My city is not a tram – Le Soleil

My city is not a tram – Le Soleil

Bruno Marchand introduced it during an interview during the fall political season in September. “It takes up a lot of space, probably too much. Certainly too much,” he said to his colleague Émilie Pelletier.

This quote shows how much the tram occupies debates and minds.

Yes, probably too much.

That and the other “T-word”, the third link.

Still, it's incredible that the year begins with the Caisse de dépôt etplacement, which studies mobility in the Quebec region.

I'm excited to see what emerges from this analysis, which aims to review 15 years of study in six months. My pinky tells me we'll talk about it again in this column.

Probably too much.

Not that these projects aren't important. On the other hand.

Mobility is fundamental in Quebec. And I can't wait to talk about it, learn more about it and see how these projects develop further. We look forward to discussing this with your supporters and critics. But Quebec, my city, is so much more than the tram and the third line.

The Quebec I want to talk about in this column is also this central capital, a city that can be explored and explored on foot, meeting the population of all districts.

A city of history and innovation, heritage, events, culture, economic development and sport. A city of power where provincial politics are never far up the hill. That's why I'm also going to talk to you about politics in Quebec.

And a prediction, although the situation between the Marchand government and the Legault government is rather tense: things will not stagnate.

Things are not flat on the Lévis side either, as growth there is rapid, with all the challenges that come with it.

The context is stimulating to put at the top of this column, masterfully written by François Bourque from 2006 until recently.

Those are big shoes to fill. Your appearance will be different, but I promise to lead this column with the rigor, love of the job and openness to dialogue that so characterized my esteemed predecessor. Well done and thank you for everything, François!

From snow clearance to the fiscal compact

Local politics is the most exciting, concrete and citizen-oriented. It affects the population both in their everyday concerns and in their major democratic, demographic and economic issues. From snow removal to tax pacts, bring topics and diversity with you!

This is even more true at a time when a new generation of mayors is joining forces on important issues such as housing, the fight against homelessness, transport and climate change. Local elected officials are uniting, speaking louder than ever before, challenging governments, taking up space and also having to be questioned and accountable for their decisions.

Bruno Marchand, François Legault and ministers Geneviève Guilbault and Jonatan Julien will meet on November 8th.  The government then announced that it would take the tram project out of the hands of the city of Quebec in favor of the Caisse de dépôt etplacement.

After 20 years at Le Soleil, including the last six great years as director, I return to my old loves, having covered the urban scene from 2011 to 2017. The great Labeaume years. All in all, great years.

From the construction of the amphitheater to the terrible massacre at the mosque. The time of great ambitions, the dream of the return of the Nordic countries, the economic missions, “Monsieur Caramel”, the Le Phare projects and the rapid bus service abandoned in 2017 to be reborn in the form of a tram.

Seven years later, there is still no tram in sight.

But let's talk about that again. Probably too much.

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This first chronicle appears while it is still permitted to express wishes. That's why we're opening the dialogue now: What do you want for Quebec and Lévis in 2024? Write to [email protected]. Your answers may be found in a future column.