In the work leading to construction of a new bridge for the St. Lawrence to replace the Champlain Bridge, the federal government continues to work with its partners, including the Government of Québec.
The Honorable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Québec, announced that the 36th formal meeting on the project between representatives of the two governments took place today. The objective of this working session was to discuss the technical aspects of public transit that must be taken into consideration in order to advance the business case and the preliminary design.
“Not including my own consultations, not including my discussions over the phone or by email, today is the 36th working meeting between the two levels of government on this important project since January 23, 2012. In addition, in July 2012, I personally approved a project management structure that will provide for frequent consultations with partners and stakeholders outside the federal government,” said Minister Lebel.
The Minister also noted many similar meetings have taken place with municipal representatives, economic stakeholders, those from the field of architecture, and many others. “This is a major project for the Canadian economy. It will create thousands of new jobs and we are managing this project accordingly. We won’t be able to say ‘yes’ to everything and sometimes we will have to make difficult decisions. That said, we intend to pursue collaboration and exchanges, as we have been doing since the start of the project,” he said.
In closing, Minister Lebel reiterated that the project is on track and continues to respect its original time frames.
For more information about the new bridge for the St. Lawrence, please visit www.tc.gc.ca/nbfsl.
