Transit given short shrift in provincial budget: Plante

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she’s satisfied with parts of the Quebec budget, but said it doesn’t provide enough funding to public transit.

“Even though the budget meets several of the city of Montreal’s expectations, notably in the area of housing, revitalizing the east end of the island and culture, I regret that the government misses the train on sustainable transport,” Plante said in a statement on Thursday.

“Today more than ever, it is necessary to plan the next steps to decongest the road network, which is responsible for 43 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.”

The proportion of the infrastructure investment plan dedicated to public transit drops in the new budget to 27 per cent from 31 per cent, city hall said. It’s not the right route to take in the fight against climate change, and deviates from the sustainability mobility policy, Plante said.

If the ratio of investment were more equal between the road network and public transit, it would be possible to plan projects in a coherent manner, she said.

Among the amounts announced in the provincial budget that will be useful to Montreal is $100 million for decontamination of land, “a first step” in revitalizing former industrial properties, she said.

Another $72.8 million for housing will help pick up the pace of projects under construction, she said, but added her administration is waiting for the province to say what funding will be available for new housing projects.