Facing an urgent need to protect vulnerable residents from deadly winter conditions, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada has invoked exceptional mayoral powers to ensure emergency shelters remain operational. The decisive action came after the city rapidly exhausted a pre-approved security contract due to an accelerated push to open warming centres.
Contract Exhausted Amid Early Cold Snap
In response to an early and severe cold snap, Mayor Martinez Ferrada announced emergency measures for the unhoused on December 1, 2025. The city's aggressive plan aimed to create 500 new warming centre spaces by year's end. This included opening a major 135-space shelter in the downtown YMCA and later adding 50 more spaces in the former Hôtel-Dieu Hospital.
The swift expansion, however, consumed the budget of an existing security contract much faster than anticipated. The city had a standing agreement with SECO security firm, valued at $156,000 for services from November to April, based on historical needs. The scale of the new YMCA shelter alone led to the contract being depleted by late December.
Exceptional Powers Invoked to Prevent Closure
With the budget exhausted and services at risk just before the holidays, Mayor Martinez Ferrada took extraordinary steps. On December 22, she approved a new contract with SECO for up to $815,000 to secure the two new shelters through April.
To bypass normal procurement delays, she invoked a special clause in the Montreal city charter. This provincial law grants the mayor authority to award contracts directly when an "irresistible force" threatens resident safety. A city report justified the move, stating the urgent need "to avoid a service disruption and ensure the safety of people experiencing homelessness."
"There was no question of closing doors and leaving people out in the cold because of administrative delays," a spokesperson for the mayor's office stated emphatically.
A Lifeline During Extreme Weather
The city's executive committee reviewed the decision at a meeting on Wednesday, January 6, 2026. Committee chair Claude Pinard highlighted the critical role of the new spaces, which have allowed outreach workers to connect with individuals who would otherwise be in unsafe encampments.
Pinard noted the city has recently endured heavy snow, freezing rain, and temperatures plunging near -30°C. "Yes, in some cases it's beds, in other cases it's chairs," Pinard said. "But at least no one is lost in the bitter cold, in situations that would otherwise be tragic."
The action underscores the mounting pressure on Canadian cities to address homelessness, particularly during the dangerous winter months, and demonstrates the use of municipal powers to enact swift, life-saving measures.
