Maeva Vilain

A resident of Plateau-Mont-Royal since 2005, Maeva Vilain previously lived in Paris, Lille, and Madrid, and traveled extensively as a travel guide author and journalist. She chose to make Montréal her home, drawn by its cultural diversity and open spirit.

A graduate of the Institut d’Études Politiques de Lille (France), Maeva later completed a journalism certificate at Université de Montréal and worked as a journalist at Radio-Canada International. By giving a voice to hundreds of Montréalers, she was inspired to make the leap into politics, determined to put her energy in service of her social-democratic convictions. She went on to serve as political attaché to federal MP Alexandre Boulerice for five years.

In 2017, she was elected borough councillor in Jeanne-Mance. For this mother of two, municipal government is the level where a collective good as precious as public space can be most directly shared. Expanding space for living things—through parks and redesigned streets—quickly became her top priority.

Active and present in the community, she remains close to residents, attentive to their ideas and concerns. With enthusiasm, she notes that Plateau residents are calling for ambitious change to address the climate crisis, even when it means rethinking certain habits. Being at the heart of this transformation renews her motivation day after day. Maeva emphasizes that the Plateau is far from a homogeneous borough; she strongly believes that we can green, beautify, and adapt our neighborhoods to climate challenges while preserving their social diversity.

During her second mandate (2021–2025), as Deputy Mayor of the Plateau, she facilitated the opening of high-quality resources for people experiencing homelessness, such as Le Chaînon and Projet Autochtone du Québec 2. As head of the sports and recreation portfolio, she takes pride in projects like the borough’s first basketball court and improved financial accessibility to pools, arenas, and group classes.

Maeva Vilain also chairs Montréal’s Commission on Social Development and Diversity, where she has played a leading role in ensuring accountability in the City’s action plan to combat racism and systemic discrimination.