Valerie Plante scored a stunning upset in Montreal’s mayoral election on Sunday, defeating incumbent Denis Coderre to become the first woman to win the post.

Coderre said just after 10:30 p.m. that he’d called Plante to congratulate her. He later announced he was leaving municipal politics.

In her victory speech, Plante reiterated her campaign promises, which include improving public transit and lessening road congestion, as well as adding green spaces and social housing.

“During the course of this campaign, I had one goal in mind: I wanted to put Montrealers first and I’m not going to change that,” she told a roomful of cheering supporters at a downtown theatre.

“I’m going to put Montrealers first, I’m going to get Montreal moving again, I’m going to build safer roads for pedestrians, seniors and cyclists.”

Plante, 43, was leading with over 51 per cent of the vote with almost all polls reporting, compared to just under 46 per cent for Coderre.

She entered municipal politics in 2013 when she won a council seat in a contest that pitted her against former provincial cabinet minister Louise Harel.

In 2016, she was elected leader of the left-leaning party Projet Montreal.

Plante began the mayoral race as a relative unknown but opinion polls showed her steadily gaining on Coderre as the campaign continued.

The mother of two, who cycles or takes public transit to work, sought throughout the campaign to present herself as less flamboyant and more in touch with Montrealers than her opponent.

Her signature campaign promise was a new 29-stop subway line that would link the city’s densely populated northeast to downtown.

During her victory speech, she appealed to the provincial and federal governments to partner with her on her two biggest campaign promises: the subway line and increasing social housing in the city.

“In Quebec and Ottawa, I invite you to act on the strong message that Montrealers are sending you,” she said.

“I know we can’t do it tomorrow, but we can start working together, immediately, for those who need it most.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saluted Plante’s historic victory in a tweet late Sunday night.

“Congratulations @Val—Plante, first-ever woman elected mayor of Montreal! I’m looking forward to working together on our shared priorities,” he wrote.

The outgoing Coderre, a former Liberal MP and cabinet minister who was elected mayor in 2013, had campaigned largely on his record.

He had highlighted his ambitious infrastructure renewal plan, naming an inspector general to oversee the awarding of city contracts, and negotiating increased powers for the city from the province.

But while Montreal’s economy has boomed during his mandate, Coderre was often branded by opponents as an arrogant leader who makes hasty decisions with little consultation.

He was criticized for spending millions on showy projects to celebrate the city’s 375th birthday, and drew the ire of dog lovers when he introduced legislation last year to ban pit bulls from the city.

In his concession speech, Coderre announced he would be leaving municipal politics but said he remained proud of what he’d accomplished.

“I’m leaving with my head high,” he said. “Montreal is an exceptional city, Montreal is a metropolis that is the envy of the world.”

Incumbents fared better elsewhere in the province, including in Quebec City where Mayor Regis Labeaume easily won a fourth term.

Marc Demers was re-elected in Laval, as was Yves Levesque in Trois-Rivieres and Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin in Gatineau.

There was a surprise in Sherbrooke, however, where incumbent Bernard Sevigny lost the mayoral race to independent candidate Steve Lussier.

Some 858 municipal elections were held across the province, with over 8,000 mayor or councillor jobs up for grabs.

Of those, about half were already filled by election day by candidates who ran unopposed.

Citing the extreme cold, the Department of Canadian Heritage has cancelled New Year’s Eve performances by musical acts and DJs.

Skating and pyrotechnics will proceed on Parliament Hill as planned.

The department said in a statement Friday that it was cancelling some outdoor events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday given Environment Canada’s extreme cold warning and “public health and safety concerns.”

Acts including DJ Shub and Kardinal Offishall had been scheduled to perform at the Canada 150 Closing Party from 9 p.m. to midnight Sunday.

Events now include:

• Nimidiwin, 4-5:30 p.m. at the Canadian Museum of History
• Public skating on the Canada 150 Rink with hours extended until midnight Dec. 31 (ice time must be reserved online)
• Christmas Lights Across Canada
• Pyrotechnics and a laser show at midnight

Extreme cold had already moved the Bell Capital Cup from the Canada 150 Rink to indoor venues while most Ottawa 2017 celebrations have moved inside Ottawa City Hall.

“We invite all Canadians and visitors to consider the extreme weather conditions and to dress warmly and prepare accordingly to prevent frostbite and other injuries,” Canadian Heritage said in the statement.

TORONTO — The Canadian dollar strengthened to a two-month high against its U.S. counterpart on Friday, as the greenback broadly fell and oil prices rose, with the loonie on track to post its biggest yearly advance since 2009.

The loonie has climbed 7.2 per cent in 2017, its second straight year of gains as Canada’s economy recovered following a plunge in the price of oil, one of the country’s major exports.

U.S. oil prices have rebounded to reach their highest since mid-2015 as an unexpected fall in American output and a fall in commercial crude inventories stoked buying. U.S. crude prices were up 0.48 per cent at $60.13 a barrel. The U.S. dollar slipped to its lowest in more than three months against a basket of major currencies as the euro and sterling climbed.

