Lévis

Government submits third link project to environmental review

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Government submits third link project to environmental review

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The Coalition Avenir Québec government is forging ahead with its plan to build a third link between Quebec City and Lévis.

Last week, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, the minister leading the project, announced the plan for a combination bridge and tunnel would be submitted for environmental analysis.

“This new step,” an Aug. 28 news release stated, “is a prerequisite for the impact study, the environmental analysis by the ministry of the environment, the fight against climate change, wildlife and parks (MELCCFP) as well as the work of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE).”

Guilbault added, “This procedure, which is crucial for the realization of the third link between Quebec City and Lévis, confirms that the project is progressing in a concrete, efficient, and responsible manner.”

In June, Guilbault announced the choice of a corridor for the third link, with the bridge connecting Autoroute 20 on the South Shore with Autoroute 40 on the North Shore. It would enter a tunnel somewhere along Boul. Champlain and emerge some three kilometres later to connect with either Boul. Pierre-Bertrand or Autoroute Robert-Bourassa.

As part of the environmental assessment process, there will be a 30-day online public consultation period organized by the environment ministry.

The ministry release said, “The various analyses carried out as part of the impact study will enable the ministry to optimize the project design to limit the impact on the environment and ensure bet- ter integration of the new inter-shore link into its host environment.”

In the wake of Guilbault’s announcement, the question arose about how much farther Guilbault herself will be pushing the third link process. As of this writing, there were reports Premier François Legault would be removing Guilbault, the MNA for the Louis-Hébert riding, as transport minister in an expected major cabinet shuffle.

Meanwhile, an intense program of drilling and soil testing is underway to provide data to determine which route the third link corridor would take on the north and south shores.

According to a report in the Journal de Québec, drilling has already been done in some 100 sites between Lévis and Quebec City with more in the works. The report said the government has already spent at least $33 million on the drilling program, not including the 50 sites being drilled this summer.

Government submits third link project to environmental review Read More »

Bid issues delay Quebec Central Railway upgrade

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

Bid issues delay Quebec Central Railway upgrade

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

While a project to bring a commuter train to the east of Quebec City could be several years away, another railway rehabilitation project in the region is well underway, but with an unexpected delay.

Postponements in the tendering process have forced a delay in work to upgrade a section of the Quebec Central Railway line between Vallée-Jonction and Thetford Mines.

Initially slated to be completed this fall, the delay may push the reopening of the line to 2027, according to a report in Beauce Média.

The project involves the third and fourth sections over a distance of 58 kilometres, the last two portions of the plan to rehabilitate 109 km of track from Lévis to Thetford Mines, for the use of predominantly cargo traffic.

The Quebec Central Railway was built in 1869 and ran from Lévis to Sherbrooke and then into the United States, a total distance of 344 km.

The Quebec government bought the line in 2007 with the aim of providing a more environmentally friendly alternative to truck cargo traffic. The first section of the project, the 33 km from Lévis to Scott, is already in operation.

The second section, the 18 km from Scott to Vallée-Jonction, is also well advanced, with five bridges rebuilt and a portion in operation between Sainte-Marie and Vallée-Jonction.

The last two sections are the most complicated and most expensive, at an estimated $440 million. The work involves, according to transport ministry information, the reconstruction of 17 bridges, replacing 102 culverts, complete reprofiling of the tracks and rebuilding 40 level crossings.

Transport ministry spokesperson Nicolas Vigneault told Beauce Média that tenders, initially called for February, were postponed until July. “These postponements were necessary, due, among other things, to the numerous questions received from bidders.”

According to the report, “Given this change to the tendering procedure, the ministry now expects work to begin in the fall of 2025. Work will be interrupted during the winter season, with commissioning scheduled for 2027.”

The Quebec government also owns the Gaspé rail line. Work to bring that line back into service after years of abandonment has been delayed due to cost issues and other complications until at least 2027.

(Editors’ note: For further information about the Gaspé rail renovations and efforts to bring passenger rail service back to the Gaspé, read this recent story by our colleagues at the Gaspé Spec.) 

Bid issues delay Quebec Central Railway upgrade Read More »

Quebec City, Lévis in cleanup mode after flooding

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , ,

Quebec City, Lévis in cleanup mode after flooding

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Photos by Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

Residents and business owners around the region are still in cleanup mode after close to 100 millimetres of rain fell in some areas of Quebec City and Lévis on July 17 and 18.

Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder described the weather event as a succession of slow-moving summer storms which slammed parts of the city over the course of several hours. “Every storm is different. A run-of-the-mill summer storm would have a downpour over the course of 30 to 60 minutes, and then it would be over, but here we ran into a situation where it’s one after the other,” he told the QCT. The Lévis suburb of Charny received 93 millimetres of rain in a single day, and 87 millimetres were measured in Sainte-Foy.

The hardest-hit area was along Chemin du Foulon, in Sillery, where about 20 people were forced to evacuate, and placed in temporary housing by the Red Cross. Allison McCan, who lives in the neighbourhood, told Radio-Canada she and her neighbours were “in the muck as far as it goes.” Along Rue Champlain, near Cap-Blanc, more than 100 people had to temporarily leave their homes due to water infiltration. By Friday afternoon, all evacuees were able to return to their homes.

Chemin du Foulon was closed between Côte de Sillery and Côte à Gignac until Friday. Avenue Belvedère remained closed from Chemin Sainte-Foy to Côte de la Pente-Douce as of press time on Monday; police are asking cyclists who normally use the Belvedère bike path to detour via Ave. Chouinard. The Escalier du Cap-Blanc, threatened by erosion, remains closed until further notice. Much of the region was without power at the height of the storm, although power has since been fully restored, according to the Hydro-Québec outage tracker.

The city did not hold a press briefing on the storm or its aftermath, but released several statements over the course of the storm. City spokesperson François Moisan said a crisis response unit had been put in place with representatives from the city and emergency services, and plans were made to house evacuees in community centres – plans that ultimately weren’t necessary.

“As soon as the crisis unit was activated, all municipal departments involved swung into action to limit the impact on the population and provide assistance to affected residents and businesses,” said Mayor Bruno Marchand in a state- ment. “I would obviously like to thank the city’s teams for their remarkable work. I am thinking, among others, of the firefighters, police officers and municipal employees, particularly those from the Bureau de la sécurité civile, des transports et des travaux publics, who were deployed to the field at full speed and who were already working late yesterday to clear and clean the streets where traffic had to be restricted. Our priority in the coming days remains supporting citizens and restoring damaged streets and infrastructure.”

