SAINT LEONARD — This borough of Montreal was particularly hard hit by flooding July 13 after severe thunderstorms dumped a month’s worth of rain on the area in a few hours. Montreal’s drainage system failed, leaving water to back up into many homes. Tens of thousands lost electricity across Quebec.
Well over 100 residents packed the borough city council meeting here Aug. 4 to demand the government take action to aid their recovery and prevent future disasters. Communist League candidates Philippe Tessier, running for mayor of Saint Leonard, and myself, the CL candidate for mayor of Montreal, joined them.
Supporters of the Communist League campaign greeted meeting participants as they arrived with a display of literature about the candidates and books on a road forward for the working class today. Several stopped to explain that this was not the first time they had been flooded, angry that “nothing has been done by the government for years to solve the problem.” Twenty-one signed to put Tessier on the ballot. A dozen also signed for LeRougetel.
Many who had been flooded a number of times said they’re unsure if they will be able to renew their insurance. “I used to pay $1,800, now it’s $6,000,” Cathy Triassi told LeRougetel. “And the insurance companies are saying it’s not their responsibility, we should sue the city.”
“Dirty water was all over, in the garage, in my playroom, despite two pumps I installed after the 2018 flood,” retired nurse Antonietta Fraga told LeRougetel. “What the city tells you to do, it doesn’t work.”
She slipped on the wet surfaces, damaging both her feet and hip. Three weeks later, Fraga is still unable to put on her own socks. “Something’s got to be done,” she said, signing up to get the Militant.
Tessier participated in the lively, wide-ranging, animated discussion period about what can be done to fix the situation residents face. “Blaming climate change for the crisis is just an excuse,” Tessier told the meeting. “We need to fight for a government-funded program to build the infrastructure we need to prevent this kind of damage.”
“This is a green scam,” said Tony Scirallo. “The city has water pumping stations, but decommissioned them. You’re worried about unfiltered water going into the river? So now there’s toilet water going into people’s homes.”
Real estate agent Mario Conti said people in his profession call some of these areas “Swampland.” He pointed to one where a collector basin was built. It has not been flooded since.
“I’m an engineer,” said another meeting participant. “This problem is solvable.”
City Councillor Dominic Perri repeatedly insisted funds have been set aside to deal with the flooding by Montreal, not the borough, to be used in five years. This was greeted with boos and demands to declare a state of emergency now.
In discussions with participants Tessier said, “It’s so obvious solutions exist, and people are eager to act! The Communist League campaign is about building a party that can lead working people to power so we can begin building a world where human needs come first.”
One young man looking at the campaign display was attracted to the Communist League perspective. He pointed at one book, Are They Rich Because They’re Smart? Class, Privilege, and Learning Under Capitalism by Jack Barnes, national secretary of the Socialist Workers Party, the CL’s sister party in the U.S. “No, they’re rich because they exploit us,” he said. He asked to get involved in the Communist League campaign.
For more information, contact the Communist League in Montreal. See directory.