Mayor creates new bureau for eastern Montreal, promises better transit

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada says she has her eyes set on eastern Montreal and wants to work with Quebec and Ottawa to revitalize the area.

She announced she opened a new bureau and an “action cell” for the area’s economic development at a press event before the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday morning.

“I want to dream for Montreal. I dream of having no more tents on Notre-Dame, no more housing crisis, good-paying jobs that make people feel like they’re contributing to our city, of being able to go from the edge of the city to downtown in 30 mins, of an inclusive community,” the mayor said.

Martinez Ferrada also said her administration wants better transportation from the edge of eastern Montreal to the downtown core, pointing to the new REM lines.

“You can get to McGill from Two-Mountains in half an hour, it’s amazing” she said. “I want that for eastern Montreal.”

She said it takes her almost an hour and a half to drive to City Hall from her home in the East End.

“Every morning I have to do Zoom meetings from my car,” she said.

Though the REM de l’est project was axed due to a lack of social acceptability, the mayor reiterated her support for the Projet structurant de l’Est (PSE).

The Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) recommended the PSE in 2023, which could take the shape of a tramway. The project is currently being studied and will eventually be handed off to Infra-Québec, an agency created in May 2024.

Chatal Rouleau, minister responsible for the metropolis, also reiterated the government’s commitment to replacing the Olympic Stadium roof, extending the Blue Line and renovating the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. Some projects have been in the works for years.

Minister responsible for the Economic Development, Mélanie Joly, said her government is also working for eastern Montreal and promised Ottawa’s increase in military spending and investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects would benefit the city.

She added the federal government will fully support the city’s mobility projects.