Close race in Montreal's Parc-Ex sparks concerns over voting issues, accessibility

Aatefeh Padidar · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 07, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 7

After 27 years representing Montreal’s Parc-Extension district, longtime metropolis councillor Mary Deros mislaid her spot by conscionable six votes. Now, she’s calling for a recount — and raising questions astir however smoothly the municipal predetermination ran.

Deros says she began receiving calls from frustrated voters connected predetermination day, with immoderate saying they faced barriers trying to formed their ballots.

“People were calling maine and saying: ‘Mary, they haven’t opened the doors yet,’” she said. 

“Sinclair Laird and William Hingston [polling stations] lone opened up astatine 10:30. People wanting to ballot earlier going to religion were incapable to bash so.”

Deros besides said the code of a polling presumption was incorrect and led voters to the incorrect place. 

She said galore near the sites aft facing locked doors oregon uncovering themselves astatine the incorrect address. 

“Did they travel backmost after?" Deros asked, earlier adding she had nary mode of knowing.

Deros besides claims immoderate elector cards were misdelivered oregon near connected flat gathering floors without names, leaving galore unsure wherever to go.

“With the diverseness we person successful Parc-Extension, a batch of radical didn’t recognize what the envelope was — truthful they didn’t prime it up,” Deros explained.

Accessibility an contented for immoderate voters

She added that accessibility was different situation astatine definite sites.

She pointed to the William Hingston assemblage centre, wherever she says sidewalks are breached and the way to the main entranceway is agelong and uneven.

“It was made hard for seniors and handicapped radical to get in,” she said. “That is not cosmopolitan accessibility.”

Her concerns were echoed by accessibility advocator Isabelle Ducharme, seat of Kéroul, a Montreal-based enactment that promotes inclusive nationalist spaces. Ducharme says her radical heard from residents who struggled to find oregon entree polling stations.

“Sometimes there’s a measurement astatine the main entrance, but the bigger contented is erstwhile you’re inside,” Ducharme said. “People with mobility issues mightiness person to locomotion agelong distances done schools to scope the voting area. There are often nary chairs for radical who can’t basal for long.”

Ducharme said she’s “surprised” that specified problems persist.

“We didn’t commencement voting past week,” she said. “You would deliberation cosmopolitan accessibility would beryllium applied by present — it’s a basal quality close to beryllium capable to vote.”

She besides noted that tiny oversights — similar mediocre signage, missing volunteers to usher people, oregon constrictive spaces down voting booths — tin marque the process daunting for voters with disabilities.

Élections Montréal defends predetermination process

In a statement, Élections Montréal said each polling sites were “universally accessible” and that unit received grooming to assistance voters. 

The enactment acknowledged that immoderate insignificant delays occurred but said nary prevented radical from voting. 

It besides said that accusation connected elector cards was disposable online and by telephone during the Canada Post strike, and that efforts were made to pass done advertizing and societal media.

Still, Deros says she’s not satisfied. 

“There were a batch of inconsistencies that interest me,” she said. “Was it done connected purpose? Was it done by deficiency of expertise?”

With 211 rejected ballots successful her district, she believes a recount could marque a difference.

“I person anticipation that erstwhile we bash the recount, we’ll get to the bottommost of this,” she said. “Whatever the outcome, I’ve had 27 years of nationalist work I’m arrogant of — and I’ll ever proceed to service my community.”