Critics are wondering why the extension to Montreal's metro system is going to cost so much.
Premier Philippe Couillard and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that construction on the Blue line extension should begin in 2020 and that it would cost $3.9 billion, with Quebec paying 60 percent of the overall cost.
At $3.9 billion, that's about $670 million per kilometre of tunnel, making it one of the most expensive subway systems in the world.
In 2007, the metro system was extended to Laval at a cost of $140 million per kilometre, with a total of three new stations and a fourth station requiring extensive modifications.
Couillard said there are significant differences between the two extensions, namely the terrain; he said it will cost more to build in Montreal because buildings will need to be expropriated for new stations.
One building owner has already received an expropriation notice. The owner and tenants of a commercial building at the corner of Jean-Talon and Lacordaire have been told their building is evaluated at $5,000,000. It houses a pharmacy and health clinics.
The tenants do not want to leave, and say it makes more sense for the new station to be built in a park across the street.
“Absolutely I feel frustrated,” said notary Frank Cavaleri after he received the notice. “There are no dates in it, it's just within the next few months. The ministry will contact me to tell me what my rights are, to visit the property.”
The tenants have started a petition and quickly amassed 3,000 signatures opposed to the expropriation.
“I made a petition to the effect that the residents of St Leonard and the clients of those clinics and that pharmacy request that the property not be demolished and the metro be put in the area of the park,” he said. “The only argument they have is that there are mature trees there.”
He said he’s in favour of the metro extension, but is hoping to get a fair price for the property, adding that demolishing the building will also affect about 100 employees.
“We’ve been taking care of clients for a long time, offering front-line health services,” said pharmacist-owner Samira Louriachi.
Quebec Transport Minister Andre Fortin said expropriations are the price of progress.
“We know it's going to cause some disturbances to many, including the owners of such buildings, but it's public service, a public good that we're building,” he said.
Asked about the project's hefty price tag, Fortin said the Blue Line can't be compared to other projects.
“Really, the main part of it is that we're doing things a lot differently internally at the Ministry of Transport. We have to have reserves for risks which have to be taken into account. The financing and the reserve for risk is $1 billion,” he said.
In the meantime, Cavaleri says he's notified the government he plans to contest the expropriation.
