Martin C. Barry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A petition tabled recently by Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour in the Quebec National Assembly, signed by 243 people who are demanding noise-abatement measures for the REM train which will be passing through Laval, was rejected by the CAQ majority, Dufour says.
Petition rejected
Dufour, who is the PLQ’s official spokesperson for the region of Laval, had presented the petition on behalf of affected residents who live in the Îles-Laval area.
According to the text of the petition, the signers maintain that calculations used to evaluate noise levels that will be generated by the 250 train trips through the area contained errors and omissions which were acknowledged by the train line’s developer, CDPQ Infra.
Noise abatement sought
The petitioners, with support from Dufour, are demanding that CDPQ infra be held to a commitment to quickly implement noise abatement measures to fix the problem, and that this be done for the health, security and peace of the residents, before REM service begins in Laval.
“The residents of this sector in Laval are worried and fearful, with good reason, regarding the undesirable effects of noise pollution on their health, their quality of sleep and the environment,” Dufour said.
“Not only did the CAQ refuse de listen to them, but none of the CAQ MNAs from the region of Laval were present during a working session on the petition to defend the residents of the area,” she continued, saying that “this is deplorable.”