Montreal mayor freezes municipal hiring and appointments
Posted November 21, 2025 11:32 am.
Last Updated November 22, 2025 11:01 am.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada announced on Friday that there will be a freeze on external hiring of professional employees, making good on one of her campaign promises.
In a press release, the City announced that there will also be a freeze on appointments to management positions in the city hall.
However, the freeze won’t impact borough-level recruitment nor will it affect hiring of police, firefighters and other blue-collar workers.
“The City’s workforce has grown considerably in recent years, while services to the public have slowed down,” Martinez Ferrada said. “Considering the immense challenges facing the city, it is essential that it set an example in the management of its finances and structure.”
The announcement comes following Thursday’s first meeting of the executive committee which she unveiled earlier this week.
Claude Pinard, president of the executive committee, said the decision was an effort to manage the city’s finances in a “responsible, efficient and rigorous manner.”
“These measures will allow us to maintain the flexibility to deliver concrete results and respond to the priorities of the population, while giving us time to confirm the workforce optimization plan,” Pinard explained.
During the campaign Martinez Ferrada also promised to reduce the number of city hall personnel by 1,000 by the end of her term.
