Latest news with #MobilitéInfraQuébec
Ottawa Citizen
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Pellerin: What if OC Transpo had a strong, capable leader?
OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar is leaving next month, to become head of a new Quebec government transportation agency, Mobilité Infra Québec. It must be nice to be mobile. Unlike, say, Ottawans who rely (if that's the word) on transit for their everyday transportation needs. Article content I'm sure Amilcar thinks she did a great job in the last four years running our beleaguered system. And in fairness, it's not immediately clear whether she did any worse than her predecessor. Now that we've set the bar suitably low, let's turn our attention to the next person who'll occupy that chair. I thought I'd get the process started by outlining a few key elements of the job description. Article content Article content Article content The first qualification is to be an excellent driver who lives anywhere in the city that doesn't have a quick, reliable and direct bus route to work. That way, they'll be certain to never use the transit system they are nominally in charge of. Leave that to other people, you know? Article content A proven ability to demonstrate a strong allergy to success is also required. The good people of Ottawa have been training for a long time in how to react to one bitter transportation disappointment after another. It is not at all obvious to me they would survive sudden efficiency during their commute. Article content I don't just mean that we got used to hundreds of cancelled buses and trains that only run sporadically. It's also roads crawling with drivers who have abandoned the bus. And construction projects that are apparently designed to inflict maximum pain in the slowest, most drawn-out way possible. Your drive is made worse by the number of people who would prefer riding the proletarian chariot but gave up on it and are driving in front of you instead. Article content Article content Like the frog that's slowly getting used to warming water, Ottawa commuters have gotten used to a slow worsening of their transportation options. They know things aren't good. Article content Article content Imagine what would happen if we had the option of walking out of our home in the morning and hopping on a train or bus that goes to where we're going and shows up often enough that we don't even need to think about looking at the schedule. Mass apoplexy is what. Article content And then what if we could get to a hockey game or a show at Lansdowne or the Canadian Tire Centre from anywhere in the city in half an hour without having to bother with traffic, parking or the worry of drinking and driving? And the ride was comfortable, clean and fare-free?
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Outgoing OC Transpo GM to head up Quebec infrastructure agency
Outgoing OC Transpo general manager Renée Amilcar has been named the first president and CEO of a new agency in Quebec. Quebec transportation minister Geneviève Guilbault announced Wednesday that Amilcar would head up the new Mobilité Infra Québec, an organization the province says will conduct feasibility analyses, planning, and implementation of complex transportation infrastructure projects, including public transit projects. Guilbault also named former Bombardier executive Ann MacDonald as the chair of the Mobilité Infra Québec board of directors. 'The creation of Mobilité Infra Québec is a revolution in the capacity and efficiency of carrying out complex transportation projects in Quebec. The goal: to deliver projects faster for less money, in part by innovating and diversifying revenue sources,' Guilbault said in a news release, translated from French. 'Ms. Amilcar and Ms. MacDonald both possess the leadership, experience, and commitment necessary for the implementation and success of MIQ, and I look forward to working with them going forward.' Amilcar's departure from the City of Ottawa was announced Tuesday. Her last day at OC Transpo will be July 18. She has been with the City of Ottawa since October 2021 and has overseen major changes in the city's transit system, including the launch of the north-south LRT Lines 2 and 4, construction of the expansion of the east-west Line 1 LRT and the major overhaul of the bus network, dubbed 'New Ways to Bus.' Prior to her time in Ottawa, she served as executive director of bus services for the Société de Transports Montréal. 'I am proud to accept the position of President and CEO of Mobilité Infra Québec, to once again serve Quebecers. I have followed with great interest the work that led to the creation of MIQ, and I fully support the Minister's vision: to be efficient and closely aligned with the needs of the population, and to evolve our ways of doing things,' Amilcar said in a release, translated from French. 'With my expertise and experience at both the national and international levels, I am committed to working tirelessly to deliver the best projects at the best cost.' Mobilité Infra Québec will be administered by a board of directors composed of nine to 11 members, including the Chair of the Board, the CEO, and the Deputy Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility or their representative. Transit union, riders react to departure City councillors and the mayor were quick to react Tuesday to news Amilcar was stepping down from her role at OC Transpo, speaking highly of what she's accomplished in under four years. But the president of the union that represents OC Transpo employees said Wednesday he believes the transit system is still struggling to improve. 'I can't say that it's in a better state than when she arrived. I can say that we're heading in the right direction at this point,' said Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 president Noah Vineberg. 'Mostly for the public, it's just been a system that seems to be falling short every time. And now, with New Ways to Bus, it seems to have even fallen more on its face or more behind than ever. I do think there is work to be done, and I do think that we're in a position to get that work done.' Vineberg said drivers regularly hear riders' frustrations. 'We get it at the doors of the busses. We get it, we are the face and everybody from our mechanics through our property maintenance personnel, everybody's feeling the pressure of the public being let down and we need to be better.' Transit riders say they were surprised to hear of Amilcar's upcoming departure. 'I figured that she said she's in it for the long haul to make this transformation happen. So, it was a bit of a surprise hearing that it was going to happen, now that she's moving on,' said Laura Shantz, spokesperson for the Ottawa Transit Riders group. Shantz said OC Transpo has improved some of its communications, but riders are still dealing with delays. 'We actually hear from OC Transpo about what's going on and why a little more, but in terms of how riders are served, we're still seeing many of the same gaps we saw back then. We still are seeing people struggle to get where they need to go on time.' With files from CTV News Ottawa's Dylan Dyson
CBC
05-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Quebec greenlights tramway project in eastern Montreal
Quebec's Transport Minister says the government is going ahead with a tramway to replace the contentious REM de l'Est project, broadening public transit options for commuters from the eastern tip of the island of Montreal. Geneviève Guilbault made the announcement at a news conference at the Repentigny, Que., city hall this morning. The projected route would bring riders through the east end of the city into Montréal Est and Repentigny, Que., a suburb east of the city. It would also connect to the STM's Blue and Green Metro lines and to the Mascouche line of the Exo commuter train. The tram will be developed by Quebec's new transport agency Mobilité Infra Québec, becoming its first project. It's expected to cost more than $18 billion. Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour, who joined Guilbault at the news conference, said his residents have been waiting for real public transit options for nearly 40 years. "My citizens lose about an hour, an hour-and-a-half to go to Montreal to work every morning — same for the students. So, for the first time we're going to have a real and true alternative to single-occupancy vehicles," Dufour said on CBC Montreal's Daybreak earlier Wednesday morning. Dufour said he'd like to see more bus lines, in the meantime, but that they get stuck in traffic like every other vehicle when going to Montreal. "There's nothing much we can do because we only have one way to go to Montreal and it's stuck every morning. So it's truly necessary that the project moves fast and we construct the tramway the fastest that we can," he said.
