Annual budget made public

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is projecting a surplus of approximately $25.6 million for this year, an increase of $12.7 million from what was previously projected.

The band council has also released its projected revenues and expenses for the new fiscal year, which began this April. Millions have been budgeted for priority areas like the future Kahnawake Cultural Arts Center as well as major infrastructure work, such as the expansion of the water network on Old Chateauguay Road.

“Being able to do some of these works, it’s a really good first step to capturing what our political priorities are,” said MCK grand chief Cody Diabo.

About $32.5 million - the largest single expense in the 2025-2026 budget - has been earmarked for the arts and culture centre, an amount that reflects funds previously committed and announced by Canada, Quebec and private donors like Playground Poker.

Another $4.16 million has been set aside to replace the water network on the OCR, work that will include repaving of much of the road. Diabo said the hope is to see that work completed before the end of the current fiscal year.

“We need to increase that pipe to a bigger pipe in order to service further down the OCR,” said the MCK grand chief, referring to the pipe underground by the cross by Blind Lady’s Hill Road. “That’s key work that’s going to have to get done.”

The MCK is also working toward expanding the water and sewer network on Route 207. A total of $300,000 has been set aside to commission a study on how to best service residents there, a study that’ll also look at how Kahnawake can modernize its sewage treatment plant and water filtration plant.

“We want to try and get water to everyone in the community. We really need to see how much our systems can take,” Diabo said. “We know the sewage treatment plant is nearing the end of its life. The water filtration is still relatively new, plus it can expand, so we are going to be embarking on a study that can show our current capacity, and where we can go.”

The Kahnawake Fire Brigade also got a significant boost this year, an increase of about $2.2 million more than what was committed last year. Financial officer Kyle Delisle said the majority of those funds will go toward purchasing a new fire truck, something made possible through the band council’s success in generating more own-source revenue.

“That’s an example of how we can use our own-source revenue to fund other things, the same way we’re using our own-source revenue to fund a new highway patrol division,” he said, mentioning the roughly $1.2 million the MCK has already announced it is committing to the Kahnawake Peacekeepers.

Of the $133.5 million in projected revenue next fiscal year, over 28 percent of that amount is expected to come through own-source revenue, primarily from the gaming industry, Delisle said.

The $25.6 million surplus the MCK has projected can also largely be attributed to funds expected to be generated from the gaming industry, Delisle said.

It’s now projecting $25 million in revenue will flow from electronic gaming devices this new fiscal year, Delisle said, up from $20 million that had initially been projected. Another $2.8 million is expected to be generated from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC), thanks to an increase in the number of gaming businesses seeking licenses from the commission, up from $2.5 million initially projected.

“A large part of the surplus was from interest, a little over $7 million are in interest revenues,” Delisle added.

The surplus is also attributed to fewer community members requiring social assistance, he said, and a decrease in pension-related costs and salary costs, as some jobs went unfilled over the year.

“We didn’t have as big of a pension cost because we were on a pension holiday for most of the year,” Delisle said.

An audit of the MCK’s expenses and revenues will be due in the summer.

The entirety of the MCK’s budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year can be found on their website, under the tab its Finance Unit.  

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