Ottawa agrees with CN to purchase the Quebec Bridge

Ottawa and Canadian National (CN) finally agreed to buy the Quebec bridge. The Quebec government does not intend to oppose the agreement, despite its right of pre-emption.

There was an agreement between the Government of Canada and CN, which allows us to move forward with the repair of the Quebec Bridge. This is good news for all the people of Quebec Cityindicated the Quebec lieutenant of the Trudeau government, Pablo Rodriguez, Thursday morning.

He does not elaborate on the details of the agreement, but emphasizes teamwork huge to achieve such an arrangement. CN did not wish to comment on the matter.

An official announcement, in the presence of Minister of Public Services and Supply Jean-Yves Duclos, will take place in the coming days, says his office.

[Le pont] is in good condition and you can be sure that it will be in even better condition in a few yearslaunched the minister at a press briefing on Thursday.

In 2024, hope and hard work add up!

Negotiations Blitz

The agreement was reached recently following sustained negotiations over the past few months.

According to our information, it provides for the repurchase of the Quebec bridge by Ottawa in exchange for compensation from CN in order to ensure the sustainability of the structure.

The last evaluation of the work amounts to $784 million and dates back to 2020. The new evaluation would exceed a billion dollars. It covers maintenance and repair costs for the useful life of the bridge.

Still according to our information, Minister Rodriguez signed the agreement Tuesday evening. THE CN would not have signed it yet since he is waiting to know if the Quebec government will use its right of pre-emption.

Thursday afternoon, Quebec’s Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility indicated that her government was not going to oppose the agreement.

As the main tenant of the bridge, the Quebec government has a right of pre-emption to analyze the agreement. He can choose to block it and acquire the structure.

We won’t take the bridge. We’re going to let the federal government do it, but I haven’t looked at the agreement yet because we’ve just received it. I welcome the fact that this is finally resolved. We are responsible for the bridge deck for which we will have to do major work.

His government must now confirm its decision in an official letter.

Cautious rejoicing

A few hours after learning the news, elected officials are cautious about the purchase of the heritage structure.

I will wait for the conclusions. It is certain that we want the sustainability of this extremely important infrastructure for the region.declared the minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region, Jonatan Julien.

The mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, wishes to wait for the details of the announcement before making a decision. However, he deplores the time that the negotiations took.

It’s time. What I hope is that it will come to fruition quickly, that it will be a matter of days. There are still obstacles to overcome. This infrastructure is not expanding because we become owners, but I think there is a desire. It’s time to reverse the trendhe said.

Finally! That’s very good news. The people of Lévis and Quebec deserve quality infrastructurewrites the mayor of Lévis, Gilles Lehouillier.

The citizen group Avenir pont de Québec, which has been campaigning for the preservation of the structure since 2014, no longer had hope of an agreement. For us, this is very good news. Now, we can’t wait to see the federal government’s maintenance program. It is for the citizens, for their safety. It’s normal for the government to invest, as it did with the Jacques-Cartier and Champlain bridges.he believes.

The Conservatives are also impatiently awaiting what comes next. When the workers are on the bridge and the work begins, we will believe itlaunched conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus. Hopefully it will be good this time. We must preserve the Quebec Bridge, it is an essential link for the regionadds the elected official from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

The Bloc Québécois is also delighted with the news, but ultimately, we believe that the infrastructure, a true historical jewel, must be transferred to the government of Quebecwrites the member for Beauport-Limoilou, Julie Vignola.

Owner for 31 years

Last December, Minister Duclos affirmed on our airwaves that an offer had been sent to Canadian National (CN), owner of the bridge.

The Quebec Bridge was privatized in 1993. Since then, it has been the property of the CNwhich manages it.

CN had renewed its lease with Quebec in the fall of 2022 for the use of the bridge’s road deck. The agreement amounts to nearly 100 million over 10 years, transposable in the event of a change of ownership.

In 2019, the federal government confirmed its intention to buy the structure, mandating Yvon Charest, former president of Industrial Alliance, as negotiator.

With the collaboration of Audrey Paris and Olivier Lemieux