{"id":1064,"date":"2025-10-28T16:47:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T16:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064"},"modified":"2025-10-28T16:47:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T16:47:36","slug":"town-of-mount-royal-is-the-5th-most-indebted-city-in-quebec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Town of Mount Royal is the 5th most indebted city in Quebec."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Accounting surpluses masking a soaring debt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite an apparent financial health, the Town of Mount Royal faces a worrying budgetary situation. Between 2021 and 2024, the Town continued to post surpluses ranging from $6 to $13 million, even though its expenses increased faster than its revenues. From 2021 to 2024, revenues rose by +24 %, while expenses grew by +26 %. This apparent stability hides a reality: the municipal debt is on track to triple by 2027, from about $60 million to nearly $200 million. This situation reflects a gap between accounting flows and budgetary reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For basic financial data see Table-1.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Illusory surpluses: <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Current surpluses do not reflect a real budgetary margin. They result mainly from:
\u2022 calculations \u201cfor fiscal purposes\u201d that exclude asset amortization and include internal fund transfers;
\u2022 surpluses accumulated before 2021, which generate interest income;
\u2022 an inflated tax base following the 2023 assessment roll, up by 30 to 40 %.

In reality, the Town\u2019s finances rely today on exceptional revenues and temporary accounting practices rather than on a structural capacity to balance long-term expenditures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For clear summary see Table-2.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For simplified projection 2025\u20132030 see Table-3.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For transparent and responsible financial management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once loan repayments for the Sports Centre and the Engineering Building begin, the financial burden on citizens will double. The Town of Mount Royal must present citizens with a clear and honest budgetary vision. Current financial decisions commit the community for the next twenty years. Transparency regarding the real state of public finances is essential to maintain trust and ensure the sustainability of municipal services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I commit, once elected Mayor of Mount Royal, to :<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Present citizens with an honest picture of the Town\u2019s current financial situation and a clear, transparent budgetary vision for the years ahead.
\u2022 Publish an annual, simple, and accessible report on the Town\u2019s current and projected debt levels.
\u2022 Provide citizens with an annual forecast of municipal tax trends, taking into account the fiscal impact of current and future projects.
\u2022 Ensure, for each major project, an independent and transparent assessment of its impact on public finances and municipal taxes.
\u2022 Implement rigorous management of public spending, notably through fair and competitive tenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Maryam Kamali Nezhad, Eng., Ph. D.
Candidate for Mayor of the Town of Mount Royal
www.avenircitejardin.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Table-1: Basic financial data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Year<\/td>Revenues ($M)<\/td>Expenses ($M)<\/td>Fiscal Surplus ($M)<\/td>Municipal Debt ($M)<\/td><\/tr>
2021<\/td>103.6<\/td>101.9<\/td>13.4<\/td>36.9<\/td><\/tr>
2022<\/td>107.7<\/td>113.2<\/td>6.4<\/td>47.3<\/td><\/tr>
2023<\/td>121.2<\/td>123.9<\/td>11.7<\/td>53.2<\/td><\/tr>
2024<\/td>128.9<\/td>129.1<\/td>9.3<\/td>59.2<\/td><\/tr>
2025 (forecast)<\/td>132.0<\/td>135.0<\/td>\u22485<\/td>\u2248140<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Table-2: Clear summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Year<\/td>Total Debt ($M)<\/td>Annual Service ($M)<\/td>% of Budget (\u2248$130M)<\/td>Change<\/td><\/tr>
2024<\/td>60<\/td>2.6<\/td>~2 %<\/td>\u2014<\/td><\/tr>
2026\u201327<\/td>200<\/td>15<\/td>~11\u201312 %<\/td>+477 % (\u00d75.8)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Table-3: Simplified projection 2025\u20132030 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Indicator<\/td>2021\u20132024<\/td>Trend<\/td>2025\u20132030 (Forecast)<\/td>Comment<\/td><\/tr>
Property revenues<\/td>+24 %<\/td>\u2191 strong growth<\/td>Stabilization<\/td>Tax base capped after 2023<\/td><\/tr>
Operating expenses<\/td>+26 %<\/td>\u2191 inflation & wages<\/td>+8 to +10 %\/year<\/td>Rising cost of services & energy<\/td><\/tr>
Debt service<\/td>$2.6M\/year<\/td>stable<\/td>$10\u201313M\/year<\/td>Weight of new borrowings<\/td><\/tr>
Fiscal surpluses<\/td>$6\u201313M\/year<\/td>stable<\/td>$0\u20133M\/year<\/td>Limited budgetary margins<\/td><\/tr>
Total debt<\/td>$59M (2024)<\/td>\u2191<\/td>\u2248$140M (2026)<\/td>Doubling of financial burden<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Accounting surpluses masking a soaring debt Despite an apparent financial health, the Town of Mount Royal faces a worrying budgetary situation. Between 2021 and 2024, the Town continued to post surpluses ranging from $6 to $13 million, even though its expenses increased faster than its revenues. From 2021 to 2024, revenues rose by +24 %, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-actu-en"],"yoast_head":"\nTown of Mount Royal is the 5th most indebted city in Quebec. - Avenir Cit\u00e9 Jardin - \u00c9quipe Maryam<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Town of Mount Royal is the 5th most indebted city in Quebec. - Avenir Cit\u00e9 Jardin - \u00c9quipe Maryam\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Accounting surpluses masking a soaring debt Despite an apparent financial health, the Town of Mount Royal faces a worrying budgetary situation. Between 2021 and 2024, the Town continued to post surpluses ranging from $6 to $13 million, even though its expenses increased faster than its revenues. From 2021 to 2024, revenues rose by +24 %, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Avenir Cit\u00e9 Jardin - \u00c9quipe Maryam\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-28T16:47:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"l.guillemot\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u00c9crit par\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"l.guillemot\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"l.guillemot\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/#\/schema\/person\/09a7c1eb10bfab1b3f8ba664fc144b4d\"},\"headline\":\"Town of Mount Royal is the 5th most indebted city in Quebec.\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-28T16:47:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en\"},\"wordCount\":461,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Actu\"],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.avenircitejardin.com\/?p=1064&lang=en\",\"name\":\"Town of Mount Royal is the 5th most indebted city in Quebec. - 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