Quebec City tramway finally gets green light as province gives unconditional approval

The Legault government has finally authorized Quebec City to launch its long-delayed tramway project and Mayor Bruno Marchand says he's ready to get started.

"We have many environmental issues that we have to address. And we have to deliver solutions. This is a great solution," Marchand said on Wednesday after cabinet approved decrees without any of the conditions that had previously been discussed.

Quebec Transport Minister François Bonnardel said it is now up to the city's mayor to better communicate the benefits of the tramway project in order to convince as many citizens as possible.

And that's just what Marchand began that very afternoon, touting the importance of a project that he said will help carry the city into a more environmentally friendly future by reducing emissions and improving mobility.

"It's the best way to respond to some of the big environmental challenges that we face," he said.

Premier François Legault and his government had voiced concerns over the project's potential impact on vehicular traffic.

The government demanded better social acceptability before authorizing the tramway and was at first saying the adoption of related ministerial decrees would be conditional on the development of shared streets along the route. 

Last month, Marchand harshly criticized the Legault government for standing in the way of the project.

Then on Tuesday, Legault said he was not going to interfere in the powers of the city by remodeling "the layout and the detail."

"It will be up to the mayor of Quebec City to decide how he does that," he told reporters.

Bonnardel said regardless of the unconditional decrees, the provincial government still expects a certain level of social acceptability for the project. However, he declined to delve further into what that means. 

"Everyone can have their own definition of social acceptability. I have mine. I will keep it to myself," he said.

Clash between city, province

This should put an end to the first head-to-head clash between the Coalition Avenir Québec government and Quebec City's new mayor, but Marchand says that's not what's important.

"It's not about the ego of the mayor. It's all about the citizens of Quebec," said Marchand, who expects the tramway to be up and running on city streets by 2028.

He said this project is about carrying the city into the future, getting motorists off the road and reducing emissions in a time when environmental issues are urgent.

"We have to act and we have to act quickly," he said.

The project, which will cost at least $4 billion, has been delayed by several months, and the Liberal opposition said last week that each day of delay costs the project $274,000.

The Quebec government's decision has unlocked $124 million to begin preparations. Construction is to start in the summer of 2023.

Labeaume's dream passed down to new mayor

Quebec City's tramway was longtime mayor Régis Labeaume's passion project but was passed on to Marchand when Labeaume retired from municipal politics in November 2021.

Quebec City and the province have gone back and forth for years on the proposed route — whether it would be part of an eventual third link between Quebec City and Lévis, and how the tramway would be incorporated into existing city infrastructure.

They finally reached a verbal agreement on a redesign just over a year ago, and since then, it's just been a matter of these final decrees.

Now with the project moving forward, Marchand said he has work to do when it comes to convincing all Quebec City residents of the project's importance.

Some residents will never see it his way, he said, but he is determined to make a difference for future generations. 

"We greatly appreciate today that we are able to move forward on time to deliver according to the deadlines that we have promised," Marchand said.