Montreal must “salt, salt, salt” its sidewalks to make them less slippery, Valérie Plante said Friday, as injuries linked to falls overwhelm paramedics.
“It must be a constant concern to salt, salt, salt,” said the mayor on the sidelines of a press briefing. “I ask everyone to be careful, because these are really difficult conditions. The City has the responsibility – and it takes it very seriously – to take care of the sidewalks of the boroughs and their neighborhoods. »
Asked if she was satisfied with the current situation, she did not want to comment directly. “Sidewalk priority is really, really important,” she said.
On Thursday, Urgences-santé had to launch an emergency plan to deal with the increase in calls related to falls on the sidewalks. The service urged citizens to avoid calling 911 in the absence of danger to life.
Mme Plante argued that the metropolis had been hit hard in recent days.
“The weather conditions are terrible,” she said. The weather cocktail of snow, then rain, it freezes, there is more snow coming. It’s particularly difficult. »