MONTREAL — Polls have closed in most of Quebec’s roughly 1,100 municipalities after voters turned out Sunday to elect their local leaders.
In Montreal, voters are choosing a new mayor to replace Valérie Plante, who announced last year she would not seek a third term. Plante first led her party, the left-leaning Projet Montréal, to form government in 2017.
After eight years of Projet Montréal, Montrealers may be looking for a change. Polls have given an edge to Soraya Martinez Ferrada, a former federal Liberal minister and the leader of the city’s main opposition party, the centrist Ensemble Montréal. Plante’s successor at the helm of Projet Montréal is Luc Rabouin, mayor of one of Montreal’s 19 boroughs.
Homelessness and housing affordability have emerged as major themes during the campaign. Martinez Ferrada has given herself four years to end the homeless encampments that have cropped up across the island. Rabouin has said he would aim to end homelessness by 2030.
Positioning herself as the candidate for change, Martinez Ferrada has also taken aim at the new bike lanes that are a key feature of Plante’s legacy — and that have sparked backlash from some drivers. She has promised to launch an assessment of the city’s bike paths in her first 100 days in office, and has suggested that some may be removed. Rabouin is a fierce defender of the bike lanes.
Still, many Montrealers appear to have paid little attention to a somewhat lacklustre campaign. A poll conducted last weekend showed nearly a third of voters still said they were undecided.
Voter turnout in the hours before polls closed also suggests many Montrealers felt uninspired. As of 4 p.m., Élections Montréal estimated turnout in the city at 27 per cent. Montreal saw a voter turnout of 38 per cent in 2021 — down from 42 per cent in 2017.
In Quebec City, incumbent mayor Bruno Marchand is seeking re-election after first taking office in 2021. He is facing several challengers, including former provincial Liberal minister Sam Hamad and entrepreneur Stéphane Lachance.
Just over half of municipal candidates in Quebec ran unopposed this year. More than 4,500 candidates, including 564 mayors, have already been elected via acclamation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2025.
Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
