Soraya Martinez Ferrada

Martinez Ferrada says Cavendish link is “super-important”

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By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

A Cavendish Boulevard link between Côte St. Luc and St. Laurent is “super important”, Ensemble Montréal mayoral candidate Soraya Martinez Ferrada told The Suburban following a press conference in St. Laurent Monday.

We asked the candidate if she would commit to the link along with the Hippodrome project in CDN-NDG, as promised by Montreal when the Hippodrome was transferred to Montreal from the Quebec government. Traffic expert Rick Leckner recently told a CSL district meeting hosted by councillors Mike Cohen and Dida Berku that he has heard from Montreal sources that the extension is “off the table” as of now.

“Cavendish is super important,” Martinez Ferrada told The Suburban. ”If we want to develop all of the sector, we need to find a way to open Cavendish and that’s something I’ve said many, many times and I’m committed to looking at it and making sure that everything we do in Blue Bonnets, we have to work to open Cavendish.”

We pointed out that the current plan from the Plante administration is not to connect the Hippodrome development to Cavendish save for a proposed Jean Talon to Mackle Road link, which Berku says is impractical.

“You have a Mayor in St. Laurent (Alan DeSousa) that’s been very vocal about that, I’ve been vocal about that and I’ll be committed to looking at that for sure,” the Ensemble Montréal mayoral candidate reiterated.

During the Sept. 8 CSL council meeting, Cohen said local elected candidates need to meet with candidates from Ensemble Montréal and Projet Montréal, to get their position on the long-awaited Cavendish extension.

“What the Plante administration has done over the last number of years is just completely inappropriate, not making any movies towards it,” the District 2 councillor added. “Many of us say we may never live to see the Cavendish extension, I hope that’s not true.”

In light of Cohen’s comments and following the CSL meeting, we played our recording of Martinez Ferrada’s comments to Cohen and Berku.

“I think it’s very positive!” Berku told The Suburban. “I’m looking forward to further collaboration between the City of Côte St. Luc and Montreal after the election so we can move the Cavendish file.” n

Martinez Ferrada says Cavendish link is “super-important” Read More »

Ensemble Montreal picks candidate for Loyola district

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Ensemble Montréal has a candidate for the upcoming municipal election for borough councillor in the Loyola district of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Alexandre Teodoresco is known to the community as chair of the board of directors of Rendez-Vous NDG (RDV NDG), the group behind the social happenings in Girouard Park. He is also vice-president of strategic development and innovation at Les 7 Doigts and co-president of Entertain-AI.

Soraya Martinez Ferrada approached Teodoresco, knowing that he was involved in the techno-creative ecosystem in Montreal, as well as in his local community. She announced his candidacy at C2 Montreal, the annual networking conference that brings together business and creative leaders to explore ways to stimulate the economy. She was there to talk about the future of Artificial Intelligence in making the city more efficient. “Montreal must once again become a pioneer in innovation, especially since the loss of the Innovation District,” she said at the conference. “Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool to bring the city closer to its citizens and deliver services that meet their expectations. What I propose is an efficient, ambitious city focused on improving services to the population.”

Teodoresco admits that he is not a politician, that this will be his first foray into public service, and that there will be a learning curve. “But at the core I always wanted to have a positive impact on my community. I think this is the time,” he says, “I think we need to change how things are done for Montreal citizens.”

As things stand, CDN-NDG borough council has two Ensemble Montréal members – Stephanie Valenzuela and Sonny Moroz. Teodoresco is going up against incumbent Loyola councillor Despina Sourias.

“I’m feeling very confident with Soraya,” he told The Suburban. “She convinced me when she told me that innovation needs to be at the core of everything we do at the city and at the borough. This is the only way,” he adds, “that we can solve old problems with new solutions.”

He says that he has always been involved in his local community. “I’m very proud to be a resident of NDG for the past few years.” Working with RDV NDG made him realize that “there are more things that can unite us in NDG than divide us. You see French people laughing with English-speaking people. You see old and young dancing together.”

He says he would not have responded to a similar offer to join Projet Montréal. “I think that part of the problems that we’re facing today is due to the team that we have in place at city hall.” He says the current administration is passing “inertia” onto the next administration, whoever it may be. “A new team, a new vision, a new energy” is what’s needed, he says, “a different focus.”

