We'll build our transit network if you give us the power, say mayors north of Montreal
Mayors north of Montreal are so fed up with what the lack of public transit in their cities, they're asking the Quebec government to give them more powers to come up with their own transit solutions.
On Tuesday, a group representing the mayors of cities like Deux-Montagnes, Oka, Blainville, Sainte-Thérèse and Terrebonne, just to name a few, released a plan to improve transit in the area.
Their transit services are provided by exo and co-ordinated by the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM), which is the transit planning agency for the greater Montreal area.
Getting more powers from Quebec would mean taking powers away from the ARTM — and such a change would also require a change in provincial law.
The group, which is called the Table des préfets et élus de la couronne Nord (TPECN), says the populations north of Montreal are growing quickly but transit services fall well short of what's needed.
Denis Martin, the mayor of Deux-Montagnes and the group's president, says traffic in the area is a nightmare.
"We need to bring public transit there, and we need to make it accessible to our citizens," Martin told Radio-Canada in an interview.
"And right now, we don't even see a hint of a solution in the short term."
The group says its residents pour in $80 million annually to fund the ARTM, but feel they aren't getting adequate services.
In September, this group of mayors held a news conference in the National Assembly to drive home the message that they feel ignored by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government.
In September, the group's mayors travelled to the National Assembly and held a news conference alongside opposition MNAs to highlight the need for public transit in their cities. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/Radio-Canada)
They were joined by opposition MNAs, which is noteworthy given that their cities are in ridings that elected CAQ MNAs in the last provincial election.
That includes Premier François Legault, who represents L'Assomption.
Former cabinet minister Pierre Fitzgibbon quit politics in September and his departure means there will be a byelection in the Terrebonne riding.
'Controlling our destiny'
The TEPCN's plan includes creating — with the Quebec government's blessing — a group or committee made up of local elected officials which would be in charge of coming up with a transit strategy for the area.
According to the plan, this group would focus on developing a reliable transit network that would serve people the north shore from east to west.
The group points out there is currently no way to travel from Deux-Montagnes to Repentigny, for example without going through downtown Montreal, which takes about two and a half hours.
The mayors say they're willing to put up more of their own money if it means "controlling our destiny" and making their proposal to the province a reality.
The office of Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault did not immediately return a request for comment.