The re-election of Valérie Plante as mayor of Montreal will make her an essential interlocutor for the municipal world over the next four years. With the arrival of newcomers in Quebec (Bruno Marchand), Laval (Stéphane Boyer), Longueuil (Catherine Fournier) and Gatineau (France Bélisle), Mr.me Plante becomes one of the “elders of the family” among the five largest cities in Quebec. Three of these cities will be led by women, a significant step forward.
Mme Plante doesn’t brag about it, but his leadership in the fight against climate change has been recognized across Canada. She plays a leading role within the group of mayors of the C40 to build a green and inclusive recovery plan. It can and must become a strong and unifying voice for elected municipal officials in the fight against climate change.
Even if cities do not hold all the powers and financial levers when it comes to the environment, they will play a leading role in achieving ambitious international greenhouse gas reduction targets. Montreal, the largest city in Quebec, is in a unique position to set the tone for the debate with Mr.me Plant, as long as she is able to forge alliances around her.
At the time these lines were written, Valérie Plante collected 52% of the votes, against 37% for Denis Coderre. The second duel between them was not the most inspiring, neither of the two candidates managing to formulate a clear “ballot box question”. There was a lot for housing with Valérie Plante, and more for public security with Denis Coderre. But on these questions like so many others, the positions of the two candidates were not radically distant from each other. Finally, Mme Plante ran a smooth campaign, unlike Denis Coderre, who was his own worst enemy due to his reluctance to disclose his private client list and his impatience with criticism.
Mayor Plante will not have much time to celebrate her victory. Far beyond the fight against climate change, it will have to devote itself to considerable tasks: participating in the reconstruction of the economy and the vitality of Montreal at the end of the health emergency, securing the red light districts, closing the gap. budget 2022 in an inflationary environment and relaunch public transit, while the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) is posting a shortfall of $ 62 million.
In the countryside, Mme Plante has promised to limit the property tax hike to 2% for the first year of his term. Due to inflationary pressures, she did not want to commit for the other three years of her new mandate. Preparing the 2022 budget will be tough work. In August, the Plante administration unveiled a preliminary budget framework, citing a potential shortfall of $ 780 million over the next three years. The growth in projected spending simply exceeds the growth in income.
For 2022, the shortfall is estimated at 311 million, on a projected budget of 6.5 billion dollars. As cities are not allowed to run deficits, the Plante administration will have to sharpen its pencil. It will be interesting to follow the evolution of its ambitious promises in this delicate context. For the next four years, Valérie Plante promised 235 million in new spending, but cuts and the addition of new income were to make it possible to recover 255 million.
Inflation and deficits: these are two immediate threats in the mayor’s field of vision. Will she be able to count on the sympathy of Quebec, once again, in order to balance her budget?