A course punctuated by obstacles for the “mayor of mobility”

Photo: Olivier Zuida Le Devoir “What attracts the most attention in what Valérie Plante has achieved, I think, is everything related to cycling,” says Jean-Philippe Meloche, associate professor at the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture at the Université de Montréal.

Jeanne Corriveau

Published at 0h00

• Montreal

Valérie Plante had big ambitions when she took over Montreal City Hall in 2017 as “the man for the job.” While she led Montreal in a shift toward active mobility, she ran into several obstacles in terms of homelessness, housing, public transit and traffic congestion. Here’s a look at the mayor’s good and bad moves.

Valérie Plante’s announcement that she would not seek a third term surprised many observers. “I was at Projet Montréal’s 20th anniversary three weeks ago and the mayor was on fire. She said 12 times in her speech that she was looking forward to her third term,” says Richard Bergeron, former leader and co-founder of Projet Montréal.

Others had nevertheless observed signs of a certain fatigue in the mayor. “I had felt, in our last discussions, that she was taking less pleasure in it. I had anticipated that she would not see the commitment of four more years in a very exciting way,” says Michel Leblanc, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, who now assures that he has no intention of running for mayor of Montreal in 2025.

There is one year left in Valérie Plante’s term, but a few observations are necessary. “What is most noteworthy in what Valérie Plante has achieved, I think, is everything related to cycling, even if, proportionally, Montrealers are not very cyclists. Still, it has visibly changed the face of Montreal,” says Jean-Philippe Meloche, associate professor at the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture at the Université de Montréal. Added to this are the pedestrianization projects, introduced in the context of a pandemic, which he says are rather successful.

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The shift towards active mobility is, however, accompanied by serious problems of traffic congestion with the proliferation of construction sites, notes Michel Leblanc. “We currently have a city that is angry about the lack of fluidity, with the impression that coordination is not up to par. “We've taken away too many traffic lanes for all sorts of reasons. Businesses are wondering whether they should stay on the island of Montreal,” he says.

According to him, in this matter and many others, the Plante administration still has one year to correct the situation before we can really decide on her time as mayor.

Tensions with the government

According to Rémy Trudel, visiting professor at the École nationale d’administration publique, the mayor has not had an easy time in her relations with the Quebec government, particularly in the matter of funding public transportation, homelessness and public safety. “She made a U-turn with the new police chief, Fady Dagher. She didn’t refuse to confront the problems, but that has to be done with those who hold the portfolios. In that sense, the challenges will not disappear for whoever serves the next term.”

One of these challenges will remain, for the next administration, the endless underground infrastructure work, a legacy of decades of neglect.

Richard Bergeron criticizes Valérie Plante for her too many “quarrels” with Premier François Legault. He cites the recent “group charge” by the mayor and the leaders of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) to denounce the lack of funding from Quebec City to maintain assets in the wake of the closure of three metro stations. “It lacked elegance. When you need the government’s support so much on so many issues — housing, transportation, homelessness — at the very least, you don’t take advantage of the first opportunity to throw mud at it.” »

« A living environment »

The arrival in power of a real political party—unlike the Coderre and Tremblay administrations, which were more coalitions—gave new impetus to the city by showcasing its neighbourhoods, argues Jean-Philippe Meloche. “Valérie Plante made Montreal shine, not in the business community, but in terms of climate change and public policy. The city is not just a place of business, but a living environment. […] It’s an ideological transition that she embodied,” he says.

The woman who became the first woman mayor and who defeated Denis Coderre had led a very skillful campaign in 2017, he recalls. “For me, the 2017 election was a historic election.”

But his party’s star faded during the second term, according to Mr. Meloche. “Projet Montréal brought something very fresh when he arrived, but the wear and tear of power led him to take somewhat “flat” paths, such as managing public finances well.” Thus, the pink line, which had struck people’s minds in 2017, did not materialize and the adoption of the Regulation for a mixed metropolis, which was supposed to encourage developers to contribute to the construction of social and affordable housing, has still not produced the expected results.