MONTREAL — The mayor of Montreal says the city’s homelessness crisis is “more serious than ever” and addressing it is her top priority.

“The crisis that we have in our hands right now in Montreal has never been seen before,” Soraya Martinez Ferrada told reporters at city hall on Monday. “If you talk to community organizations, numbers are skyrocketing in terms of homelessness in the street. So I think the challenge is huge.”

Martinez Ferrada, who was elected mayor last month, has promised to put an end to the homeless encampments that have cropped up across Montreal within four years by transitioning their occupants to housing. In the interim, however, she says the city will not dismantle tent cities.

On Monday, she outlined her government’s plan to help the city’s homeless population g

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