“As soon as the first alerts were received, we activated our public safety plan. Our teams were dispatched to ensure the safety of citizens and limit the impacts. We have the resources and teams necessary to respond to this type of situation and adjust quickly,” said Jean-Sébastien Gagnon, public safety co-ordinator at the Ville de Lévis.

Small businesses in Vieux-Québec were still in cleanup mode as the QCT went to press Monday evening. “The flooding had a significant impact on many businesses in Old Quebec. Businesses with basements and semi-basements experienced significant water accumulation. Some streets experience chronic sewer backups during heavy rainfall, particularly on Saint-Louis Street, where significant damage occurred,” said Xavier Bernier-Prévost, director general of the SDC Vieux-Québec, the area’s small business owners’ association.

A memorable downpour

Several longtime city residents told the QCT they couldn’t remember a downpour as heavy as the one on Thursday in such a short period, at least not in downtown Quebec City. “We’ve had heavy rainstorms before – the one that comes to mind right away was in 2004 when the Lorette River overflowed – but rain this heavy in this short a time, I personally have not seen anything like that in Upper Town,” said Moisan, who has worked for the city for more than 30 years.

Marchand, in a later statement on his personal Facebook page, said the experience showed the importance of investing to improve climate resilience. “As we can see, extreme weather conditions are increasing, intensifying, and changing with each season. We don’t know where they will strike next, but we must be prepared. This is why we have set up a financial reserve to adapt our infrastructure, and also why all of Quebec’s cities are calling for increased funding from the governments of Quebec and Canada to make our infrastructure more resilient to climate hazards,” he wrote. “With the right investments and technologies, we can at least mitigate the effects on citizens – and the associated costs.”

Quebec City, Lévis in cleanup mode after flooding Read More »

Guilbault gets $275 million to make third link bridge-tunnel irreversible

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Guilbault gets $275 million to make third link bridge-tunnel irreversible

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault has said on several occasions her goal is to make the “third link” project ir- reversible.

With an election slated for October next year that polls suggest may oust the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government, the window is closing for Guilbault to push the bridge- tunnel plan past the point of no return.

Last week, according to several media reports confirmed by Guilbault’s office, the CAQ cabinet approved $275 million in funding to allow the minister to move forward on the project, one the government has revised, cancelled and then revived again, arguing that a third bridge is necessary for economic and security reasons.

A spokesperson for the minister said the money accorded Guilbault was already in the 2019 infrastructure budget and not “new money.”

In June, Guilbault announced the government’s recommended route for the proposed link, a bridge from Autoroute 40 in Lévis to be connected to a tunnel to be bored somewhere in the Cap Diamant area on the North Shore and exiting to connect with either Boul. Pierre-Bertrand or Autoroute Robert-Bourassa.

At the time of her announce- ment of the route, Guilbault said, “In my mind, I want to make the project irreversible before the next election, and therefore protect it from the outcome of the next election.

“We’re no longer in the ‘for or against’ debate about the third link. We need to create a third link, and I’m working on how to complete it as quickly as possible. We’re going to create the best project at the best price.”

Guilbault said she will reveal more details on the route and the projected cost sometime in the fall. A recent Radio-Canada report cited experts who have pegged the cost of building the third link at between $5.3 and $9.3 billion, not including many associated costs.

The federal government has distanced itself from the project and possible financ- ing. Minister of Government Services and Procurement Joël Lightbound, the MP for Louis-Hébert, said at the time of Guilbault’s route announcement, “The federal government’s position doesn’t really change, because there isn’t a project that has really been put forward.”

In the past, the federal Liberals have said a third link project that gave priority to car and truck traffic as opposed to public transit would not be eligible for funding.

The quarter-billion dollars accorded Guilbault for the third link raised the ire of the Opposition Quebec Liberal Party. In a statement to the QCT, Monsef Derraji, critic for transport, said, “At a time when Quebec is facing serious financial challenges, it’s hard to justify allocating $275 million to a third-link project that lacks a clear route, timeline, or solid scientific backing.”

He said, “While the CAQ government is making cuts to health and education, it is pouring hundreds of millions into a project with no proven necessity. This isn’t just poor planning – it’s a matter of misplaced priorities.”

Radio-Canada also uncovered concrete evidence the third link project is advancing on the ground. It reported geotechnical drilling to determine the quality and composition of the ground is to be done on some 50 sites on both the south and north shores, as well as in the St. Lawrence River itself. The work started in early July and is expected to be completed in September.

The $46-million contract for the work was awarded in February to a consortium comprising French, American and Canadian engineering firms.

Guilbault gets $275 million to make third link bridge-tunnel irreversible Read More »

Local shadow cabinet appointments ‘show respect for Quebec,’ Deltell says

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Local shadow cabinet appointments ‘show respect for Quebec,’ Deltell says

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Nearly a month after the federal election which painted much of the greater Quebec City region Tory blue, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has named two Quebec City-area MPs and three members of the South Shore caucus to the 48-member shadow cabinet led by House Leader Andrew Scheer.

On April 28, Conservatives were elected in four of the seven ridings in the Quebec City area (the exceptions being the central Liberal strongholds of Québec-Centre and Louis-Hébert, and Beauport-Limoilou, where the Liberals defeated a Bloc Québécois incumbent), in Beauce and in all three ridings on the South Shore. The Conservatives picked up one seat (Montmorency–Charlevoix) from the Bloc Québécois and kept their hold on the other area seats.

The shadow cabinet announced on May 22 included Luc Berthold (Mégantic– L’Érable–Lotbinière) as deputy house leader, Pierre Paul- Hus (Charlesbourg–La Haute-Saint-Charles) as Quebec lieutenant, Gérard Deltell (Louis-Saint-Laurent–Akiawenhrahk) as shadow minister for national revenue, former Quebec Liberal MNA Dominique Vien (Bellechasse–Les Etchemins– Lévis) as shadow minister for women, gender equality and youth, and Jacques Gourde (Lévis-Lotbinière) as shadow minister for agriculture. All are veteran MPs.

Deltell, a former CAQ MNA who made the jump to federal politics in 2015, told the QCT in a brief English-language interview that he and his colleagues were “blessed to be part of this team.”

“I was pleased [to be named to the national revenue portfolio]. I got into politics – both provincial and federal politics – for fiscal issues, and I am motivated by spending people’s tax money correctly,” said Del- tell. “My opposite number [in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet] is François-Philippe Champagne. I know him very well. We have a frank and honest relationship, and I’m looking forward to working both with and against him on specific issues. I spoke with him yesterday and we are excited to work together.”

