MONTREAL - Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay said Wednesday new toll booths and higher gas taxes are the only solution to more money for infrastructure in the province.
Tremblay insists municipalities across Canada are dealing with a $120-billion deficit in infrastructure spending, leading to crumbling highways and bridges.
He said he is seeking more money from the provincial and federal governments through tolls and taxes in the Montreal region.
"For Laval, Longueuil, South Shore, North Shore -- and as a result of that we'll have the necessary funds to invest in our infrastructure and public transit," he said.
Tremblay says Montreal and Quebec are at a crossroads and political leaders must make tough, though unpopular, decisions.
Quebec's Transport Minister Sam Hamad said he disagrees with the proposal, because the province is already spending $4 billion annually on infrastructure.
"For the moment, there is no plan for rising taxes," he said Wednesday.
Tolls were common in the Montreal area three decades ago, but fell by the wayside in recent years. The A25 Bridge on Highway 25 is currently is only toll bridge in the Greater Montreal, connecting Laval to Montreal in Riviere des Prairies.
