Montreal's beleaguered REM de l'Est project on hold as environmental review hearings delayed

The future of the  $10-billion dollar REM de L'Est light rail project for Montreal's east end is up in the air, now that promoter CDPQ Infra has sought to delay public hearings by Quebec's environmental review agency, known by its French acronym as the BAPE.

The second phase of the Réseau express métropolitain  is to include 23 stations along 32 kilometres of track, stretching from downtown to the eastern neighbourhoods of Pointe-aux-Trembles and Montréal-Nord through a mix of underground tunnels and elevated tracks. 

But numerous groups, most notably the city of Montreal, have raised red flags about the project — suggesting it would be an eyesore, inefficient, and a threat to the city's Chinatown and to an east-end residential neighbourhood.

CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of Quebec's pension fund manager, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, tried to address some of those concerns with new designs released last week.

However, the city said it still has concerns about the project, and CDPQ Infra said Thursday that it would not proceed with BAPE hearings until it had more clarity from the city about those concerns.

"We place great importance on all partners adhering to a common alignment," Jean-Vincent Lacroix, communications director for CDPQ Infra, said in a statement emailed to CBC.

"Taking the time to ensure such alignment before launching the BAPE process is natural and necessary," Lacroix said.

Mayor Valérie Plante responded with her own statement, saying the city's concerns have already been made clear in a report prepared by an expert advisory committee.

"We expect CDPQ Infra to do its homework and respond to the requests expressed in the expert panel report," Plante said.

The delay means construction of the REM de L'Est will likely not begin by the middle of 2023, as planned, and will not be in service by 2029, as planned.

Province says BAPE hearings 'premature'

The CAQ government said Thursday it supports the delay but insists the project will proceed.

"The REM de l'Est is a major project that demands that things are done in the right way, with rigour,"  said Chantal Rouleau, the junior transport minister and minister responsible for Montreal, in a statement. 

"We want to take the time to do things so all parties are satisfied: the city, the CDPQ and the government," Rouleau said.

"At this stage, it is premature to hold an environmental review hearing. That being said, we want the hearing to happen," she said.

"We are still confident that we will come up with the best project for the east of Montreal," Rouleau said.

Plante has repeatedly said that Montreal wants "a seat at the table," meaning she wants the province to set up a working group that would include the city.

Rouleau said Thursday the province was working on that.

Plante accused of 'killing' project

Aref Salem, leader of the municipal opposition Ensemble Montreal, said Thursday Plante is to blame for the delay.

"She's slowly killing this project," Salem said. "There is no other word to say it — we're going to see the death of this project."

He said the city has held more than 140 meetings with CDPQ Infra over the last year, and that the mayor has "had more than a year to clarify with stakeholders what she considers an 'exemplary integration' of the REM de l'Est."

Jean-Denis Charest, the head of the Chamber of Commerce for east-end Montreal, told CBC that the city, the province and CDPQ Infra need to a better job of working together.

"I would call on all the leaders to not start negotiating in the public space. I don't think it's served the project," Charest said.

"I think they should honestly all get together in a room and find a solution."