There The city of Montreal has therefore announced its budget This led to an average increase in the local tax burden of 4.9%.
It’s true that everything costs more and cities are not immune to inflation: snow removal, garbage collection, repair work, infrastructure, etc. We therefore expect the bill for the city and therefore de facto for taxpayers to be higher.
Political decisions
But costly policy decisions are still being made. Ideological decisions. In the 2023-2033 Infrastructure Program, we plan to allocate $580 million to cycling. Yes, yes, half a billion dollars, especially for the expansion of the famous urban highway with bike paths and for expanding the BIXI offer.
These are laudable ideas in absolute terms, but are they a priority? The same infrastructure program includes just over $550 million for the acquisition of land to build affordable housing. Broadly speaking, we are told that cycling is just as important as housing in the eyes of the city.
sobriety
The Plante government is therefore calling on us to tighten our belts because times are difficult. We are presented with a budget that they present soberly. But sobriety is not the payment of a second windfall bonus to city leaders totaling $6 million. Sobriety is not about hiring 400 new employees as if we don’t have enough. Sobriety does not mean spending $90 million to close Camillien-Houde Road to motorists, while the largest consultation by the famous Montreal Public Consultation Office came to the opposite conclusion. Sobriety does not mean extending paid parking hours in Montreal by making us believe that it will invigorate commercial arteries.
The Plante government is asking us to tighten our belts so that those elected and unelected can loosen their belts. Montrealers pay a lot and when they look out the window they feel like they’re not getting their money’s worth. This budget could allow them to build a bridge to one bank or another. This is urban sprawl.
