{"id":612397,"date":"2026-04-18T12:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/612397\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T12:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T12:51:11","slug":"montreal-isnt-delivering-spring-cleaning-promise-opposition-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/612397\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal isn’t delivering spring cleaning promise, opposition charges"},"content":{"rendered":"

The official opposition at City Hall says Montreal isn\u2019t making good on its promise to ramp up its spring cleaning efforts<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n

A month after it was set to begin, winter debris, including gravel on sidewalks and filth on streets, remains noticeable across the city, while a three-day strike by blue-collar workers \u2014 who are at an impasse with the city<\/a> over contract negotiations \u2014 has seen a temporary pause on street cleaning and garbage collection.<\/p>\n

Montreal planned to start its spring cleaning operations two weeks early this year. In mid-March, it announced it was adopting a new approach to cleanliness, promising to prioritize the issue to boost the city\u2019s appeal and restore Montrealers\u2019 pride in it. <\/p>\n

Ericka Alneus, head of the official opposition, Projet Montr\u00e9al, at City Hall, said in an interview on Thursday the city\u2019s announcement about making cleaning a priority \u201cfell flat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, if you want to attain your objective, you have to make sure that you have the resources to make sure the city is clean, knowing the impact it has on Montrealers,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the city needs to come to an agreement with those who actually carry out the work, said Alneus, who described spring cleaning as a complex undertaking. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey came out really strong, saying: \u2018We\u2019re starting two weeks early, we\u2019re going to put in the effort, we\u2019re going to do better that the former administration,\u2019 but the thing is, these preparations take time,\u201d she said. \u201cYou need the manpower.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMany N.D.G. streets, like C\u00f4te St-Luc Blvd., still have left over gravel from winter on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Dave Sidaway \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

The union representing the city\u2019s more than 5,000 blue-collar workers, CUPE Local 301, has been without a contract since December 2024. This week\u2019s three-day strike follows a 24-hour strike held in February. On Wednesday, union president Jean-Pierre Lauzon said he wants the city to at least double its offer of an 11 per cent salary increase over five years for negotiations to move forward (Alneus noted the Projet Montr\u00e9al administration had been discussing a 12.5 per cent increase).<\/p>\n

Asked whether pressure tactics by blue-collar workers were to blame for the delay on spring cleaning, Alneus said she doesn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the blue collars care about their job, they care to do it properly,\u201d she said, noting they cleared the streets in the winter. Now that it\u2019s springtime, she feels the administration may have underestimated \u201cthe conversation that needs to be had\u201d to negotiate an agreement.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, La Presse reported<\/a> the Tribunal administratif du travail intervened over illegal pressure tactics undertaken by blue-collar workers that could affect public services. The city had asked the tribunal to intervene.<\/p>\n

Lauzon, meanwhile, said on Wednesday workers aren\u2019t to blame for the state of the city. Pointing out the strike began Wednesday, he said blue-collar workers were \u201con the job\u201d before that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe machines we have are outdated; they don\u2019t work, and they break down all the time,\u201d he said. \u201cBlue-collar workers are ready to do the job, but if the city doesn\u2019t invest in its fleet, we can\u2019t ask blue-collar workers to do it on their own. They need to help us. Our workers are there, day and night. They show up in the rain and in the snow. We aren\u2019t the managers; the city is in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alneus said it\u2019s true there can be issues with machinery.<\/p>\n

In an email on Thursday, the city said its spring cleaning operations were delayed by the weather. Equipment was made available earlier than usual, but in the end, weather conditions \u201cwere not favourable for a full-scale deployment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome targeted work was carried out (early), but operations only truly got underway on March 30,\u201d city public relations officer Guillaume Rivest said in an email. <\/p>\n

That means the timeline resembles that of a typical year. <\/p>\n

Rivest said the blitz usually unfolds over four to eight weeks depending on the weather. <\/p>\n

Asked about Projet Montr\u00e9al\u2019s critiques on cleanliness Thursday, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said the party \u201cdropped the ball for the past eight years.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been picking up issues around having the right equipment, equipment that\u2019s not up to the task, and the fact that they hired so many professionals and no blue-collars,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have a lack of people that we need to do the job.\u201d <\/p>\n

When asked about possible blue-collar pressure tactics, Martinez Ferrada said the workers maintained essential services during the strike, as agreed with the city (she did not specify which services).<\/p>\n

At a Ville-Marie borough council meeting earlier this week, Martinez Ferrada called spring cleaning an \u201cimmense, colossal challenge,\u201d noting the city has more than 200 kilometres of streets and 135 parks and public spaces.<\/p>\n

She added the city invested close to $32 million this year on its cleanliness action plan, repeating, despite the weather delays, \u201cwe have also started earlier this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city also secured a contract for the cleaning of public spaces downtown between April 15 and Nov. 15, including Dorchester, Victoria and Phillips Squares and Place du Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have said it, we\u2019re doing more for cleanliness,\u201d Martinez Ferrada said, adding it\u2019s important for Montrealers to do their part by cleaning the areas in front of their homes, including the sidewalks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we can all do our part to help things move faster,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can\u2019t just be the city\u2019s responsibility, we need to start changing the culture around cleanliness here in Montreal.\u201d <\/p>\n

kthomas@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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