NDG knows Renate Betts. Long before she put her name on a ballot, she was the neighbour organizing after-school programs at Westhaven Community Centre, the voice at board tables pushing for inclusion, and the steady hand at The Depot Community Food Centre making sure families could put food on the table. Now Betts is running for city councillor in Loyola with Transition Montréal, pitching something rare in politics: candour, cooperation, and a focus on basics that matter on our blocks. “I choose to serve the community,” she says to the CONTACT. “If City Hall is where I can make a bigger difference, that’s where I’ll go.”
Her ties to the neighbourhood run deep. Born in Montreal to Barbadian mother Dr. Myrna Lashley, Betts laughs that when she says she’s “from NDG,” she means it. “I was literally born in a hospital in the riding I’m running in.”
She has also served on boards and commissions focused on inclusion and equity, including work with former MP Marlene Jennings, roles within the Liberal Party of Canada’s Quebec section, and a stint on Marc Garneau’s board.
Bett says she didn’t jump at the first political offer. “I’ve been approached before and said, ‘Thank you, but no thank you,’” she explains. That changed after meeting Transition Montréal leader Craig Sauvé. “I went in ready to say no,” she admits. “But he made a case I found compelling. I truly believe he wants to do things differently and in ways that are doable.” Central to that is how City Hall sets its agenda. “If we form government, I’d serve as president of the executive committee,” Betts says. “I want people from other parties at that table. Let’s build trust and consensus. We know cross-party cooperation works, let’s be honest about what will work in NDG and what won’t. I won’t pretend something fits here if it doesn’t.”
Honesty, for Betts, isn’t a tactic; it’s a line she won’t cross. “I’m going to tell you the truth the best truth I have,” she says. “I would rather lose my seat and vote my conscience than keep a title and betray the people who put me there.” That straight talk extends to turnout. “Only 38 per cent of eligible Montrealers voted in the last municipal election,” she says. “Elections belong to the people. Your vote is an investment—what’s the return? My job is to report to my boss, the voters. If we don’t deliver, they should fire us.”
Representation is not a slogan for her; it’s lived experience. She recalls working on former MP Marlene Jennings’ campaigns: “Within 24 hours of putting up signs, people had written the N-word across them. Why? What’s the point of that?” The pile-on, she says, is heavier for Black women: “You get the usual attacks and then the racist slurs on top.” What she wanted from leadership was not pity, but partnership. “Craig said, ‘I hear you. I’ll protect you as much as I can. Tell me what you need; let’s fix what we can.’ That matters.”
Betts speaks about NDG with affection and urgency. The pandemic, closures and cost-of-living pressures have dimmed some of the district’s famous bustle, she notes, but the spirit is intact. “The vibe is still here and with the right spark, we can bring it back stronger,” she says.
Her platform grows out of what she’s seen up close. Families stretched by rent and groceries. Small businesses that give streets their heartbeat but struggle with red tape and shorter hours. Community groups forced to plug holes in systems that should work better. Betts talks about affordable housing in plain terms build more, protect what we have, speed up approvals—and about public dollars like a contract with residents: prove the value, prioritize frontline services, and measure what matters. Just as important, she wants the borough to treat community organizations as true partners with the flexibility to meet real needs. “If funding only buys soccer balls when kids also need homework help and a hot meal, we’re missing it,” she says.
In the end, her case to Loyola is simple and very NDG: start with the everyday, do the doable, be straight with people, and build coalitions that get the work done. The night-owl city we miss, the storefronts we love, the neighbours we look out for none of that returns on speeches alone. It comes back when City Hall and the community pull in the same direction. Betts is betting that in Loyola, that direction runs right through the place she’s always called home.
The municipal elections will be held on November 2, 2025. Citizens are encouraged to exercise their democratic right and vote.
