Battle brewing over bridge

The fight over the location of a new interprovincial bridge is escalating.

Today, Ottawa-Carleton's regional chair will introduce a motion calling for a nightime ban for trucks on the MacDonald-Cartier bridge.

But politicians in the Outaouais are getting ready to fight the ban. They are concerned it will hurt the local economy.

Ottawa-Carleton Regional Chair Bob Chiarelli says the mayor of Gatineau is responsible for the latest confrontation over the new interprovincial bridge.

Bob Labine wants a bridge over Kettle Island between Gatineau and Gloucester.

Just over a week ago, he managed to rally West Quebec regional authorities to his favoured option.

"Gatineau walked away from the table and said it's Kettle Island or nothing. And we cannot simply let Gatineau hold Ottawa-Carleton hostage," says Chiarelli.

Chiarelli is opposed to that proposal because it would disrupt neighbourhoods on the Ontario side.

He says the solution is a bridge further east, near Cumberland.

Claude Bonhomme chairs the West Quebec Public Transit Commission. He says the West Quebec regional authorities, or CUO, jumped the gun when they dismissed other proposals.

"There might be alternatives and it would have not cost anything to have a look at it," says Bonhomme.

Chiarelli thinks a nighttime ban will force West Quebec authorities to reconsider their stand.

But instead the CUO has asked a lawyer, Martin Bedard, to see what legal action can be taken to prevent the ban.

"We're looking at all aspects of the problem," says Bedard. "It is a serious problem and as far as I'm concerned much more a political problem."

Chiarelli says he's ready to go back to the negotiating table.

But Labine has made it clear he has no interest in negotiating any other location for an interprovincial bridge but Kettle Island