Councillor sorry for calling West Islanders 'ugly anglos'

A Montreal city councillor has apologized to a group of West Island residents he called "ugly anglos."

"I will offer an apology, in the sense that my remarks were not meant to hurt the community," Marvin Rotrandsaid at a city council meeting Monday night, where a handful of West Island residents showed up demanding an apology.

"In fact, I pride myself on what I've done for the community."

Rotrand said his "ugly anglos" comment was taken out of context.

"It wasn't aimed at the anglophone community," he said, explaining he meant to say angry or unreasonable.

He made the comment earlier in June when asked by reporters about elected officials and residents on the West Island who are lobbying to change Montreal's agglomeration councilto give reconstituted cities more municipal powers.

Of the half-dozen people who showed up Monday night to hear Rotrand's apology, few were satisfied.

"I think I would love to see him lose his job as city councillor," said Michael Facetta, an NDG resident. "I know that's not going to happen, but that would send a clear message, and it would make me feel a little bit more respect for [Gérald] Tremblay as mayor."

The group wants Tremblay to apologize for Rotrand's comments, Facetta said.