Latest news with #EnsembleMontréal
Montreal Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Martinez Ferrada pledges to consult borough mayors regularly if Ensemble Montréal wins election
Montreal Politics By Borough mayors would meet regularly if Soraya Martinez Ferrada is elected Nov. 2. Speaking to The Gazette Monday, the Ensemble Montréal leader said the current Projet Montréal administration has ignored the needs of the boroughs, to the point that Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has not even met with some of them in years. As an example, she claimed Montréal-Nord mayor Christine Black told her recently that she hasn't had a sitdown meeting with Plante since 2021. She said if she becomes the mayor of Montreal, she will create a roundtable made up of all the mayors of the city's 19 boroughs, and it would meet regularly. Although, she did not say at what frequency. 'The idea is to make sure we are giving the boroughs more power of influence before the executive committee makes decisions,' she said. Martinez Ferrada said many of the decisions currently made by the executive committee don't take the specific experience of local boroughs into account. She gave the city's new snow-clearing policy as an example. 'I understand the idea was to save money, but I think we have to make sure that there is the space for everyone to make a decision, so that every citizen has the opportunity to have the same quality of services,' she said. The snow-clearing policy came under fire from several opposition boroughs earlier this year because of a lack of flexibility. The boroughs of LaSalle and St-Laurent were penalized for undertaking partial snow-clearing operations last Feb. 4 without the approval of the central city. 'I think as a mayor, you have to work with the other mayors, wherever they are,' Martinez Ferrada said. 'It's surprising to me that the mayor of Montréal-Nord has not sat down with the central city mayor.' Martinez Ferrada said the boroughs have also been asking for more funding under the Plante administration, complaining that the increases in allotments from the central city to the boroughs have not been in line with the inflation rate over the last few years. She recognizes that borough budgets are tight, and added that she would increase the amount the city doles out to its 19 boroughs. How much, however, has not yet been determined. 'I'm not there yet,' Martinez Ferrada said. 'We haven't figured out yet how we will address the needs and how we will fund things, but we also have to look at blue-collar workers, because many boroughs don't have enough people to give the services to their citizens.' Martinez Ferrada said that after nearly eight years of the Projet Montréal administration under Plante, Montrealers are ready for something new. 'People don't feel listened to,' she said. 'People are telling me it's very hard to have a conversation with the elected officials of Projet Montréal. We want to have a city for everyone and not leave anyone behind.' She added that Projet Montréal has polarized the city, and there is an impression that the party only caters to a certain segment of Montrealers.
Montreal Gazette
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Frustrated citizens' committee calls for action on homelessness in Milton-Parc
Montreal Politics By A group of citizens in the Milton-Parc area is calling on the city to take a greater leadership role in settling the homelessness situation in the area. The citizens say they are growing frustrated with the lack of progress in addressing the root causes of homelessness that have resulted in an explosion of people living on the street. 'It is frustrating,' said Martin Coles, who speaks for the Comité de bon voisinage Milton-Parc. 'We've talked with various politicians as a committee, and they always respond by saying 'it's very complex,' as if the word complex is a magic word that you can utter and then we'll stop bothering them. We know it's complex, and our response is: Why aren't you doing something about this complex problem?' The group published a report this week that calls for the city to implement solutions, such as expropriating a fenced-off lot of land at the southeast corner of Milton St. and Parc Ave. in order to provide social housing for the community. The group would like to see the city implement culturally appropriate housing in the area that would cater to specific needs of those in the Inuit community, many of whom are regularly living on the street. They are also calling on the city to head up a committee made up of all levels of government and the health-care sector in order to address the root causes of poverty and homelessness. And the report recommends the city redesign the road network in the area to improve pedestrian safety. This isn't the first report to delve into the problems of the area. In 2022, city ombudsperson Nadine Mailloux published a report called Don't Look the Other Way, highlighting a 'glaringly urgent' problem of access to health care and appropriate services. That report detailed prostitution in alleyways, violent altercations, drug consumption and the littering of needles and empty beer bottles in the area. An unsafe situation had led to six vehicular accidents in two years, including one that resulted in the death of Kitty Kakkinerk, a 44-year-old Inuit woman who was struck by a car, and another that resulted in serious injuries. In 2023, Mailloux said there had been some progress, adding the 'city has really received the emergency message.' However, her recommendation for the city to set up a culturally appropriate group home setting for the Inuit population in the area remains unheeded. Coles, too, is urging the city to set up such a space as soon as possible. 