Montrealers demand better accessibility in public transit
Posted June 19, 2025 3:49 pm.
Last Updated June 19, 2025 9:53 pm.
Montrealers came together Thursday at the De L’Église metro station in Verdun, demanding better accessibility in public transit. Community groups and local elected officials from Montreal’s Sud Ouest are calling on both the Quebec and Canadian governments to unlock funding to install elevators at this station.
“People with disabilities, they have the transport adapté. But that transport needs to be scheduled all the time. So we need flexibility like anybody else. Flexibility is available through public transit, elevators in metro stations as well,” said René Dallaire, Member of Regroupement des Aînés et Aînées du Sud-Ouest de Montréal (ROPASOM)
Around 20 organizations—including advocates for seniors, people with reduced mobility, early childhood groups, environment and those fighting against poverty— came together, led by the group Action-Gardien.
“The CAQ government doesn’t seem to go so much in Montreal or care about what’s happening in Montreal. So if we make something that’s more visible, maybe they’ll listen to us, and maybe they’ll reopen the program to make every metro station accessible,” said Simon Paquette, a community organizer with Action-Gardien.
After a series of speeches, demonstrators formed a human chain around the station, sending a strong message to both levels of government: accessibility is a basic right, and it’s time to invest.
“In this day and age, how can we possibly ignore the people that are not physically able to just get up and go? That’s just not fair. You know, they’re, they’re full, they need to be full citizens and they can’t be full citizens if they don’t have access to what everybody else has access to,” said Shaen Fenwick Johnston, a member of Imagine Lachine-Est.
About 30 out of 68 metro stations are accessible — and none of them are in Verdun. Advocates are speaking out, pointing out that the station connects both the Orange and Green lines and is located near Verdun Hospital — key reasons why they say better accessibility is essential.
The STM’s plan to boost that number to 41 by 2030 might become even more difficult following a $258 million funding cut in the March 2025 provincial budget.
“People with disabilities have been asking for metros… You know, accessible metro. But now here it’s a community of people that are calling for it. And I think it’s very, very important. It’s a shift,” said Dallaire.
