The Main's guide to the 2025 Montreal mayoral race: Candidates, issues, and how to vote

So, here we are once again: Montreal is electing a new mayor. Valérie Plante isn't running again, and whoever will be dealing with a housing crisis, a homelessness emergency, persisting infrastructural quagmires, and ongoing debates about public transportation and bike lanes (as well as a litany of other issues no less important that we don't need to spend a word count on listing).

Five candidates are on the ballot, each with their own vision for what comes next. Here's what they're promising and what's at stake.

The candidates

Luc Rabouin – Projet Montréal

Who he is: Plateau borough mayor since 2019, former chair of the city's executive committee, and the guy who's been managing Montreal's budget for the last few years. Rabouin won the Projet Montréal leadership race in March after Plante stepped aside, making him the party's standard-bearer whether he asked for it or not.