By Matthew Daldalian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ensemble Montréal has named Sylvain Gariépy as their mayoral candidate for the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough in the upcoming municipal elections. The announcement was made May 29 by party leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who returned to her political roots in the borough where she was first elected.

Gariépy is a veteran urban planner and former president of the Ordre des urbanistes du Québec.

“He’s been very active as an urbanist in his life… and that’s what Montreal needs,” said Martinez Ferrada. She stood alongside longtime borough councillors Mary Deros and Josué Corvil to introduce Gariépy. “People like Sylvain, they’ll step up to serve Montreal by the experience in

in his knowledge about what this city needs,” she said.

Ensemble Montréal leader, Soraya Martinez Ferrada announces Sylvain Gariépy (far right) as mayoral candidate for the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough on May 29.

Housing

The press conference took place in front of a vacant city-owned building, the former Montreal Chinese Hospital, chosen deliberately to highlight one of the campaign’s central promises: to transform such spaces into social and affordable housing. “[The building] is a perfect example of what we want to achieve,” Gariépy said.

The housing crisis was top of mind throughout the announcement. Martinez Ferrada said an Ensemble Montréal administration would prioritize homeownership by abolishing the “règlement pour une métropole mixte” (bylaw for a mixed metropolis), a bylaw designed to ensure housing is included in large developments. “We’re going to abolish the mixed regulations… that has not given the results that the city needs,” she said.

The Ensemble Montréal leader also committed to making homeownership more accessible for young families by working with both the private and non-profit sectors, and by launching a “Famille Propriétaire” (Homeowner Family) program to help first-time buyers access homeownership through flexible support. The plan includes allowing buyers to pay the welcome tax in 12 monthly installments instead of all at once. “We want to keep our families here in Montreal,” she said.

Urban Planning

In addition to housing, Gariépy stressed the importance of community-informed urban planning. He specifically addressed concerns around recent bike path installations in the borough. “Prior to… putting a bike path on the street, I think we need to communicate… work with [residents],” he said. “We need to listen to the people and not go the other way around.”

Mary Deros, borough councillor for Parc-Extension, was more direct in her criticism of the current administration. She recounted an information session held before the installation of a bike lane on one Parc-Extension avenue: “They bulldozed the project without listening to seniors, to large families, to handicapped people of how their lives would be affected,” she said. These are the changes that will be brought about under the leadership of Sylvain Gariépy and Soraya Martinez.”

Communication

The bike lane debate in Parc-Extension has become a flashpoint in borough politics. In 2024, the city moved forward with protected bike lanes on a few avenues, removing parking spaces in the process. The decision sparked protests and a legal campaign from the Coalition for Democracy Montreal, which argued that residents weren’t properly consulted and that the loss of parking has disproportionately affected seniors, families, and people with disabilities.

While borough officials defended the project as a necessary step to expand safe cycling infrastructure, critics said the process felt imposed rather than collaborative.

Gariépy said he plans to maintain communication with residents by being physically present. “You knock on the doors and you inform people directly of what the intentions are and you bring them to the table to have a discussion,” he said. “We need to be there where it happens.”

Coming Leadership

Ensemble Montréal also confirmed that incumbents Mary Deros and Josué Corvil will seek re-election in Parc-Extension and Saint-Michel, respectively.

The announcement is one of several major moves Martinez Ferrada has made since becoming leader of Ensemble Montréal earlier this spring. A former federal cabinet minister and MP for Hochelaga, she left her role as Minister of Tourism to run for mayor of Montreal. The 2025 municipal election is set for November.