Montreal mayoral candidate Craig Sauvé announced that his party, Transition Montréal, is looking to support independent businesses if they win the upcoming municipal election. “For the past 12 years, I’ve met thousands of independent business owners across Montreal. But each time an independent business closes, it feels like we lose a piece of Montreal’s soul,” Sauvé said. Sauvé says that Transition Montréal is looking to reduce gentrification, which is the process of making a poor area more attractive so that wealthier people move in, as much as possible from the private market. In doing so, the party plans to add funding to the Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), which already acquires buildings at risk.