The Conservatives won 144 seats to the Liberals’ 169 in last month’s election, leaving the balance of power in the hands of the Bloc Québécois (22 seats) or the NDP (seven). Deltell seems unruffled by the uphill battle ahead with regards to pushing the Conservative agenda. “Anyone can have influence as long as they have good arguments – the important thing is not your position; it’s the depth of your argument.”

Deltell said he believed the Carney government “did not get off to a good start” when Carney announced plans to wait until fall to table a detailed budget.

“Autumn is too late,” Deltell said. “We need to do a budget right now. We are ready to sit in the House in the summer to achieve some of our agenda; we’re opening the door to sit in the House as long as we can to get a serious budget. This is what Canadians are asking for … and it’s what Canadians deserve.”

“Affordability and housing is our biggest priority – we talked about that during the campaign and we’ll keep talking about it,” he added. “We will welcome it if the government incorporates our priorities – they took inspiration from our platform [during the campaign] and they can do it again.”

Deltell said the appointment of five MPs from the region to the shadow cabinet represented “a show of respect for Quebec” from the party leadership.

“As local MPs and as francophones, we have a job to do, and we have a lot of people with a lot of experience. Most of us were elected 10 years ago, and the leader appreciates our contribution,” he said.

Parliament is expected to resume sitting this week.

Local shadow cabinet appointments ‘show respect for Quebec,’ Deltell says Read More »

Liberals win minority government, Poilievre loses seat

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

Liberals win minority government, Poilievre loses seat

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Voters narrowly gave the Liberal Party of Canada a fourth mandate in the April 28 federal election. Radio-Canada called the race at 10:25 p.m., less than an hour after polls closed in most of Quebec, Ontario and the Prairies. As the online edition of this newspaper went to press, shortly before 3 p.m. on April 29, the Liberals (elected or leading in 169 seats, three short of majority territory) appeared headed for a minority government, with a Conservative Official Opposition (144 seats). Both the Bloc Québécois (22 seats) and a potential NDP-Green alliance (eight seats) could hold the balance of power. Prime Minister Mark Carney, running for office for the first time, won his seat in the Ottawa riding of Nepean.

In a generally gracious speech, Carney said he looked forward to working with MPs from all parties – “particularly Bruce Fanjoy,” the Liberal who defeated Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre in his riding. He pledged to defend “humility, ambition and unity,” “recognize, correct and learn from” any errors he might make and govern “constructively” in partnership with provinces, territories and Indigenous peoples. He pledged to ensure that Quebec “thrives within a united Canada” and protect Canadian sovereignty, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation allusions “are not idle threats.”

“If the Americans don’t want to lead, then we will. We’ll build millions of houses, become an energy power and build one economy, not 13,” he promised. “The next months and years will be difficult, but we will support Canadian workers and businesses. … We will fight with all we have to get the best for Canada.”

Poilievre lost the seat he has held in Carleton since 2004, but looked set to stay on as Conservative leader. “My goal will continue to be restoring the promise that anyone who works hard can have a nice, affordable house in a safe community,” he said, congratulating Carney on “a razor-thin minority government.” He didn’t address the result in his riding; Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus, re-elected in Charlesbourg–Haute-Saint- Charles, suggested another MP could step aside to let Poilievre run in a byelection.

The NDP lost 17 seats but avoided the complete collapse some polls predicted; NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh lost his seat to the Liberals and announced he would resign as leader once a successor was chosen. Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May was re-elected in Saanich–Gulf Islands, but the party won no other seats. In 2021, the Liberals won 160 seats, the Conservatives 119, the Bloc 32, the NDP 25 and the Greens two.

In Quebec City-area ridings, Liberal Jean-Yves Duclos won a fourth term in Québec-Centre, as did Liberal Joël Lightbound in Louis-Hébert. Conservative incumbents Gérard Deltell in Louis-Saint- Laurent–Akiawenhrahk, Paul-Hus in Charlesbourg–Haute- Saint-Charles and Joël Godin in Portneuf–Jacques-Cartier were easily re-elected. Liberal Steeve Lavoie defeated Bloc incumbent Julie Vignola in Beauport-Limoilou. In Montmorency-Charlevoix, Conservative newcomer Gabriel Hardy defeated Bloc incumbent Caroline Desbiens by less than 800 votes in a race that wasn’t called until Tuesday afternoon. 

Lightbound told reporters he was “very grateful” to the people of Quebec City. He said a Liberal government would continue to fund the tramway. “What I regret is that when the tramway [project] was announced in 2018, it was supposed to be built by 2026,” he said. “I think people are sick of going back and forth. Giving Quebec City a structured transit network is a must.”

“If we have a minority government, that’s the mandate we’ve been given, and every party has the obligation to make it work,” he added.

On the South Shore, Conservatives Jacques Gourde (Lévis-Lotbinière) and Dominique Vien (Bellechasse–Les Etchemins-Lévis) easily won re-election. In Beauce, Conservative Jason Groleau succeeded retiring Conservative Richard Lehoux, and People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier finished fourth in his home riding. In Mégantic- L’Érable-Lotbinière, which includes Thetford Mines, Conservative Luc Berthold was re-elected.

As of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, six races around the country remained too close to call. 

With files from Kevin Dougherty

Liberals win minority government, Poilievre loses seat Read More »

CAQ attacked for $46-million third link contract

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

CAQ attacked for $46-million third link contract

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The awarding of a $46-million contract for the “third link” Quebec City-Lévis bridge project by the Quebec government is drawing fire from the National Assembly and Quebec City Hall.

The contract, which first came to light in a report in La Presse, was awarded in February to an international consortium called Parsons- Artelia-Hatch. It “includes professional support to determine the route and type of infrastructure,” according to Quebec transport ministry spokesperson Nicolas Vigneault.

“These elements are essential for the tendering phase, which will allow the selection of partners such as the project builder and designer,” Vigneault said.

There were four consortia bidding on the contract.

In addition to the latest contract, some $36 million has already been spent since 2018 on developing plans for the third link.

Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault is expected to give an update on progress of the project next month and announce a chosen route by the summer.

A downtown-to-downtown crossing has been ruled out; the other options being examined are two routes to the east towards Île d’Orléans, and two to the west towards the existing Pierre Laporte and Quebec bridges.

While Lévis Mayor Gilles Lehouillier, a longtime advocate of a third link, welcomed progress on the project, critics denounced it as an affront to Quebec City’s proposed tramway system.

The awarding of the contract for the bridge comes in the wake of recent cuts or delays in existing Quebec City transit projects, such as a network of dedicated urban transit lanes, a highway overpass and reconfiguration of approaches to the bridges.

