‘Spend smarter, not more’: Montreal’s Official Opposition criticizes City’s 2025 budget

Following the tabling of the Plante administration’s budget for 2025, the City’s Official Opposition came out with strong criticism of the managing of finances.

“Today’s budget is just a very bad Christmas present to come early,” said Alan DeSousa, Official Opposition spokesperson on financial matters with Ensemble Montréal.

The budget totals $7.28 billion and spending is up four per cent compared to last year — an increase of $2.1 billion since 2017.

DeSousa emphasized that the city should spend smarter and not more.

“Project Montréal – over the eight years that they’ve been there, they have increased citizens’ taxes by 38 per cent, when inflation was barely 25 percent, so for them, it’s an additional bill of $1,384 more,” he said.

“The budget, the city is increasing its borrowing. It’s a huge impact for future generations in terms of the debt load that they’re going to have to bear,” he added.

DeSousa is also borough mayor of St-Laurent, which saw one of the highest tax increases for non-residential properties, of 7.7 per cent, just after Lachine at 9.6 per cent.

“When we see the hikes in Lachine, when we see the hikes in St-Laurent on non-residential, it’s going to hit hard those thinking about investing in the community, so clearly we’re not happy about it,” DeSousa said.

The Opposition critiqued the increase of “over 3,500 municipal employees since Projet Montréal came to power—including 36 per cent more managers versus only 1.5 per cent more blue-collar workers,” according to a press release.

They are also sounding the alarm over the “lack of investments in homelessness and housing.” They say in total, “only 0.1% of the City’s budget is dedicated to them.”