'I'm hopeful a solution will be found, and all we can do as a committee is make our recommendations and hope they help,' he said. 'It's all drops of water in the Grand Canyon.' The Gazette reached out for reaction to Luc Rabouin, the mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, where the area is located. Simon Charron, a spokesperson for the Plante administration, responded with a written statement acknowledging the report, saying it will be analyzed in the coming months. Speaking for Ensemble Montréal, Benoit Langevin, the opposition party's spokesperson on homelessness issues, said the lack of progress in Milton-Parc is proof the Plante administration has mishandled the file. 'How many reports are we going to have before there is action? This is another example of Projet Montréal buying time while doing nothing,' Langevin said. He said Rabouin has done little as borough mayor to improve the situation, so has little credibility when he promises to address the issue as the Projet Montréal candidate for citywide mayor in the Nov. 2 election. 'It will be part of our vision in the upcoming campaign,' Langevin said. 'Montreal has to increase and adapt its funding in order to be able to address all these issues, like having transitional facilities.' He said an Ensemble Montréal administration, under leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada, would outline clear plans to deal with homeless encampments and emergency shelters.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montreal mayoral candidate took in illegal security deposit from tenant renting her home
A candidate running to become Montreal's next mayor collected a security deposit from a tenant who is renting out her family home — a violation of Quebec law. The story was first reported by the Journal de Montréal. Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the leader of Ensemble Montréal, the Official Opposition at city hall, has promised to make housing more accessible in the city, recently dubbing herself as la mairesse du logement, French for "the mayor of housing." When her four-bedroom, semi-detached bungalow in the city's Saint-Michel neighbourhood was listed in 2023 with the asking price of $2,850 per month, the listing stated that the tenant needed to pay a "one month security deposit for the appliances." "This will be given [back] when the landlord collects the keys," the listing read. Article 1904 of the Quebec Civil Code outlines that a landlord may not "exact any amount of money other than the rent, in the form of a deposit or otherwise." The listing for the candidate's home also stated that the tenant would have to agree to pay a $175 cleaning fee, which is also illegal. Even though Martinez Ferrada's home has a tenant, the listing can still be viewed on the real estate agent's website, but it doesn't mention anything about a deposit. CBC News was able to obtain the original listing with the stipulation about the security deposit and the cleaning fee through Centris, a real estate website with a vast inventory of properties on sale and for rent. Speaking with reporters on Monday, Martinez Ferrada said she entrusted a real estate agent with listing her property. She described requesting and collecting the security deposit as an "error in good faith." In Quebec, a deposit is only valid if the tenant pays it voluntarily and without any pressure from the landlord. $1,000 fee, not $2,850, Martinez Ferrada claims Despite the fee being described in the listing as a "one month" charge, Martinez Ferrada denied the Journal de Montréal report that the tenant paid her $2,850 — which would be the equivalent of one month of rent at the price that was listed. The mayoral candidate claims the tenant paid her $1,000 and that the deposit was not for rent but rather for appliances that she had purchased for the home. She said she only realized she had collected the sum from the tenant after a journalist contacted her about the situation. She said the money has since been given back to the tenant. The mayoral candidate did not address the cleaning fee during her news conference Monday, but a spokesperson for her party told CBC News that fee was never charged despite what was written in the listing. Only the $1,000 security deposit was charged, the spokesperson said. "It's a mistake that happens far too often in Montreal," Martinez Ferrada said Monday. "When mistakes happen, you have to take responsibility for them." Martinez Ferrada was elected as the MP for the Hochelaga riding in 2019. In 2023, she was appointed as the federal tourism minister under Justin Trudeau's Liberal government. In February of this year, she quit federal politics with the goal of becoming Montreal's next mayor. Later that month, she became the leader of Ensemble Montréal. She was the only candidate in the race. On Monday, the candidate said she would continue referring to herself as the "mayor of housing." "Part of being mayor is taking responsibility for your actions and that's what I'm doing today," she said. No one's above the law, Projet Montréal leader says In addition to being an MP and Canada's tourism minister, Martinez Ferrada also served as the parliamentary secretary for the federal housing minister. In this year's municipal elections, she'll be going up against Luc Rabouin, who took over from Valérie Plante as the leader for Projet Montréal in March. When asked about the deposit and fees included in the listing for Martinez Ferrada's property, Rabouin said no one was above the law, "especially if you aspire to become the mayor of Montreal." "Two-thirds of Montrealers are tenants and they absolutely need to understand and believe that the future mayor of Montreal understands their reality and will be there to defend their rights," he said. Francis Dolan, a community organizer with Regroupement information logement de Pointe-Saint-Charles, a housing rights group, said in an email the controversy "puts into perspective our elected representatives' poor understanding" of the reality of renters. Quebec's municipal elections will be held on Nov. 2. WATCH | Martinez Ferrada outlines her vision for the city:
Montreal Gazette
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Montreal Gazette
STM's bus on-time rates plummeted in February
By Montrealers were waiting longer than usual for their buses in February, as only seven out of every 10 STM buses arrived within five minutes of their posted schedules. Statistics unveiled by the transit authority show bus punctuality rates plummeted to historic lows last February. In a monthly performance review the STM submitted to its board of directors last month, the on-time rate of buses fell to just 70 per cent in February from 80 per cent during the month of January. In February 2024, however, 82.3 per cent of buses arrived on time, and the punctuality rate for buses hovered between 75 per cent and 80 per cent for much of the calendar year 2024. The same report also showed a dip in the overall satisfaction rate of STM users. That fell to just 54 per cent, from 56 per cent. Reached this week, the STM said record snowfalls in February were to blame for the situation. STM spokesperson Isabelle Tremblay explained that if you exclude the days affected by snowstorms, including back-to-back record-setting ones (Feb. 6 and Feb. 14-21), the STM's overall on-time rate for buses was around 78 per cent. 'The decrease in the on-time rate of buses to 70 per cent is essentially due to the storms that occurred during the month,' Tremblay said. 'Buses were also affected by the collateral damage of the storms and snow removal operations, which caused congestion throughout the road network after the Feb. 13 storm.' She pointed out that it took roughly 10 days for city crews to remove all the snow that fell during that period. Speaking for opposition Ensemble Montréal, Christine Black said public transit needs to be reliable, and both the STM and the Plante administration should have taken measures to ensure buses continue to run smoothly. 'When major climate events occur, we can see that little has been done to limit the impact on the service, and that's what these figures show,' Black said in a statement. She added that buses have been chronically late for several years now, and it's unacceptable. 'Despite the implementation of numerous reserved lanes over the last few years, which were supposed to improve the situation, the punctuality of buses still leaves much to be desired,' she added. Black said with fares going up another three per cent in July, users expect more for their money, rather than a degrading service. This isn't the first time the opposition has highlighted the problem of late buses. Ensemble Montréal's Chantal Rossi denounced the situation back in November 2022, when the bus on-time rate dropped to 76.8 per cent. The STM's punctuality rate for buses in 2024 was 80.8 per cent, up slightly from 79.4 per cent in 2023. The STM's target for 2025 is for 81 per cent of buses to be on time. For the first two months of the year, that rate sits at 75 per cent. Montrealers also reported feeling less safe taking transit in February, with only 45 per cent of users saying they feel safe taking transit, down from 50 per cent. A year ago, 59 per cent said they felt safe taking transit, while that figure was at 64 per cent for the year 2023.
CBC
16-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Luc Rabouin to lead Projet Montréal into 2025 municipal elections
Projet Montréal members have elected Luc Rabouin to become their next leader. On Saturday evening, he won 59.2 per cent of the vote in the fourth round, while the borough mayor for Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, came in second with 40.8 per cent. Also in the running were city councillor Ericka Alneus, former Projet Montréal president Guedwig Bernier and borough mayor Laurence Lavigne Lalonde. At one point, the borough mayor for Lachine, Maja Vodanovic, was also in the race but decided in January to drop out of the race and endorsed Rabouin instead. Rabouin, mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough and chair of the city's executive committee, said that, as Montreal's mayor, he would focus on the environment and housing — two areas Valérie Plante prioritized during her tenure as the city's mayor. On Saturday evening, in front of over 300 people at Entrepôts Dominion in the Saint-Henri neighbourhood, delivered a speech that, in addition to housing and climate change, focused on the economy. He also called for a greater autonomy of the city in relation to Quebec City and Ottawa, while highlighting the need to strengthen ties with the Quebec government. The municipal elections will take place on Nov. 2, 2025. In February, the Official Opposition party Ensemble Montréal announced MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada was its new leader. The two other parties represented at city hall are Équipe LaSalle Team led by LaSalle borough mayor Nancy Blanchet and Équipe Anjou led by Anjou borough mayor Luis Miranda. Last fall, Montreal mayor Valérie Plante announced she would not seek a third term in office after seven years on the job. "I realized I was not able to guarantee Montrealers four more years with the same level of energy that I have always given," she told a room of reporters and staff at city hall in October 2024. Plante has led the party since December 2016. She will continue to serve as mayor until the end of her mandate.