Transition Québec Leader, mayoral candidate and Limoilou Coun. Jackie Smith said in a statement, “I thank Ministers Geneviève Guilbault and [Minister for the Capital Region] Jonatan Julien for demonstrating that all the money for Quebec City’s transportation goes to the third link. This project is not good for Quebec City. We’re tired of being taken for fools.”

Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy said on X, “While Quebec’s credit rating is downgraded and vermin and rodents are taking up residence at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital [in Montreal] … the CAQ is getting out its chequebook for the third link.”

Meanwhile, Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand has staked out a more prudent stance on the third link project. He told reporters before last week’s council meeting that he is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“I dare hope that Ms. Guilbault, when she proposes her route, will say, ‘Here’s how it improves [transit].’ They’ll have time to show us that for the citizens of Quebec City, it’s a win-win situation, that it’s not just a win-win situation for the citizens of Lévis.”

Other mayoral candidates have taken a position in favour of a new bridge. Québec d’Abord and Opposition Leader Claude Villeneuve gave his conditional approval to the project. During a media scrum at the National Assembly earlier this month, Villeneuve said, “I commit to acting as a partner in its implementation if it meets the needs of the people of Quebec City.”

His conditions would be that the bridge would not impede ship traffic on the St. Lawrence River, that it would integrate with Promenade Samuel-De Champlain and the urban boulevard on Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency and that it would not add congestion on Highway 40 westbound.

Former provincial Liberal minister Sam Hamad, who jumped into the mayor’s race on April 6, has said he is opposed to the current tramway plan but is open to the building of a new bridge.

There remain many steps ahead before construction would start on a new bridge. Once the route is chosen, a designer and builder of the project would not be selected until next year and a contract not signed until 2027.

CAQ attacked for $46-million third link contract Read More »

South Shore candidates face series of challenges

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

South Shore candidates face series of challenges 

Manuel Cardenas, Lévis correspondent

manuel@qctonline.com

Just days before the federal election, voters in the ridings of Bellechasse–Les Etchemins– Lévis, Lévis–Lotbinière and Mégantic–L’Érable were presented with new options regarding the candidates in their constituencies. The QCT spoke with five South Shore candidates to learn more about their commitments to the local population.

Three candidates from the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and the Bloc Québécois in Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis expressed con- fidence that they were the person for the job.

Conservative candidate and incumbent Dominique Vien said, “Having served 15 years as MNA for Bellechasse at the National Assembly, including nearly 10 as a minister, and having headed four ministries, public governance is some- thing I know well. I also know what it’s like to be an elected official. I’m a native of Lévis and was also raised in Belle- chasse, so I know the riding I now represent very well. That experience alone prepares me well. I’m familiar with the English-speaking community on the ground, and I often meet them at various events. It’s a proud community, a very vibrant one in our region.”

Liberal candidate Glenn O’Farrell said, “The farm and the farmhouse that I own in Saint-Malachie have been in my family for five generations. That’s what allowed me to connect with the English-speaking community in my riding. I’m the fifth generation involved with that property, so we have deep roots, and I think what will help me most is that, through those roots, family ties and friendships, I understand how people are.”

Bloc candidate Gaby Breton emphasized, “I grew up in Bellechasse, then completed a bachelor’s [degree] in sociology and a master’s degree in administration, specialized in international project management and co-operative management, which led me to an international career promoting the co-operative model. I’ve worked extensively with communities to make them autonomous and independent. I have a strong understanding of geopolitics and speak several languages, which allows me to understand various realities, including that of the English- speaking community.”

Vien criticized former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government for its handling of temporary foreign workers, which she believes limits access to essential labour for many local businesses. She also called for Canadian energy independence through the development of pipeline projects and mining. She expressed her support for the proposed third link project.

O’Farrell, for his part, emphasized that the most important issue is ensuring citizens of his riding are represented in the federal government, not in the opposition, which he said has been the case for the past 10 years under the Conservatives, preventing locals from having a real voice.

Breton stressed her desire for the federal government to respect Quebec’s choices and invest in Lévis. She said she wanted to improve services for seniors, protect local agriculture and the St. Lawrence River, promote sustainable mobility, and tailor immigration to regional needs.

In addition to Breton, O’Farrell and Vien, the candidates in the riding are Mario Fréchette of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) and Marie-Philippe Gagnon-Gauthier of the NDP. Polling website 338Canada rates Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis a safe Conservative seat.

In the riding of Lévis–Lotbinière, Conservative candidate and incumbent Jacques Gourde voiced his support for the third link project.

“Our riding sits at the foot of the bridges, and we’re well positioned to understand the issues related to congestion. I believe this is a priority issue that must be addressed quickly,” said Gourde, who has represented the riding since 2006.

Gourde also expressed support for English-language education. “Many children in my riding attend English- language schools, and it’s very important they have that choice. It’s funded at both the provincial and federal levels, and we must always listen carefully to the needs of the riding,” he said.

Lévis–Lotbinière is considered a safe seat for the Conservatives. Five candidates are registered in the riding – Gourde, Molly Cornish of the NDP,  Ghislain Daigle of the Liberal Party, Pierre Julien of the Bloc Québécois and Pier-Olivier Roy of the PPC.

Finally, in the riding of Mégantic–L’Érable–Lotbinière, Conservative incumbent Luc Berthold prioritized the day-to-day concerns of his constituents.

“In this riding, as in many regions across Canada, the cost of living and the housing crisis are the citizens’ top concerns. Inflation caused by 10 years of Liberal overspending has made it harder for people to make ends meet. They want to keep more of their paycheque,” said Berthold.

He also highlighted the importance of the English-speaking community in the region.

“We’re fortunate to have an active English-speaking community in Chaudière-Appalaches, especially in Thetford Mines, with the presence of St. Patrick Elementary and A.S. Johnson Memorial High School. I regularly attend community events when I’m invit- ed, and I ensure that citizens receive all the services they’re entitled to, both through my office and federal agencies,” concluded Berthold.

Gabriel D’Astous of the NDP, Yves Gilbert of the Christian Heritage Party, Réjean Hurteau of the Bloc Québécois, Charles McKaig of the Liberal Party and Marek Spacek of the PPC are the other candidates in the riding. Like its neighbours, it is considered a safe Conservative seat.

