MONTREAL — A coalition opposed to construction of the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass has delivered almost 1,500 letters contesting the Canadian government’s expropriation of land for the project to the agency in charge of the process.
The French-language newspaper La Presse Canadienne initially reported the protest in an article published in English by the Montreal Gazette.
Lawyers for coalition, which describes itself as “collaterial victims” of the bypass plan, hand-delivered the letters to Public Services and Procurement Canada, accompanied by representatives of a group representing Quebec farmers. The ministry said it had received 1,493 letters of contestation.
The opposition means Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek will ask Canada’s attorney general to name an investigator to hold a public hearing. The investigator will produce a report based on that hearing within 30 days, after which time Jaczek can continue the expropriation, abandon it, or reduce the number of properties involved.
The expropriation process began Feb. 13 after Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said the bypass project needed to move forward although the government had been unable to negotiate purchases for all needed land [see “Canadian government begans process to acquire land …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 14, 2023].
The coalition has claimed the new route is more dangerous than the existing line, and has called for an environmental study of the project [see “Lac-Mégantic bypass opponents ask for environmental impact study,” News Wire, March 8, 2023].
The 10th anniversary of the disaster in Lac-Mégantic that killed 47 is approaching in July, and the government had hoped to open the bypass this year. But ongoing opposition in neighboring communities continues to push back the project.
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