Politician Laurence Lavigne Lalonde announces no plans for re-election.

Politician Laurence Lavigne Lalonde announces no plans for re-election.

Got the scoop: Mayor Lavigne Lalonde Bids Adieu to Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension

Here's the dirt: The feisty, no-nonsense leader of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension (VSMPE), Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, has thrown in the towel and won't be running for another term in city politics this November.

So what's her deal? In an unsentimental post on her Facebook account, the outgoing official confessed her decision was made with her head held high and the conviction that she accomplished much during her time in office.

As a councillor for the Maisonneuve-Longue-Pointe district for eight years, Lavigne Lalonde made a splash when she stepped up to take on the VSMPE mayoralty in 2021. Last year, she turned heads when her administration began to install bike lanes in two contested sectors of her borough, shrugging off strong citizen opposition with the bold declaration that it's not the task of the City of Montreal to guarantee parking spaces for citizens[1].

To make a move, Lavigne Lalonde would rent a storage unit if she needed more space, she reasoned. The townspeople were anything but thrilled, whooping up about the loss of spaces.

But hey, politics ain't always smooth sailing. In December last year, Lavigne Lalonde threw her hat in the ring, running against Luc Rabouin to succeed Valérie Plante as the leader of Projet Montréal. But alas, it was Rabouin who snagged the gig.

During Plante's first term, Lavigne Lalonde served as head of ecological transition and urban agriculture. She then went on to adopt the Montreal Climate Plan 2020-2030, with the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and turning the city carbon neutral by 2050[1].

The final chapter on Lavigne Lalonde's post-mayoral plans is still to be written. She signed off her Facebook post by expressing her undying love for Montreal, promising to find other ways to contribute to the city's growth in the future.

Stay tuned, folks! In other news, the mayor of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, revealed her intentions to seek re-election in November, with Projet Montréal announcing her as co-president of the party's electoral campaign.

Pierre Lessard-Blais, the mayor of the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, announced that he would step down from municipal politics at the upcoming elections.

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1. In light of Mayor Laurence Lavigne Lalonde's decision not to run for another term in city politics, the upcoming elections might witness a shift in leadership within Projet Montréal, especially with the co-presidency of the party's electoral campaign going to Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
2. As Lavigne Lalonde steps down, a new face emerges as 'A Brand New Projet Montréal' takes shape, with Martinez Ferrada being hailed as the fresh choice for leadership in the political arena.
3. Meanwhile, the city of Montreal is gearing up for a significant environmental change, adopting a "Zero Net Artificialization" plan for land by 2030, which promises a greener future for the city.
4. The political sphere is not the only one experiencing change, as discussions around migration and policy-and-legislation relating to war-and-conflicts continue to heat up in the general news.
5. Amidst all this, we can't forget the critical issues in education, such as the growing calls for Pascale Déry's resignation, making headlines across various platforms.

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