Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has unveiled a series of new initiatives designed to address coexistence challenges in the Metro system and enhance the overall feeling of safety for commuters. Emphasizing the importance of ensuring Montrealers’ safety regardless of the time of day, Martinez Ferrada highlighted the need to bolster support for vulnerable individuals and equip the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) with enhanced intervention resources, especially with winter approaching.
The announced measures include an augmented presence of special constables, improved social assistance, enhanced surveillance, and increased service frequency. To achieve these goals, the city plans to invest $6.4 million annually to gradually introduce 52 additional special constables by the end of 2027. In the interim, Montreal police will deploy an extra 12 officers to the network starting this fall to facilitate more frequent patrols, quicker response times, and consistent coverage of critical stations.
Furthermore, the STM will allocate $3 million towards upgrading its dispatch center to enhance real-time monitoring capabilities by expanding the number of cameras. This upgrade aims to expedite the detection of offenses and uncivil behavior for more prompt interventions.
The multi-disciplinary outreach squads, known as EMIC, operating in the Metro will see an increase from two to six teams to provide support to highly vulnerable individuals within the network. The city also plans to boost the number of social workers. During the winter season, two teams comprising a supervisor, a social worker, and a vigilance and liaison officer will be on duty seven days a week to assist vulnerable individuals and promote better coexistence within the system.
Moreover, the city intends to raise Metro service frequency by five percent, particularly during evening hours, to reduce wait times and enhance predictability for riders. This service increase represents the largest enhancement for the STM since 2017, although it will take another year to implement.
These measures supplement the extension of a loitering ban enacted in April, granting STM special constables the authority to address individuals using stations for purposes unrelated to transit. Martinez Ferrada underscored that these initiatives align with the city’s comprehensive strategy to support vulnerable populations during the winter, including the establishment of 24/7 warming centers for those in need.