With files from Ruby Pratka, LJI reporter

South Shore candidates face series of challenges Read More »

English-speaking youth from Quebec City, Lévis welcome at Youth Forum

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

English-speaking youth from Quebec City, Lévis welcome at Youth Forum

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Provincewide youth civic participation organization Youth 4 Youth Québec (Y4Y) is seeking young people aged 16-30 from the English- speaking community of the Capitale-Nationale region to participate in its annual youth forum in Montreal on Wednesday, March 19.*

The free day-long event at the Coeur des Sciences pavilion at the Université du Québec à Montréal, held under the theme “Inform, Engage and Empower,” will give teens and young adults the chance to meet other young anglophones from around the province and discuss issues facing English- speaking youth, including outmigration, media consumption and how they identify as citizens of Quebec, Canada and their local communities. The day will end with an in- formation fair featuring civic participation and career guidance organizations, health and social services agencies and an exhibition by young English- speaking artists.

“Through consultations and research, we know that English-speaking young people are often less informed than we’d like them to be about the information, the people and the resources available to them in Quebec,” said Y4Y executive director Adrienne Winrow. “At Y4Y, we always seek to inform our English-speaking youth community in a non-partisan way about various issues … and ways to get more involved in their local communities, but also in the wider society.”

Winrow said participants can expect “a warm and welcoming space where youth are the main event and their voices being heard is the main goal.”

During the panel discussions, Winrow said “we’ll be talking about the democratic deficit. We’ll be talking about identity and all the forms that it takes, particularly in youth culture. We’ll be talking about media consumption – how do people get their news these days? How important is it to them to get news? Do they make distinctions about sources and the veracity of the information they’re receiving?”

Panels will feature high school, college and university students and young professionals from around the province, and interaction between panellists and other participants will be encouraged. Winrow said she hopes the forum will start conversations about civic participation and belonging among young anglophones. About 300 youth from several regions of Quebec, including Montreal, the Eastern Town- ships, the Gaspé and the Lower North Shore, are expected to attend.

“Young people who are already engaged, who are think- ing about maybe joining the student union or becoming president of their club at school, if they’re at that level on the ladder of engagement, the Youth Forum can be a way for them to think about how they could push it further, be- cause there will be youth there who have achieved a great deal of things in their lives as English-speaking youth here in Quebec. If a student is less engaged, maybe because they feel, as many young people do, that they … don’t have a seat at the table in decision-making circles, [they can] come to the Youth Forum and see that that’s not true. This Youth Forum is for everybody … we don’t want anyone to feel like it’s not for them.”

Participants will also be offered breakfast and lunch. “We want it to be a free, fun and accessible day … a meeting of the minds,” said Winrow.

It’s not too late to sign up! To register for the Y4Y Youth Forum or learn more, visit y4y-quebec.org/youth-forum-2025.

*A previous version of this story said the Youth Forum was scheduled for March 15. March 19 is the correct date. 

English-speaking youth from Quebec City, Lévis welcome at Youth Forum Read More »

Day camp registration season around the corner

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Day camp registration season around the corner

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

With spring just weeks away, cities across the province are preparing for summer. Quebec City and Lévis recently announced rates, schedules and registration timelines for their summer day camps. Registration starts in early April with limited spots: 15,000 in Quebec City and 1,130 in Lévis.

With the support of 22 partner organizations, the Ville de Québec has an $11.5-million budget to cover 65 per cent of the weekly costs per child, with families paying the remaining 35 per cent. This budget includes $3.2 million for integration programs for children with disabilities. In Lévis, families pay 34 per cent and the city takes care of the remaining 66 per cent. Other Quebec cities have similar pricing structures for city-run camps.

In Quebec City, the early- bird registration price is set at $68 per week for the first child – a $2 increase from 2024 – with slightly lower rates for the child’s younger siblings, plateauing at four children or more. The city will also accommodate non-resident campers for $155 per child. Registration begins April 14 and prices go up May 6. Summer day camps will run from June 24 to Aug. 15.

Low-income families can receive financial assistance from the 22 partner recreational organizations listed on ville.quebec.qc.ca/citoyens/loisirs_sports/camps-de-jour.

Families pay more in Lévis, with the price set at $113 per child per week from June 30 to Aug. 8. Registration will take place April 7 and 8 in the west sector and April 9 and 10 in the east sector. The camp will run from June 30 to Aug. 8.

“Quebec City is a major city that offers the most accessible, most affordable day camps in the province,” said Coun. Marie-Pierre Boucher, member of the executive committee responsible for summer day camps.

In 2024, 18,449 children participated in the camps offered by Quebec City. Attendance fluctuated over the eight weeks because Quebec City offers families the option to register children for two, three or five days per week, with prices adjusted accordingly. Similar information for Lévis was not available at press time.

Both Quebec City and Lévis are currently hiring camp counsellors. Quebec City offers rates of $17.60 per hour for 35 days, while Lévis pays $16.50 per hour over 30 days. Quebec City has 2,000 positions to fill. The number of vacancies for Lévis was not available at press time. Both municipalities expect to fill the positions quickly.

City-run summer camps are offered in French only.  Voice of English-speaking Québec offers an English-language camp; visit veq.ca/directory/fit-fun-english-summer-day-camp to learn more.

For more information about city-run day camps in Quebec City, visit ville.quebec.qc.ca/ citoyens/loisirs_sports/camp-jour.

Day camp registration season around the corner Read More »

Ukrainian Quebecers mark three years of war

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Ukrainian Quebecers mark three years of war

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter 

Cassandra@qctonline.com

As Quebecers continue with their lives, compete in friendly sporting events and celebrate the beauty of winter, war wages on in Ukraine. Russia dropped more bombs on the eve of the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

On Feb. 23, Ukrainian communities around the world, including across Canada and in Quebec City rallied to send a message of support to those still fighting for their lives, peace, justice and liberty in Ukraine. 

The Associations of Ukrainians of Lévis and Quebec City organized a peaceful gathering in front of the National Assembly where hundreds of people shared words of love, solidarity and hope for a better future. 

“The war in Ukraine has been going on for three long years … years of destruction, but also of incredible resilience and exemplary courage,” said Bohdana Porada, president of the Alliance des Ukrainiens de Québec. “We are here to remind people that the Russian aggression continues to breathe with full lungs.” She continued, “The people of Ukraine are showing the world the true meaning of dignity and liberty. Ordinary men and women have become heroes. We have to fight for a place where children won’t be obliged to fight.”

Porada, like her fellow Ukrainians now living in Canada, looks to the government for a solution to end this war. The Canadian government has already given over $19.5 billion in assistance to Ukraine, including $4.5 billion in military aid since February 2022, in addition to training more than 42,000 members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Canada will support Ukraine joining NATO, something that must be done urgently, even at the cost of President Volodymyr Zelensky stepping down. This comes after President Donald Trump called him “a dictator with elections” and claimed Ukraine was the instigator of this warfare. 

