Montréal’s participatory budget: review of the third edition (2024-2025)

Last updated April 11, 2025
Reading time: 3 min

The city is investing $45 M in projects that were both proposed and selected by the population. More than 880 ideas were proposed, and more than 28,000 citizens voted to select the winning projects. Discover the 7 winners below.

The participatory budget enables Montrealers to decide how part of the municipal budget is allocated. The population proposes ideas for developments or facilities, then votes to elect which projects are carried out.

Highlights 

Which ideas were eligible? 

Proposals were namely required to meet the following criteria: 

  • Must pertain to at least one of these 3 themes: youth, equity, safety.
  • Must meet a collective interest.
  • Must represent an investment expenditure.
  • Must be achievable by the city, on public or municipal property. 
  • Must result in the completion of a major project (with a value between $500,000 and 
    $10 M) 

Process and transition from ideas to projects 

Winter 2024: collection of ideas 

Montrealers submitted more than 880 ideas. 

April to May 2024: eligibility and sorting of the ideas submitted 

The city sorted and classified the ideas received according to the main eligibility criteria. This stage involved determining the eligibility or potential eligibility of 519 ideas. 

June to August, 2024: development of ideas into projects 

Joint committees made up of civil society stakeholders and city representatives developed the ideas into projects. They first identified 150 ideas to prioritize, then grouped together similar ideas or improved them for feasibility purposes. This stage led to the development of 67 projects. 

September to December, 2024: feasibility and cost analysis 

The city reviewed the technical, regulatory and financial feasibility of the projects, and its capacity to implement them. This stage led to 38 projects being retained. 

February 10 to March 17, 2025: voting 

More than 28,000 residents voted on the selection of projects to prioritize. The 7 projects that received the most votes, within the $45 million budget, were named the winners. 

Spring, 2025: preparation and execution 

The city and the boroughs will begin the process of planning and implementing the projects selected as part of the third edition.

Winning projects 

The 7 winning projects will help meet the needs of youth, create welcoming and practical public areas, transform parks, improve sports and recreation facilities and develop green, nurturing and safe neighborhoods. They are distributed across 35 sites and 18 boroughs. 

1 - Prendre des grandes marches sans soucis au bord de l’eau (Taking long worry-free strolls by the water) 

Install accessible public washrooms open year-round in various parks along the shores of the Saint-Lawrence River, or nearby. In addition to making it more inviting to take walks along the shores, the washrooms would enable senior citizens to take longer walks comfortably. 
 
Numebr of votes: 12,778 

Budget: $9.43 M   

Boroughs:   

  • Lachine 
  • LaSalle 
  • Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve 
  • Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles 
  • Verdun   

2- Des parcs propres et pratiques : des toilettes pour toute la population (Clean and practical parks: washrooms for everyone) 

Provide new or renovated safe and accessible public washrooms in various city parks. This way, families will be able to enjoy green spaces and play areas without needing to return home for pressing needs. 

Number of votes: 12,637 

Budget: $8.25 M   

Boroughs:   

  • Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce 
  • Montréal-Nord 
  • Outremont 
  • Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie 
  • Saint-Laurent  
  • Saint-Léonard  
  • Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension      

3- Ville nourricière (Nurturing city) 

Develop or preserve areas in the city where residents can plant gardens to grow their own fruits, vegetables and edible plants. These facilities could also be used for educational panels and gardening workshops for people to meet and learn about urban agriculture. 

Number of votes: 10,309 

Budget: $4.9 M   

Boroughs:  

  • Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce  
  • Lachine  
  • Montréal-Nord  
  • Saint-Léonard  
  • Ville-Marie  
  • Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension   

4- Les fesses au chaud! Installation de toilettes autonettoyantes et accessibles dans les lieux publics (Warm washrooms! Accessible self-cleaning toilets in public areas) 

Install self-cleaning, clean and safe toilets that are accessible at all times in various public areas. In addition to making our city cleaner, these new toilets also contribute to improving Montrealers’ quality of life in general, and more specifically the quality of life of the city’s most vulnerable population. 

Number of votes: 10,165 

Budget: $7.8 M   

Boroughs:  

  • Ahuntsic–Cartierville   
  • Anjou   
  • Le Plateau-Mont-Royal  
  • Le Sud-Ouest   
  • Pierrefonds–Roxboro   
  • Ville-Marie     

5- Verdir des milieux insolites en ville! (Greening unusual areas in the city!) 

 Add green areas, trees and landscaping elements in areas with a lot of asphalt or concrete surfaces, or in unusual and underused locations. This will create cooling, green islands meant to improve the quality of life of the area’s residents and to enhance plant and wildlife diversity in the city. 

Number of votes:  10,165 

Budget: $5.5 M   

Boroughs:  

  • Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce  
  • Montréal-Nord   
  • Ville-Marie   

6- Des intersections transformées en oasis urbaines (Transforming intersections into urban oases) 

Add landscaping to improve the appearance of certain street segments or intersections. This will foster plant, insect and bird diversity in highly mineralized areas. Residents’ quality of life will also improve through the reduction of heat islands in the city. 

Number of votes: 9,291 

Budget: $4.9 M   

Boroughs:  

  • Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie 
  • Saint-Léonard  

7- Baignade en douceur pour toutes et tous (An enjoyable swim for all) 

Install ramps, lifts or other necessary equipment at various Montréal pools, so that users living with functional limitations can easily access the water, cool down and enjoy the pool safely. 

Number of votes: 9,226 

Budget: $4.2M   

Boroughs:  

  • Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce  
  • LaSalle  
  • Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve   
  • Montréal-Nord   
  • Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie  
  • Saint-Laurent