(Quebec) The government of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) manages the REM de l’Est project like “amateurs” who remain “idle” and do not act, judge the opposition, who deplore the treatment reserved by Quebec to experts who question the project piloted by the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec.
Posted at 12:30 p.m.
The Press revealed on Tuesday that the Regional Metropolitan Transport Authority (ARTM) concludes that other options than the REM de l’Est must be considered because of the many disadvantages of the project. The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, also said that the Caisse’s project for the east of the metropolis must be “properly assessed” before moving forward.
For the leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, “the REM de l’Est is a bad project”.
“Instead of insulting and pointing the finger at all the people who know about public transit, the CAQ should listen to them, because when it comes to public transit in Montreal, the STM and the ARTM are professionals then the CAQ and amateurs, ”he said on Tuesday.
“The REM de l’Est is not an efficient public transport project, it’s a real estate development project that serves the interests of the Caisse de dépôt rather than those of the citizens,” added the MP who shows solidarity in the riding. of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Alexandre Leduc.
Liberals call for transparency
On the side of the official opposition, the Liberal leader Dominique Anglade criticizes the “improvisation” of the Legault government in the management of this file.
“The ARTM is fulfilling its mandate well today by putting in the public square the reasons why this project must be better aligned with all the services available to people in eastern Montreal,” added the liberal transport critic, André Fortin. He asks the government to be transparent and to reveal the studies it has to justify the realization of the project.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, for his part affirmed that “the incompetence of the CAQ” means that the Caisse de depot et placement “sets in motion a project based solely on its profitability”. Anyone who wants to stand in the next elections in the east of Montreal fears that citizens will find themselves “once again empty-handed”.
“It’s not a good project in terms of transport because it cannibalizes the green line, then its route does not make sense in relation to the needs. It is a project that is problematic from an environmental point of view. It is a project that raises questions if it is in aerial mode, in terms of people’s quality of life, the disfigurement of the neighborhood. All these questions have been known for a long time. Then, the CAQ remains with its arms folded,” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon.
Chantal Rouleau criticized
The Eastern REM, unveiled in 2020, has 22 stations and extends 32 km from downtown to the east with an antenna leading to Pointe-aux-Trembles. Its commissioning is scheduled for 2029. The project is valued at 10 billion dollars.
The Minister for Transport and responsible for Montreal, Chantal Rouleau, told The Press that the project “goes ahead” despite everything and that “the Caisse has nothing to answer for the opinion” of the ARTM, which is the organization that plans the development of public transport in the metropolitan region.
“By attacking this watchdog, Minister Rouleau is playing what little credibility she has left. It’s not up to the ARTM to go back to do their homework, it’s up to Mme Rouleau to come back with a project that really meets the needs of people in eastern Montreal,” replied Alexandre Leduc of Québec solidaire on Tuesday.
With Tommy Chouinard