Summary#
Montréal city council adopted a supplementary budget of $349,367,000 for borough capital projects in the city’s 2026–2035 capital investment program. It carries forward unused 2025 capital budgets that were funded through borrowing charged to taxpayers; city staff say the goal is to let boroughs continue projects that were started but not finished.
- The total covers all boroughs. Of it, $310,842,000 is the council portion; the total also includes amounts carried forward from central-service capital budgets for boroughs.
- City staff say the city will transfer the amounts to the boroughs after council approval.
What it means for you#
- Boroughs: They receive carried-forward capital budget amounts to continue planned investments. The decision does not identify the projects in the material provided.
- Residents and taxpayers: This changes the city’s capital budget, not residents’ individual tax bills or benefits. The source does not say how much, if any, the carried-forward budget will ultimately be spent or borrowed.
Money#
The decision adds $349,367,000 to the capital investment program, from carried-forward surpluses in borrowing budgets charged to taxpayers.
- The material gives no estimate of eventual borrowing costs or of how much of the budget will actually be spent. No publicly available information.
What is unclear#
- The resolution refers to an attached breakdown, but it was not included in the material provided. The amounts for each borough and the projects they relate to are therefore unclear.
- The material does not say when the projects will be completed or how much of the carried-forward budget will be spent.
Case for#
- City staff say the carry-forward lets boroughs finish projects already underway and continue planned investments.
- Carrying over unused budget could let boroughs keep working on those projects rather than lose the budget at year-end.
Case against#
- The decision carries forward a large amount of taxpayer-funded borrowing budget without the project-by-project breakdown in the material provided.
- It is unclear how much will be spent or borrowed, and what the eventual cost to taxpayers will be.