Martinez Ferrada says Teodoresco “is exactly the kind of leader Montreal needs. He knows the field challenges, understands innovation’s potential, and knows how to bring communities together around meaningful projects. With him, Loyola will have a strong voice focused on the future.”

Innovation, Teodoresco says, is what’s missing. And he says that Martinez Ferrada, with her focus on innovation, is the right choice. n

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Suburban Mayors pleased with added powers in Quebec bill

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Outgoing Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, and her successor as Projet Montréal leader, Luc Rabouin, are both reacting badly to the CAQ government’s bid to give the suburbs more power in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM).

The opposition Ensemble Montréal leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada, doesn’t like it any more than they do, but she is laying the blame squarely at Projet Montréal’s feet, saying they should have seen this coming.

The CMM is responsible for planning, coordinating, and financing the 82 municipalities, or the 4.3 million people, spread over its territory. The move is part of Bill 104, “An Act to amend various provisions in particular to follow up on certain requests from the municipal sector.” The bill was tabled last Wednesday by Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest.

Laforest says it’s about making the CMM more democratic, and getting the suburbs to work together.

Plante took to social media to denounce the plan. “The government must explain its true motivation for changing the governance of the metropolitan region today,” Plante posted on X, “knowing that in eight years, the City of Montreal has never used a casting vote.”

The mayor is the head of the CMM and as such has the right to cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie between the municipalities that make up the council. However, the provincial government says that the city no longer has a majority voice in the CMM. In 2006 it did indeed make up 51 percent of the CMM. But as of last year, due to urban sprawl, that has dipped to just 46 percent.

Until now the city’s majority consisted of 14 council seats out of 28. Under the new law, the city’s seat count would be 12 of 26.

“Instead of reforming democratic institutions without notice,” Plante added, “the government would benefit from working on the fundamental issues that are concentrated in its metropolis.”

Pointing out that between 2017 and 2024 the population across the entire CMM territory increased faster than that of the Greater Montreal area, Martinez Ferrada says that Projet Montréal has failed to create an enviable quality of life for residents. The resulting “urban exodus,” reads a news release put out by the party, “is very real and has accelerated under the (Projet Montreal) administration.

“This relative population loss is the result of short-sighted policies, which are catching up with us today.”

The Association of Suburban Municipalities, representing the agglomeration’s 15 independent municipalities, had high praise for the changes. It said last Thursday that, “this long-awaited reform responds to a recurring demand from suburban municipalities for more equitable and democratic metropolitan governance. Until now the status quo favoured an excessive concentration of power in the hands of the City of Montreal, to the detriment of other municipalities’ voices.”

Dollard des Ormeaux Mayor Alex Bottausci, a co-president of the ASM, said “this bill is a milestone for municipal democracy in Greater Montreal. It’s also a recognition that all citizens are entitled to fair representation in the decisions that affect their quality of life.”

The ASM adds that the same problems also plague the Montreal Agglomeration and it is hoping the Quebec government shows the same concern for the Agglo as its latest move shows for the CMM. n

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Jewish Unity Expo was a Vegas-style success

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By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The Montreal Jewish Unity Expo, bringing together 212 businesses and firms and thousands of attendees including Ensemble Montreal leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada for a day of networking, took place May 6 on Côte de Liesse Road in St. Laurent.

The event attracted a wide variety of companies, including real estate, sellers of cameras, power cleaning, 3D printing, a real estate virtual reality photographer, law firms like Choueke Hollander and Spiegel Ryan, mattress companies and many more.

Isaac Blackman, co-founder of the event with Martin Weiss, told The Suburban the expo was conceived six months ago and is the first such event at this scale — a previous event five years before had 30 booths.

“Fast forward, take a look around, at [about 1 p.m,], there were 3,688 people at this venue, and counting, thank God,” he said. “The concept of the event is supporting your fellow Jew, supporting another business, supporting another friend, bringing together every single community. Everyone is here to have a good time — network, support each other and walk out with connections.”

Blackman added that “everyone here so far, that I’ve heard, has built businesses, got contracts and leads. It’s amazing!”

