Montreal City's Official Opposition Worried About Systemic Racism and Housing Crisis

During the latest municipal council of the city of Montreal, the Official Opposition questioned the Plante Administration on its way of addressing current socio-economic issues in Montreal.

Many members of the Official Opposition brought up the Plante Administration's inactivity in handling systemic racism and discrimination around the city.

Aref Salem, the leader of the Official Opposition and city councillor of Saint-Laurent, insisted that the administration must do something about racial discrimination in Montreal as there are more and more cases of Montrealers being subjected to verbal and physical abuse and harassment on a racial basis. He demanded that an independent inquiry be conducted on the matter, as the ones made by the Plante Administration are met with a lack of satisfaction by Montrealers who have been racially harassed and discriminated against, both physically and verbally.

Mayor Valerie Plante answered Salem by stating that the Plante Administration had met with the Office de Consultation Publique de Montréal to discuss the issue or systemic racism, and the next steps to take to deal with the issue. Plante insisted that the city was already doing a lot of work to fight against systemic racism. She mentioned that the administration had taken initiatives towards education, professional trainings and hiring and the complaint process for people to feel safe in Montreal.

Plante's Administration was also questioned on illegal Airbnb listings in Montreal, especially following a fire in an illegal short-term rental in Old Montreal, Saturday, March 18, 2023. There are over 14,000 Montreal listings on the application, and over 95% of them are illegal. With the ongoing housing crisis, the Official Opposition demanded that the Plante Administration puts into place regulations to protect the housing stock, as those illegal Airbnb rentals, could be used for legal housing units.

The Plante Administration answered that the city of Montreal is taking the necessary steps to tackle the issue. The different boroughs in Montreal modified their regulations to make it more definite where Airbnbs can be legal, and where they cannot. Many Airbnbs are currently having their operations being stopped, and the Plante Administration appointed someone to the issue so that actions can be taken more efficiently.