Jeremy Searle

Jeremy Searle (born 1953) is a Canadian politician and is the only elected independent member of Montreal City Council for Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. He currently represents over 35,000 residents in the district of Loyola.

Searle was the city councillor for Loyola district from 1994 to 2005, and was re-elected in November 2013.

Searle devised and successfully promoted the plan to build the Benny Sports and Recreation Complex on the Corner of Cavendish and Monkland Avenue in 2001.

Pedestrian Safety

Searle conceived of a city-wide Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Reeducation Plan in 2001. In response to his work for the city he was made head of the Transport Commission from 2001 to 2003. Searle conducted research, sensitized people, created new cross walk designs and held popular public consultations where he addressed all sorts of issues from parking restrictions to the introduction of red light cameras.

In the course of Searle's time as head of the Transport Commission during 2003, he proposed the provincial-wide law to make smoking in taxi cabs illegal. This law was soon implemented.

'Jewish guilt' comments

During a council debate over a proposed housing project, Searle railed against the "Jewish guilt approach" he alleged was being used to force the project. “The Jewish guilt approach, we see a lot. Not as much as we used to, that's when an argument is put forward without foundation, the notion being because we said it's Jewish, we can't say anything against it,” he was recorded as saying. “It's a role taken on by the Jewish community and used for all its worth.”