Tramway: Minister Geneviève Guilbault goes further than expected | Quebec Tram

In a series of amendments tabled to modify the law on the Quebec City tramway project, Minister Geneviève Guilbault includes in the mandate of CDPQ Infra the possibility of carrying out, in addition, the D’Estimauville antenna and the SRB on Charest Boulevard.

This article was unanimously adopted by Minister Guilbault and the opposition parties who sit on the commission on Bill 61 which will create the transport agency, Mobilité Infra Québec. It is of a consensual amendmentclarified the minister before its reading in committee.

Thus, article 1 of the law on the structuring public transport project for the city of Quebec reads as follows: The purpose of the bill is to enable the creation of the structuring network of the City of Quebec, namely the realization of a tramway project, between the Le Gendre sector and the Charlesbourg sector, passing through the Sainte-Foy poles, the Laval University, Parliament Hill and Saint-Roch, including an antenna to the Estimauville sector and rapid service by bus and minibus.

I thank the minister for her openness to making these changesreacted the solidarity MP for Taschereau, Étienne Grandmont. Happy with this amendmenthe added.

In comments, Minister Guilbault clarified that the amendment aims to modify the scope of the City of Quebec project following the CDPQ Infra report, whose mandate was to improve the fluidity of travel on the community’s territory. metropolitan area of ​​Quebec.

When the amendment was adopted, the chair of the committee, Liberal MP Jennifer Maccarone, exclaimed that “the matter is ketchup!” »

Change of direction

The construction of the Estimauville branch and the development of a rapid bus service on Charest Boulevard are important additions. The day after the submission of the CDPQ Infra report, in June, the government had ruled out all other scenarios of the City Plan which proposed improving mobility in three phases.

The Prime Minister, François Legault, was only committed to the completion of the backbone of the project, that is to say the 19 kilometers which connect the Le Gendre and Charlesbourg sectors.

Threesome

The other amendments made by the minister aim, among other things, to share the governance of the project. The law on the structuring network had to be amended so that CDPQ Infra officially became the sole project manager. However, the minister chose a more fragmented model. Governance of the project will be shared between CDPQ Infra, the City of Quebec and the Minister of Transport.

In this context, Geneviève Guilbault judges useless and superfluous the proposal from Québec solidaire to give additional tools to the City of Quebec so that it maintains its balance of power when it comes to land use planning. In its brief, the City mentioned the importance of CDPQ Infra “being subject to municipal regulations”.

Geneviève Guilbault believes that this is no longer necessary. The City of Quebec, being itself at the head of the project with the Caisse and the minister, it is certain that this project will be done with respect for the City of Quebecshe replied to the member for Taschereau.

Furthermore, the City of Quebec will be able to continue the expropriation process that it began in recent years. This confirmation helps avoid additional delays.