For 14 years, the grace of the mayoral profession allowed me to have my hindquarters snuggled well in the back seat of a company vehicle, driver and custodian of my large physique.
Posted at 6:00 am
I’ve already written it and I hope my insurer doesn’t read me, I think I’ve lost the hang of the wheel and my vehicle, which is celebrating its one year anniversary these days, is already in line for a first stop with the superior and repairman for multiple lower body injuries.
I pull incredible antics. I’m awaiting an offer from Cirque du Soleil…
Also, I’m looking for an alternative to move onto the longer course. And for your own safety, ladies and gentlemen!
And that’s when I rediscover how Ottawa is off the track.
We forget the plane. The bus?
I’ve become wild and claustrophobic and don’t want to have to argue with a neighbor who’s glued to me all the time. So instead of damaging my reputation for looking goofy, I avoid it.
I still have the train.
The round trip between Quebec and Montreal takes about seven hours, a lot slower than my car. Again, hoping the SQ doesn’t read this column…
And the frequency, we don’t even talk about it. The first departure is in the middle of the night.
But if there was a fast and frequent TGV, I would probably never again take my car or plane to get to Montreal or the Quebec-Windsor end of this route.
And how many of us think the same thing do you think?
I bathed in this file and campaigned for a TGV for 14 years. I don’t know anything worse. I had to defend my city because some geniuses in Ottawa preferred a course from Montreal to Windsor or Toronto.
I don’t need to tell you that I lay down on the rail and they ran over my body. I warned everyone that if they tried to exclude Quebec from the project they would become famous. Rule.
But oddly enough, Ottawa has only ever planned one TGF. I even reluctantly agreed to attend an announcement on the TGF in Quebec because I wanted to protect our city’s presence in this project, or possibly that of a TGV.
I think this country lacks ambition!
Canada is one of the last western countries without high-speed rail. To be honest, we’re backwards.
Even the United States, whose residents have oil in their veins, is working on several high-speed rail projects. That says it all.
Plus, we have the clean, renewable energy source to run it.
Yes, the project is expensive to build, but the Quebec-Windsor route is almost 150 times longer than the route of Quebec’s third interconnection project. Compare the costs and ask yourself where the priority lies.
The TGV Quebec-Windsor would cover regions that are home to 60% of Canada’s population and which also produce 60% of the country’s jobs and GDP.
VIA Rail claims that we would save 25% time with a TGF between Quebec and Montreal. According to an article by Julien Arsenault of La Presse1, we would save 24 minutes on a trip that currently takes 3 hours 24 minutes. Crumbs and still longer than a car ride.
Roughly speaking, a TGV would cut the journey time by a few hours. All the difference in the world.
The TGF will not, in my view, create a significant large modal shift, but the TGV would do it spectacularly and add up the environmental impact.
The TGF project was estimated at $ 6-12 billion, but now we do not know more …
The Federal Transport Minister said last week that he would examine whether parts of the TGF would enable faster driving.
A little faster! Wow!
Quick little tips for a little life project! Poooov us!
As Môman would say, the minister has put his head in a political jelly mold to play on both counts.
And now the Quebec government wants a TGV instead. We make the wave!
Of course, the prospect of supporting and building a railroad industry at home motivates him.
He wants Ottawa’s money for a third link and an extra TGV. The butter, the butter money and… and I’ll stop here for the sake of being rude.
He doesn’t remember how the federal health promotion file ended, where he was given nothing but dry biscuits.
But still, if I were Mr. Legault, I wouldn’t let go of the TGV and I’d shove Ottawa cotton in the back!
We would even encourage him to brew Justin on it, it should make him happy. Come indulge yourself Prime Minister!
It would take us away from the usual Quebec-Ottawa joke. And he doesn’t get a dime for the third link anyway.
Even President Eisenhower must have been shocked when he launched his project to build 40,000 miles of freeways across the United States in the late 1950s, but he had a vision, and he was right.
I remind you that Canada was really built after the construction of a transnational railroad in the late 19th century.
But I suppose Mr. Poilievre would jump on such a plan to slit his throat and help him win the next election.
In fact, it’s probably us, the people of this country, who lack ambition.
misery !
Between us
Great emotion in Quebec in recent days with the almost miraculous presence of young Ukrainian players at the Tournoi International de Hockey Pee-Wee de Québec.
Already a year of this cruel war.