Delayed purchase of Quebec Bridge

Negotiations between Canadian National Corporation (CN) and Ottawa to purchase the Quebec Bridge will be at an impasse.

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With the upcoming call for a federal election, it was reported that time had run out between the two sides to reach an agreement. A source close to the file indicates that it was impossible to reach an agreement on the Quebec government’s contribution.

The Quebec Bridge is owned by CN, but the Department of Transportation is the main user. No one in MTQ was able to comment on the matter on Saturday.

So it’s back to square one. However, last month, Canadian citizen negotiator Pierre Lorte was commissioned. The latter was responsible for handling the file with the representative of the federal government, Yvonne Charst.

Last spring, Ottawa said it was essential that all partners contribute financially in order to reach an agreement. It was also about the equitable sharing of maintenance costs in the short, medium and long term.

In 2020, a report written by Yvonne Charst estimated that major painting and maintenance work should be done on the structure. At the time, there was talk of investing $784 million over 25 years.

The outcome of the federal election, scheduled for Sunday, may have an impact on the next steps in this file.