Westmount mayor quits Montreal's finance commission, calls it a 'charade'

Westmount Mayor Peter Trent has stepped down as vice-chair of the Montreal agglomeration council's financial review commission, saying it has little input in spending decisions made by city hall. 

Trent, who is also president of the Association of Suburban Municipalities, has held the position on the Finance and Administration Commission for the last six years.

He announced his resignation from the commission during Thursday's meeting of the agglomeration council, which is made up of Montreal city councillors and mayors of all of the municipalities on the island. 

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The council is responsible for island-wide services, such as waste management, fire-fighting and police services.  

While the finance commission is mandated to hold consultations on the agglomeration council's budget, Trent said its work is routinely ignored by Montreal's executive committee, the powerful body that controls much of the city's spending. 

Despite the finance commission making spending recommendations annually since 2010, "not a single number or comma in the final budget numbers was changed," Trent said.

I liken the current budget process as us examining the ingredients of a cake that's already baked.- Peter Trent, Mayor of Westmount

The commission doesn't get advance access to the draft budget before it's released to the public.

"I liken the current budget process as us examining the ingredients of a cake that's already baked," Trent said.

He added that the finance commission's input was being ignored long before he took the vice-chair position. He has complained about the process multiple times to the city in the past, calling it a "sham" and a "charade."

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Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle is now the only suburban mayor on the finance commission. 

Bourelle said he understands Trent's frustration, but decided to stay on in his role so suburban mayors are still represented.

"I totally support the fact that he is trying to get a message across by resigning from the commission."

The president of the executive committee — Pierre Desrochers of Équipe Denis Coderre — denied it ignores the finance commission's recommendations.

"With regards to the recommendations, the administration has responded favourably to a good number of them in the past and already acts in accordance with some of them," Desrochers said in a statement to CBC News.