Montreal - Vigilante pothole repairmen

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“But filling potholes yourself is illegal. It’s basically modifying a public infrastructure, or doing unauthorized work on city property.

“They can get a fine, or they can get sued. It’s all fun and games until they get caught and ticketed.”

Levy said this could become a logistical nightmare for the city, because it doesn’t take long to fill a pothole. Someone can repair a hole before an inspector can be alerted to the work they are doing.

However, in the case of Tekiout, having stated his name and showing himself on video patching roads without authorization would give city inspectors everything they need to issue a fine.

“There is a process to work for the city,” Levy said. “You have to have a bid. You have to quote, and specify what materials you’re going to use. It’s not just ‘the city should call me and I’ll fix it for them at a better price.’ It just doesn’t work that way.”

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Montreal’s potholes have become so out of hand that vigilantes are now taking to filling them in themselves.

In recent days, two people have gained notoriety because they have patched dozens of potholes on their own time and with their own supplies and money. Both resorted to repairing craters after breaking parts of their cars on potholes.

Earlier this week, downtown resident Saad Tekiout became an Instagram hit after videos of him filling potholes around the city were shared widely.

Tekiout, who owns Marquize Paysagement, said he was frustrated after he busted a tire while running over a pothole in Laval. After a friend got a flat tire on the same pothole, he decided enough was enough and he repaired it himself. Little by little, family members, friends and then strangers contacted him to ask him to patch potholes around the city. He’s now up to three per day and has been doing it for about a month now — that’s close to 100 potholes filled.

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“People are really happy when I do this,” he said. “It gives a sense that we’re all in this together as a community.”

Tekiout gets asphalt and shovels it out from his truck for patches that he said will stay in place for about two years.

“This isn’t really my domain, but I’m doing this for the love of my city,” he said. “I think we deserve to have better roads.”

Another vigilante worker is also getting into the act. Anthony Khan, 38, the owner of Pavage Milan, is extending a hand to Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada in hopes municipal crews can learn from his technique of filling potholes.

Khan, a Laval resident, said he has often fixed potholes as part of his day-to-day work as a landscaper.

“If we pave someone’s driveway and there’s a pothole there, I’m going to fill it in,” he said.

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