At midday, the Canadian dollar was trading at 79.83 U.S. cents, up 0.28 US cents. On Thursday the currency broke out from a roughly 79.3 to 77.5 US cents range it has been trading at over the past two months. On Friday, it touched its strongest since Oct. 20 at 79.8 US cents.

Data before the Christmas break, which showed an acceleration in inflation and strength in wholesale trade and retail sales, has helped underpin the loonie by increasing prospects for further interest rate hikes from the Bank of Canada. 

Money markets expect Canada’s central bank to raise rates three times in 2018, which is more than is expected from the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Bank of Canada raised interest rates in July, and then again in September, for the first time in seven years. Its benchmark interest rate sits at 1 per cent.

Canadian government bond prices were mixed across the yield curve, with the two-year up 2 Canadian cents to yield 1.685 per cent and the 10-year falling 4 Canadian cents to yield 2.036 per cent.

CALGARY — The Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association is criticizing what it calls the de facto expulsion of a University of Calgary student convicted of a sexual offence.

Connor Neurauter pleaded guilty to sexual interference with a minor in Kamloops, B.C., in November and was sentenced earlier this month to 90 days in jail.

The case stoked outrage because the judge allowed him to delay all but one day of his sentence to May 4 – once Neurauter had completed his semester at the university.

The university has said it does not have the grounds to outright expel Neurauter, but that he has been advised not to return this semester and would be escorted away if he tried.

The lawyers’ group calls the university’s move an act of cowardice and denial of fundamental due process.

It says it does not defend Neurauter’s criminal acts, but questioned whether he should be branded an offender forever or given the opportunity to reintegrate into society.

“Allowing Mr. Neurauter to continue his education does not hurt society – it helps it,” Daniel Chivers, president of the Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association, said in an open letter to the University of Calgary’s board of governors.

“Of all places, an institution of higher learning should understand the redemptive power of education.”

Ontario’s public broadcaster says the host of its flagship current affairs program will remain on the air while being investigated for alleged sexual harassment.

TVO said Monday that Steve Paikin is alleged to have made inappropriate comments to a woman during a lunch in 2010.

The broadcaster said it became aware of the allegation on Saturday, when Paikin notified TVO of an email he received from the woman.

TVO’s chief executive officer said in a statement that an independent third party will investigate, during which time Paikin will continue to host “The Agenda with Steve Paikin.”

“TVO does not tolerate sexual harassment. We believe it is important that allegations be fully heard and investigated,” Lisa de Wilde said in the statement, also posted on TVO’s website.

“However, based on the evidence to date, TVO sees no reason to remove Mr. Paikin from his role as host for ’The Agenda’ pending the outcome of the investigation. During the investigation, stories related to this subject matter will be handled by other TVO journalists.”

The move comes amid a social justice movement under the #metoo and Time’s Up banners that have undone the careers of several personalities named in sexual harassment and misconduct allegations.

CTV News reporter Paul Bliss was suspended hours after a woman made a sexual misconduct allegation against him, while politician Patrick Brown resigned as leader of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party after two women accused him of sexual misconduct.

Paikin could not immediately be reached for comment. The allegations have not been verified by The Canadian Press.

The former CBC-TV correspondent is TVO’s best known personality, and has become a fixture of provincial and federal political coverage since joining the network in 1992.

His show “The Agenda” airs weeknights on TVO, a channel primarily funded by the province of Ontario and a registered charity supported by sponsors and thousands of donors.

Its programming is a mix of current affairs shows, documentaries, educational fare and kids series.

An annual list of the province’s highest public sector earners shows Paikin made $302,622.30 in 2016.

Paikin also serves as chancellor of Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., and holds honorary doctorates from Victoria University, Laurentian University and Humber College.

He was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2013.

OTTAWA — Colten Boushie’s family is in Ottawa to meet with federal ministers following the seismic acquittal last week of the Saskatchewan farmer who fatally shot him.

A jury found Gerald Stanley, 56, not guilty of second-degree murder Friday in the 2016 killing of Boushie, a 22-year-old member of the Red Pheasant First Nation.

Boushie’s relatives met Monday with Indigenous Relations Minister Jane Philpott and Indigenous Services Minister Carolyn Bennett, and are expected to sit down Tuesday with Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Canada “can and must do better,” Wilson-Raybould, the country’s first Indigenous justice minister, tweeted Saturday in response to the verdict.

Sen. Murray Sinclair posted a poem online saying he grieves for First Nations youth “who now see no hope,” and says Indigenous Canadians like himself have been grieving for so long it has become part of their DNA.

“I grieve for a family that has not yet seen justice from the moment a handgunned farmer (why does a farmer need such a gun?) pulled the trigger and killed their son,” Sinclair wrote.

Kevin Seesequasis, a Cree Nation councillor in Saskatchewan, said both Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents are reeling from what he called as a horrible failure of the criminal justice system.

“Colten Boushie was not just the victim of a senseless murder,” Seesequasis said.

“If we cannot find some way toward real change for Indigenous people in the criminal justice system, Colten Boushie will also be the victim of a criminal justice system that was stacked against him from the start and a government indifferent to that reality.”