Weiss, the co-founder of the event, said the original idea was that the “glue of the show was going to be real estate, that the exhibitors could talk to one another in that world.

“But we also expanded to have a little bit more fun, some food, some plant-based meat, things like that. But most of the show is real estate-based.”

The Suburban spoke with some of the exhibitors, and they were very pleased with how the event was proceeding.

Adam Spiro, who specializes in commercial restructuring and insolvency at the Spiegel Ryan law firm, said the firm decided to be part of the event as “we contribute to the Jewish community, we have a lot of Jewish clients, and wanted to be part of such a beautiful event!

“We couldn’t not be here. I met people I’ve spoken to on the phone a hundred times, and I met so many new people who will hopefully become clients, and hopefully friends too. I hope they do this event next year!”

Brian Breitstein of Wrap Demons, which transforms the look of vehicles with custom wraps as well as car colour changes and commercial vehicle graphics, said the event has been beneficial for the company.

“I’ve met a lot of people, I made a lot of contacts and a lot of people have taken my card, and I encountered a lot of businesses that need their trucks wrapped. There are more people here than I expected!”

Alina Tertychna of Groupe Monerix, an employment consultant, said “it’s a very nice event, lots of nice people and great information. Very useful!” n

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Martinez Ferrada attacks Plante for closing Mount Royal road

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Newly-acclaimed Ensemble Montréal leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada went after Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante last week, after the executive committee approved a contract for the planned redesign of Mount Royal that would close cross-mountain car access.

If Ensemble Montréal is elected to office next November, making Martinez Ferrada mayor of Montreal, she said she would retain car traffic on Camillien-Houde Way.

“What’s the hurry?” Martinez Ferrada said in a news conference, insisting that the mayor should rather make it an election issue and let Montrealers decide.

Ensemble Montréal says that Plante has consistently been ignoring Montrealers’ true feelings on the subject, and are accusing her of pushing the plan through to make sure it is a done deal before she leaves office. In a post to X (Twitter) the party reiterated Projet Montréal’s “lack of respect for consultations will cost taxpayers.”

The approved contract was awarded to two companies – CIMA+ and Lemay. The two teamed up to present one bid. Alex Norris, the executive committee member responsible for Mount Royal Park, said there were five bids in total, even though as recently as two weeks ago only one bid had been presented by deadline.

The six-year, $89 million redesign of the mountain would begin with a preliminary $12.8 million planning contract, approved at last Wednesday’s executive committee meeting, with a view to bringing the project to completion by 2029.

At last Wednesday’s meeting Plante said that she is in the last 300 days of her tenure, emphasizing the importance of getting things done. The mayor insists the plan is the right one, telling her executive committee “I will continue to strongly defend this project.” n

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City opposition wants dogs allowed on buses

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Montreal may soon join other major cities – like Copenhagen, London, Boston, Lyon, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Helsinki, and even Toronto and Calgary – by allowing dogs to ride on STM buses.

As it stands, dogs are allowed on the Métro, and have been since a pilot project approved in August 2022, and launched two months later.

The original motion was tabled by the opposition Ensemble Montréal party. It started with an SPCA petition, as well as an STM poll that showed that most were in favour of allowing dogs – muzzled and leashed – on the Métro. As of last December, the pilot project having been deemed successful, dogs are allowed on the Métro with certain restrictions.

Now the opposition is asking that dogs be allowed to ride on buses, as well.

“The coexistence between users and their dogs is going wonderfully in the Métro,” said Official Opposition leader Aref Salem. “However, many Montrealers don’t have the good fortune to live near a station, or must take the bus to complete their journey. Our goal is to offer them the same flexibility and make public transportation more accessible and pleasant for everyone.”

The same rules would apply that now govern dogs on the metro.

The STM says it is not completely opposed to the idea, but it’s not completely on board, either. Dogs are actually allowed on buses with some conditions – they have to be in some kind of enclosed carrier. And of course guide dogs are permitted. But allowing dogs on buses comes with some risks and challenges that the organization is not prepared to entertain at present.

Salem says the STM should try it first before dismissing it out of hand.