“We have to work hard for peace, justice and liberty. We are all revolted by what we have heard from President Donald Trump. We cannot let ourselves be intimidated,” said the Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos who was present at the assembly. “We will always be there to support Ukraine. We will always be there to defend peace, liberty and justice.” His words of support were echoed by MNAs Jean-François Simard and Étienne Grandmont. 

To raise more money for the reconstruction of his homeland, Ukrainian cyclist Dariy Khrystyuk bikes long distances in an initiative he named “Je roule pour l’Ukraine.” During the night of Feb. 22 to 23, he pedalled from Montreal to Quebec City through snow, low visibility and in total solitude, arriving just after 2:30 p.m. to a large welcoming committee. “I find inspiration from the Cossacks, symbolic warriors of Ukraine, to push through the challenging obstacles,” he said. 

This was Khrystyuk’s fourth long-distance fundraising challenge. In 2023, he biked 53,000 kilometres from Vancouver to Quebec City. “I wish to complete the Canadian trail to Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said. “After I finish my studies in 2027, I want to donate all the money after biking from Bordeaux to Kyiv (over 3,000 km).” Hopefully, he will pedal to a country still standing. 

Ukrainian Quebecers mark three years of war Read More »

CAQ to hold info sessions on ‘third link’ as details leak

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

CAQ to hold info sessions on ‘third link’ as details leak 

Peter Black

Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peteblack@qctonline.com

Residents will have an opportunity to learn more about options for the “third link” at information sessions recently announced by Transport and Sustainable Mobility Minister Genevieve Guilbault, to be held on Feb. 26 in Quebec City and Feb. 27 in Lévis.

According to a press release, “Representatives from the ministry will be on site to provide information, gather participants’ impressions and answer questions concerning, in particular, the corridors under study as well as the current and future stages of the project.”

The session in Quebec City will be at the Travelodge Hotel on Blvd. Hochelaga, and the Lévis one at the Lévis Convention Centre, on Rue J-B Michaud. Both sessions run from 3 to 8 p.m.

The announcement of the sessions comes as information about the routes being studied leaks out. A Quebec Solidaire MNA said he has documents from a transport ministry whistleblower that the government favours a downtown-to-downtown tunnel. (See separate story below).

A Radio-Canada report, based on leaked documents, said bridges built to the east of the downtown areas of Quebec City and Lévis “would contravene almost all government guidelines on land use planning. Analyses by the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD) reveal several points that are ‘incompatible’ if the option favoured by the Legault government comes to fruition.”

The study, which examined several possible “third link” scenarios, including two bridge routes to the east, the option initially favoured by Premier Francois Legault, indicated the project would involve “a significant encroachment on several forest areas, wetlands and more than 77 hectares of agricultural land on the South Shore, the equivalent of nearly 150 football fields.”

The report also revealed the two eastern bridge routes would “result in the demolition of several residences and apartment blocks along Sainte-Anne Boulevard and the demolition of around 10 residential properties on the South Shore.”

There is one positive element about a bridge to the east mentioned in the report obtained by Radio-Canada: It would “promote the attractiveness of the territories and the dynamism of the communities in addition to connecting industrial zones and existing employment centres. This is the only government orientation in regional planning compatible with both scenarios.”

In an interview with the Journal de Quebec, Guilbault said the leaks about bridge and tunnel studies are likely coming from people within the civil service  “who oppose the project, just like the three opposition parties.”

The opposition at city hall reacted to the latest CAQ controversy over its plans for a bridge or tunnel.

Official Opposition and Québec d’Abord Leader Claude Villeneuve told a city hall media scrum, “I look at the government’s conduct on the third link and I can’t help but draw a parallel with what Donald Trump is doing on tariffs … there’s a kind of chaos that’s created. It means that we only talk about that and we don’t talk about other subjects anymore.”

Limoilou Coun. and Transition Quebec Leader Jackie Smith said the recent revelations are “proof beyond any doubt that this project must be stopped. We must end the project and kill the third link.”

She said, “It is absurd that … Guilbault is so attached to a project that makes no sense. She is ready to force a third link down our throats in the east despite the expertise of her own department’s officials.” 

The minister, for her part, noted in the release announcing the information sessions, that “23 companies responded to the international call for interest launched on Oct. 11, 2024 … The number and reputation of the participating companies confirm that our project for a third link between Quebec City and Lévis is serious and credible.”

She added, “I invite all citizens of the Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches regions who are interested to come and learn more about the steps we have taken and those that await us.”

Full details on the information sessions can be found on the website: Quebec.ca/troisiemelien. 

CAQ to hold info sessions on ‘third link’ as details leak Read More »

Guilbault: 23 companies interested in third link project

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Guilbault: 23 companies interested in third link project

Peter Black

peterblack@qctonline.com

Calling it “excellent news,” Transport Minister and Louis- Hébert MNA Geneviève Guilbault announced last week that 23 companies have responded to the “international call for interest” in the proposed project to build a third link between Quebec City and Lévis.

The minister convened a news conference on Nov. 27 to make the announcement, less than seven weeks after she had issued the call on Oct. 11. Companies had 30 days to submit a proposal to take part in the process.

Guilbault said 29 companies had requested the required documentation to prepare a proposal, and 23 of those officially threw their hats in the ring.

“Twenty-three companies is a lot,” Guilbault said. “When we look at this type of call for interest procedure, we don’t do it systematically in all projects, we do it occasion- ally in major projects … Of all the times we’ve made calls for interest, this is the time when the most companies have shown interest.”

The transport ministry has engaged consultants KPMG to “organize interviews between interested companies and representatives of the ministry. The results of these meetings will then be analyzed independently,” according to a news release.

Guilbault said that with the application process, “We were ultimately testing two things: interest in a project and inter- est in doing this project in a collaborative mode with the Quebec government, and the response was more than positive. I must tell you, obviously, when we launch these types of procedures, we do not know in advance what the result will be.”

Guilbault rejected talk of adapting the Quebec Bridge, recently repatriated by the federal government, as an op- tion for heavy vehicle traffic. “[D]espite everything I hear from the federal government … about the Quebec Bridge, the reality is that it is not an option for trucking, and we need a third link to ensure the security of freight transporta- tion in particular.”

The minister said she would report back on the results of the vetting process “in early 2025.”

Of the 23 interested companies, Guilbault said 65 per cent are engineering firms, 30 per cent contractors and the rest management firms. Some 13 of the companies are identified on the government’s publicly accessible tender website, although Guilbault only named two, Ingerop, a British-French firm, and Construction Demathieu & Bard, whose head office is in Saint-Jérôme.

