A new candidate for mayor of Montreal

Published at 9:58 a.m. Updated at 11:59 a.m., Jean Siag

Former Ensemble Montréal executive director Jean-François Kacou is running for mayor of Montreal under the banner of the new Futur Montréal party, which he co-founded with Joël DeBellefeuille this year.

Mr. Kacou, of Ivorian origin, launched his campaign on Wednesday with the slogan "One city. One future." He was in the presence of administrators from his new party and the Futur Montréal candidate in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, Gulnar Mousa.
Futur Montréal co-founder Joël DeBellefeuille called it a "historic day," calling Jean-François Kacou "the first African-Canadian candidate in the history of municipal politics." In fact, Kacou would be the second Black candidate to run for mayor after Balarama Holness, who ran in 2021 under the Mouvement Montréal banner.
“Montreal deserves a new voice. A voice that listens, that acts and that unites,” began by saying Jean-François Kacou, who praised his work as general manager of the city of Percé – from 2019 to 2023.
“In Percé, we reinvented municipal management. We innovated to improve our infrastructure, for example, by working with the ETS [École de technologie supérieure] to develop an asphalt formula mixed with flexible plastic. Or by implementing AI in public works to geolocate potholes. When we listen to people, solutions emerge.”


Mr. Kacou also mentioned his commitment as president of the Montreal Chocolate Show. "A unique cultural and economic initiative that elevates local know-how while positioning Montreal on the international stage. This project was born from a desire to build bridges between artisans, neighborhoods, and cultures through a product that brings people together and comforts."he insisted.
Concretely, the leader of Futur Montréal wants to tackle the housing crisis and infrastructure management.
“We will replace the 20-20-20 regulation [which requires residential developers to include 20% social housing, 20% affordable housing, and 20% family housing] with a levy applied to luxury housing. This measure will directly finance non-profit organizations specializing in the construction of social and affordable housing and non-profit organizations that support tenants.”
Mr. Kacou also indicated that significant work needed to be done to identify unused municipal land and buildings to facilitate the construction or development of social housing.
"We also propose the creation of an investment fund for housing and municipal infrastructure. A powerful tool put in place by the City, the Government of Quebec, and private impact investors through a special law, with the aim of quickly financing affordable housing projects, recovering abandoned or problematic buildings, and strengthening Montreal's economy. We must find other sources of revenue than property taxes.", he said.
The party's full platform will be unveiled gradually over the coming weeks, Kacou said.