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Fed up with Montreal’s potholes, a local landscaper is taking a crack at fixing them himself — spending about $50 per hole out of pocket.
But municipal officials are urging Saad Tekiout to leave such work to professionals.
“It’s like when I’m walking down the street and see cans on the ground. I can say, ‘workers will come pick them up tomorrow,’ or I can put them in the trash myself. It’s the same philosophy,” he said.
Tekiout posted a video to social media Sunday showing himself repairing potholes, saying each repair takes him less than 10 minutes. He’s done about 20 so far. He also encouraged viewers to share locations of troublesome potholes in the comments so he can fix them.
Tekiout described his actions as a civic-minded gesture.
“Montreal is my city. I love Montreal, I love Canada. And I always want to see Montreal shiny and beautiful,” he said.
WATCH | Montreal man plugs city’s potholes on his own:
Tired of Montreal’s potholes, this man’s taking matters into his own hands
Saad Tekiout, who works as a private contractor by day, is spending his free time fixing Montreal’s potholes — for free. He says he wants to see his city “shiny and beautiful.” His initiative sparked reactions online, including one from the mayor.City blames previous administration
In a written statement to Radio-Canada, the mayor’s office said it is discouraging for Montrealers to see the condition of streets left by the previous administration, adding that while it welcomes citizen initiative, residents should not have to fill potholes themselves.
The city is instead asking residents to report potholes using its 311 service.
The administration says 14,845 potholes have been filled across Montreal this year. Between Jan. 1 and Sunday, the city’s 311 service received 13,667 requests related to potholes, compared with 3,938 requests over the same period in 2024. Officials note multiple reports can be made for the same pothole.
In a statement, Montreal officials say citizens shouldn’t be filling in potholes on their own. (Jérémie Bergeron/Radio-Canada)Good deed could get him in trouble, lawyer says
Municipal lawyer Éric Oliver says public roads fall under the responsibility of the city.
“In principle, the City of Montreal is the entity authorized to award contracts or carry out repairs,” he said. “If a citizen decides to do repairs on property that belongs to the city, it can intervene and say that’s not acceptable.”
Oliver added there are risks in allowing residents to carry out such work.
“If the repair is poorly done, if it creates more damage than it fixes, municipalities don’t like that,” he said.
The issue reflects a broader problem. Radio-Canada reported last month that between Jan. 9 and Feb. 24, CAA-Québec assisted 3,526 Montreal motorists with flat tires, an average of 75 cases per day — a 48 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2025.
WATCH | Montreal’s potholes spare no one :
Potholes aren’t just affecting Montreal drivers, bike couriers are also taking a hit
Courier service La roue libre says the number of potholes in Montreal is taking a toll on its business. The company says it has had to pour in thousands into bike and trailer repairs.
In response, the city allocated $6 million to improve pothole repairs and hired 24 additional blue-collar workers. The plan includes creating two specialized “centres of excellence” to co-ordinate repairs year-round and reduce reliance on emergency fixes.
The city is buying two new pothole-filling machines to be added to its fleet of four for the 2027 season.
Tackling city’s holiest problem
Regardless, Tekiout isn’t backing down — he’s filling in where he says the city falls short.
“There was always a problem, but this year it’s worse,” he said on Tuesday, taking a break from filling potholes at the corner of Robert Bourassa Boulevard and Cathcart Street.
He’s been posting videos on social media and those videos have gone somewhat viral online. Thousands have commented, with many asking him for help near their homes.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada took notice and responded to one of the posts, essentially saying: thanks for the help, but this isn’t your job.
Regardless, Tekiout says no bump in the road is going to deter him.
“I’m not too worried,” he said. “If the people of Montreal like me, if the people of Montreal support me, I’m doing this.”