Despite the serial controversies, despite the unpopularity of the start of the mandate, despite a brutal pandemic, Valérie Plante was re-elected as mayor of Montreal on Sunday with a large lead.
With a smile on her lips and armed with a moderate program, the mayor has caught up with a significant delay in public opinion to beat her political nemesis, Denis Coderre, flatly.
When he arrived on stage in the middle of the evening, Mr.me Plante let out a huge sigh of relief. She affirmed her desire to continue “to lead Montreal with a smile”, triggering the cries of joy from her activists.
At the time of this writing, Mme Plante collected 52% of the votes counted, against 38% for Mr. Coderre. The gap between the eternal opponents is twice as large as in 2017. Balarama Holness obtained 7% of the votes cast and failed to get a candidate elected.
“What Montrealers confirmed tonight is that the election of Projet Montreal in 2017 was no accident,” she said in front of an audience won over in advance. . “It was the start of a new era, the start of a new way of governing Montreal. ”
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Reaction of the crowd gathered at the Olympia in Montreal after the announcement of the victory of Valérie Plante
True to form, Mme Plante burst out laughing several times during his speech, relaunched by a excited crowd gathered at L’Olympia in Montreal.
“To those who voted for Projet Montréal, what I am telling you is that we will be faithful to our words and to our vision,” she assured, in front of a sign bearing the slogan “The best.” is to come “.
To those who voted for other candidates, my message is this: I will be the mayor of all Montrealers.
Valerie Plante
At a press briefing, the mayor added that her large lead “confirms that the plans we have for Montreal, we will be able to put them in place”. Montrealers “agree with the choices we have made and what we are proposing, that is for sure.”
A supercharged crowd
An hour earlier, the floor of L’Olympia had shaken, as supporters of Projet Montreal learned of the re-election of their candidate. The announcement of the victory of Mme Plante – very early in the evening – surprised the activists, who immediately exploded with joy, forgetting for a few minutes the sanitary instructions. Boosted, they kissed and jumped for joy.
The hall roared several times during the evening, as local victories were announced. At the time of this writing, Projet Montreal was in the process of expanding its majority on city council, with 36 candidates ahead.
In addition, the party succeeded in taking the town halls of Verdun and Villeray – Saint-Michel – Parc-Extension, but seemed on the way to losing that of L’Île-Bizard – Sainte-Geneviève. Star candidate Will Prosper has bitten the dust in Montreal North.
Dominique Ollivier, announced as future president of the executive committee, was easily elected in his district of Rosemont. Around his table, he risks “absolutely” to have elected members of the opposition, said the mayor.
After the announcement of the re-election of Mme Plante, the technical teams pushed the music thoroughly to accompany the public’s excitement. “We are at the end of our tether, we are out of breath, but we are so happy,” said Marie Plourde, re-elected in the Plateau-Mont-Royal.
This victory for Valérie is the collective effort, it is what we are celebrating this evening, it is the sweat of the volunteers, it is the sweat of the candidates, of the candidates.
Marie Plourde, borough councilor reelected in the Plateau-Mont-Royal
Several speakers insisted on the sustained growth of Projet Montréal on the island since the party took over the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough in 2009.
“Protect the gains”
Before the unveiling of the results, Valérie Plante’s team explained that the party’s electoral strategy went through the defense of its elected officials.
“Before thinking of a growth perspective, we are always in a perspective of protecting the gains,” confided to Press Youssef Amane, director of communications for the mayor. “That was strategy number 1.” Caroline Bourgeois’ headquarters in Rivière-des-Prairies – Pointe-aux-Trembles, a surprise victory for Projet Montréal in 2018, “we put a lot, a lot of effort into the project. to safeguard “.
Projet Montréal also wanted to win back the borough town halls lost along the way because of controversies, namely Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Villeray – Saint-Michel – Parc-Extension. The party placed a lot of hope in Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, who was trying to steal this last district from Giuliana Fumagalli, expelled from Projet Montréal in 2018 after being accused of harassment.
According to Youssef Amane, Projet Montréal has also invested a lot of energy to take Verdun, a borough that shares characteristics with the central districts of Montreal. The local mayor, Jean-François Parenteau, was elected with Denis Coderre, but quickly integrated the Plante administration. He chose not to represent himself.
For the race for mayor of Montreal, Projet Montreal was trying to convince more French-speaking families, especially in eastern Montreal, to rally around Valérie Plante. The mayor’s team hoped that the efforts of the Plante administration for the protection of the French language could “go to seduce, court the French-speaking electorate,” says Mr. Amane.
Valérie Plante’s key commitments
With announcements almost every day of the election campaign, Valérie Plante has accumulated dozens of commitments to Montrealers. Here are the main ones.
Promote the construction of 60,000 new affordable housing units over the next 10 years, in particular by applying a regulation that strictly regulates the work of real estate developers. Projet Montréal hopes that by forcing new housing projects to include 20% social housing, 20% affordable housing and 20% family housing, Montreal will escape the real estate bubbles hitting Toronto and Vancouver.
Develop a large park in the west and east of Montreal by bringing together already protected land and making sure to annex others. The first has already been started in the first term of Valérie Plante, the second was mentioned for the first time during the electoral campaign. In particular, it would include an expansion of the Pointe-aux-Prairies park, as well as the Golf d’Anjou sector, where Projet Montréal wants to ban development.
Limit the increase in property tax residential at inflation rate or 2%, whichever is lower. Projet Montréal hopes to broaden the city’s tax base by further taxing outdoor commercial parking lots and by imposing a new levy on foreign real estate investments.
Expand the Bike Express Network (REV) and develop new cycle paths protected from vehicular traffic. Despite the outcry it has had to face in this case since 2017, the Plante administration does not intend to back down. The object, says Projet Montréal: “to make cycling in the city accessible to people of all ages and all abilities”.
Allow the functioning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for certain sites in order to reduce their impact on traffic and neighborhoods. Valérie Plante has taken note of Montrealers’ exasperation over the number of construction sites that are slowing traffic and hopes to speed up some in this way.
Eliminate single-use plastic and oil heating in Montreal, the first in 2023, the second in 2030. After months of waiting, the Plante administration unveiled its environmental roadmap last year, which also includes a “zero emission” zone in downtown Montreal. Montreal by 2030 as well as the purchase of electric buses for the Société de transport de Montréal.
Biography of Valérie Plante
Valérie Plante in a few dates
1974
Born in Rouyn-Noranda, in Abitibi
1994
Valérie Plante moved to Montreal, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and a master’s degree in museology. She then worked for several years in the community environment.
November 3, 2013
Until then unknown in politics, Valérie Plante, candidate for municipal councilor in the district of Sainte-Marie, won the victory over her opponent Louise Harel, head of the official opposition of the City of Montreal from 2009 to 2013.
December 4, 2016
The members of Projet Montréal appoint Valérie Plante as leader, so that she can compete with Denis Coderre in the 2017 municipal elections.
November 5, 2017
Valérie Plante was elected mayor of Montreal with just over 51% of the votes, while her opponent Denis Coderre won over 46% of the votes.
2021
The outgoing mayor is running as a candidate for the elections of November 7, 2021.
with Florence Morin-Martel, Press