As the start of the provincial election campaign looms, Montreal’s mayor will be outlining the city’s requests and expectations on Wednesday.
The five main political parties have been in election mode for some time now and all signs point to the campaign being launched on Thursday.
This will be the first election campaign with Soraya Martinez Ferrada as mayor, with Quebecers heading to the polls on Oct. 5.
Polls show health and social services, the cost of living, housing as well as the economy as the most top-of-mind issues for voters and Martinez Ferrada’s wish list is likely to echo those concerns.
The mayor herself campaigned on a promise to tackle homelessness and the ongoing housing crisis and has repeatedly stated the issues are a top priority.
As for public transit, just last week, Martinez Ferrada renewed calls to build a REM light-rail system in the city’s east end, that would connect to the Metro system.
The mayor could also seek provincial support after announcing last week that she was going ahead with plans to progressively equip the city’s police officers with body cameras.
Martinez Ferrada, however, noted the province’s Justice Ministry does not yet have the necessary technological systems to facilitate the use of video collected by body cameras as evidence in legal proceedings.
“We’ll ask them to be ready to receive them and use them in the court,” she said during the announcement. She also said she expects the province to chip in with further funding of the cameras.
The mayor might also draw inspiration from the Montreal Chamber of Commerce which has already released its own election wish list.
Key demands focus on cutting red tape, providing tax relief and improving public infrastructure oversight.