When a historic responsibility and a unique opportunity arrive at the same time, our leaders have a duty to succeed!
Posted yesterday at 11:00 a.m.
Following the debate this week regarding the implementation of the REM de l’Est, we would like to reiterate the great vision of our governments when signing the Declaration to revitalize Montreal’s east end, which dates back to December 2018: ” The Government of Quebec and the City of Montreal are committed to consolidating a common, integrated and innovative vision for the development of eastern Montreal and to quickly undertake the major project to revitalize eastern Montreal in a spirit of collaboration. . This cannot materialize without the deployment of a major public transit infrastructure on the territory of Montreal’s east end.
Thus, the analysis of a project such as the REM de l’Est, although imperfect at present, must be carried out in a much more strategic and global manner than a profitability analysis on the transport of people. The mobility of workers and citizens in the east end of Montreal must also be a core concern.
Indeed, such an infrastructure represents the future backbone of the urban revitalization of one-third of the island of Montreal, in addition to promoting territorial inclusion thanks to the connection of Rivière-des-Prairies, Montreal-East or Montreal-North. , among others, to the adjacent districts and to the center of the island. We have an obligation to break the isolation of these boroughs, to open up our neighborhoods and rethink their development. We have a responsibility to revitalize the east end of Montreal and contribute to lasting prosperity for all the people and all the organizations in this territory.
The debates of the last few days are not, in our view, promising. We must have a constructive and collaborative approach in order to advance transportation projects in Montreal’s east end. Let us remember the tribulations of the extension of the blue line, the SRB Pie-IX or Notre-Dame Boulevard. It is unusual to note that a citizen of Saint-Léonard must take 49 to 58 minutes to cover less than 16 km by public transport, while another of Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue will do more than double the distance by less than 33 minutes.
In the wake of the debates, we acknowledge and welcome the will of the government of Quebec and the City of Montreal to invest significantly in order to promote the integration of the REM de l’Est project. However, we reiterate that the latter and CDPQ Infra must find the necessary solutions in order to provide the east end of Montreal with a transport infrastructure that will allow the metamorphosis of the territory, ensure cohesion in the public transport offer, have an impact on the health of citizens and will contribute to sustainable and inclusive prosperity for the benefit of citizens and organizations in eastern Montreal and the metropolis.
The East has waited long enough…
* Dimitri Tsingakis, Montreal East Development Committee (CDEM); Sarah V. Doyon, Quebec Trajectory; Annie Bourgoin, PME MTL Est-de-l’Île; Jean-François Lalonde, SME MTL Centre-Est; Jean-François Fortin-Verreault, CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’île-de-Montréal; Jonathan Roy, CDC of the Pointe-Est region of Montreal; Karine Tremblay, CDC of Rivière-Des-Prairies; André Brunelle, AIEM-Industrial Association of East Montreal; Malika Habel, College de Maisonneuve; Caroline Roy, ; Rosemont College; Sylvain Mandeville, Cégep Marie-Victorin; Sylvain Cofsky, Innovitech Inc.; Noushig Eloyan, Chamber of Commerce & Industry Montreal North; Julie Frappier, Mercier-Ouest Quartier en Santé; Louis-Edgar Jean-Francois, Group 3737; Vanessa Sykes Tremblay, Vivre Saint-Michel en Santé; Sabrina Fauteux, Concertation St-Léonard; Jean-François Gosselin, CDEC Montreal North; Stéphane Ricci, Angus Development Company; Robert Lalancette, Concertation Anjou; François Claveau, Mainbourg Corporation; Elyes Chourou, Desjardins Business – East of Montreal; Guy Nadeau, Desjardins Business – East of Montreal; Guy Laganière, Group C. Laganière; Jean-Philippe Alepins, SAT-Society for Arts and Technology; Benoist de Peyrolongue, Collective Kitchen Hochelaga-Maisonneuve; Denis Pelletier, Pointe-de-l’Île Chamber of Commerce; Mathieu Huppé, BoulZeye, Pubs & Attractions; Joanne Paiement, Association of Merchants and Professionals of Old Pointe-aux-Trembles; Joelle Vincent, Viaconseil; Antoine El-Khouri, Center de services scolaire de la Pointe-de-l’Île; Yves Bellavance, Montreal Coalition of Neighborhood Tables; Greg Laflamme, Regrouping of Industrialists of Montreal-North; Louis Fradette and Francois Minville, CycleCarbone Inc.