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Montreal mayor Valérie Plante says fatigue was factor in news conference health scare

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is back on the job after taking ill and sinking to the ground during a news conference last Tuesday.
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Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante speaks to the press on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. Plante is back on the job today after taking ill and sinking to the ground during a press conference last Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is back on the job after taking ill and sinking to the ground during a news conference last Tuesday.

Plante told reporters at city hall she has consulted her doctor and is doing well after taking a week off to recuperate.

Video from last Tuesday shows Plante trailing off in the middle of answering a question in English, then saying she didn't feel well and slowly sinking to the floor.

Plante says she had started to feel dizzy, felt her vision blur, and decided to sit down to ensure she didn't fall and hurt herself.

She says fatigue likely played a role after an "intense" fall session that included tabling a budget, managing a homelessness crisis, and responding to a spending scandal at the city's public consultation office.

Plante says she took the dizzy spell as a sign she needed rest, adding that she is "up and running" after a few days of sleep, light yoga and time with her children and husband.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2023. 

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press