Transit: a calculation error that deprives Quebec of$40 Million

News 14 March, 2018
  • Archival Photo, QMI Agency
    Martin Ouellet
    Spokesperson of the parti québecois

    Marc-André Gagnon

    Wednesday, 14 march, 2018 21:59

    UPDATE
    Wednesday, 14 march, 2018 21:59

    Look at this article

    In addition to the 573 M$ who still sleep in Ottawa, an error in the calculation of the envelope of federal reserved for transit projects prevents the Quebec touch in quarantine for a million more.

    Our parliamentary Bureau has learned that the goodwill of a dozen companies of transport in quebec has been outright ignored in the calculation of the share that goes to Quebec in the framework of phase 1 of the federal fund for transit infrastructure.

    However, the calculation of the envelope of 924 M$ announced in July, 2016, by the prime ministers, Justin Trudeau and Philippe Couillard was based precisely on the basis of the number of users of public transportation services across the country.

    “The calculation is done on the basis of data of the goodwill treaty of the member companies of the canadian urban transit Association (CUTA),” confirmed Nadine Archambault-Chapleau, spokesperson for Infrastructure Canada.

    A shortfall of 6 %

    However, the transport companies are not all members of this association. We thus find, in particular, among these 12 companies of transport for which the traffic has not been taken into account, those in the cities of Lévis, Saguenay, Trois-Rivières, as well as those of the crowns of Montreal.

    The most recent portrait by the ACTU in 2014 accounted for 98 % of the traffic in Canada, while in Quebec, we speak rather of 94 %, according to the information obtained from Jodie Hunt, manager of communications of the ACTU.

    “We have not received our fair share,” says the spokesman of the parti québecois in the field of transport, Martin Ouellet, who wants the companies of transport of Quebec can rapidly benefit of the millions of dollars that are missing.

    On the side of Infrastructure Canada, it is explained that a “new calculation” will be adopted for the 2nd phase of the program, to include all of the transportation companies.