Montreal mayoral candidate and leader of Ensemble Montr\u00e9al, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, held a transpartisan press conference Sunday morning in Saint-Laurent with Ensemble Montr\u00e9al\u2019s borough mayoral candidates, as well as \u00c9quipe LaSalle and \u00c9quipe Anjou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soraya Martinez Ferrada, together with Ensemble Montr\u00e9al\u2019s 17 borough mayoral candidates, Anjou Mayor Luis Miranda, and LaSalle Mayor Nancy Blanchet, committed to reforming borough funding within the first 100 days of a new administration, in collaboration with a newly created Table of Mayors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This reform aims to provide better local services to residents, such as faster snow removal and more road repairs, made possible by greater borough autonomy and by allocating them the necessary financial resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Borough mayoral candidates denounced the negative effects of power centralization under Projet Montr\u00e9al. Over the past eight years, property taxes have increased by 38%, benefiting primarily the central city at the expense of boroughs, even though boroughs are responsible for providing direct services such as cleanliness, street and park maintenance, and upkeep of sports and cultural facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between 2017 and 2025, borough transfers have risen by only 16%, while inflation climbed 29% over the same period. This deficit, created by Projet Montr\u00e9al and the Plante-Rabouin administration, has significantly undermined essential services for residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since taking office, the Plante-Rabouin administration has hired nearly 3,000 additional employees for the central city, mainly adding managers and professionals, far removed from front-line local services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cMy priority is to provide the best possible service to residents. We saw the effects of the Plante-Rabouin administration\u2019s power centralization last winter during snow removal operations \u2014 the snow almost melted before they got around to collecting it. I\u2019m committing today to giving boroughs the means to act quickly and efficiently for their citizens.\u201d
\u2014 Soraya Martinez Ferrada<\/strong>, candidate for mayor of Montreal and leader of Ensemble Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cCitizens deserve effective local services, not an administration that centralizes and complicates the process. Ensemble Montr\u00e9al represents real change to tangibly improve the daily lives of Montrealers.\u201d
\u2014 Caroline Braun<\/strong>, Ensemble Montr\u00e9al candidate for mayor of Outremont<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cBoroughs know better than anyone what their residents need. It\u2019s time to give them the resources to deliver. Centralization means decisions made for all boroughs without considering each neighbourhood\u2019s specific reality.\u201d
\u2014 Nancy Blanchet<\/strong>, Mayor of LaSalle<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cIn Anjou, as in the rest of Montreal, residents want clean streets, quick snow removal, and well-maintained sports and cultural facilities. To achieve this, we need budgets that reflect the reality on the ground.\u201d
\u2014 Luis Miranda<\/strong>, Mayor of Anjou, \u00c9quipe Anjou<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n