The two main candidates for mayor of Montreal crossed swords Thursday as they participated in a debate organized by Tourisme Montreal. The outgoing mayor Valerie Plante accused his opponent Denis Coderre of leading a negative campaign about Montreal. Denis Coderre, for his part, questioned the ability of the administration of Projet Montréal to manage the city’s finances.
The debate moderated by Paul Arseneault, professor of marketing at UQAM, took place in a courteous manner, even if on certain occasions, the exchanges were more lively.
“I don’t have a defeatist view. Of course there is always room for improvement, but you will never hear me say that Montreal is dirty, that Montreal is dangerous or that Montreal is bankrupt, ”said Valérie Plante to her rival who , the day before, had maintained that the city was dirty. “For me, it’s really shaming what everyone is doing in their different sectors to push Montreal and put it forward. “
“We must not put our heads in the sand,” replied Denis Coderre. “When you admit a problem, you are in a position to deal with it. “
Later, Valérie Plante criticized her opponent for lying about the city’s financial situation. In a recent interview with Radio-Canada, Denis Coderre said Montreal was on the verge of being downgraded by rating agencies.
This comment displeased Denis Coderre who asked the outgoing mayor to show “dignity”. “You have to start by understanding what public finance management is. “
He explained that some rating agencies limited the rate ofindebtedness at 120% and that the City had reached this limit under the Plante administration. “That means that with the debt of the agglomeration, the STM and the City, we have reached $ 18.4 billion. […] The only reason we were in good financial health is because we had subsidies from the Quebec government, ”he said, arguing that the city’s finances should be taken back in hand.
Heated terraces
The two candidates, however, agreed that relaunching the city center was essential. And both are in favor of heated terraces to extend the restaurant season. “I have always been impressed by the heated terraces in Stockholm. It is a good thing to assume that the city is northern, ”commented Mr. Coderre. For her part, Valérie Plante indicated that a pilot project for heated terraces was planned this winter in the Ville-Marie borough.
The issue of Airbnbs was also raised. Denis Coderre believes that more inspectors are needed in the field to enforce the control rules. Valérie Plante also considers that an increased number of inspectors would be desirable. She also suggested that fines be increased for offenders.
The two candidates will participate in another debate on September 29 at the invitation of the Council of International Relations of Montreal (CORIM).
Watch video
Reference-feedproxy.google.com