Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante says fatigue was factor in collapse during press conference

Plante collapses during news conference Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante became suddenly ill in the middle of a news conference and had to sit down.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has made her first public appearance since collapsing during a press conference at Montreal City Hall on Dec. 5, and provided and update on her health.

Plante told reporters at city hall she has consulted her doctor and is doing well after taking a week off to recuperate.

"After a few days of rest, I am happy to be better. I will gradually resume my regular acitivities and thank you for your kind words. I am pampered to be surrounded by such a competent and dedicated team, on which we can all count," she wrote on social media Wednesday ahead of the meeting.

Plante provided an update on current events in Montreal Wednesday following the executive committee's weekly meeting.

She also talked to reporters about her health, saying fatigue likely played a role after an "intense" fall session that included tabling a budget, managing a homelessness crisis, and responding to a spending scandal at the city's public consultation office.

Concerns arose last Tuesday when Plante paused for several seconds while answering a journalist's question.

She then sank to the floor, saying that she did not feel well.

Members of her team quickly went to her aid as she sat on the ground.

A few hours later, Plante wrote on X that she would be reducing her activities over the next few days. She added that she met with a medical team and was doing well.

The mayor explained Wednesday that she had started to feel dizzy, felt her vision blur, and decided to sit down to ensure she didn't fall and hurt herself.

Plante says she took the dizzy spell as a sign she needed rest, adding that she is "up and running" after a few days of sleep, light yoga and time with her children and husband.

In the wake of the incident, Plante received words of encouragement, including from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs Andrée Laforest.

Plante, who has been Montreal's mayor since her election in 2017, is 49 years old.

-- With files from Morgan Lowrie of The Canadian Press