{"id":485328,"date":"2026-02-19T13:02:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/485328\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T13:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:02:24","slug":"montreal-cut-90-of-this-mobility-programs-funding-advocates-fear-harder-access-to-public-spaces-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/485328\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal cut 90% of this mobility program’s funding. Advocates fear harder access to public spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

Christiane Forget uses her motorized scooter to get around Montreal, and winters aren\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n

Now, as the city looks to cut a program aimed at improving accessibility, she worries navigating the city will get even harder.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like you\u2019re invisible to some people, and it\u2019s really disheartening,\u201d said Forget, who is an administrator at Ex aequo, a Montreal-based organization dedicated to promoting and defending the rights of people with physical disabilities.<\/p>\n

Montreal\u2019s universal mobility program dedicates money annually to make public places more accessible for those with reduced mobility. That includes places like libraries, pools and parks. For each of the past two years, Val\u00e9rie\u00a0Plante’s administration dedicated $3 million to the program.<\/p>\n

But under new Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the 2026 budget is $354,000 \u2014 a 90 per cent cut \u2014 and zero is planned for 2027.<\/p>\n

Forget said accessibility is a need, and it\u2019s not just for those with mobility limitations. She said parents with strollers take advantage of accessible locations as well. If a curb cut is too high, for example, it can be a problem for everybody, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said it would be sad if municipal buildings are renovated, but not adjusted for accessibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important that we can circulate,\u201d she said. \u201cSafety is important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

WATCH | Mobility advocates call on Montreal to reconsider budget cuts:\"\"<\/p>\n

Montreal axes funding to mobility program that makes public places more accessible<\/p>\n

Each year, money from Montreal\u2019s universal mobility program goes toward improving access to libraries, pools and parks for people with reduced mobility. In this year\u2019s budget, the Martinez Ferrada administration slashed its funding by nearly 90 per cent, to just over $350,000 for 2026. City council opts for budget cuts<\/p>\n

When Forget asked a question about the decision during a recent city council meeting, the executive committee member responsible said the universal mobility program is being included in other city programs. But ultimately, the city is tightening its belt.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you know, we had to make some difficult choices to ensure we respect the financial capacity of Montrealers,\u201d said Christine Black, who, along with her role on the executive committee, is mayor of the borough of Montr\u00e9al-Nord.<\/p>\n

Steven Laperri\u00e8re heads the advocacy group Regroupement des activistes pour l\u2019inclusion au Qu\u00e9bec (RAPLIQ). He called the cuts dramatic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never seen slashes like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"man\"Steven Laperri\u00e8re, director of Regroupement des activistes pour l\u2019inclusion au Qu\u00e9bec, said the city’s budgetary cuts to mobility programming are dramatic. (CBC)<\/p>\n

He said a person with disabilities pays taxes just like everybody else and should be getting the same level of service. Laperri\u00e8re said he hopes the money will be reinvested in 2028.<\/p>\n

And if it is, he said he\u2019d also like more transparency around how the money is being spent.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the City of Montreal declined an interview, but said that officials would like to hear more from concerned groups.<\/p>\n

Budgetary constraints affect public transit <\/p>\n

Martinez Ferrada\u2019s budget, unveiled in January, includes increases to counter homelessness, build more housing and improve citizen services at the borough level. <\/p>\n

The budget includes cost-cutting measures that saved $79 million<\/a>, the city said. But the overall budget rose by 5.4 per cent over last year, as the new administration sought to pay down the debt.<\/p>\n

Montreal\u2019s public transit network is also scaling back investments in accessibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As noted in April, the elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro<\/a> station will be the last universal accessibility project taken on by Montreal’s public transit authority in the near future due to a lack of funding, the Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 de transport de Montr\u00e9al (STM) said at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2024, a study by Quebec research institute, the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, suggested most bus stops, Metro and train stations in the Montreal region are hard to access for people with low income and for those with reduced mobility<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":485329,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-485328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/485329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}