Montreal Won't Defund The Police Next Year & Actually Increased The Police Budget

Millions more will go to the police.
Montreal Won't Defund The Police Next Year & Actually Increased The Police Budget
Derek Robbins | Dreamstime
Staff Writer

Those hoping that Montreal would defund the police to some extent are going to be disappointed with the city's 2021 budget. 

$1,029,647,500 of the city's $6.17 billion budget for 2021 will go towards public safety services.

$679,110,200 of that will go to the police, an increase of $14,649,700 from the 2020 budget.

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“

I am very proud of this budget.

Mayor Valérie Plante

The city's public safety budget for 2021, which also includes the fire department, is the largest budgetary allocation, more than the road network, social housing, and public transit.

According to Mayor Plante, "this budget aims to meet the needs of fellow Montrealers, within the context of the current crisis, while preparing the recovery of our metropolis and its future."

If you recall this summer, the city asked Montrealers to submit their opinion on whether to limit the SPVM's funding.

The mayor also reportedly said she was "open" to examining police funding.

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MontrealNewsNews
  • Teddy Elliot
  • Teddy Elliot
    Teddy Elliot was a Staff Writer for MTL Blog. He was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec and has a B.A. in Literature. Teddy has been a journalist for three years and was once an English teacher. His creative work has appeared in The Blasted Tree and Parenthetical Magazine. When he's not chasing scoops, Teddy can be found cheering on Aston Villa and listening to 80s power ballads. He was shortlisted for a Digital Publishing Award in 2021.

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