Ensemble Montréal unveils its electoral platform

Montreal, October 29, 2021 – Ensemble Montréal unveiled its complete electoral platform today, the result of several months of reflection with numerous residents, retailers, organizations and agencies located throughout the city. The party put forward the commitments through which we intend to see the City of Montreal fully assume its leadership, and help remedy the many crises facing Montrealers. 

“Our team will spare no effort to tackle the gun violence crisis, the housing crisis and the climate crisis. We want a safe and inviting city, with decent housing, where it is easy to get around. We want a city with sound fiscal management, to be able to support and serve its residents. Our team is the only team that has the sensitivity, the competence and the program to take these matters in hand and build a Montreal for everyone,” said the leader of Ensemble Montréal and Montreal mayoral candidate Denis Coderre.

Safety as a priority

Safety will be a top priority for the Coderre-Gelly administration, which will redouble its efforts to offer peace of mind to Montrealers. To this end, 250 police officers will be hired by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and the number of psychosocial emergency and mobile reference support teams will double. In addition, resources will be better structured and funded in order to respond more effectively to emergent realities. The strategy implemented by Ensemble Montréal will not only aim to fight crime, but also to prevent it in all neighbourhoods by offering young people the opportunity to participate in an array of cultural and sports activities carried out in collaboration with community organizations.

Plans to tackle the housing crisis

Aware of the long queues to visit a reasonably priced home, of the mounting debts of tenants forced to live beyond their means and of the difficult access to home ownership, Ensemble Montréal will make sure to offer a roof over the heads of all Montrealers by making 50,000 new dwellings, including 10,000 social housing units, available over the next four years. To facilitate their development, which will help alleviate the pressure on the market, the party will, among other things, eliminate the red tape that is stalling construction, develop land underutilized by the City of Montreal, encourage the conversion of disused office towers to residential use and invest $25 million in a social and community housing investment fund. 

A fiscally responsible administration

While municipal spending has increased by one billion dollars over the past four years, Montrealers can count on Denis Coderre and his team to get City finances in order and lead a fiscally responsible administration. This is evidenced by the measures presented in the election platform of the party totaling three billion dollars over four years, compared to an estimate that reaches double this amount in the proposals of Projet Montréal. 

To reduce the debt affecting the metropolis, an expenditures audit will take place in the first three months of our term to draw up a portrait of the financial position. A City program review will then be undertaken to find appropriate solutions, ensuring sound management practices that will improve and sustain resident services over the long run rather than for just one term in office. Believing that residents should not have to shoulder the City’s burden, Ensemble Montréal reiterated its commitment to not increase taxes above inflation and to cap the increase at 2% for the first year, that is to say below the projected inflation rate. 

All equal in the face of the climate crisis

While most governments agree that more needs to be done to tackle the climate crisis, Ensemble Montréal will strive to ensure that all Montrealers are equal when it comes to mitigating its impact. To this end, greening will be carried out where it is most needed, so that the city will no longer have a single street without trees. The party will take advantage of this opportunity to put ecology at the service of the fight against food insecurity, notably by developing ecological urban farming on farmland in the West End and by creating neighbourhood markets in disadvantaged areas. To join in the climate transition, Montrealers will have the wholehearted support of the Coderre-Gelly administration, who will fully assume its role in achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. 

Feeling renewed pride in our city

In short, under the leadership of Ensemble Montréal, the City will be accountable, exemplary and will offer a genuine city experience to residents who have had to cope with inadequate waste collection and snow clearing services for nearly four years. 

“As the next Chair of the Executive Committee, I consider this election platform to be my action plan and my business plan for the next four years. We make it our duty to deliver on the commitments we are presenting to Montrealers. We have the right team to do it,” said Nadine Gelly, candidate for City Councillor in the Champlain L’Île-des-Sœurs district. 

As the advance polls begin this weekend, Ensemble Montréal is asking citizens to vote in large numbers for a party that will return its unique character, pride and security to the city.

“Over the past few weeks of the race, our party has run a clean campaign, one that is solution-oriented and based on active listening. I am very proud of that. With one week to go, we are offering the best plan to Montrealers, as well as the best team, a team that is effective, talented and passionate,” concluded Mr. Coderre.

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