The Quebec Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, persists and signs. According to him, the concept of densification is indeed a “fashion” and does not suit all families.
On the sidelines of a speech he gave Monday noon in Montreal at the annual benefit dinner of Trajectoire Québec, Minister Bonnardel returned to his vision of densification. “Along the axes of public transport, it is normal that we densify. There are families who find themselves there in this densification, but there are others who do not find themselves there, “he explained, speaking of a” balance “to be found in territorial development.
Last month, while unveiling the new version of the third link project between Quebec and Lévis, François Bonnardel indicated that he could not tell a family to go and live in a 12-storey tower “since fashion is for densification”.
Was the word “mode” appropriate to qualify the densification? “Absolutely,” he told reporters on Monday. “The densification is there. I did not deny it and it exists. And it will still exist for a while. »
He then mentioned the need for certain cities, which no longer have available land, to extend their urban perimeter for real estate development. This authorization process is supervised by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, he recalled. “I’m going to leave this in my colleague’s yard [Andrée Laforest]. »
Five-year funding
Minister Bonnardel took advantage of his visit to Montreal to announce that the Quebec government intended to propose to cities a financial framework for public transit that would be spread over five years, from 2023 to 2028. “By doing so, we want to respond to a request from the municipal sector and offer more predictability, especially in the context where the pandemic has inevitably upset this sector,” he said.
We will have to find new sources of funding, but we are satisfied that there is a desire to work on this.
However, he did not quantify this commitment or announce new sources of funding for public transit, as Quebec municipalities and transit companies have been calling for for years. Yet his department has been consulting on this for at least three years. “I know how important it is for them to be able to have new sources of financing. […] I can’t tell you anything today, but it’s in the game plan. »
However, the Minister took care to mention that this funding over five years would be accompanied by the application of performance indicators. “A sustained effort [de restriction des] expenditure must be deployed, and setting an example in the management of public funds will be a constant concern,” he said. “Quebec’s financial support must not lead to a financial disengagement [des villes]. »
For the director general of Trajectoire Québec, Sarah V. Doyon, the minister’s announcement is a “first step in the right direction”, but Quebec will have to do more, according to her. “We know that there is a lack of money. We will have to find new sources of funding, but we are satisfied that there is a will to work on this. »
Electric buses for Exo
François Bonnardel also indicated that the business model of Exo, which manages commuter trains in the metropolitan region, will be modified so that the organization can acquire a fleet of electric buses. Currently, Exo operates 241 bus lines in the metropolitan area as well as seven terminals, but the buses are owned by private carriers. “This situation greatly complicates the electrification of bus services, since[elle] would require the private sector to invest colossal sums in infrastructure and electric buses,” explained Minister Bonnardel.
Thus, in order to facilitate the electrification of the fleet, Quebec will invest 338 million, as part of the first phase of the Exobus program, for the purchase of a hundred vehicles intended for Exo.