Regis Labeaume is moving on.

The Quebec City Mayor lobbied for months to get a meeting with Stephen Harper to discuss federal funding for an arena project in his city, one tied to an eventual bid to host the Winter Olympics and perhaps attract an NHL team back to the provincial capital.

But now he knows that cheque from Ottawa will never come.

"Oh, it's over, it's over," Labeaume said Thursday. "We said December 31 it's over, it's done. We have a plan."

One reason the government wouldn't fund a hockey arena in Quebec City is because it wouldn't be fair to other regions of the country.

So Labeaume's new pet project taps into a broader, nation-building narrative.

He wants a high-speed rail link from Windsor, Ont., to his city, and even though it would be a huge boon to Quebec City, it's easier to sell a project that would have more wide-ranging benefits.

"This is not just for Quebec City," Labeaume said. "It's a national vision."

Labeaume is not alone in wanting the new rail link, as Premier Jean Charest has also spoken out about the need of the federal parties to commit to the project as part of their election platforms.

"This guy, Monsieur Charest, is a very brilliant person, by the way," Labeaume said.

But Harper's platform contains no commitments to railway infrastructure - let alone a multi-billion dollar high-speed train.

Labeaume says he has a hard time understanding the Conservative's lack of interest in railway transport. .

"I don't know," he said. "I have my idea, but I'm going to keep it for me."

The Liberals do call high-speed rail a priority, but around Quebec City only two parties are really in the game.

And only one could form a government.

So, after calling the Conservatives' rejection of the arena "suicidal" Labeaume's being more tactful.

Because he also wants money for the Port of Quebec, cash to expand Jean-Lesage Airport, an electric tram line down Charest Blvd. and a long-track speed skating facility.

That's right. A skating facility.

"This is not a professional sport," Labeaume said. "It's a sport for everybody."

Consider that yet another lesson learned from the arena experience.