The mayor of CDN-NDG proposes dividing the municipality in two

Article content

Opponents criticized a suggestion by Côte-des-Neiges, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce mayoral candidate Sue Montgomery, that the city’s most populous district split in two, saying it would result in more battles with the center. from the city.

Article content

Montgomery, the incumbent mayor and leader of the Courage party, told the Montreal Gazette on Thursday that if she is reelected, she will immediately go to work dividing it into two unique districts.

He said there are few commonalities between the two communities, and that both would be better served if they were smaller entities. She plans to request the city center and then the province to redraw the map of the municipality in the hope that it will be done in time for the next municipal elections.

However, opponent Alex Montagano, Team / Equipe CDN NDG leader, said that while the idea has merit, it is unrealistic and going down that path would be the start of even more fights between the district and the city center.

Montagano said the district has been chronically underfunded, and with Montgomery, most of the attention has focused on his personal and legal battles with downtown.

Article content

“It’s time to get back to basics,” Montagano said, adding that the municipality should focus on improving the cleanliness of the parks and the lack of recreational facilities.

Lionel Perez, Ensemble Montreal’s nominee for district mayor, agreed.

“The proposal is divisive and is nothing more than a distraction from its terrible record of the past four years,” he said in a statement. “What the people of the Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce really want is an administration that guarantees funding for its residents and cares about local problems and services, not a governance debate.”

Matthew Kerr, the Montreal Movement candidate for district mayor, said dividing the district is a bad idea.

“This is not the time to leave the Côte-des-Neiges,” Kerr said. “To me, it looks like (Montgomery) is washing its hands in the Côte-des-Neiges. This is not the time to leave them high and dry. I think it’s an excuse. “

Article content

Kerr said there should be a sense of unity within the district, and this proposal would create an east versus west mentality.

“We must treat each other as a whole community,” he said. “We should be building each other up and not trying to separate ourselves.”

Gracia Kasoki Katahwa of Projet Montréal agreed that it is a bad idea and said that it is time for a team to be established to advocate for the needs of citizens rather than their personal interests.

“Ultimately, what is proposed will result in fewer services for the people of the municipality and more administrative costs,” adding that it would mean “creating new municipal offices and less investment in the priorities and projects of the citizens.”

[email protected]

twitter.com/jasonmagder