English stories

Chateauguay treated as ‘’third-world’’ of public transport

le vendredi 20 septembre 2019
Modifié à 15 h 55 min le 19 septembre 2019
Par Patricia Blackburn

pblackburn@gravitemedia.com

The Mayor of Chateauguay wishes to make the stakes of public transport his ‘’new battle issue’’ for the coming months. It’s the $50 tax on vehicle matriculation that will be extended to all of the municipalities of the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM), of which Chateauguay is a part, that has raised the indignation of the members of the Chateauguay City Council. This is notably because of the fact that, according to them, the region ‘’is the forgotten area when the question of development and investment in the matter of public transport arises.’’ They adopted a resolution on August 16, asking the CMM and the Metropolitan Transport Regional Authority (ARTM) that the amounts collected by the intervention of tax on the matriculation in the southern crown of Montreal be specifically utilized for purposes of transport for all of the municipalities of the southern crown, and Chateauguay in particular.’’ Councillor Eric Allard, the initiator of this request, asked the Mayor for a tight follow-up of the dossier, in order ‘’to get things moving.’’ ‘’I am really counting on you to remind them that we exist, and to tell them to what point we are being forgotten,’’ Allard let it be known. And that is what the Mayor promised to do in the coming weeks. Allard had first submitted his request to City Council on July 15. Supported by all the councillors, the resolution was nevertheless suspended by the Mayor, who judged that it was not addressed to the right people and that it contained some errors. It was resubmitted to Council, with modifications, on September 16, and was unanimously adopted by the elected officials present at that meeting. In force on January 2021 On June 20, the CMM adopted a regulation stipulating that the motorists from 82 municipalities of Greater Montreal will pay a tax of $50 extra on the matriculation of their vehicle. It’s a new amount that will be dedicated to public transport to cover the costs of maintenance and development of the collective transport networks. The measure will bring in about $100 million a year. This new tax will come into force no later than January 1, 2021.