Opponents of Quebec’s streetcar project announced the formation of a new municipal political party late last week.
• Also read: The city of Quebec is asking Alstom to postpone its contract to produce tram trains
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The spokespeople of the group “Tramway NON merci”, Stéphane Lachance and Marc Roussin, announced on Saturday on social networks the creation of “Respect Citoyens”, a new municipal anti-tram party.
Marc Roussin explained in a video that the group’s members had “done the maximum of what they could do with Tramway, NO thanks.”
Opponents of the project want to “take the fight to another level” to confront Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand on the political stage.
The group plans to convert Tramway NON merci’s Facebook page – which has around 12,000 subscribers – into that of their brand new party.
Marc Roussin, left, one of the founding members of the Tramway NON merci collective. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
However, the founders of Respect Citoyens reiterated that the party should soon have its own website and premises.
The party has been accredited to Élections Québec since September 28, allowing it to cover political expenses and recruit citizens.
Another delay
The Journal reported Saturday that the city of Quebec has asked French multinational Alstom to postpone the deadline associated with the contract to produce the tram trains to the first half of 2024.
Last spring, the city gave Alstom a $5 million “contractual advance” when it signed the rolling stock contract.
At that time, the Marchand government expected that the multinational would receive official approval to start rolling stock production on November 10, following a green light from Quebec’s Council of Ministers.
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