Head of AMT fired, former VIA rail executive to take helm

The Couillard government has fired the head of the Agence Metropolitaine de Transport, naming someone who has held the post before.

Nicolas Girard was appointed by the Parti Quebecois in September 2012 and has held the position since then.

Former VIA rail executive Paul Coté will take charge at the regional Montreal agency ahead of an expected overhaul this fall.

Coté first held the position on an interim basis from January 2012 until September of that year, when Girard was hired.

Girard's firing will cost taxpayers more than $100,000 – about six months' salary for Girard.

The former PQ MNA worked reasonably well with the Liberals until a few months ago, when the government decided it wanted to overhaul the way public transit if offered in and around Montreal.

Transport Minister Robert Poeti, it would seem, no longer saw eye to eye with Girard.

Cote takes over an agency with 440 employees and a yearly budget of $269 million.

The AMT has in recent years been harshly criticized for delays, train breakdowns and poor communication with its passengers.

Poeti said he needed a proven expert in rail transit.

“I need someone who is very well known about the system. They are well known about trains and passengers and someone who's going to helping us to put in front of the National Assembly in few weeks a new law to improve the services,” he said.

The opposition PQ doesn’t approve, calling it nothing more than a purge that will cost taxpayers.