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plante breaks silence on flooding: 'we didn't wait until today to take action'
"if there are montrealers who wanted me to be there, i'm sorry, but it doesn't at all show a disinterest, because actions speak for themselves."
aug 13 2024
2 minute read
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four days after historic rains battered montreal , leaving hundreds to deal with flooding in their homes , the city’s mayor broke her silence.
valérie plante spoke to reporters tuesday in her first public remarks since friday’s storm. the effects of the rain were still being felt in the city’s highway network, as highway 13 remained closed in dorval.
plante defended a lack of public statements on her part, aside from a post on twitter telling montrealers to call 311 if they experienced flooding.
“ultimately, what i want to say to montrealers is that i understand their anxiety, because it’s a personal drama that people lived,” plante told reporters after a news conference in ahuntsic. “also, we didn’t wait until today to take action, and we will continue to adapt the territory with different initiatives.”
plante said she is committed to improving the city’s sewer and road infrastructure, and to building sponge parks, sponge sidewalks and other projects to prevent the storm sewer system from overflowing.
“if there are montrealers who wanted me to be there, i’m sorry, but it doesn’t at all show a disinterest, because actions speak for themselves,” plante added. “we’re repairing roads to improve the network. we’re also planting trees, protecting the parks, and we’re trying to protect an island that is more and more attacked by climate change, so that is where my heart is.”
plus de 158 mm de pluie sont tombés sur la région de montréal hier : c’est du jamais vu! un triste record qui met à rude épreuve notre réseau d’égout et celui de nombreuses autres municipalités au québec.
— valérie plante (@val_plante) august 10, 2024
plusieurs refoulements ont été signalés et de nombreuses voitures…
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however, alan desousa, the borough mayor of st-laurent and a member of the ensemble montréal opposition party, said plante should have been on the ground to show solidarity with those who were affected by the natural disaster.
“it’s easier to come out when the sun is shining than when the rain is pouring down,” he said. “i would have liked to see the mayor and her team on the ground, but it appears projet montréal decided to take the weekend off.”
desousa’s borough was one of the hardest hit by the storm. he said 176 millimetres of rain fell in st-laurent.
desousa said he spent the weekend visiting affected residents of the borough, some of whom saw up to five feet of water accumulate in their basements.
“at no point did we see any signs of the projet montréal administration. they were missing in action, including the mayor,” he said.
desousa compared the incident to flash flooding in 1987 , when then-mayor jean doré was out of the city and refused to return to montreal, saying he wouldn’t be able to empty the flooded décarie expressway with a bucket . doré was criticized for that decision, although he was ultimately re-elected.
“i would have expected when there is a crisis like that, that there would be constant communication,” desousa added. “it speaks for itself that if the mayor waited for the fifth day, then she’s missing in action. montrealers feel deserted, and they have every right to feel deserted. at a time like this, we need leadership, and that leadership is sorely lacking.”
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desousa also criticized the focus on sponge parks and sponge sidewalks, calling them band-aid solutions, when the city should be building more water retention basins.
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