Public transit, spending, transparency, pit bulls and all those orange cones and street trenches were on the agenda for Monday night's English-language mayoralty debate at Concordia University's Oscar Peterson concert hall.
The debate, organized by CJAD 800, CTV Montreal and the Montreal Gazette and moderated by CJAD 800's Leslie Roberts, saw Denis Coderre and Valerie Plante present starkly different accounts of Montreal's issues, and how to solve them.
Coderre began the evening by telling the audience that decades of neglect of the city's infrastructure led to the current roadwork mess — "short term pain for long-term gain," he called it. Plante countered that while Montrealers are willing to make sacrifices, she added that the Coderre administration could have planned the work better to make it easier on Montrealers — particularly business owners on streets where the work is taking place.
"Look at Bishop... or Gouin... Shops are closing. The co-ordination is not there," said Plante. "We will put an intervention unit to put quick changes on construction sites. And also a 'quality squad', because right now people are tired to see a hole in the street and a year after we have to do it again."
Coderre countered that the work on St. Denis St. was completed a month ahead of schedule.
Plante promised tax breaks for affected merchants, while Coderre suggested he had to spend years lobbying the province for the much-touted metropolis status for that money to become available.
On transit, Valerie Plante once again used the opportunity to tout the merits of her pink metro line idea — which would run from Lachine to Montreal North by 2028. Plante suggested her vision would eventually move more people than the upcoming light-rail project being built by the Caisse de Depot, which is expected to begin running by 2020. Plante said the new pink line would carry 250,000 people per day, while the light-rail network would carry about 175,000.
Coderre, meanwhile, insisted there are transit improvements coming down the pipe — including the light-rail network.
"You'll have an extra 60 km that you'll have integrated into the actual metro system. Secondly we have the SRB [Dedicated bus line on Pie IX] which will have an impact from Montreal North where it will carry 40,000 people," Coderre said.
He added the long talked-about extension of the Blue line to Anjou would become a reality within a few years.
Both candidates disagreed vehemently on a number of other issues — including the Coderre administration's anti-pit bull legislation, the administration's spending on the 375th anniversary celebrations, and funding for a baseball stadium.
On Bill 62, the province's law dealing with face coverings, he once again accused Plante of flip-flopping on the issue.
“Why did you change your mind? I’m happy you changed your mind, but I want to know what happened,”asked Coderre.
Plante then accused Coderre of playing politics with the issue.
“I’ve got no lessons to hear from you," Plante retorted. "I’ve been working 12 years on the ground with marginalized women.”
The debate will be replayed on Saturday, Oct. 28, at noon on CJAD 800.
WHERE THEY STOOD ON THE ISSUES
Roadwork and Construction
Coderre: says improvements have been carried out over the last four years; says investments are painful, but necessary. Insists merchants on Bishop St., for instance, suffering from the effects of long-term roadwork will get compensation.
Plante: says Montrealers are prepared to make sacrifices, but wants to coordinate things better. She wants to introduce an intervention unit to that effect, and what she calls a 'quality squad' to ensure the work is done properly. Agrees that businesses need to be compensated.
Public Transit
Coderre: Pink line is unrealistic ("magical thinking"); blue line extension will happen; new light-rail network will supplement metro network within a few years.
Plante: New pink line from Montreal North and Lachine would help bring neighborhoods along its route to life, ease congestion in east-end Montreal. Pink line has not been improvised, but has been studied by experts and properly costed. Money can be found in Quebec and Ottawa infrastructure funds.
Pit Bulls
Coderre: with pit bull ban, for instance, it's about combining public safety with respect for dog owners (owners of pit bulls already in Montreal can still keep them).
Plante: breed-specific bans don't work, and they create a false sense of security. Responsibility should be placed on dog owners. Wants an "aminal friendly city".
Taxes/Spending
Coderre: Won't abolish welcome tax; will raise taxes according to the rate of inflation.
Plante: Montreal businesses should have a tax break; won't have three separate drivers.
Renaming Streets and Landmarks
Coderre: Renaming of Amherst St. was done after consultation with Indigenous peoples; defended renaming of street named after Nazi sympathizer Alexis Carrel. Supports notion of consulting public and considering both sides of a person's legacy before moving ahead with changing place names.
Plante: Agrees with Amherst St. renaming, but adds we would need consultations with citizens to avoid another Park Ave. situation from 2006-07. Open to discussing the idea of renaming Lionel-Groulx metro station, but reiterates discussion and consideration for history is needed.
Place of English in Montreal
Coderre: says Montreal is a French metropolis, but we need to respect that there are significant anglo minorities. Public safety is a significant consideration. He says he'd support safety messages in French and English, but suggests it's up to the STM and its board of directors to make changes.
Plante: It's important for citizens to get services in their own language; blames centralization, in part, for relative lack of resources in English. Emergency services in metro should be in both languages.
375th Events
Coderre: says the celebrations were absolutely worth it. People loved it; many legacy projects left behind. Wouldn't give a clear answer on how many tickets were sold for Formula E, insisting event was a success and made money.
Plante: says there was too much wasteful spending, with very little bang for our (many) bucks. Lack of transparency on Coderre administration's part. Ripped Coderre on Formula E race and his refusal to answer the question on how many tickets were sold for the event. Insists Montrealers have a right to know.
Baseball
Coderre: Loves baseball; suggests Montreal is at the mercy of the whims of Major League Baseball to a certain extent. Says there will be no blank cheques.
Plante: Says she supports baseball, but won't spend Montrealers' money without asking them. Supports the idea of a referendum. There are other, more pressing needs to take care of. Would rather please Montrealers than Major League Baseball.
Bill 62
Coderre: doesn't support it and hasn't from the beginning. Doesn't believe it will survive a court challenge.
Plante: "definitely against" this "ill-conceived" law. Suggests Coderre shouldn't play politics with the issue.
Housing
Coderre: Says new metropolis status will give city more options to act on housing. Says having cranes in downtown Montreal and elsewhere is a good thing.
Plante: Affordable housing important; says no social housing was built in downtown Montreal during Coderre's term. says Coderre shouldn't use metropolis status as an excuse. Would adopt a sort of "foreign tax" to halt the kind of speculative bubbles seen in Toronto and Vancouver.
BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel)
Coderre: against it; Israel, he says, is a legitimate, democratic country.
Plante: "a trip to Israel would also mean a trip to the other side"; says it's important to understand the international context that makes the situation what it is. Said she was against BDS.
PHOTOS: John Mahoney (Montreal Gazette)