By Joseph Marshall
Montrealers went to the polls and when the ballots were counted, little had changed across the island. The faces are mostly familiar, the politics mostly predictable, and the promises once again sounded like those of campaigns past. The biggest headline belongs to former Liberal cabinet minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who will now trade Ottawa for City Hall after defeating Projet Montréal’s Luc Rabouin to become mayor of Montreal.
Martinez Ferrada’s win gives Ensemble Montréal control of city government and marks a return to power for the establishment political forces that Valérie Plante’s movement had briefly disrupted. Her campaign leaned heavily on competence and fatigue with ideological city planning. But it was not without turbulence. As a federal minister, she faced criticism for having illegally demanded a thousand dollar tenant deposit, an act prohibited under Quebec housing law. She called it an oversight, repaid the tenant, and moved on. The episode, along with questions about her short time between leaving cabinet and launching a municipal campaign, raised doubts about her political judgment, but voters appeared ready to overlook them.
In Côte Saint Luc, the battle between Mayor Mitchell Brownstein and challenger David Tordjman came down to a fifty vote margin. Brownstein captured 4,233 votes to Tordjman’s 4,183, narrowly holding on to the job he has occupied since 2016. It was as close as it gets, a reflection of a divided but steady electorate that chose continuity over change.
Veteran councillor Dida Berku, who announced her retirement earlier this year, saw her preferred successor, former federal Liberal intern, Jamie Fabian, take her seat, extending her influence even in absence. Berku’s four decades in city politics shaped Côte Saint Luc’s governance, zoning, urban planning, and the ongoing debates about development. Fabian’s victory ensures that legacy will continue in the next council.
Next door in Hampstead, Mayor Jeremy Levi held off councillor Jack Edery and former mayor William Steinberg in a close three-way race. The contest was decided by only a few dozen votes and reflected an electorate hesitant to change course. The campaign was marked by personal rivalries, questions of leadership style, and familiar municipal concerns over infrastructure and community priorities. When the results were posted, Levi’s narrow win meant another mandate for stability.
For Montreal’s Jewish community, the night carried particular weight. Both Hampstead and Côte Saint Luc remain among the most visibly Jewish municipalities in Canada, and both reelected mayors who have been outspoken on Jewish issues, community safety, and the fight against antisemitism. Brownstein’s slim win secures a continuation of his advocacy for Holocaust education and public menorah displays, while Levi’s victory preserves a council that openly reflects Jewish communal life. In a climate where Jewish representation in politics is often challenged, voters in these towns affirmed leaders who share their identity and values.
Taken together, the results across Montreal tell a story of caution rather than transformation. Ensemble Montréal’s return under a former federal Liberal marks another round in the rotation between Ottawa and City Hall. Côte Saint Luc and Hampstead reaffirmed incumbents by margins that could have changed with a handful of ballots. Dida Berku’s retirement ends an era, but Jamie Fabian’s election keeps her imprint visible on the council table.
Montreal’s political map this morning looks almost identical to the one it replaced, a portrait of a city content to stay the course.
