Furious commuters demand exo chairperson resign after less-than-helpful tips to deal with train shutdown

Commuters considering new job opportunities With the upcoming shutdown of Montreal’s busiest train line, suburban commuters are looking for other options, including work closer to home

MONTREAL — A group of exo commuters is demanding the resignation of Josée Bérubé, chairperson of the transit company’s board of directors, after what it describes as “disconnected” and “condescending” tips on how to deal with the impending shutdown of the Deux-Montagnes train line.

Thursday, the Mouvement/Rally Train Deux-Montagnes group posted a video to its Facebook page showing the architect suggesting commuters hire someone to cook their meals, ask students to work extended hours in daycares and request that they be allowed to bring their children to work.

Bérubé made the comments during an update on upcoming work on the REM, which is set to interrupt the entire Deux-Montagnes train line in 2021 to repair the century-old Mount-Royal tunnel.

Francis Millaire, a spokesman for the citizen's group, said Bérubé's comments were condescending and display how disconnected she is from the day-to-day reality of commuters.

She called Bérubé's views "five-cent philosophy" that shows a contempt for train users and warrants her resignation.

Last September, the Quebec government, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) presented a multitude of mitigation measures for commuters as work gets underway on the REM.

About 30,000 trips are taken on the Deux-Montagnes train line every day.