Denis Coderre’s party waited until the very last minute to present its financial framework on Friday, which provides for nearly $ 278 million in new spending over 4 years, as well as a reduction in city spending.
The Ensemble Montréal party nevertheless remains nebulous as to how it intends to go about reducing the city’s expenses if it is elected. Ensemble Montréal’s 26-page financial framework, sent to the media by way of a press release on Friday, for example provides for savings of $ 135 million over four years through a plan to restore the City’s finances, which is however not detailed.
“The day after election day, one of the first actions that I will recommend to the incoming mayor Denis Coderre to do, it will be to manage all non-discretionary expenses that are not directly related to services to citizens” To have to the mayor of Saint-Laurent and finance spokesperson for Ensemble Montréal, Alan DeSousa. A three-month freeze on hiring in the City could, for example, be put in place for positions deemed non-essential, he said.
“This will allow us to increase the surplus for the year which is ending”, argues Mr. DeSousa, especially since his party promises, like Valérie Plante, not to increase the taxes imposed on Montrealers beyond 2% in 2022.
“It will not be easy because the state of the damage left to us by the outgoing administration will be significant,” however drops the elected from Ensemble Montreal, especially since the party intends to spend $ 110 million for quickly hire 250 additional police officers. The head of Projet Montréal, Valérie Plante, also promised to reach the same number of hires at the SPVM by the end of 2022.
Decrease spending
In its press release, Ensemble Montréal is also pleased that the administration of Denis Coderre, from 2013 to 2017, was “the only one to have reduced the city’s spending without harming services”. Thus, “Ensemble Montreal is the only party capable of reviving Montreal while respecting Montrealers’ ability to pay,” argues the formation.
It is true that the administration of the former mayor had presented a budget for the year 2015 down compared to the previous year, a first since the municipal mergers of 2002.
However, in 2014, Mr. Coderre’s budgetary efforts led to a decrease in funding for the Société de transport de Montréal. It then had to reduce its service offer and abolish money changer positions. The City’s 2017 budget also provided for a decrease in spending dedicated to the SPVM, while the workforce reduction plan of the former administration of Denis Coderre at the time fueled the anger of several unions in the City.
In an interview, Mr. DeSousa, however, wanted to be cautious on Friday on the concrete measures that a possible administration of Denis Coderre could take to reach the target provided for in his plan to recover spending by the City. However, he deplores the “huge cost overruns” which have in particular inflated the bill for the project to extend the blue line of the Saint-Michel metro in Anjou in recent years and that of the rapid bus service on Boulevard Pie-IX.
“If these cost explosions continue in these big projects, it won’t leave much in the pot for other projects,” Mr. DeSousa fears.
278 million
In all, the Ensemble Montréal party plans to spend just under $ 278 million over four years. The lion’s share would go to hiring new police officers, while $ 37 million would go to preventing homelessness and helping homeless people. The party also plans to spend $ 25.5 million to provide free public transit to seniors 65 years of age and over and $ 10 million to help boroughs make their streets and facilities cleaner.
The City’s revenues, for their part, are expected to exceed expenses to reach approximately $ 327 million. To achieve this target, the party is counting not only on a reduction in city spending, but also on its promise to help build 50,000 housing units of all types within four years. The party foresees that these new units, which would include 10,000 social housing units, will bring it $ 42 million in property taxes and transfer duties in four years.
A tax on large billboards and another on commercial parking would also bring in $ 35 and $ 82 million in four years, according to the Ensemble Montréal party. The latter also plans, in its 10-year investments, to grant $ 660 million to facilitate better integration of the future Metropolitan Express Network, which provides for an air section in the city center as part of its phase two east of the island. Valérie Plante’s party plans to spend $ 500 million for this purpose.
Projet Montréal was quick to criticize the financial framework of its main opponent on Friday, while emphasizing the late filing of it.
“If this framework were a little serious, it would not be tabled within 24 hours of the vote,” lamented the training of Ms. Plante, in a statement sent to the media. “Unfortunately, Ensemble Montreal chose to file an important document at the very last minute, by press release, without even defending it publicly,” continues Projet Montréal, which submitted its financial framework at the end of October.
“We wanted to be rigorous in our accounting and in our effort to take into account all the commitments we have made”, replies Alan DeSousa, who affirms that his party wanted to include all of its electoral promises in its financial framework, “Until the last announcement”.
“It sets the record straight for citizens and the media,” says DeSousa, not without criticizing the financial framework presented by Projet Montréal, whose credibility he questions.
The municipal election officially takes place this Sunday, but a voting day was added this Saturday in Montreal, in the context of the pandemic. Montrealers also had two days of advance polls last weekend.