The voters of Montreal North voted for change on Sunday, electing Christine Black as the new mayor.
Black replaces former borough mayor Gilles Déguire, a former cop who suddenly resigned in January after allegations he sexually assaulted a minor between 2013 and 2015.
Black, who ran for Équipe Denis Coderre pour Montréal, captured almost 69 per cent of votes cast (7,577 votes), defeating Kerlande Mibel, the Projet Montréal candidate, who won just over 23 per cent of the votes (2,553 votes).
Among the also-rans were a pair of independent candidates, Jacques Massicotte, who won almost 6 per cent of the votes (614 votes), and Rached Teffaha, who won less than 3 per cent (301 votes).
Mibel, the president of a communications firm who grew up in the borough, said she hoped her message of renewal struck a chord with voters during the municipal byelection.
‘Together, we can build a better Montreal North for everyone,” Mibel said prior to the final vote tally.
“Truly, we can do that. A better future is possible.”
Mibel said poverty, and the social ills that go with it, were the main issues for the borough’s 84,000 residents.
Black, 34, has worked in the borough for the past 14 years with the L’Escale youth centre and has been involved in local community organizations. She campaigned on a platform of economic renewal and efforts to lower the poverty rate.
However, Black declined to participate in a handful of candidates debates during the byelection campaign. She also declined an interview request Sunday, before polls had closed.
Mibel said she was well-received by local residents as she campaigned to fight poverty and end social exclusion in the borough, which is considered the poorest in Canada.
“There is no reason for us to stay the poorest borough in Canada,” Mibel said. “A better tomorrow is possible with vision and leadership.”
Both Mibel and Black spent Sunday making the rounds in the borough, which has seen more than its share of racial tensions and turmoil recently.
A local vigil held April 6 for Fredy Villanueva, the 18-year-old who was shot and killed by police in 2008, and Jean-Pierre Bony, a 46-year-old black man who died after he was shot with a rubber bullet by police on March 31, began peacefully but turned violent as cars were torched and stores vandalized.
Even the local police station was targeted by vandals, although it is generally accepted the vandalism was committed by non-residents.
“Montreal North is not only the story of Fredy Villanueva,” Mibel said.
“The story of Fredy Villanueva is a symptom of something that happened. And, mainly, there is a lot of exclusion and poverty. In order for us to resolve this issue, we need to go to the roots of it.”
Polls were open from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. on Sunday. About 20.5 per cent of nearly 55,000 eligible voters cast ballots. A total of 11,212 votes were cast, with 167 being rejected.
Last week, 1,899 people voted in advance polling, or 3.48 per cent of registered electors in the borough.
In the municipal elections of 2013, the voter participation rate was 38.2 per cent, according to the elections office.
