimated 60,000 readers. There are 22 issues per year which are delivered door to door with Publi-sac, and deposited in quantity in some 238 commercial locations throughout its distribution territory. PLACE PUBLIQUE appears with eight to twelve pages filled with community news, in depth investigations of major urban developments, the staff and volunteers follow carefully the evolution of the city and the downtown neighbourhoods.

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