If all goes according to plan, Guilbault hopes to see a contract to build the link signed in 2027, construction start the next year, and the structure open in 2034-2035. No budget has been set for the project.

Guilbault: 23 companies interested in third link project Read More »

Immigrants rally against cuts to francisation courses in Quebec City

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Immigrants rally against cuts to francisation courses in Quebec City

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

Students across the province rallied on Nov. 12 to call on the Coalition Avenir Québec government to walk back planned cuts to subsidized French courses for adults, known as francisation. More than 250 students assembled at the Centre Louis-Jolliet, the largest francisation course centre in Quebec City.

School boards and service centres across the province have been forced to drastically reduce adult francisation course offerings because of a lack of funding.

“Last year, we sent $104 million to school service centres, and this year, we are sending another $104 million to school service centres. The total budget allocated to francisation, which has been increasing for four years, will reach $251.3 million in 2024-2025. Quebecers’ ability to pay is not elastic,” Jean-François Roberge, minister of immigration, francisation and integration, argued in October. “No one is telling us, ‘Increase our taxes and our duties to francize more people.’”

Demand for the courses has risen significantly in recent years, pushed by rising immigration and changes to the Charter of the French Language which opened the courses, previously reserved for recent immigrants, to longtime Quebec residents and newcomers from other provinces. As teachers’ union representatives previously explained to the QCT, school service centres scheduled courses and hired staff for the current school year based on current demand, but the funding for the courses was calculated based on far lower pandemic-era demand. When it became clear that the government didn’t intend to top up the funding, service centres cancelled classes.

“I understand that they want to do well, but the demand is enormous,” said Roberge. “Every day, 350 people register with Francisation Québec. That is 170,000 people per year. We cannot francize 170,000 people per year.”

“These budgetary restrictions lead to human tragedies. After years of investment, immigrants won’t be able to access the job market, while others will have to give up their plans for permanent residency if they do not master the French language,” said Marianne Bois, a francisation educational advisor and teacher at the Centre Louis- Jolliet who has taught there since 2018. Bois explained that immigrants must complete level seven of 12 to earn a certificate allowing them to apply for permanent residence, a path that has been suddenly cut short.

“I don’t understand Premier François Legault and Minister Jean-François Roberge claiming to be the greatest defenders of the French language and, on the other hand, cutting francisation. It doesn’t take a PhD in quantum physics to understand that this is completely ridiculous, that it’s not going in the right direction,” Québec Solidaire MNA for Taschereau Étienne Grandmont said at the protest.

“We could certainly have let this cohort finish their course. It doesn’t make sense to cut it off in the middle of the process,” said Grandmont. “What are their options? What do they have left?” Government officials suggest applying to programs run by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI), despite long waiting lists for places in those programs.

“If these people had the right to vote, I’m pretty sure the CAQ would take better care of them,” said Grandmont. “Today, I’m very happy to see them come out, to demonstrate, to say that they’ve had enough of this government that mistreats them.”

Francisation student Maria Estevez arrived in Quebec five years ago from Miami, Florida. “These courses are extremely useful and helpful for us im- migrants. They teach more than just the French language. We learn about the Quebec culture, society and how things work here.” Her words were echoed by numerous others at the rally. Students of the Centre Saint-Louis, an adult education centre in Loretteville where francisation courses were also cut, distributed an open letter on the matter; separately, members of the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement (FAE) teachers’ union federation protested against the cuts at the office of Education Minister Bernard Drainville in Lévis on Nov. 15.

With files from Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Immigrants rally against cuts to francisation courses in Quebec City Read More »

Francisation courses cut in Lévis as Duclos raises funding questions

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , ,

Francisation courses cut in Lévis as Duclos raises funding questions

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The subsidized French classes offered at the Des Navigateurs adult education centre (CEAN) in Lévis have become the latest casualty of a dispute over funding between the Quebec government and several school boards and service centres which offer the courses, known as francisation.

The courses are funded by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) through the Ministry of Education and Higher Learning (MEES). The Centre des services scolaire des Navigateurs (CSSDN), which oversees the Lévis program, said in a statement that the program had received funding for the 2024-25 school year based on enrolment numbers from 2020-21, Enrolment numbers were far lower that year, owing to the fact that pandemic-era border restrictions had drastically reduced immigration, and classes at the time were still reserved for recent immigrants.

Like several of its counterparts in other regions, the CSSDN planned on the basis of current demand and hit a funding wall. More than 300 students were enrolled in francisation classes at CEAN this fall. As of this week, “two groups, about 30 learners, will receive training from now until June 2025,” the statement said. The other students will be placed on waiting lists.

The Centre de services scolaire (CSS) de la Capi- tale, which covers much of Quebec City, and the CSS des Découvreurs, in Sainte-Foy, announced similar cuts last week. According to teachers’ union representatives, similar cuts have taken place in the Montreal region, in the Eastern Townships, in the Lower St. Lawrence and in Abitibi, with the loss of dozens of jobs and hundreds of classroom places. The Quebec Liberal Party has called for Commissioner for the French Language Benoit Dubreuil to lead an inquiry into the cuts, arguing that Quebec is “breaking a moral contract” with newcomers.

“We are going to announce openings and increases in course offerings in the coming weeks, in the coming months,” Roberge told MNAs at the National Assembly on Oct. 30, without providing specifics.

Brian Gignac is the executive director of the Megan- tic Community Development Corporation (MCDC), a community organization which supports anglophones in the greater Lévis and Thetford Mines areas. “I think when the government starts cutting in certain regions, it was inevitable for this to happen in Lévis. Unfortunately, new- comers are left on their own,” he told the QCT. “From what we’re hearing, newcomers are extremely reliant on these classes … you might be one of the 30 people lucky enough to continue. If not, good luck. There have been a lot of people coming here for work over the years, and that’s a major blow to their whole integration.”

Gignac and South Shore English Network community development co-ordinator Olena Peleshok, herself a recent arrival from British Columbia who has benefited from francisation classes, said the classes were an important stepping stone into the labour market and into Quebec society, enabling newcomers to get jobs, make friends and communicate with their children’s teachers. They also were worried that the abrupt end to classes made it harder for families to plan.

“Now everyone’s just taking stock of what happened. … Will other groups be able to dispense the classes? How will everything be reorganized? I think it’s going to take maybe a few days or even weeks before we have clearer indications of what’s the path forward from now on,” Gignac said.

Duclos wonders where federal funding went

Early last week, Québec MP Jean-Yves Duclos wrote to Minister for the French Language Jean-François Roberge to formally ask how $775 million in federal funding for immigration and integration in Quebec had been spent.