The party will be presenting their motion at the next city council meeting on March 17 and 18. If it does not pass, Salem says, Ensemble Montréal will make it an election issue.

(Even though Soraya Martinez Ferrada was recently named leader of Ensemble Montreal, Salem is still considered Leader of the Opposition; Martinez Ferrada would need to be elected to occupy that post. Hence, Salem is still opposition leader until the municipal elections in November). n

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Soraya Martinez Ferrada acclaimed leader of Ensemble Montréal

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Montreal’s official opposition Ensemble Montréal party now has a leader – Soraya Martinez Ferrada. That makes her EM’s mayoral candidate to face off against whoever will end up succeeding Valérie Plante as leader of Projet Montréal.

Ferrada announced her candidacy just a few weeks ago, after stepping down as Liberal Member of Parliament for Hochelaga and Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. A new leader was to have been elected at the party’s next convention in April. However, as no other candidate came forward before the end of the nomination period, Ferrada was acclaimed.

She says she will hit the ground running. “I want to bring Montrealers together and make them proud of their city with a party that represents their realities,” Ferrada says. “Beginning next week, I’ll be embarking on a comprehensive tour across Montreal’s boroughs to connect directly with residents, businesses, and community organizations.”

The party says that Ferrada embodies the bold and unifying leadership needed to address Montreal’s challenges. “Today, a new era begins for our party and its members,” says party president Carmine Pollice.

Ferrada has the experience, having been a city councillor before moving into federal politics.

“We are confident that Montrealers will choose her in turn to lead their city and respond to their needs. It’s time to give our metropolis a municipal administration that takes responsibility. Soraya possesses both the listening skills and determination that we collectively need.”

The next municipal election is in November. n

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“We’re pragmatic, not dogmatic”: Ferrada launches Mayoral bid

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By Dan Laxer
The Suburban

Earlier this month Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced her intention to run for the leadership of Ensemble Montréal. Last Wednesday she made it official.

Ferrada is so far the only declared candidate. There may well be others who might step forward. But with just over a week to go before the nomination period closes, it is unlikely. Which means that she will most probably be elected party leader at their next convention in April, and, come next November, will be the party’s candidate for mayor.

She already has the support of several members of the party, including several key borough mayors, such as Christine Black of Montréal-Nord, Jim Beis of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Laurent Desbois of Outremont, and Doug Hurley of Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève. She also has the support of three city councillors – Pierrefonds‘ Benoit Langevin, Stephanie Valenzuela (Darlington) and Julien Henault-Ratelle (Tetreaultville), and of the party’s interim leader Aref Salem who praised Ferrada’s “flawless record.”

“She has all the qualities and experience needed to lead this metropolis,” Salem said, “and meet the challenges that lie ahead.”

Most recently Ferrada was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Hochelaga and Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. She had also been a city councillor for both Vision Montreal and Union Montreal, so she is no stranger to municipal politics. In her video announcing her intention to seek the party leadership, she assured her constituents “I’m not going anywhere. I’m actually coming back home, coming back to Montreal, because I choose Montreal.”

As to where she hopes to succeed where Projet Montréal has failed, she highlighted housing. Ferrada points out that Montreal is the only city in Canada that has decreased construction. “Having more housing requires a new sense of priorities, for one, working with boroughs, working with the private sector, working with the community organizations to really make it happen.”

Homelessness has also been a priority for Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who has called on the provincial government to do more to solve the problem. However, Ferrada says that pointing the fingers won’t do anything. “We have to be partners, everybody at the table, to really concretely work collaboratively with all (levels of) governments in place. But it’s not one government’s fault; everybody has their own role to play.”

Ferrada characterizes Ensemble Montréal as a party that listens to Montrealers. “We’re pragmatic, not dogmatic,” she says. “We want to make sure that Montrealers will see an alternative in our party in terms of…social and economic development.”

She appears confident that, with the coming months, Ensemble Montréal will be able to win over Montrealers under her leadership. “Campaigns matter, and I’m a really good campaigner,” adding that it will come down to “a contest of who is the best to serve Montrealers, and I think we’re the best team to do that.”

“Together,” she said, “we are building a strong vision for our city.” n

“We’re pragmatic, not dogmatic”: Ferrada launches Mayoral bid Read More »

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