Cathy Wong quits Ensemble Montral party to sit as independent councillor

Montreal Coun. Cathy Wong, who was named speaker in November 2017, has dropped out of the Ensemble Montral party to instead sit as an independent.

Wong is the first woman to serve as speaker and, with that responsibility,she had already left the Ensemble Montral caucus to respect the impartiality of her position, according to a statement issued Tuesday.

"I decided to become an independent councillor so that I can work more effectively withinthe borough of Ville-Marie on issues that are particularly important to me," Wong says in the statement.

She says she is working to establish a public library and cultural spaces in the former Montreal Children's Hospital by 2023.

"My priorities also include plans to establish new primary schools and improve green spaces in Peter-McGill, as they help make the downtown area a more human-friendly place for families and new arrivals," she says.

Her decision to quit the party takes effect today.