Pierrefonds has highest increases in 2025 budget

At a council meeting last week, Projet Montréal presented its 2025 budget along with a ten-year capital expenditure program. Released on November 20, the document claims that "the city is able to invest more in the immediate needs of Montrealers, whether in housing, fighting homelessness, maintaining its infrastructure, or boosting the vitality of downtown, all while minimizing the tax burden on residents."

However, Ensemble Montréal, the Official Opposition, is cautioning residents not to be misled by these claims.

The budget outlines a cap on property tax increases, with an overall increase of 2.2% for the residential sector and 1.9% for the non-residential sector. The rate varies by borough, with Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce seeing a 2.9% increase, Ville-Marie having the lowest at 0.2%, and Pierrefonds-Roxboro facing the highest increase at 4.1%.

Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis criticized the administration's management, stating, “They don’t know how to budget and manage Montreal. They are running the city into disarray—it’s dirty, transit is a mess, and one issue follows another, all while there’s gridlock caused by bike path construction. They fail to prioritize their spending.” Beis added that the administration’s financial mismanagement has forced communities like his to raise borough taxes. “They make it seem like they are implementing only minor tax hikes, but since taking office, they’ve raised taxes to fund Plante’s pet projects. This has led to tax hikes in communities like mine.”

In response, Mayor Valérie Plante highlighted that Montreal’s tax rate is much lower than in Vancouver and Toronto and is aligned with inflation.

However, Opposition leader Aref Salem disagreed, telling the mayor in council, “You broke your promise four times during your mandate. Four times you raised taxes above the rate of inflation. Taxes have increased by 38% during your administration.”

The new budget includes $100 million in investments for housing, $12 million to combat homelessness—which Salem points out is just a $3 million increase from the previous budget—and $10 million for the city’s Downtown Strategy.

Ensemble Montréal argues that the administration should focus on better managing its spending rather than increasing it. “We need to spend not more, but better,” said Alan DeSousa, St. Laurent Borough Mayor and the Official Opposition spokesperson on financial matters. “Projet Montréal’s administration has failed to meet its responsibilities. Apart from bike paths and greening initiatives, its record is practically non-existent and shows a clear lack of priority.”

This new budget is the last one under Mayor Valérie Plante’s leadership, marking the eighth since her party came to power. Last month, Plante announced she would not be seeking a third term. Upon presenting the new budget, she stated, “I am proud to leave the house in order.”

Salem, however, believes that by the end of her term, Plante will have left the city "in really bad condition, at least fiscally."