(Quebec) Prime Minister François Legault will give the green light to the tramway and rapid bus service (SRB) project in the capital, recommended by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ). And he will keep his promise of a third motorway link alive by launching a new study on the subject.
In its plan unveiled on Wednesday, the Caisse proposes for the tramway a phase 1 towards Charlesbourg and a phase 2 towards D’Estimauville, in the East. Quebec will announce Thursday that it is giving the Caisse the mandate to achieve both in a first phase. With this mandate entrusted to the Caisse, the government is seeking to ensure that the project is carried out quickly, which is accused of having delayed the plans of Mayor Bruno Marchand.
Quebec plans for its transport agency, Mobilité Infra Québec, to be associated with the creation of this collective transport network once the bill providing for its creation is adopted, sometime in the fall. An amendment would be tabled to provide for an agreement to this effect between the Caisse and Mobilité Infra Québec.
Even if the Caisse does not recommend the third motorway link from a mobility point of view, François Legault does not abandon his promise, in the name of “economic security”. He will entrust the Ministry of Transport with the mandate to study such a project in the East, before Île d’Orléans. The mandate will be transferred to Mobilité Infra Québec once the agency is created.
On Wednesday, government leaders remained cautious after the unveiling of the highly anticipated report from the Caisse. The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault, and the Prime Minister, François Legault, will react this Thursday.
“I am very positive about the report, the professionalism of the report. We have before us a 15-year, phased, structured master plan. For the Capitale-Nationale region, it’s good,” commented, visibly enthusiastic, the minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale, Jonatan Julien.
The mayor of Quebec understands that the government intends to move forward. He assures that he has had constructive discussions with the Legault government in recent days.
“I felt their desire to move forward,” said Bruno Marchand. Mr. Legault said: we will go for it once we have the report, so I want us to move quickly. »
By submitting its vast plan for mobility in the capital, CDPQ Infra was very clear: it wants to build this network of 70 km of tram and SRB lines on both banks. Its CITÉ Plan (integrated express transportation circuit) is estimated at $15.5 billion (see other text for details).
“It takes a decision, it takes the implementation of good governance to develop, implement and carry out this project quickly,” Jean-Marc Arbaud, president and CEO of CDPQ Infra, said on Wednesday.
The Caisse believes it will be able to deliver the “backbone” of the tramway, the first line from Le Gendre to Charlesbourg, in 2030. But to begin work, it needs a decision from the Legault government. He has made several about-faces on the thorny issue of mobility in the capital.
What is clear is that after six months of analysis, the Caisse would like to lead the project.
“We would definitely like to contribute. Personally, I think that developing mobility plans and improving mobility in public transport is very important, and it will become even more so in the coming years with environmental issues,” says Jean-Marc Arbaud. .
Unlike the Réseau express métropolitain in Montreal, the Caisse does not wish to operate the future tramway. She wants to build it.
The financial arrangement of this new partnership between the City, the Caisse, the government and the new transport agency is not clear. These questions have not yet been discussed with the City of Quebec. But those around the mayor say they are hopeful “of finding common ground.”
What is clear is that the Fund will have to find its account there. “We are a subsidiary of the CDPQ and we work with the nest egg of Quebecers. It is certain that a certain profitability is necessary to intervene on projects, there is no doubt,” affirms Jean-Marc Arbaud.
The mayor of Quebec did not want to boast on Wednesday by commenting on the Caisse report, which confirms the necessity of his tram project and shares his doubts about the relevance of a third highway link.
“I’m not here to win personally, for an ego trip, so it’s whose victory, I don’t care. It’s the victory of a city,” said Bruno Marchand.
The mayor admits it: he has never been so optimistic about the chances of carrying out the tram project, which has often suffered criticism from CAQ elected officials since its unveiling in 2018.
Bruno Marchand simply hopes that the project will be started quickly. The Conservative leader, Pierre Poilièvre, who is leading the polls, recently said that he did not intend to finance the tramway. However, the Trudeau government has already committed to paying 40% of the bill.
“Yes, yes, it’s a worry, because he’s clear in his intentions. He can go back, change his mind. I think he should change his mind. Because if it did not do so, it would increase discrimination between Quebec and other Canadian cities, for which Ottawa has financed public transport networks,” Mr. Marchand said on Wednesday.
The reaction was quite different in Lévis. Mayor Gille Lehouillier, a big supporter of the third motorway link, said he was “extremely disappointed with the report”. However, he clings to a statement from Ms. Guilbault according to which it would be irresponsible to only maintain a road link between Quebec and Lévis for the transport of goods.
“I think the minister had no other choice but to make this statement, at the risk of ending up with resignations within the caucus” of the CAQ, indicated the mayor of Lévis.
