Plante accused of failing to hire 250 additional police officers

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When Montreal’s new city council met for the first time on Monday, the opposition accused Mayor Valérie Plante of having already breached an electoral promise to hire 250 additional police officers.

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“Just 22 days after being re-elected mayor, she broke her first promise,” Ensemble Montreal leader Aref Salem said in an interview with the Montreal Gazette during a break in the council meeting.

During the election campaign, Plante made good on then-Ensemble Montreal leader Denis Coderre’s promise to hire an additional 250 police officers to combat the recent surge in violent crime.

But on Monday, the mayor said the new hires would include replacements for officers retiring from the force, and thus do not add up to a net increase of 250.

“It’s important to clarify,” Plante said at a press conference to announce a forum on the rise in gun violence, which has resulted in the deaths of three teenagers this year.

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“It was always clear to me that from today until December 2022, 250 police officers would be hired. That includes replacing those who are leaving to retire, ”he said.

When asked how many net hires were planned, Plante was unable to give a number. “It was 250 gross. In order not to create any misunderstandings, I will not comment on that this morning, ”he said.

“We will adjust the situation in terms of retirements to determine the number of new hires and the real needs on the ground,” he added.

Plante has said his administration intends to address the rise in gun violence on three fronts: lobbying the federal government for stricter gun control, empowering the police to crack down on gangs, and allowing community organizations and agencies to prevent young people from being lured into crime.

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On Monday, Radio-Canada reported that 215 police officers are scheduled to retire by the end of 2022. . He said the re-elected Plante administration only planned to spend an additional $ 29 million over the next four years to combat gun violence, with that amount going to both police and community organizations, while Ensemble Montréal had budgeted $ 110 million just for new police hires. .

Salem said more resources must be invested in law enforcement to win the fight against gangs. “We know that the police need these 250 new officers,” he said.

At the council, the two sides waived the usual question period and instead made statements promising to work together. The 65-member council is the most diverse to date, with 17% of its members being visible minorities, 54% women, and 17% 35 and younger.

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The Council unanimously approved statements calling for an end to violence against women on the 32nd anniversary of the massacre at the Polytechnic on December 6. The Council also offered condolences to the families of three teenagers killed in Montreal – Meriem Boundaoui, Jannai Dopwell-Bailey and Thomas Trudel – and promised to continue working with other levels of government to combat the violence.

The administration announced appointments to the permanent finance and administration committees; transportation and public works; economic development, urban planning and housing; culture, heritage and sports; social development and diversity; water, environment and large parks; examination of contracts; the inspector general; and the president of the council.

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Laurence Parent, the newly elected city councilor in the De Lorimier district and a well-known advocate for people with disabilities, was appointed vice chairman of the board of the Société de transport de Montréal. She was also named president of the transportation and public works committee.

Salem said Ensemble Montreal, which has 23 seats on the council, did not get its fair share of appointments. He called for stricter rules on the allocation of nominations to opposition parties.

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T’Cha Dunlevy of the Montreal Gazette contributed to this article.