No cars allowed on urban boulevard leading to future Kirkland REM station
A West Island mayor is speaking out against Montreal's decision to ban cars from the new urban boulevard leading up to the future REM station in Kirkland.
Montreal City Council approved a $20-million loan bylaw Tuesday that will allow construction to proceed on an access road to the station, running from Antoine-Faucon Street in Pierrefonds-Roxboro to Ste-Marie Road in Kirkland.
In a decision made by Valerie Plante's administration, only bikes and buses will have access to the new street.
But Pierrefonds-Roxboro mayor Jim Beis says it's not practical, arguing the move doesn't respond to the realities of the community.
"We are for all means of transportation, and we believe in giving folks the option with what makes sense in an area, where it involves the local community," Beis told CTV News in an interview Wednesday. "We as a local community have never, and will not be heard by this administration."
The $60 million project is a north-south artery that has been in the works for years, long before the REM was part of the equation.
"After this long bylaw that passed at council this week, I am furious. Because, again, we're spending a lot of money, many millions, tens of millions of dollars, for something that isn't really wanted by the local community," said Beis.
At one point, the land was reserved by the provincial government for an extension of Highway 440, but the project was ultimately scrapped.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante says her administration's goal is to connect to an eventual urban park that's planned for the West Island.
"That road will be something to access, essentially, the park. And there will be buses, because that's important -- we want for the last kilometre from the REM, for example, that people can access it with other types of public transit," Plante told reporters Wednesday.
Work on the new urban boulevard is slated to start this year and is expected to be completed in 2027.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.