A Montreal Project ex-associate seeks to be the city's new mayor
In the bustling city of Montreal, Craig Sauvé, an independent city councillor and former Projet Montréal member, has announced his candidacy for mayor under a new political party called Transition Montréal[1][3]. The announcement was made in July 2025, marking the launch of a bold, progressive alternative for the November 2, 2025, municipal election[1][3][4].
Transition Montréal presents itself as a "new progressive and audacious municipal political party"[1], with a focus on policies that prioritise social justice, municipal self-reliance, and governance reforms. The party aims to make a strong impact by presenting star candidates, including potential current elected officials[1].
At the heart of Transition Montréal's platform are progressive taxation policies, such as a new progressive property tax on single-family luxury homes valued at over $3.5 million. The revenue generated would be dedicated to fighting homelessness by funding shelters and frontline organisations working with homeless populations[1][3].
The party also plans to end outsourcing of municipal public works, creating a municipal task force called Infra-MTL to handle projects like sidewalks, speed bumps, curb extensions, paving, and bike lanes internally[1]. Additionally, Transition Montréal is committed to promoting equity, livable neighbourhoods, stronger public services, and a more representative, transparent, and participatory municipal government[3].
Sauvé emphasises that Montreal has enough money, but it is concentrated in too few hands. His party’s approach aims to redistribute resources to address social issues like homelessness while improving how municipal services are delivered[1][3]. Transition Montréal plans to run candidates in all 19 boroughs, making it a comprehensive challenge to the incumbent political forces[3].
Sauvé, who is currently the municipal councillor who has been in office the longest, compared to the other main candidates for the mayoralty[4], is confident in his ability to set up a political movement and recruit talent for Transition Montreal, relying on his experience as the former chief campaign organizer of Projet Montréal[1].
Projet Montreal, Ensemble Montreal, Transition Montreal, Futur Montreal, and Action Montreal are the main parties running for mayor. The race for City Hall is heating up, with Sauvé believing that a third way is more viable than ever, citing the 1994 and 2013 elections as examples where multiple parties made for a competitive race[1].
This election season promises to be an exciting one for Montreal, with Transition Montréal's progressive platform and Sauvé's ambition to offer a bold, progressive alternative to established parties. The city's residents will have a variety of choices when they head to the polls on November 2, 2025.
[1] La Presse, July 2025 [2] Unnamed source [3] Transition Montréal website [4] Élections Québec records
During the election season in Montreal, Craig Sauvé, a long-standing city councillor, is running for mayor under the new political party Transition Montréal. Apart from the usual political parties, this fresh entity presents a progressive and audacious alternative. Transition Montréal's platform focuses on policies addressing social justice, with a proposal for a progressive property tax on luxury homes to combat homelessness, and a commitment to end outsourcing of municipal public works. Simultaneously, the weather forecast for the election day, November 2, 2025, remains undecided, adding an intriguing dimension to the general-news landscape.
