The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, is “extremely angry” with the Mayor of the borough of Anjou, Luis Miranda, and asks him to apologize to the young Hocine Ouendi and his family for the comments he held to them at the last borough council meeting.
Posted at 1:57 p.m.
“What Mr. Miranda has done is detrimental to all elected officials, because young people will say to themselves that politicians do not consider them,” lamented Ms.me Plant.
“I expect Mr. Miranda, out of professional conscience, to apologize to the young person and his family, because what he said is unacceptable and it sends a very bad message to young people that they are not not important. And that is no. »
The mayor made this comment during a press conference during which she announced that an amount of $7 million, within the City of Montreal’s participatory budget of $32 million, would be reserved for projects and infrastructures identified by young people to improve their living environments.
She stressed that this initiative would allow young people to “reclaim their power to act on their city”.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Mayor Valérie Plante announced that a sum of $7 million, within the City of Montreal’s participatory budget of $32 million, would be reserved for projects and infrastructures identified by young people to improve their living environments.
And that is precisely what Hocine Ouendi, 15, wanted to do by appearing before the borough council on October 4, to ask the mayor to reopen synthetic soccer fields in three parks in Anjou.
The grounds were closed due to acts of vandalism, and the teenager proposed the hiring of guards to avoid this kind of situation.
He was rebuffed by Luis Miranda, who lectured him for daring to ask the mayor a question. “At 15, I don’t even have a business talking to him,” said the borough mayor, who asked the young Hocine’s mother to better educate her child.
“Look at yourself in the mirror,” continues Mr. Miranda, pointing out that such problems only occur on soccer fields and not on the sets of other sports.
“I am extremely angry with Mr. Miranda’s remarks because it will have an influence on the way young people will see adults,” said Mayor Plante.
“Congratulations to Hocine Ouendi, 15, who went to ask his question. What an eloquent youngster, accompanied by his parents who are there, proud. It’s such a beautiful picture. I would like to tell Mr. Miranda that at the municipal council, young people come to ask questions, children too, and no one gets turned around. »
During the press conference, Abdellah Azzouz, speaker at the Youth Forum of Saint-Michel, also deplored the comments of the mayor of the borough of Anjou, asking him to reopen the soccer fields for young people and to make apologies to Hocine Ouendi.
At the time these lines were written, Luis Miranda had still not reacted to Mayor Plante’s request. His assistant indicates that he is out of the country until next week.
Hocine Ouendi confirmed to us that he had not been contacted by Mr. Miranda.