Public transit: Cities say Quebec has 'backed them into a corner'

The Quebec government will present a new proposal to the municipalities of Greater Montreal, who are calling for improved funding for public transit.

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she and other mayors feel "backed into a corner," as their budgets are due soon.

"On Nov. 15, the City of Montreal adopts its budget," she said.

Plante was joined by Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer, Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier and Mercier Mayor Lise Michaud in urging the government to improve its offer.

At a press scrum in Quebec City, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault replied that she would present a new offer, but did not reveal any details.

In its original proposal, the Legault government offered to cover 20 per cent of public transit companies' residual deficit for 2024-2028.

But cities deemed the proposal unacceptable, arguing it wouldn't be enough to maintain service frequency.

With the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of remote working, the structural deficit of public transit companies in Quebec has increased.

The negotiations between Quebec and the cities represent a showdown between "David and Goliath," according to Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer.

"The municipalities, our revenues are growing half as quickly as those of the Quebec government. We cannot run a deficit, which the provincial government can do. So, we are not playing on equal terms."

Based on Quebec's original proposal, Laval would have to pay $30 million, Boyer noted, adding that "$30 million is the growth in my total budget for the city, for all services: for snow removal, for park maintenance, for building maintenance, for everyone."

"This is not acceptable," he said. "We can't digest that in a few weeks."

A NEW OFFER

While Guilbault committed to presenting a new offer, she stressed that the provincial government has "no control" over transit companies' expenses.

"We have no say in how operations and decisions are made," she said.

Guilbault rejected the analogy made by mayors, who compared public transit funding to a pie, deploring the absence of one of the pastry chefs: the Quebec government.

"We pay roughly half of the pie, but we have no control over the production costs of the pie," Guilbault responded.

She says it's possible to reduce the expenses of transit companies without negatively impact services, which the municipalities contest.

"I am fairly certain that there are other ways to save money than by closing the Metro or asking the government to pay 75 per cent of operating deficits," she argued.

The Parti Québécois believes that the minister's offer is insufficient.

"The government is dragging its feet, is not ready to take leadership on this issue," said Joël Arseneau, the PQ's transport critic.

Québec solidaire's Manon Massé is concerned that public transit companies will be forced to cut back their services.

"It seems like the CAQ doesn't realize that workers of all social classes take the bus, the Metro, public transit, to get to work, to carry children to daycare, to get around," she said. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 31, 2023.