The REM is a hard drug: Auger
Michel C. Auger tears into the REM, saying it’s a hard drug for politicians, all about an immediate hit and no thought for the future. I want to quote bits for you, but it’s all good, incisive critique.
As a tweet I just found summarizes it, the REM involves:
- Privatizing public transit
- Competition for the STM that will sap its budget
- A project that can be sold off by the Caisse anytime after five years from the opening, including to foreign investors
- A scar on the city
- Vast cost overruns
The ARTM is right. It is not the answer for the east end of the city.
Matt G 11:56 on 2022-02-10 Permalink
And to think that this is an article from last year. It’s been known for some time.
carswell 11:57 on 2022-02-10 Permalink
And UdeM urbanist Gérard Beaudet tears into critics of the ARTM report. Assuming the intransigent Chantal Rouleau is speaking for Legault, it will be interesting to see if the CAQ government will continue trying to ram this through despite the growing opposition and unignorable evidence it’s bad urban planning.
Kate 17:29 on 2022-02-10 Permalink
Matt G, so it is. I saw it linked on Twitter today and thought it was so timely!
But I’ll leave it up.