Christine Black

Christine Black is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has served as borough mayor of Montréal-Nord and as a member of Montreal City Council since winning a by-election in April 2016. Black is a member of Ensemble Montréal.

Christine Black
Borough mayor of Montréal-Nord
Incumbent
Assumed office 2016
Preceded by	Chantal Rossi
Personal details
Political party	Union Montreal (2009-2013) Independent (2013) Ensemble Montréal (2013–)

Early career

Originally from Montreal's South Shore area,[1] Black moved to Montréal-Nord at age twenty to work for the Centre des jeunes l'Escale (English: L'Escale Youth Centre). She became the organization's director in 2006 and held this position until the time of her election to public office.[2]

In 2008, she became a spokesperson for the Mouvement Solidarité Montréal-Nord, a group that formed following the shooting death of Fredy Villanueva by a police officer.[3] She argued in favour of community policing during this period and was quoted as saying, "Part of the problem is you have police officers who aren't known around here coming in and making arrests, harassing people, and then leaving. It's important to have a police presence here, but they also need to understand the flavour of the neighbourhood and the benefits of dialogue and prevention."[4] She also noted that part of her centre's mandate was to provide basketball, soccer, singing, and dancing programs for at-risk youth in the community.[5]

Black's party biography indicates that she has a certificate in social work from the Cégep du Vieux-Montréal (2001) and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Université de Montréal (2010), and that she is working toward the completion of a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the School of Public Administration, with a focus on health services and social services.[6]

Borough mayor and city councillor

Black was selected by Montreal mayor Denis Coderre to run as his party's candidate in a 2016 by-election for borough mayor in Montréal-Nord.[7] She was 34 years old at the time of the election, and her campaign was focused on issues of economic renewal and lowering the poverty rate.[8] The borough is considered a strong area of support for Coderre's party, and Black was elected without difficulty.

By virtue of serving as borough mayor, Black is automatically a member of the Montreal City Council and the Montréal-Nord borough council.

Electoral record

Montreal municipal by-election, April 24, 2016 (by-election): Borough mayor, Montréal-Nord
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Équipe Denis Coderre	Christine Black	7,577	68.60
	Projet Montréal	Kerlande Mibel	2,553	23.11
	Independent	Jacques Massicotte	614	5.56
	Independent	Rached Teffaha	301	2.73
Total valid votes			11,045	100	–
Total rejected ballots			166	1.48	–
Turnout			11,211	20.57
Electors on the lists			54,494	–	–
Source: Official preliminary results of the by-election held on April 24, 2016: Christine Black wins, City of Montreal.

References

1. Jean Numa Goudou, "Montréal-Nord : «Je suis une Haïtienne dans le cœur»- Christine Black" Archived 2017-08-25 at the Wayback Machine, In Texto - Journal Nou!, 17 March 2016, accessed 10 May 2017.
2. René Bruemmer, "Poverty is borough's key challenge; Montreal North holds byelection Sunday to choose a new mayor," Montreal Gazette, 23 April 2016, A12.
3. Jan Ravensbergen, "No charge in fatal police shooting; Villanueva death. But Quebec minister promises public inquiry," Montreal Gazette, 2 December 2008, A1.
4. Sean Gordon, "Montreal's 2 solitudes," Toronto Star, 16 August 2008, ID01.
5. Max Harrold, "Community groups unite in riot's wake; Call for calm. Solidarity Montreal North urges residents to band together and spread message of hope," Montreal Gazette, 16 August 2008, A7.
6. Christine Black, Équipe Denis Coderre pour Montréal, accessed 10 May 2017.
7. Christopher Curtis, "Race relations remain tense in Montreal North; Years after Villanueva's death, not enough has changed, residents say," Montreal Gazette, 16 April 2016, A3.
8. John Meagher, "Black elected mayor in Montreal North," Montreal Gazette, 25 April 2016, A2.