Quebec’s mayor reiterated that the federal level is “signing on” to his Plan B for the tram and that it is possible that Ottawa will pay 40% of the total bill of $8.4 billion.
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Mr. Marchand stated this on Monday afternoon from Lévis after a meeting with Mayor Lehouillier. Early in the morning he had already had a tête-à-tête with the liberal federal minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
“The federal government confirms to me that they are there and will continue to be there in the future. I have the word of the ministers,” said Mayor Marchand.
According to him, 40% of federal funds have been raised for the original $4 billion budget. What about the future, knowing that the new cost of a project for which the city would assume project management is now estimated at $8.4 billion?
“There is an understanding of why we would do it this way, given the context and the way we do it. Mr. Duclos agrees and says that it can be interesting and reduce the risks,” the mayor added.
Asked whether the federal government could pick up 40% of the total $8.4 billion bill, Mr Marchand added: “That’s what they want.” […]. They said they would be there throughout the project. Obviously all the details remain to be seen.”
Strong commitment
Earlier in the day, Minister Duclos recalled the “solid commitment” of the three levels of government for $4 billion and reiterated that a new annual federal program will see the light of day in 2026, providing recurring additional payments of $3 billion. Dollars will be used for the nationwide structuring of transport projects.
This indicated that the first part of the tram project (between Le Gendre and Laval University) would cost around $4 billion. The other two parts (University of Laval – Saint-Roch, then Saint-Roch – D’Estimauville) would also cost almost $4 billion.
Possible meeting with Legault this week
Bruno Marchand also confirmed that a meeting between him and Prime Minister Legault is expected to take place this week.
Although he wants to be resolved as quickly as possible, the mayor of Quebec did not want to risk saying at this meeting whether the fate of the tram can be sealed.
One thing is certain: the mayor seems to welcome the government’s idea of creating a transport agency quite coolly, given the risk of further delays in the construction of the tram.
Lehouillier talks about a common strategy
For his part, Gilles Lehouillier, mayor of Lévis, reiterated his support for the REC (Réseau express de la Capitale), which includes the tram. He also mentioned “a poor record” of the Legault government on mobility in the greater Capitale-Nationale region.
Without directly opposing the transport authority project, Mr Lehouillier admitted that he preferred the French example, which gives more power to big cities.
The mayor of Lévis also said he was working with his counterpart Marchand on a joint “strategy” on mobility, but refused to reveal its contents.
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