Gatineau, Que. mayor warns Tram project funding ‘now in jeopardy’

Gatineau’s mayor says a provincial decision to shift its light rail project away from the city is unacceptable. CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports.

Gatineau’s mayor is warning funding for the proposed Gatineau Tram “is now in jeopardy,” after the Quebec government announced it was shifting responsibility for the project from the City of Gatineau to Mobilité Infra Québec, the agency that oversees transportation projects.

Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Jonathan Julien announced Tuesday that it has directed Mobilité Infra Québec (MIQ) to oversee optimizing the development of the Tramway project.

“MIQ’s role will be to update the analyses already completed and propose the necessary adjustments to ensure its implementation within a responsible financial framework,” the minister’s office said in a French media release.

“With the vision of safeguarding the ambition to implement a major transit system in the region, MIQ will be able to review the various studies and make a clear assessment of the next steps in the project.”

The president of Mobilité Infra Québec is Renée Amilcar, the former general manager of Ottawa’s OC Transpo.

The planned 24-kilometre Tram project would connect Aylmer to downtown Gatineau and Ottawa. The proposed Gatineau Tram would run from Gatineau into downtown Ottawa over the Portage Bridge, either running along Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill or in a tunnel under Sparks Street.

In a post on Facebook, Gatineau Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette called the decision by the Quebec government “unacceptable.”

“Until now, as the Gatineau Tramway project was well underway—and performing well—it was expected to continue as planned. However, the project’s funding is now in jeopardy,” Marquis-Bissonnette said in French.

“Faced with this uncertainty, the STO will have no choice but to assess the cost of terminating the contracts and dismantling the Tramway project office before March 31. This is precisely what Quebec is asking us to do at this stage.”

Marquis-Bissonnette says the Quebec government is “going back on its commitment” to Gatineau residents.

“This money, therefore, belongs to the people of Gatineau and the Outaouais region and will instead be used to finance other projects elsewhere,” the mayor said.

“We are told that public finances in Quebec City are very tight, that difficult choices have to be made: we understand that. But in this case, it’s the Outaouais region that is bearing the brunt of the efforts to balance the Quebec budget.”

Speaking to CTV News Ottawa, she said the city is hoping for more information from the province about the exact mandate of Mobilité Infra Quebec.

“They believe in public transit, they certainly have an expertise. Renée Amilcar, who used to be the head of OC Transpo, is now the head of Mobilité Infra Quebec, so we know that she knows well the region. She believe in public transit and we believe in her expertise,” Marquis-Bissonnette said.

“We want to know what is the exact mandate on which she will be working, and of course, with which resources, because above all, we want the project to keep going. We need to continue the steps in which we are involved right now, but the signals that we’re obtaining from the provincial government are alarming.”

In 2024, the federal and Quebec governments reached an agreement to provide $163.5 million for the planning stages of the Quebec side of the Tram route.

Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon, the MP for Gatineau, said the Quebec government is “turning its back on Gatineau and a project that has been planned by the city for at least 10 years.”

“It is choosing to deprive the Outaouais of an essential mobility project,” MacKinnon, the Minister of Transport, said on X.

“It is hard to believe, not to say shocking, that after so many promises and so much debate, our city finds itself back at square one.”

Pontiac-Kitign Zibi MP Sophie Chatel is accusing the Quebec government of “abandoning the Gatineau Tramway project and reallocating our tax money to other cities.”

“The Quebec government is sending a clear message to Gatineau residents; Quebec’s fourth-largest city does not matter when it comes time to invest,” Chatel said in a statement posted on Facebook.

“The Government of Canada was at the table. Nearly $100 million had been invested to move this project forward, and we were fully funding the Portage Bridge alignment and its connection into Ottawa. We received no prior notice of this sudden and irresponsible withdrawal.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Tyler Fleming

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