Months after the City of Montreal provided a historic raise to the Montreal police (SPVM) 2022 budget, some Montrealers are still concerened.

At the most recent city council meeting, a concerned citizen asked the council if it's necessary for police to carry handguns, to which Alain Vaillancourt, the city council member responsible for public security, said it is.

"They are there to provide safety," said Vaillancourt. "The handguns are an integral part of their uniform."

He said police have had training to deescalate situations and that they are there for the right reasons, so they should carry guns.

At this meeting, councillors also discussed issues with funding towards social housing in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood, as a result of the money allocated from the provincial government. The public and councillors also discussed lack of accessibility in neighbourhoods and issues related to the pandemic. 

A concerned citizen brought up to the council that it has come to the attention of the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood that social housing projects on Westbury and Bates have lost their funding and have been put on hold. They said the community is deeply disappointed by this decision made by the city, as the housing crisis in the neighbourhood is worsening and the waiting list for social housing in the borough has nearly doubled in recent years to be over 3,000 families. 

City councillor Benoit Dorais said that the budget has not been cut for this project, assuring that the project will be completed, but with the necessary funds allocated from the Government of Quebec. He said that until now, the provincial government has decided to grant the City of Montreal $30 million. Dorais said the city asks the Government of Quebec, as well as the many mayors throughout Quebec, to reinvest in AccèsLogis, the social housing program in Quebec. Dorais said he and the city recognize that affordable, social and community housing is extremely important in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

Councillors also discussed the pandemic – that there is a new reality of emergency between COVID-19 and other healthcare issues, allocating $10.4 million towards continuing to address the pandemic since May 31, 2022.

The city said they will also commit other measures to help unhoused individuals and elders.