Soraya Martinez Ferrada Commits to Creating a Seniors’ Council

The leader of Ensemble Montréal and candidate for Mayor of Montreal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, announced Wednesday that she will create a Seniors’ Council at the City of Montreal.

This council would have advisory powers with respect to the City. The announcement is directly in line with Ensemble Montréal’s vision of listening to seniors and ensuring that their needs and perspectives are considered in public decisions, particularly on issues that directly affect them. Two seniors’ councils are already in place in Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Montréal-Nord, under the leadership of Ensemble Montréal.

A Mayor Who Gives Seniors a Voice

People aged 65 and over currently represent more than 17% of Montreal’s population. With demographic projections indicating that the senior population will increase by more than 25% by 2036, it is essential to establish a Seniors’ Council. This is especially important given that the City of Montreal has been accredited as an Age-Friendly Municipality (MADA) since 2012.

The role of this advisory council will be to ensure that seniors are fairly represented in the development of municipal policies. Montreal must develop a genuine “seniors’ reflex” from the very first stages of the decision-making process: identifying the specific needs of seniors and proposing concrete actions to improve their quality of life.

In addition, in the borough of Montréal-Nord, a seniors’ council directly linked to the borough council was officially created in mid-September.

Soraya Martinez Ferrada has also pledged to support all boroughs wishing to create their own seniors’ councils in this process.

Quotes

“It is absolutely essential to give seniors a voice. They are the ones who built this city, and they deserve to be heard—not only on the issues that affect them directly, but also on the city they want to leave to future generations. Isolation, poverty, mobility, aging at home—the challenges are numerous and urgent. Unfortunately, the Plante-Rabouin administration has never truly listened to our seniors. Like all Montrealers, our seniors want change at City Hall!”
– Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Candidate for Mayor of Montreal and Leader of Ensemble Montréal

“The challenges linked to an aging population are very real and closely tied to the development of our city. In this context, it is essential to adapt municipal services to the needs of citizens and ensure fair representation of seniors. Seniors must be able to take part in the dialogue, and their perspective must be taken into account in the development of public policies. That is why the creation of a dedicated Seniors’ Council is necessary.”
– Chantal Rossi, Ensemble Montréal Spokesperson for Seniors and Accessibility, and Candidate in the Ovide-Clermont district of Montréal-Nord