Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has the same ambitions she had for Montreal while campaigning for the role last fall, but a year leading the city has also left her clear-eyed about the challenges it faces.
The city’s debt, crumbling infrastructure and need to improve basic services — from pothole repairs to snow clearing — are all front of mind as she marks one year in office and prepares her administration’s second budget.
“We’re not only going to hit a wall, we already hit it. It’s done — so we have to make tough decisions now,” Martinez Ferrada said in an interview Friday. “I understand the context is difficult, but if we do nothing, our city will crumble.”