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With Quebec’s election campaign slated to launch tomorrow, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has laid out the city’s requests and expectations from the next Quebec government.
“Montreal is facing three major crises that are undermining [its] strength,” she told reporters Wednesday morning.
Those crises are: homelessness and housing, infrastructure and mobility, and public safety.
Here’s what the mayor wants from the next provincial government on these fronts.
Homelessness and housing
With winter approaching, Martinez Ferrada is calling on the next government to provide recurring funding for 3,200 emergency shelter spots, including 500 seasonal beds, with a commitment extending over three years.
“Managing emergencies isn’t enough,” she said.
“We need to create real pathways out of homelessness and give people the means to get back on their feet in a sustainable way, and that requires supportive housing.”
Martinez Ferrada is also urging the next government to create three centres specializing in mental health and addiction by the summer of 2027.
Infrastructure and mobility
Martinez Ferrada renewed her calls for a REM light-rail system in the city’s east end, which would connect to the Metro system and the rest of the city.
“The east has waited too long,” she said, adding that there should be greater political ambition to ensure that public transportation serves the entire metropolitan area.
WATCH | Homelessness, transit, public safety top city’s election wish list:
What Montreal’s mayor wants to see from the next provincial government
Soraya Martinez Ferrada has some key demands for the next Quebec government. They include consistent funding for emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as more money for public transit and public safety.
She also said she’d like for the province’s political parties to commit to meaningful regulatory reform, arguing that bureaucracy is hindering investment and slowing the city’s ability to move forward with major infrastructure projects.
Public safety
The mayor is asking the future government to renew existing public safety agreements, and to increase investment in public security, youth violence prevention and urban safety.
She is also calling for more police officers to ensure 24/7 security in areas with significant needs, as well as a commitment from the province to implement “everything” necessary to modernize the system, including the technological infrastructure needed to receive and store body-camera evidence.
Last week, Martinez Ferrada announced she was moving forward with her plan to progressively equip the city’s police officers with body cameras.
“Montreal is doing its part. We’ve invested more, adapted our services, and are supporting front-line organizations. But it’s clear that a large part of the response to these crises falls under the responsibility of the Quebec government,” Martinez Ferrada said on Wednesday.
A greater role for Montreal
She also stressed the need for Quebec to change its approach toward Montreal, and for the city to be consulted before any decisions affecting it are made.
“For me, that’s the most important and cross-cutting issue,” she explained.
This will be the first election campaign with Martinez Ferrada as mayor, with Quebecers heading to the polls on Oct. 5.
Polls show health and social services, the cost of living, housing as well as the economy as the most top-of-mind issues for voters.