MOVEMENT MONTREAL ANNOUNCES ITS POLICE BUDGET REALLOCATION PLAN & NEW CANDIDATE IN THE SOUTH-WEST 

Montreal, Quebec – On Monday, June 14, 2021, Movement Montreal unveiled its candidate for City Council in Le Sud-Ouest, Stephanie Henry King. King is a social activist and political science graduate from Concordia University who was born and raised in Little Burgundy. “I’ve seen, first hand, how gentrification, inadequate housing, and traffic congestion have plagued this borough. We need a change in administration to address these issues and make positive change for the residents of Le Sud-Ouest,” said King.  

King’s passion to improve the borough’s livability was clear in her claims that she “will work alongside community activists and residents to lobby for increased social and affordable housing in the area.” Movement Montreal’s focus on the housing crisis is a “cornerstone of this campaign,” Holness stated. He further clarified that “our full housing policy will be released shortly, and will include changes to Plante’s Mixed Metropolis bylaw which does not go far enough to address affordability and the needs of families.” 

“We are at a breaking point in Montreal. Rent prices are skyrocketing up nearly 4.5% from 2020. There are over 24,000 people on the city’s waitlist for subsidized housing. And more than 28,000 people have left our city in an effort to find more adequate, affordable housing. But, despite all of these issues, the current administration cut investments in social housing to only 2.9% of the total municipal budget. That is less than its investments in snow removal, which are 3.0% of the budget,” said Holness. 

In addressing the housing crisis, Holness pledged to reallocate funding away from the SPVM’s budget and towards the creation of more social and affordable units in Montreal. In this discussion, he also drew attention to the introduction of police-like powers for STM officials on July 1, saying that “Craig Sauvé, the current City Councillor of this borough and the Vice President of the STM, has acted against the interests of Montrealers by endorsing and adopting this policy.” Holness argued that Movement Montreal’s approach will differ from the status quo to “invest in Montrealers, address the root causes of social stratification in Montreal, and get the city back on track, for everyone.” To echo Holness’ claims, King added that Movement Montreal’s “budget reallocation will increase social and community support for those who need it most, including residents of Le Sud-Ouest.”