A maiden budget is when a new mayor has to put their money where their mouth is.

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There with you then. Here with you now. As a critical part of the community for over 245 years,The Gazette continues to deliver trusted English-language news and coverage on issues that matter. Subscribe now to receive:

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It’s also a time when the promises made on the campaign trail about new spending or fiscal restraint collide with the realities of governing.

A first budget is also one of the main opportunities citizens have to judge a new administration on its commitment to keeping its word. Are the new guys doing what they said they were going to do? Are they focusing on the priorities they were elected to address?

So there’s a lot at stake in terms of public opinion, a mayor putting their own stamp on the city, and setting the tone for how things will be managed going forward.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and her right-hand man, executive committee chair Claude Pinard, were well aware of this pressure when they presented their........

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