Montreal mayor not seeking re-election [Video]

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante will not be seeking re-election, calling her decision “heartbreaking.”

“Despite all the love that I have for my work and our city, I won’t be asking Montrealers for a third mandate,” said Plante at a press conference on Wednesday morning.

• IN PHOTOS: Montreal’s first female mayor Valerie Plante will not seek re-election

She explained that she recently came to the realization that she could not commit herself to another four years as mayor.

“[I couldn’t] guarantee to Montrealers the same level of energy I’ve always given,” she said, emphasizing that she is well, healthwise.

Plante pointed out that she plans to continue working hard until the very end of her mandate.

“Politics, as a career choice for me, was always about a way of changing the world,” she said. “I love my job.”

She reiterated the priorities she focused on during her time in office, including …