Montreal is starting a consultation on the possibility of having the downtown area run by its own local mayor rather than that of the City.
Voters in the borough of Ville-Marie — which covers the heart of Montreal — will be asked to give their opinion on the issue next month, in person or online. The administration made the announcement via a video uploaded on Friday.
Since 2009, the person elected to head the City of Montreal automatically takes over the borough of Ville-Marie. This situation has raised criticism in the past regarding the attention paid to the local issues of the sector and democratic representativeness.
The Plante administration has been thinking for several years about changing things. Three scenarios, developed by experts, are on the table as part of this consultation, according to the video.
In addition to a relative status quo, there is talk of the appointment of a mayor of Ville-Marie by the mayor of Montreal or the election of a borough mayor by universal suffrage, as is the case everywhere else. to Montreal.
The outcome of this consultation process remains unknown.
In 2020, this consultation had been announced for the year 2021. “Our wish is to question a particular structure that we have inherited. We want to start a real conversation, since I think there has never really been one, ”explained at the time the councilor for the district of Peter-McGill, Cathy Wong.