The Honourable John H. Gomery, right, talks with Projet Montreal leader Richard Bergeron in August at a campaign event. Gomery, who headed the sponsorship inquiry, endorsed Bergeron's team. (Graham Hugues/Canadian Press)Upstart Projet Montréal dominated in the city's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough, ousting several long-serving council members in its electoral sweep of the densely populated district.

Management consultant Luc Ferrandez beat long-serving borough councillor and executive committee member Michel Labrecque to win the borough mayor's seat.

'We won special events, we won shaking hands in the street, we won door to door, we won debates, we won public coverage. We were working hard, very hard.'—Luc Ferrandez, borough mayor-elect, Plateau-Mont-Royal

Labrecque was running for Plateau borough mayor as a Union Montréal candidate and member of Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay's team.

Projet Montréal's Plateau team also won every borough and city councillor seat after a determined campaign, Ferrandez told CBC News.

"We won special events, we won shaking hands in the street, we won door to door, we won debates, we won public coverage," he said at a victory party on Sunday night. "We were working hard, very hard."

Alexander Norris, who won a seat as city councillor in Mile-End, believes Plateau voters were hungry for change.

"I think that our proposals for bringing more transparency to city hall, for improved public transit, improved public services, resonated with people on the Plateau, and that people on the Plateau wanted to turn away from the old machine parties that have done such harm to our city," Norris said.

Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron lost his bid for Montreal's mayor office, earning 25.7 per cent of the popular vote, against winner Gérald Tremblay (37.5 per cent) and Louise Harel (32.9 per cent).

But Bergeron told supporters the party prevailed.

"We were nothing five years ago, and we obtained 25 per cent of the vote, and many of our candidates will be elected for Projet Montreal," he said to loud applause.