Your Civic Voice in Montreal
Montreal is Quebec's largest city and Canada's second-largest with over 1.8 million residents. Known for its vibrant culture, bilingual character, and unique two-tier municipal government, Montreal offers distinctive civic engagement opportunities.
Montreal City Government at a Glance
- Population: 1,762,949 (2021 Census)
- Mayor: Valérie Plante (elected 2017, re-elected 2021)
- Councillors: 45 city councillors + borough councillors
- Boroughs: 19 arrondissements
- City Hall: 275 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal
- Website: montreal.ca
- Service line: 311
The Two-Tier System
Montreal's government operates on two levels:
- Central City Government: Handles transit policy, policing, major urban planning, economic development, and citywide budget.
- Borough Governments: Handle local parks, local roads, community centres, local zoning, neighbourhood planning, and waste collection scheduling.
This means you have two elected representatives: a city councillor (votes at central council) and a borough councillor (votes at borough council).
Key Montreal Municipal Services
- Transit: STM (Métro, buses) - 6 Metro lines, 200+ bus routes
- Parks: 250+ parks including Mount Royal, Parc La Fontaine
- Libraries: Bézier network - 40+ branches
- Policing: SÚP (Service de police de la Ville de Montréal)
- Fire: Service de feu de Montréal
- Waste: Door-to-door collection by borough
🔑 Quick tip: Montreal's borough system means your local issues (park maintenance, local roads) go to your borough council, while citywide issues (transit, policing) go to central city council. Use montreal.ca to find both your representatives.
Montreal's Major Current Issues
- Housing: Rent control debates, affordable housing crisis, condo conversion concerns
- Transit: Metro modernization, REM integration, bus network optimization
- Language: Bill 96 implementation, bilingual signage debates
- Climate: Montreal's Climate Plan targets 40% emissions reduction by 2030