Press release
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal welcomes
the announcement of vital Montreal infrastructure investments
Montreal, May 2, 2005 The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is delighted with today's announcement by the Canadian and Quebec governments and the city of Montreal of investments of $385 million in Montreal's road and drinking water infrastructures.
The announcement of the $150 million investment to upgrade the Dorval interchange was greeted with satisfaction by the Board of Trade. The Dorval traffic circle is a weak link in the metropolitan road network, and in recent years, the Board of Trade has repeatedly pinpointed it as a priority point of intervention. This intersection is the primary access point for Trudeau International Airport, which welcomes some 10 million passengers annually, making it one of the most important gateways to Montreal and Quebec. We are thus overjoyed to learn that the financing of this important work is now assured and that it may begin in the near future, declared Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of the Board of Trade.
The Board of Trade also welcomes the portion of the funds allocated to infrastructures for the treatment of drinking water. From both the perspective of sustainable development and that of reducing the waste and expense associated with obsolete infrastructures, the announcement of these investments represents a strategic decision. We are thus happy to see that the leadership of the Tremblay administration in this area has today received the support of the other levels of government, continued Hudon.
While encouraged by these announcements, the Board of Trade is still waiting impatiently for confirmation that a major portion of the revenues from the federal tax on gasoline will be devoted to public transit. The Board of Trade has repeatedly stressed the need to acknowledge the specific financial needs of the largest urban centres and the importance of reserving a major portion of these investments for public transit. Indeed, a study we published last December highlighted the fact that the Quebec and Canadian governments currently earn a 45% return on the amounts they invest in public transit in metropolitan Montreal. We therefore hope that the governments involved will quickly decide to allocate the gas tax taking into account the return the invested amounts will earn and the important contribution of the metropolis to the prosperity of the entire province, concluded Hudon.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its primary mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montreal and to provide individuals, merchants and businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec 's leading private economic development organization.
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Source:
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: (514) 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca