\u201cI salute the engagement as a citizen, but let\u2019s do this in an orderly manner and in way that is respectful of the job that we need to do as a city,\u201d Martinez Ferrada said from city hall.<\/p>\n
In an effort to address the issue, the city announced an additional $1 million in funding to boroughs dealing with the most complaints and another $1 million in new contracts for companies to manually fix potholes.<\/p>\n
An additional $125,000 will also be dedicated to fixing potholes on Notre-Dame St., one of the worst streets in the city<\/a>. <\/p>\n Asked about Tekiout, Martinez Ferrada said she understands he has become a \u201csymbol of residents\u2019 frustrations\u201d but insisted the work should be left to the city.<\/p>\n She invited Tekiout, who owns a landscaping business, to bid on the new contracts to manually patch potholes. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s exactly what he\u2019s been doing,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Earlier this week, Tekiout posted a photo to social media showing Martinez Ferrada had asked to meet with him to discuss the issue.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters outside city hall, he said he expected to meet with the mayor Wednesday but said it was called off at the last minute. <\/p>\n \u201cThey said they will stay in touch,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s office did not respond when asked what happened with the meeting. Tekiout, meanwhile, said he\u2019s willing to work with the city under the right conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf (the mayor) comes and speaks with me about a concrete way of fixing this, and I see it\u2019s the right approach, of course I\u2019ll accept,\u201d he said of the suggestion he submit a bid.<\/p>\n \u201cMy first objective is to fix Montreal\u2019s streets\u200a \u2014\u200a how we do that, that\u2019s a detail. No matter how it gets done, I just want it done,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Tekiout said he does not fear any repercussions from the city, despite warnings and lawyers advising his actions are illegal.<\/p>\n \u201cMy bigger fear is for people\u2019s security when they\u2019re driving,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Tekiout launched an online fundraising campaign through GoFundMe that had collected more than $30,000 before being suspended Wednesday. He said it wasn\u2019t yet clear to him why the campaign was paused, but believes it will be sorted out. <\/p>\n He\u2019s now fixing up to 10 potholes a day, he added, and wants to grow his team to be able to do more.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need any subsidies from the city or GoFundMe,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat I can do with my videos\u200a \u2014\u200a which are starting to get a lot of views \u200a\u2014\u200a is get sponsors and continue with my own work.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/pothole-story_302872105.jpg\")
Saad Tekiout is seen fixing a pothole in photos from his Instagram account. Via marquize.7\/Instagram<\/p>\n