Funding of a bypass: Relief in Lac-Mégantic

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Caroline Lepage

Tuesday, 23 January 2018 14:07

UPDATE
Tuesday, 23 January 2018 14:07

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LAC-MÉGANTIC | The spokesman of the Coalition of citizens and organizations committed to rail safety Lac-Mégantic, Robert Bellefleur, is encouraged that Ottawa has promised to fund the bypass.

Mr. Bellefleur would like to thank Marc Garneau’s commitment to give back a little hope to Méganticois, who will be able to consider with more quiet, their healing and their future.

In recent years, Mr. Bellefleur has met a few times the minister Garneau to denounce the state of the rails in Lac-Mégantic. The minister repeated that the railway transport was safe, which had led the spokesperson to harden the tone.

The spokesman argued that the construction of the bypass road just fix the problem at the source.

Trial determining

“Wait for the Méganticois has been long and painful,” he said.

According to him, the trial that has just ended with the acquittal of the three ex-employees of the MMA has been instrumental.

“If we had found a culprit, you would have put the cover on the pot. In acquitting the three, it has taken the pressure up,” says Bellefleur.

He believes that the trial has reminded elected officials that the people of Lac-Mégantic, suffering in spite of his great resilience, could not wait beyond the fifth anniversary of the tragedy.

Mr. Bellefleur welcomed the mayor of Lac-Mégantic, Julie Morin, who insisted that the government’s money is expected in the next budget.

The population of Lac-Mégantic waits all the same more specific commitments of the federal and provincial governments.

Mr. Bellefleur has recommended the minister back to Transport Canada its a true watch-dog role of the rail safety and putting an end to the process of self-management of railway safety by the private companies.

“The security of the populations living in the vicinity of the railways depends on it”, pleaded he.