Indigenous faculty members and allies sent an open letter to heads of universities across Canada describing the Stanley verdict as “yet another iteration of the systemic violence that Indigenous Peoples in this country have faced for over 150 years.”

The letter, signed by more than 20 faculty members from schools as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, calls for universities to support anti-oppressive education and enhance institutional accountability towards First Nations communities.

TORONTO — A proposed Canadian class action that alleged secret cost-saving design changes made to a highway safety guardrail had in fact turned the barrier into a potentially lethal spear has been settled, court documents show.

This week’s settlement of the $500-million action filed by the City of Stratford in February 2015 will see Trinity Industries pay $400,000 — without any admission it did anything wrong.

“Neither this agreement nor anything in it shall be interpreted as a concession or admission of wrongdoing or liability by (Trinity),” the settlement agreement states. “In fact, the defendants continue to vigorously dispute and contest the allegations made in the action.”

About $131,000 of the settlement money will go to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, $15,000 will go to the city as an honorarium, and the rest will cover disbursements incurred by its law firm, McKenzie Lake Lawyers of London.

The money being paid to the institute for the blind will be earmarked for enhanced road safety nationally by allowing the organization to offer municipalities funding to install audible pedestrian signals in places where they otherwise might not have been.

The proposed class action related to Trinity’s guardrail end unit, ET-Plus, a system installed on highways across the U.S. and Canada. The unit is supposed to absorb impact and guide the rail so a crashing vehicle doesn’t slam into the rigid steel end, but lawyer Matt Baer alleged on behalf of Stratford that those changes had in fact made the barriers dangerous.

The Stratford settlement approved by Ontario Superior Court Ian Leach on Thursday follows an American Appeal Court ruling in favour of Dallas-based Trinity last September. The U.S. court said it had found no evidence Trinity had made secret cost-saving design changes to the ET Plus.

In that ruling, the U.S. Appeal Court in New Orleans overturned a US$663-million judgment against Trinity that a Texas jury had awarded to Joshua Harman, a self-styled whistleblower and failed Trinity competitor.

The original jury finding in his favour prompted dozens of states and some provinces to stop installing the ET Plus. It also prompted American highway authorities to order new tests, which found no issues with the rails.

In a strongly worded decision, the U.S. court found the jury’s liability finding could not stand because the American government, aware for years of Harman’s allegations, had nevertheless rejected them and had continued to pay for installation of the guardrails.

A notice by Stratford on Friday announcing the settlement references the U.S. court ruling.

“A recent decision of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals noted that the Federal Highway Administration has consistently reaffirmed the ET-Plus end terminal system meets all applicable safety performance standards and has maintained an ’unbroken chain’ of governmental approval from 2005 to the present,” the notice states.

Dozens of U.S. states and several Canadian provinces stopped installing the units amid the various legal actions after Harman blamed at least 200 deaths and injuries in the U.S. on the ET Plus. American highway authorities subsequently ordered rigorous retesting of the units and found no defects.

Trinity had consistently maintained its products behaved as intended and approved, and that various lawsuits related to ET Plus were without any merit.

Chatham-Kent is higher in the ranks of the best places to live in Canada, according to a new list released this week by MoneySense.

In 2017, Chatham-Kent was ranked as 324th. This year, the region moved 160 places to its new ranking of 164th on the Canada’s Best Places to Live 2018 list.

Canadian cities are ranked based on wealth and the economy, taxes, home affordability, access to transportation, healthcare, crime and community including arts and amenities.

For Chatham-Kent, some of the top features include access to healthcare, economic factors and the weather.

The rise in the ranks is a clear showing that Chatham-Kent is moving in the right direction, said Mayor Randy Hope.

“That big of a jump is significant for one year,” said Hope. “I’m just extremely pleased. I knew we were on the rise.

According to a release, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent has been focused on resident attraction and retention in the area since 2011, when the census indicated a population decline of 4.2 per cent. Since then, the region has pushed to target young people, immigrants and retirees to address the decline.

The 2016 census showed a reduction in population decline, shifting to two per cent – which combined with the new ranking, is a show of those efforts by the community partners, said Victoria Bodnar, resident attraction and retention coordinator for the municipality.

“It’s highlighting that a lot of work that multiple community members and stakeholders have been working on is paying off,” she said. “The recognition of that working and the recognition of the benefits of living here are being noticed, which is great to see.”

Looking to the future, both Hope and Bodnar recognize there is always room for improvement in the municipality, with the region working towards being a more welcoming and progressive community.

For Bodnar, increased engagement with young people is the next big step for the municipality through the Chatham-Kent to the Power of Young People advisory group by giving them an avenue to share their voice in the community and decisions.

Alongside the youth advisory group, Hope noted the municipality needs to keep looking at new avenues for urban planning and capital investments in the community, such as the Gateway Casino and his plan for a twin-pad arena.

“There are a number of things that we need to make capital investments in that will add us up to having people say, ‘Look they have this, they have that, that’s what we’re looking for, let’s move there.’”

fhewitt@postmedia.com

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