“We sent $775 million, and the ministry invested $475 million, including $104 million in francisation,” Duclos told the QCT. “There’s a difference between $104 million and $775 million. … We continue to trust the Quebec government with these funds, but when we see classes closing, teachers being laid off and programs being interrupted, we ask questions and we don’t get answers.”

Roberge accused Duclos in a statement of “taking shortcuts that don’t help anyone.

“The real problem is the loss of control at our borders by the federal government. There are too many asylum seekers in Quebec,” Roberge wrote on so- cial media. “The costs involved are immense: health care, education, last-resort assis- tance, housing allowance, food assistance, legal aid, to name a few. Mr. Duclos should start by talking to his colleague [federal immigration minister] Marc Miller so that the $750 million promised by Justin Trudeau in June to compensate [the costs engendered by] asylum seekers is paid. The reality is that we have never invested so much in francisation.”

Duclos acknowledged that Quebec had received more than its share of asylum seekers in recent years, but said the proportion of asylum seekers in the province had dropped in 2024. “It’s normal that the Quebec government is asking for more, but we still signed an agreement for $750 million,” Duclos said, adding that asylum seekers “may need help [in the beginning] but in a few weeks, they find a job and feed their family and pay taxes like everyone else.”

No one from Miller’s office was immediately available to comment.

Francisation courses cut in Lévis as Duclos raises funding questions Read More »

CAQ commits to ‘third link’ with call for ‘international interest’

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

CAQ commits to ‘third link’ with call for ‘international interest’

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The Coalition Avenir Québec government is moving ahead with its off-again, on-again pledge to build a third link between Quebec City and the South Shore.

Transport Minister and Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault made the announcement on Oct. 11 of an “international call for interest” to parties to be considered as a partner in the development of the project.

Vowing that whatever option is decided will be “the best project at the best price,” Guilbault said if all goes according to plan a contract would be signed to build the link in early 2027.

Addressing a news conference in Complexe G following a technical briefing by transport ministry officials, Guilbault said the call for interest “marks an important step in the third link project, which will allow us to confirm the market’s interest in our project. I am convinced that we will arrive at the best solution to meet the fluidity needs of our citizens on both shores.”

The minister said the two principal objectives of the third link would be to ensure economic security for commercial transport in the event of the Pierre Laporte Bridge being closed and to reduce traffic congestion in the region.

Guilbault said the choice of which corridor the link would take would be decided by next summer, based on options identified in the report by the Caisse de depôt et placement Infra presented in June.

In a previous announcement of a third link proposal, the CAQ government had envisioned a bridge between the eastern ends of Lévis and Quebec City. A proposal prior to that envisioned a tunnel between the downtowns of the two cities.

Asked by the QCT how much influence politicians would have on the ultimate choice of a corridor, Guilbault said, “It’s too early to determine a specific corridor,” pending the submission of recommenda- tions from interested parties.

She also said having a bridge with enough clearance to allow for cruise ships to enter port in Quebec City or Lévis “would be taken into consideration.”

Transport officials and the minister did not exclude a tunnel as a preferred option, nor would they commit to the third link being used for public transit such as the tramway system.

Guilbault said in two years, after the next scheduled pro- vincial election, “we will be at a level of the evolution of the process [where] it will be irreversible.”

She said since all the op- position parties are opposed to the third link idea, the CAQ is the only one that is pursuing it. “People will realize we are actually doing it for real.”

Guilbault acknowledged the CAQ’s “credibility is at stake” with the third link project. “We have to demonstrate we are resolutely committed to the realization” of the project.

Opposition critics were quick to denounce this latest move by the CAQ. Liberal transport critic Monsef Derraji said in a statement, “It’s clear that this announcement is more about diverting attention from other issues than it is about genuinely advancing mobility in the greater Quebec City area. Should the CAQ lose power after 2026, this commitment could easily crumble. It all appears more like a campaign promise than a real solution.”

Québec Solidaire MNA for Jean-Lesage Sol Zanetti told reporters, “We will talk about it [the third link] for decades as the symbol of the promise of the electoral bauble that will never happen, that is irresponsible, that costs a lot, and that is useless.”

Parti Québécois MNA for Jean-Talon Pascal Paradis said, “There will be no project. It won’t happen. What we are being presented with today is a fabrication, a smokescreen.”

Guilbault would not commit to a price tag for the potential bridge or tunnel, saying it would be determined as the planning process proceeds. She highlighted the new collaborative approach the government is taking, saying, “[T]he government will work closely with the designer and the builder from the first stages of the project design.”

A series of calls for tenders will be launched in the spring “to obtain the professional services and support required throughout the project. A first call for tenders aimed at ob- taining consulting services in insurance and financial guarantees will be published in the coming weeks.”

The building of a third link was a CAQ promise in the 2018 election that brought the party to power. At the time, the party vowed that the project would be underway by the end of its first mandate.

CAQ commits to ‘third link’ with call for ‘international interest’ Read More »

Male caregivers are welcome in the Shedquarters

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Male caregivers are welcome in the Shedquarters

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

English-speaking men in the Quebec City region who are caregivers will soon have access to a new Wellness Centre program aimed at creating social connections and making the experience of being a caregiver less isolating.

The Shedquarters project is inspired by the pan-Canadian Men’s Shed movement, ex- plained project co-ordinator Elise Arsenault. Men’s sheds are autonomous community initiatives that provide a safe and friendly environment where men can work on meaningful projects at their own pace, in their own time, in the company of other men. Arsenault, a master’s student in social work at Université Laval, explained that women tend to be more at ease than men when it comes to discussing difficulties they face openly, whether with a professional or with a friend or family member. “We know there are male caregivers around who are not using existing support services. When men talk about what’s bothering them, they tend to do it shoulder to shoul- der, rather than face to face,” she explained.

Shedquarters intends to give participants the opportunity to do just that. Arsenault said she hoped participants would take ownership of the project, creating “a community of English-speaking male caregivers, by and for the participants.”

The project is open to English-speaking and bilingual men of all ages who are caregivers, the schedule is flexible and the definition of “caregiver” is not restrictive. “You could be caring for a spouse or family member, or helping out a friend or neighbour – it’s a very wide definition,” said Arsenault. Men from around the greater Quebec City, Valcartier and Lévis areas are welcome to join. Arsenault said the program has already had several expressions of interest, and activities were expected to begin later this fall.

If you would like more information about the Shedquarters program for English-speaking male caregivers, either for yourself or someone you know, contact Elise Arsenault directly by phone (418-928-8388) or email (elars18@ulaval.ca).

Male caregivers are welcome in the Shedquarters Read More »

Scroll to Top