Moreover, numerous mergers and demergers since the beginning of the 2000s[17] have led to the existence of many cities on the island of Montreal, completely independent of the City of Montreal. And to make it even more complex, many other players are involved, including the Montreal Police Service (SPVM), the Société de Transport de Montréal (STM), the Commercial Development Companies (SDC), etc. As an indication, the City of Montreal's budget for 2020 was more than CA$6 billion.[18] Let's not forget the many pressure groups and public service unions.