The money from the green Fund… to pay for the metro to Laval, opened in 2007

Photo agence qmi, joel lemay
The subway in Laval was inaugurated in 2007. On the photo, users to the Montmorency station last Friday.

Charles Lecavalier

Monday, February 19, 2018 01:00

UPDATE
Monday, February 19, 2018 01:00

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Tens of millions of dollars to the green Fund are used to repay the debts of the old projects of the extension of the metro to Laval and the Train, learned about The Newspaper.

For the year 2015-2016, the department of Transport (MTQ) has disbursed$ 110 Million for the extension of the metro to Laval, though launched under the Landry government and put into service in 2007. At the time of the inauguration of the metro, the green Fund was only beginning to be created. The MTQ has also paid$ 114 Million for the Train, announced in 2007 and delivered in 2014.

These amounts come from the government assistance program for the collective transport of people, funded to almost 60% by the green Fund during this year, according to a document presented to elected officials and obtained by our parliamentary Bureau.

The MTQ explains that these are “are always paid for the repayment of loans associated with these two projects”, and that they are “in connection” with the green Fund, as it is transit.

The MTQ claims to reduce 21 000 tonnes of GHG emissions through these projects in 2017.

Unacceptable

Philippe Cousineau-Morin, director of Path Quebec, this situation is unacceptable. “The public understanding of the green Fund, it is the acceleration of the fight against climate change. Here, we will rather account that the MTQ has found a new way to finance projects of the past”, he lamented.

In 2014, the minister of the Environment of the time David Heurtel announced an increase in the price at the pump because of the carbon market. He explained then that “the goal of the green Fund is to invest in the quebec economy is precisely that it relies less on fossil fuels”. In this case, these millions paid in majority by the quebec motorists, who pay for between three and four cents on each litre of gasoline, are instead used to casquer old debts “cannibalisent” the new projects of public transport, says Mr. Cousineau-Morin.

It is not the only one to denounce this practice of the MTQ. “This is clearly a misappropriation of funds”, according to the spokesperson of Greenpeace’s Patrick Bonin. “It is clear that the sums were to be used in new projects. Here, we pay our debts. This is not like that that the green Fund was explained to the population,” he says.

“It has neither head nor tail to account for the GHG reductions of the metro to Laval. It is of the acquis. It takes further reductions to achieve the targets,” he said.

The management board approves

The Board of management of the green Fund, an organization created by the government Couillard to oversee the expenditure of Funds, often criticised, considers for its part that the MTQ is in his right. “These amounts are included in amounts transferred to the green Fund at the FORT (Fonds des réseaux de transport terrestre), since these two projects have a direct impact on the reduction of GHG emissions”, said in a written reply.

The Board also argues that, because of additional payments later from other sources, the green Fund has not paid for that 41 %, or nearly$ 90 Million for these debts in 2015-2016.

For the year 2015-2016, the department of Transport (MTQ) has disbursed

• $110 Million for the extension of the metro to Laval
• $114 Million for the Train

These amounts come from the government assistance program for the collective transport of persons, funded in large part by the green Fund.

Green fund in brief

Photo JEAN-FRANCOIS DESGAGNES

• Launched in 2006, the green Fund has a mission “to promote the sustainable development of Québec by the protection of the environment, preservation of biodiversity and the fight against climate change”.
• It engrangera nearly $ 3 billion by 2020.
• Nearly 80 % of this money will be disbursed by the drivers, who pay three to four cents on each litre of gasoline to compensate for the load imposed on the distributors.

Better management

Photo AGENCE QMI, SIMON CLARK

Nearly 20 months after his arrival to power, the government Couillard has announced a reform of the management of the green Fund in the wake of reports in the Newspaper.

“It is clear that the governance of the green Fund needs to be improved […] : more rigour, more transparency and accountability, objectives, projects that are better defined and measures of results should also be better defined.”

— Philippe Couillard, February 5, 2016

The objective of the government was to follow each dollar to the trace and make sure that the investment will be most profitable in terms of GHG reduction. Even if the subway in Laval was put into service almost at the same time as the creation of the green Fund, the board of management considers that it is a good investment and meets the goals of the green Fund”.