Last October, then-mayoral candidate Soraya Martinez Ferrada released what she called her platform for real change — 10 actions she had planned for her first 100 days. Those 100 days are now done and most of what she promised has been done. There is more money for the homeless, plans for better mobility, new building regulations, among other measures. But when will we see the results? In an interview with CTV News Montreal anchor Mutsumi Takahashi, Mayor Martinez Ferrada said change will take time. “I’m asking Montrealers to be patient in the way that we need to address the basic needs of the city, and also work at the same time on some ambition and projects that eventually we’ll be able to be a city that welcomes big events, be a city that can have big dreams and compete with international cities,” she said on Friday. The mayor said one of her priorities is changing the way the city manages homeless encampments. “I come through Notre Dame [Street] every single day and I think that’s one of the things I want to see, this summer, change, and that the citizens can, you know, concretely see a difference,” she said. When it comes to housing, another priority, she said she wants to build more social and affordable housing through partnerships. “Social housing, it’s not my whole responsibility as a city. It’s a partnership with the Government of Quebec because then the social net of the affordable and the social housing comes from programs that are supported by the Government of Quebec,” she explained. “This is something that we need to do with them also. But I think that the new approach that we’re putting in place will be one of the things that we’ll be doing differently in the next few months.” Montreal’s new mayor also said the city is working with community organizations to improve public safety and cohabitation concerns. Click on the video above to watch the full interview.
