“This dollar is from the Royal Montreal Regiment ― this is their rent,” Councillor George Bowser said during City Council’s public meeting last week, as he held aloft a loonie coin that the RMR handed over to him in a ceremony at the Armoury on Ste. Catherine Street a few days before.

“In times where fiscal prudence is called for, I’m taking good care of it and here it is and we’re glad to have them,” he said.

“We will deposit it judiciously,” said Mayor Karin Marks, noting that the amount should show up in council’s list of deposits next month.

Every spring, the RMR holds a change-of-command ceremony and church parade, Bowser said. “They always ceremonially pay their rent, and the mayor or the mayor’s representative ― in this case it was me ― attended.”

Westmount receives rent money under the terms of a special lease signed during the 1920s. It specified that the regiment needed to improve the property with construction. Such leases are often associated with governments.

“It’s got an emphyteutic lease,” said Mayor Karin Marks. “We own the land, and the building, I believe, was built by them.” The agreement, which is for 99 years, expires in 2024.

But how likely is it that $1 coin could simply end up in the city’s petty cash?

“Absolutely not,” insisted Marks. “I think it should go into the bank. I’m going to give it to (director-general) Duncan Campbell and he’s going to deposit it in our account.”

“It’s not a lot to pay to have the army in your own city,” added Bowser.

According to Marks, Westmount and the RMR have had a longstanding good relationship.

“They do a good job and they allow us to use their gymnasium for our basketball programs,” she said. “There’s a good relationship between the city and the RMR and there always has been.”